Search results for ""author weird"

A timeless treasury of more than 100 stories from the incredible kingdom of plants, told by author and nature expert Ben Hoare.Plants are found almost everywhere on Earth, but to many people, their lives are a mystery. Learn how seagrass flowers underwater, how the Venus flytrap counts to make sure it catches its prey, and why some tulips used to cost more than a house! This fascinating book for kids explores the vast plant kingdom and explains how plants work, as well as the weird and wonderful relationships they have with animals.Children can discover the secrets of more than 100 amazing plants in this treasury of fascinating flora, as well as the essentials of plant science, including photosynthesis, pollination, and germination. Each species is shown with remarkable photography and beautiful illustrations, all brought to life by Ben Hoare's writing, filled with charm and infectious enthusiasm. This nature book for children ages 7+ features:- An eye-catching holographic cover, gilded edges, and stunning photography and illustrations, making it the perfect gift - A wide range of incredible plants and trees from all around the world- Illustrated diagrams to support definitions of different types of plants - Introductory reference pages that explain key topics such as photosynthesisThis book is a must for any child interested in the natural world and the plants that grow in it. Plants provide us with food, fuel, and medicine, and without them, life as we know it would not exist. From orchids that grow vanilla pods to leaves that look like stones, and from bamboo that can be made into clothes to moss that soaks up vast amounts of carbon dioxide, plants shape our world in an endless variety of ways.

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Summer break is about to get weird. After their parents disappear, twins Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their Uncle Newt, an eccentric inventor with his very own science lab. Soon, the young sleuths find themselves investigating a mysterious family right in their own neighbourhood. As they race to uncover the truth, Nick and Tesla must build a bottle rocket launcher, a 9-volt battery burglar alarm, and an electromagnet picker-upper to save the day. Now in paperback, the first book in the popular Nick and Tesla series features laugh-out-loud jokes, fun illustrations, and five DIY science projects with step-by-step instructions for readers to try at home.

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Chris loves his long, curly hair, so why do his classmates tease him about it? When he looks for answers in his mirror, something wonderfully wild and weird happens: a lady appears with wise words that make him feel like a king! But when he starts acting like a king at school, it’s time for another visit to the mirror. Marchánt Davis’s uplifting picture book debut encourages us all to look beyond hairstyles - reminding us that styles come and go - and to celebrate one another for who we are. #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo’s stunning art brings Chris and his mirror to vibrant life.

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This is not just any boring book – it is THE MOST BORING BOOK IN THE WORLD! That is why nothing exciting, funny, or even remotely interesting is allowed in it...The Most Boring Book in the World is a hilarious and delightfully clever picture book that breaks the fourth wall. Our narrator, represented by a pair of bespectacled eyes on the page, really really wants the book to have only boring things in it. Like a grey cardigan. Or a potato. But the reader can’t help but put weird and wonderful things on every page, frustrating the narrator all the way to the end. Kids will delight in the opportunity to watch the rules being tossed aside for the sake of joyous silliness! Readers will love doing everything they are asked not to do! For ages 3 and up.

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Discover the wackiest facts about animals and their wee - and the scintillating science behind it!Welcome to the weird world of animal wee! Find out which animals are the fastest at peeing, which animals don't actually pee and how animal wee can save the planet!Impress friends with "would you wee-lieve it?" wacky animal wee facts and discover the fascinating science behind animal wee, with Paul Mason's highly accessible and entertaining text.The Poo that Animals Do illustrator Tony De Saulles combines his trademark humorous artwork with fun, factual photographs to create a bladder-busting encyclopedia of animal wee. Perfect for any curious reader but ideally pitched for 7+

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This pack contains 12 cool zombie stickers from three cutting-edge artists: JunkyKid is a US-based designer and skateboarder, celebrated for his wacky urban cartoon art; Shillustration’s weird designs have featured on clothing lines for Love Sick London and Saints and Soldiers Apparel; Sindy Sinn is a summer-loving Aussie and monster-obsessed illustrator dude, known for his creepy album, poster and t-shirt artwork. These extra-large stickers (each one is approx. 17x10cm) are durable, splash proof and scratch proof. They'll look great, and last ages, whether decorating your walls or zipping around on skateboards and bikes.

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This glorious 12in x 12in, 14-month full-color calendar on glossy stock features art by Idyl creator, Jeffrey Jones; Tarzan illustrator, Roy G. Krenkel; John Carter of Mars painter, J. Allen St. John; Weird Science legend, Wally Wood; Sci-Fi illustrator, Alex Schomburg; Conan artist, John Buscema; The Shadow illustrator, Steranko; Hollywood monster painter, Basil Gogos; Red Sonja artist, Frank Brunner; Catwoman illustrator, Paul Gulacy; Spider-Man creator, Steve Ditko; Heavy Metal artist, Arthur Suydam; and Space Cowboy creator, J. David Spurlock

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"Brilliantly original and hilarious. It's nearly as good as one of my books." DAVID WALLIAMS"Two words - such fun!" MIRANDA HART"Beautiful, inventive and laugh-out-loud funny." SUE PERKINSGreat to read aloud with children of 5+ and perfect for newly independent readers of 7+.FOO HOO HOO! King Flashypants is back for his third rib-tickling adventure. Something weird is happening in Edwinland - Emperor Nurbison isn't evil any more! He's doing stuff like smiling and making toys of himself for the peasants. Is he up to something? Probably. But what can it be?

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A girl with a hatchet. Doors with lizard head knobs. Talking stone statues. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals. The strangest part is that Liv recognises the boys in the dream. They're classmates from her new school in London. But what's really scaring Liv is that these dream boys seem to know things about her in the real world, things they couldn't possibly know - unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute.

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Those are the rules in Rowan's Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton's family has lived for centuries. It's an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn't care--she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other--or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

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When science and post-war lighting designers married, the modern housewife of the 1950s suddenly had an incredible array of weird and wild fixtures to choose from. New materials and production techniques developed during World War II, and a new attitude following it, collided to create the lamps we hate to love. Revisit lamp patterns like amoeba, starburst, atomic, and, of course, the indomitable lava lamp. Page through great figural TV lamps and a generous sampling of floor lamps and table lamps of all shapes and sizes in brass, plaster, Lucite, and ceramics. Each lamp is illustrated in full color with newly updated market values to aid collectors.

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By turns dark and shimmering, Moth is a fast, funny and heartbreaking story about two young people with nowhere to go. Sebastian is "that kid" at high school. He's weird. He smells. He's obsessed with comics, and talks to himself. But after a catastrophic fallout with his only friend, Claryssa, he wakes up with a moth in a jar by his bed, and a calling to save the souls of all humanity. And so begins the Passion of Sebastian: a journey into a terrifying and starless night. Declan Greene's play Moth was first produced by Arena Theatre and Malthouse Theatre at the CUB Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, in May 2010. It was premiered in the UK at HighTide Festival and the Bush Theatre, London, in 2013.

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Stuffed with a wonderfully weird collection of taxidermy from across the globe, Taxidermy Goes Wild will leave you both amused and confused. Revel in scenes of musical mice, basket-balling bengals, gun-toting rodents and lawn-mowing moles.Bringing together all the scenes nature never intended, this full-colour volume really does showcase the bizarre taxidermy on sale and on display. From a swearing squirrel in a London antiques shop, to a murderous mouse serving arsenic in a New York store, nothing is off-limits. Taxidermy Goes Wild is the very best - and the very worst - of anthropomorphic wildlife.

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You're called Fidge and you're nearly eleven. You've been hurled into a strange world. You have three companions: two are unbelievably weird and the third is your awful cousin Graham. You have to solve a series of nearly impossible clues. You need to deal with a cruel dictator and three thousand Wimbley Woos (yes, you read that sentence correctly). And the whole situation - the whole, entire thing - is your fault. Wed Wabbit is an adventure story about friendship, danger and the terror of never being able to get back home again. And it's funny. It's seriously funny.

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"How much do you know about the art that surrounds you? There are amazing stories behind some of our best-known (and lesser-known) paintings. Some works of art are created by wacky geniuses and others by dark, tormented talents. Some artists have become even more famous than the work they created, because of the weird and wonderful methods they used. Where else but the art world can you find secret codes, sneaky heists, mysterious myths and even some very talented animals? A perfect pocket money purchase for young artists! Filled with over 250 facts about art, colours, artists and lots, lots more!"

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In Running, former NCAA Division I track athlete Lindsey A. Freeman presents the feminist and queer handbook of running that she always wanted but could never find. For Freeman, running is full of joy, desire, and indulgence in the pleasure and weirdness of having a body. It allows for a space of freedom—to move and be moved. Through tender storytelling of a lifetime wearing running shoes, Freeman considers injury and recovery, what it means to run as a visibly queer person, and how the release found in running comes from a desire to touch something that cannot be accessed when still. Running invites us to run through life, legging it out the best we can with heart and style.

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With Pure Hollywood, Pulitzer Prize-finalist Christine Schutt returns to the short story form that launched her acclaimed career. In tales of rare wit, Pure Hollywood brings us into private worlds of longing and danger. An alcoholic actress takes her children to live in 'a rusted box on stilts' in the desert. In an exclusive island resort, a young family's holiday has terrible consequences. A newly-wed couple who, while still 'newly everything', fall in with a misanthropic painter burned by love. 'On the beach, they agreed, their daydreaming was sometimes dangerous.' Schutt's sharply suspenseful and masterfully dark interior portraits of ordinary lives are shot through with surprise and, as Ottessa Moshfegh has it, 'exquisitely weird writing'.

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"Kids everywhere will love this brilliant book!" MATT LUCAS"Brilliantly original and hilarious. It's nearly as good as one of my books." DAVID WALLIAMS"Two words - such fun!" MIRANDA HART"Beautiful, inventive and laugh-out-loud funny." SUE PERKINSGreat to read aloud with children of 5+ and perfect for newly independent readers of 7+.King Edwin Flashypants is back for his fourth hilarious adventure! Minister Jill has a secret. And it's something to do with the weird meadow in Edwinland. King Edwin always thought Minister Jill was a bit boring, like most grown-ups, but when she is kidnapped, he realises that her past might actually be very exciting indeed ...

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Starred Review from Foreword Reviews. “The book conveys emotions in a deep, visceral way . . . an outstanding memoir about the difficulties of overcoming abuse.”A breathtaking and gut-wrenchingly real graphic memoir of the struggles of an adolescent girl processing the trauma of childhood sexual assault. An immigrant at the age of six, she arrived in a strange new world. Karina was labeled "different" immediately, and a desire to be invisible was born. The "different" label expanded to "weird" and "freak", terms that she fervently embraced. By taking society's critique, owning it, and taking pride in it, she gained power over it. In a life overshadowed by fear, Karina wanted control. If something was going to ruin her life it would be her and her alone.

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A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century. Only a lot shorter. And funnier. And completely different. Conor thought he was an average teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand, spoke to him in ancient languages and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him. After that, things get pretty weird. Shadowmagic is a fantasy adventure for young adults (although grown ups will like it too). Written by one of the most popular magicians in the country it brings a fresh approach to the genre and will have a broad appeal beyond the fantasy sections.

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Let Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones guide your mystical tarot practice with this epic tarot deck and guidebook filled with stunning artwork inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's fictional grimoire the Necronomicon. Featuring deluxe custom artwork inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon, this tarot deck is a unique way to experience the popular lore of Lovecraft's weird, science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. Containing both major and minor arcana, the set also comes with a comprehensive guidebook explaining each card's meaning, as well as suggesting simple spreads for easy readings. Packed in a sturdy, decorative gift box, this compelling tarot deck is perfect for H.P. Lovecraft fans and tarot enthusiasts alike.

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'The Swiss watchmaker of the suspense novel' Stephen KingRosemary Woodhouse and her struggling actor-husband, Guy, move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and only elderly residents. Neighbours Roman and Minnie Castavet soon come nosing around to welcome them; despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, her husband starts spending time with them. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Rosemary becomes pregnant, and the Castavets start taking a special interest in her welfare.As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets' circle is not what it seems...

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A fun story that follows a boy through a fantastical land of weird and wonderful creatures. Imaginative illustrations complement the text, which invites children to envisage using each of their five senses, by asking f they have ever seen, heard, touched, smelt or tasted any of these creatures. Red A/Band 2A books offer predictable text with familiar objects and actions, combined with simple story development. Text type - A story with a predictable structure and patterned language. A story map on pages 14 and 15 lets the children recap and discuss the story. This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.

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Stress-eating after a breakup?Frustrated by the cost of a good cocktail?Stymied by the weirdness of abstract art?These penguins share your pain. The random penguins are a lineup of quirky, lovable weirdos with minds of their own. They understand the agony of social awkwardness, the power of the perfect smoky eye, and the arm- (or wing)-flapping terror of having a bee in the car. In fact, these winged characters get into the same sticky situations we all do. They are Penguins with People Problems. So meet your favorite new flightless friends. They're brutally honest (except when they're lying), comically insecure, and totally relatable.

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A horror movie inspired cocktail book with gross-looking but delicious party drinks, all wrapped up in an awesome '80s VHS package. There are 55 recipes spread across 5 chapters (shots, gelatin, punches, special fx, and non-alcoholic) inspired by classic pulp horror movies of the '80s and '90s, complete with viewing recommendations. The movies may be weird, the drinks may look gross, but the elevated drink making techniques and unusually tasty recipes keep readers and their guests interested and coming back for more. Great for theme parties, Halloween festivals, movie fans, and retro enthusiasts.

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Forget everything you thought you knew about reality.The world is a seriously bizarre place. Things can exist in two places at once and travel backwards and forwards in time. Waves and particles are one and the same, and objects change their behaviour according to whether they are being watched. This is not some alternative universe but the realm of the very small, where quantum mechanics rules. In this weird world of atoms and their constituents, our common sense understanding of reality breaks down - yet quantum mechanics has never failed an experimental test. What does it all mean? For all its weirdness, quantum mechanics has given us many practical technologies including lasers and the transistors that underlie computers and all digital technology. In the future, it promises computers more powerful than any built before, the ability to communicate with absolute privacy, and even quantum teleportation. The Quantum World explores the past, present and future of quantum science, its applications and mind-bending implications. Discover how ideas from quantum mechanics are percolating out into the vast scale of the cosmos - perhaps, in the future, to reveal a new understanding of the big bang and the nature of space and time.ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. Nobody at Puggle School would ever believe Katy’s phobia. Some of her friends are scared of spiders. Some of them are scared of snakes. But no-one is scared of a kitten! Katy can’t even think about a kitten without breaking out in goose bumps. It would be OK if only her best friend hadn’t invited Katy to come and play after school… and meet Fluffy! How can Katy get over her fear? Will everyone think she’s totally weird if she tells them? Perhaps she’d be surprised by the fears they have if she ever did … This story about overcoming fears is written by Ali Sparkes. White Plus/Band 10+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina. Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

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There are mammals everywhere! Some of them clamber through the canopy, others scuttle through the undergrowth, and some even travel underground. There are Mammals Everywhere is the fifth in a series of non-fiction books from Britta Teckentrup. Young readers will learn where in the world all sorts of mammals can be found and all the weird and wonderful things about them that they never imagined were true. With an added search-and-find element, this is non-fiction with spark and personality from a much-loved illustrator for ages 7+.Also available:There are Fish EverywhereThere are Bugs Everywhere There are Reptiles EverywhereThere are Birds Everywhere

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'Big Summer is the perfect beach read' PopSugar'Beautifully written, twisty and compelling . . . I raced through it' Daily Mail The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author returns with an unforgettable novel about friendship set during a disastrous wedding on picturesque Cape Cod.Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favour to ask. Daphne hasn't spoken one word to Drue in all this time - she doesn't even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media - so when Drue asks if she will be her maid of honour at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.Drue was always the one who had everything - except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne's no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She's built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend's siren song.______________Discover why readers are IN LOVE with Jennifer Weiner: 'Nothing short of brilliant' People'Friendship, weddings, and rich people being weird? Obviously I am in' Literary Hub'If you love Jennifer Weiner, you'll love this one' Kirkus Reviews, starred review'Big Summer is a big, fun summer read' Booklist'Deliciously entertaining' Woman's Own

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Following the international success of Animorphia, translated in over 30 languages, comes Imagimorphia, a strange and amazing colouring and doodling challenge from talented artist Kerby Rosanes. Kerby’s unique and ground-breaking black-and-white-line style lends the book wide cross-over appeal and will attract fans of all ages.Animals and objects are formed from weird and wonderful things. The intricate compositions are filled with mind-boggling detail and there are objects hidden throughout the book to find.Other books in the colouring series include:9781910552070 Animorphia9781910552261 Mythomorphia 9781910552865 Fantomorphia9781910552926 Geomorphia

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Eva Gordon likes fashion, fun and hanging out with friends, so she can't believe she has to spend the entire summer in a cottage in the countryside with her parents and eight-year-old Joey. Worse, it looks like she's going to be stuck with Kate, the girl next door who doesn't care about being cool … it's Eva's worst nightmare come true! But when the girls have to pull together to solve a problem, Eva finds out that there's more to life than having the right hair or clothes and sometimes 'weird' girls can make the best friends.

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Sara didn't start out expecting to change the world. She inherited it from her dad and grandad, but she didn't expect it. For much of her early years, Sara thought her family was pretty weird and there seemed to be plenty of evidence to prove it. Her late grandfather, Pete Stevenson, maybe the weirdest of all, was obsessed with chasing down proof of aliens and time travel all over the world. Incidents through the years seemed to suggest that her family had, indeed, come across evidence that alien presence was real. Informed speculation regarding alien presence had now become irrefutable fact. Now, has an actual temporal alien encounter revealed that she is Earth's chosen one?

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This book takes a fun-filled look at the foibles, follies, pratfalls, and unpredictable world of the duck hunter, from the time his alarm rings at 3:00 a.m. until he stumbles into freezing marsh water two hours later, swamping his waders but not dampening his enthusiasm for the sport. Why do duck hunters do it? Sit in driving rain for hours awaiting ducks that may never come? Shiver in freezing boats and blinds in the most inaccessible, not to mention inhospitable, environs imaginable? Author-photographer Bill Buckley writes about these magic moments with humor and verve, but it is his brilliant color photographs that steal the show. The hapless hunter who watches helplessly as his partner's Suburban backs out of the driveway-and over the gun case that holds his favorite shotgun. Click! The faithful retriever that elegantly lifts its leg and makes a sop of the hunter's blind bag. Click! And the pained expressions on the faces of duck hunters caught in the act of "enjoying" their favorite sport. Click. Waterfowlers who sometimes question their own sanity can now take heart. "It's all right," Buckley writes, "if you like standing in swamp muck for hours on end. It's okay if your family thinks you're weird. Who cares if your girlfriend diagnoses you as obsessive-compulsive or sadomasochistic? The important thing is, you're not alone."

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From critically acclaimed author Laura Bickle (Dark Alchemy) comes the first novel in the Wildlands series, NINE OF STARS. Longmire meets Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson in this exciting new series that shows how weird and wonderful the West can truly be. Winter has always been a deadly season in Temperance, but this time, there's more to fear than just the cold...As the daughter of an alchemist, Petra Dee has faced all manner of occult horrors - especially since her arrival in the small town of Temperance, Wyoming. But she can't explain the creature now stalking the backcountry of Yellowstone, butchering wolves and leaving only their skins behind in the snow. Rumors surface of the return of Skinflint Jack, a nineteenth-century wraith that kills in fulfillment of an ancient bargain. The new sheriff in town, Owen Rutherford, isn't helping matters. He's a dangerously haunted man on the trail of both an unsolved case and a fresh kill - a bizarre murder leading him right to Petra's partner Gabriel. And while Gabe once had little to fear from the mortal world, he's all too human now. This time, when violence hits close to home, there are no magical solutions. It's up to Petra and her coyote sidekick Sig to get ahead of both Owen and the unnatural being hunting them all - before the trail turns deathly cold.

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‘Mushrooms are having a moment. [A] natural sequel for the many readers who enjoyed Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life.’—Library Journal ‘If you enjoyed Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life . . . I highly recommend this book. . . . In the vein of Louis Theroux, Bierend journeys deep in the wonderfully strange subculture of the mushroom-mad.’—Idler magazine From ecology to fermentation, in pop culture through to medicine – mushrooms are quite literally everywhere! Author Doug Bierend guides readers through the weird, wonderful world of fungi and the amazing mycological movement. In Search of Mycotopia introduces us to an incredible, essential and oft-overlooked kingdom of life – fungi – and all the potential it holds for our future, through the work and research being done by an unforgettable community of mushroom-mad citizen scientists and microbe devotees. This engrossing and mind-expanding book will captivate readers who are curious about the hidden worlds and networks that make up our planet. Bierend uncovers a vanguard of mycologists: growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs and amateur enthusiasts exploring and advocating for fungi’s capacity to improve and heal. From decontaminating landscapes and waterways to achieving food security, In Search of Mycotopia demonstrates how humans can work with fungi to better live with nature – and with one another. ‘Comprehensive and enthusiastic. . . . This fascinating, informative look into a unique subculture and the fungi at its center is a real treat.’—Publishers Weekly

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For a physicist, all the world is information. The Universe and its workings are the ebb and flow of information. We are all transient patterns of information, passing on the recipe for our basic forms to future generations using a four-letter digital code called DNA. In this engaging and mind-stretching account, Vlatko Vedral considers some of the deepest questions about the Universe and considers the implications of interpreting it in terms of information. He explains the nature of information, the idea of entropy, and the roots of this thinking in thermodynamics. He describes the bizarre effects of quantum behaviour -- effects such as 'entanglement', which Einstein called 'spooky action at a distance', and explores cutting edge work on harnessing quantum effects in hyperfast quantum computers, and how recent evidence suggests that the weirdness of the quantum world, once thought limited to the tiniest scales, may reach into the macro world. Vedral finishes by considering the answer to the ultimate question: where did all of the information in the Universe come from? The answers he considers are exhilarating, drawing upon the work of distinguished physicist John Wheeler. The ideas challenge our concept of the nature of particles, of time, of determinism, and of reality itself. This edition includes a new foreword from the author, reflecting on changes in the world of quantum information since first publication. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

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Three hilarious read-aloud stories following the adventures of our favourite baking dogs! The much-loved picture book pooches appear here in a two-colour fiction format, ideal for children growing in confidence as readers and beginning to read alone.Shifty and Sam have a lot on their plates! Someone has stolen all of Santa's presents! A sea monster is spoiling fairground fun day. And a weird cat has cursed Sam! Pass the buns, it's going to be a rollercoaster ride!Brilliant stories hilariously told by Tracey Corderoy and beautifully brought to life by Steven Lenton's illustrations.Have you read Shifty and Sam's other fiction adventures?The Spooky SchoolUp, Up and Away!The Aliens are Coming!

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The World’s Most Pointless Animals is a witty, quirky, colourfully illustrated book featuring fascinating facts about some very silly animals … who we find are perhaps not so pointless after all. From familiar animals like giraffes (who don’t have any vocal cords) through to those that surely should not even exist, such as the pink fairy armadillo (absurdly huge front claws, super tough protective shell in baby pink, particularly susceptible to stress), our planet is full of some pretty weird and wonderful animals. For example: Koalas spend up to 18 hours a day asleep! Pandas are born bright pink, deaf and blind. Dumbo octopuses flap their big fin-like ears to move around. A Narwhal’s tusk grows through its upper lip – ouch! With hilarious text throughout and bright, contemporary illustrations, this guide to absurdly awesome animals contains funny labelled diagrams and some excellent made-up Latin names (n.b. the jellyfish’s scientific name is not actually wibblious wobblious ouchii). Carrying an important message of celebrating diversity and differences, The World’s Most Pointless Animals inspires a drive to conserve our amazing planet and the creatures we’re lucky enough to share it with.Quirky Creatures is a series dedicated to seeking out the weird and wonderful denizens of the natural world and explaining why they are so strange, from the ridiculous to the truly terrifying. Also available in this series is The World's Most Ridiculous Animals and The World's Most Atrocious Animals.

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Are there Blobheads in your toilet? From the pair behind Muddle Earth and The Edge Chronicles, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Bumper Blobheads collects four fully-illustrated, completely bonkers Blobhead adventures in one big book!Billy Barnes has found Blobheads in his bathroom. The Blobheads – Kerek, Zerek and Derek – are weird purple aliens from the planet Blob, arriving in Billy's toilet through an alpha-gamma space-time wormhole. And they're on a very, very important mission. They're trying to find the Most High Emperor of the Universe. And they think they'll find them in Billy's bathroom . . .Celebrating twenty years of the series, Bumper Blobheads includes Invasion of the Blobs, Talking Toasters, School Stinks! and Beware of the Babysitter.

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The situation is grave. Strange things are happening in the chuchyard . . . and I don't mean the weird cat who never seems to blink. There's a scuttling sound and a huge cobwebby plant - oh, and not to mention the hideous half-man-half-plant monster who is out for revenge. And as we all know, revenge comes in all shapes and sizes - including enormous and eight-legged! Maybe reading the Creeper Files will keep you safe. Maybe it'll keep you alive. Maybe - just maybe - this story wiill help ensure you won't become a victim of the monster known only as . . . The Creeper. Fun, accessible fiction, ideal for readers who want action-packed excitement, humour, and horror. Goosebumps for a new generation!

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Couldn't get enough of Love, Simon or Red, White and Royal Blue? This is the (slightly NSFW) book for you!'Jack of Hearts might be the most important queer novel of the decade' Gay Times'Jack of Hearts won my heart' Courtney Act 'This book is filth' Julian Clary ---------------'My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it's going to be weird for everyone's first time, though.'Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time.His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'.He doesn't actually expect that to come true.But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy.Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They want him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him.As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous...Praise for Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)'The affirming, sex-positive, brilliant new book that puts the "adult" into young adult literature' Attitude'Humane, sex-positive writing of the funniest, filthiest and most heartening kind' The Guardian

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A unique approach to the history of science using do-it-yourself experiments along with brief historical profiles to demonstrate how the ancient alchemists stumbled upon the science of chemistry. Be the alchemist! Explore the legend of alchemy with the science of chemistry. Enjoy over twenty hands-ondemonstrations of alchemical reactions. In this exploration of the ancient art of alchemy, three veteran chemists show that the alchemists' quest involved real science and they recount fascinating stories of the sages who performed these strange experiments. Why waste more words on this weird deviation in the evolution of chemistry? As the authors show, the writings of medieval alchemists may seem like the ravings of brain-addled fools, but there is more to the story than that. Recent scholarship has shown that some seemingly nonsensical mysticism is, in fact, decipherable code, and Western European alchemists functioned from a firmer theoretical foundation than previously thought. They had a guiding principle, based on experience: separate and purify materials by fire and reconstitute them into products, including, of course, gold and the universal elixir, the Philosophers' stone. Their efforts were not in vain: by trial, by error, by design, and by persistence, the alchemists discovered acids, alkalis, alcohols, salts, and exquisite, powerful, and vibrant reactions--which can be reproduced using common products, minerals, metals, and salts. So gather your vats and stoke your fires! Get ready to make burning waters, peacocks' tails, Philosophers' stone, and, of course, gold!

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'Welcome back to the Nothing to See Here hotel - where we have complimentary weirdness in every room and hilarity is available twenty four hours a day' Frank Cottrell Boyce The second book in this fabulously funny series by bestselling author Steven Butler and the wonderful Steven Lenton! Having just saved the hotel from a goblin prince, Frankie Banister and the guests are looking forward to enjoying themselves and celebrating the summer holiday of Trogmanay! But when a snow storm blows in (complete with Yeti family), and a number of mysterious guests arrive, something sinister seems to be taking over the hotel and celebrating is the last thing on anyone’s mind…PRAISE FOR THE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HOTEL: 'This book is so good you won't blunking believe it!'Tom Fletcher 'Hilariously funny and inventive, and I love the extraordinary creatures and the one thirty-sixth troll protagonist...' Cressida Cowell 'A rip-roaring, swashbuckling, amazerous magical adventure. Comedy Gold.' Francesca Simon ‘This hotel gets five stars from me’ Liz Pichon 'A splundishly swashbungling tale of trolls, goblins and other bonejangling creatures. Put on your wellies and plunge into the strangest hotel you will ever encounter. This is a hotel I hope I never find! Wonderfully, disgustingly funny.' Jeremy Strong ‘What a fun hotel! Book me in immediately!’ Kaye Umansky

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Mission Cheese! is a picture book with a rhyming text which takes place in more than 20 different European countries where the audience is exposed to cultural experiences connected with the fascinating social history of piracy, smuggling, and some traditional, unusual or even weird cheeses. The author has inter-twined historical facts, myths, folk tales and legends of world literature: Hans Christian Andersen's ""the Steadfast Tin Soldier""; the Bremen town musicians; King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table; Mabinogi tales from Wales; the Spanish Armada La Girona shipwreck; Don Quixote; the Bayeux tapestry; Count Dracula; Alkmaar Cheese Festival; book and film locations etc and these snippets can be further explored by readers and teachers if they so desire. Unlike in the movies where pirates hunt for gold, in this book pirates hunt for cheese. While reading this story, children will understand that cheese, or rather food, is more valuable than gold. While hunting for cheese in all of Europe, pirates learn that the types of cheese may vary tremendously from country to country. You may know that coffee, cheese and wine are a very important parts of food culture in the majority of European countries. Depending on the country, there are different tastes, preparation methods and ways of eating those products. This book fuels children's interest in adventure, pirates and different cultures.

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'This book is so good you won't blunking believe it!' Tom Fletcher 'Hilariously funny and inventive, and I love the extraordinary creatures and the one thirty-sixth troll protagonist...' Cressida Cowell 'A rip-roaring, swashbuckling, amazerous magical adventure. Comedy Gold.' Francesca Simon‘This hotel gets five stars from me’ Liz Pichon'A splundishly swashbungling tale of trolls, goblins and other bonejangling creatures. Put on your wellies and plunge into the strangest hotel you will ever encounter. This is a hotel I hope I never find! Wonderfully, disgustingly funny.' Jeremy Strong‘What a fun hotel! Book me in immediately!’ Kaye UmanskyWelcome to The Nothing to See Here Hotel! A hotel for magical creatures, where weird is normal for Frankie Banister and his parents who run the hotel. When a goblin messenger arrives at The Nothing to See Here Hotel, announcing the imminent arrival of the goblin prince Grogbah, Frankie and his family rush into action to get ready for their important guest. But it soon becomes obvious that the Banister family are going to have their work cut out with the demanding prince and his never-ending entourage, especially when it turns out the rude little prince is hiding a secret... The first book in a fabulously funny series by bestselling author Steven Butler, with a host of whacky characters brought to life with illustration from the wonderful Steven Lenton!

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We all long to do life together with people who really "get" us. Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston, bestselling authors and founders of the wildly popular "Sister, I Am with You" online community, simplify some of the trickier aspects of friendship and give readers practical ways to deepen the friendships they already have.Making friends as an adult is hard! It's weird and it's tricky and it can feel overwhelming. Maintaining those friendships and taking them to a deeper level can be even harder. Just as Amy and Jess gave readers a road map for finding real, authentic relationships with I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants), they now provide a toolkit for building up and building on those friendships. Here For It (The Good, the Bad, and the Queso) will dig deeper into the hows and whys of doing life together in a culture that constantly tries to keep us separate. Readers will learn how to distinguish between different types of friendships and recognize when a seasonal relationship has run its course; understand the importance of self-awareness, healthy confrontation, and differing love languages in friendship; and maintain long-distance friendships, foster real relationships with your neighbors, and establish traditions that strengthen your connections. With this new book, Amy and Jess give readers the tools they need to continue laying a strong foundation and building relationships that are steady, secure, and made to withstand whatever life throws their way.

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Learn how to draw mermaids and other adorable creatures in Lulu Mayo’s unique and quirky style, using simple shapes and easy-to-follow steps. From a magical mermicorn and a friendly narwhal to a puppy cupid and a panda cupcake, these cute creations are loads of fun to draw. The book demonstrates how to create quirky kawaii-style characters in an easy, step-by-step way that will also have readers coming up with their own cute characters in no time.Using simple shapes, illustrator Lulu Mayo explains how to draw each mythical, magical or just plain marvellous creature. Her 30 imaginative creations are sure to keep budding artists entertained and inspired to dream up their very own weird and wonderful characters.

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Our extraordinary world makes more (and sometimes less) sense when you wonder: What's driving the international turkey-meat boom? How does a cannonball determine a maritime boundary? Where can you wed your mobile phone? Why do septuagenarians have a better chance of summiting Mount Everest than ever? The ever-keen minds of The Economist Explains solve all these riddles and more in their latest encyclopaedic excursion around the globe. Baffle your friends and colleagues with unconventional headscratchers that shed surprising light on science, culture, world affairs and more. From the underground trade in hair to Hollywood's role in the creation of the snow globe, Truly Peculiar takes a walk on the weird side.

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