Search results for ""Author Gillian Cross""

A charming and witty tale of bullies, pumpkins and unlikely friendships from award-winning author Gillian Cross. Jason Banks is a bully. No one likes him and even the teachers are scared of him! It's time that someone taught Jason a lesson and he might just have met his match in the strange pumpkin that keeps appearing on his doorstep. Will Jason ever learn the error of his ways? And can he crack the case of the dreaded Pumpkin of Doom? Hilarious school based comedy from best-selling author Gillian Cross, featuring quirky illustrations by Sarah Horne. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+.

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What if you woke up tomorrow and everything had changed? Money is worthless. Your friends are gone. Armed robbers roam the streets. No one is safe. Suddenly you're a refugee. After Tomorrow is an unflinchingly poignant but ultimately hopeful story from Carnegie Medal winning author Gillian Cross, exploring the struggle for survival within refugee camps.

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Gillian Cross''s brilliant retellings and Neil Packer''s clever illustrations bring to life Homer''s Iliad and Odyssey, two of the greatest stories ever told.When first published Walker's versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey attracted attention both for the quality of the writing and for their amazingly stylish artwork. Multi-award-winning author Gillian Cross makes two of the greatest stories in the world come alive for children in her strong, clear, deceptively simple retellings, which are faithful to the spirit and structure of Homer's epic poems, and this 320-page bind-up in a friendly format comes complete with an introduction and a generous selection of Neil Packer's fabulous illustrations in black and white.

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Curiosity saves the bat in this fun and quirky adventure story from beloved author Gillian Cross. The night Dot and Ryan take a sneaky Halloween visit to a condemned tower, they discover more than they bargained for when they catch a glimpse of an endangered species of bat. It's clear that the bat colony and the tower need to be saved, but Dot and Ryan were never meant to be there and it's not going to be easy to get the grown-ups on side … Can they find a way to stop the demolition and save the bats before it's too late? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

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A charming village story about a little girl, a dare gone wrong and one crazy horse! From bestselling author Gillian Cross. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+ A charming village story about a little girl, a dare gone wrong and one crazy animal! When Alice Brett moves from the city to a little village school, she's never seen a real live horse before. And famous village resident Mozart's Banana is not just any old horse – he's crazy! The children are banned from riding him, but when Sammy Foster dares Alice to get on Mozart's Banana's back, she takes it very seriously…just what does she have up her sleeve? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+

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It's amazing! The Hyperbrain is a super intelligent computer that works by accessing the human brain. In the wrong hands, though, it could spell disaster. The new Controller at the Artificial Intelligence Unit seems horribly familiar but Dinah and her friends know that the Demon Headmaster has been defeated. Hasn't he? Great fun and just a little bit frightening, Gillian Cross's Demon Headmaster books still hold readers under their hypnotic spell. Fast-paced and full of adventure, they're impossible to resist!

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When Dinah is fostered by the Hunters she thinks her biggest problem will be fitting in with her foster-brothers, Lloyd and Harvey. However, once she starts at her new school it's clear that there's more to worry about. All the children, apart from a handful including Lloyd and Harvey, are too well-behaved - robotic almost - and oddly keen to please the creepy headmaster. The three children set out to discover the nature of his influence over everyone . . . but then Dinah finds herself saying and doing things she has no power over. Soon they uncover the headmaster's wicked plan. Controlling the school is just a practice run. He has set his sights on dominating the entire nation! The children must foil him before he succeeds . . . but with Dinah under his spell they've got a challenge on their hands. Great fun and just a little bit frightening, Gillian Cross's beloved classic still holds readers under its hypnotic spell, even after thirty years of being in print. An accessible page-turner, The Demon Headmaster is impossible to resist.

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An unlikely friendship. An incredible secret. An adventure of a lifetime . . . Nolan leaves school one day to discover that his mum has dyed her hair bright green, sold everything they own, and they're going on a road trip . . . On the way he meets Feather, the adopted daughter of a famous rock star. This mismatched pair appear to have nothing in common, until they discover an escaped wild cat, a serval, that needs their protection. Together they vow to keep it a secret. But someone else wants the serval too. Someone who will stop at nothing to get their hands on it . . .

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'A brilliant, galloping historical adventure story by one of my favourite writers.' Emma Carroll A giant Indian elephant. A wild journey across America. An enemy who will never stop. Tad and Cissie are on the run with Khush the elephant. Clammy fingered, steely-eyed Hannibal Jackson will do anything to capture the animal. Maybe even kill . . . Staying ahead means being faster and smarter-but how do you hide an elephant? Especially one with a mind of its own.

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John Cox is dead, killed in an explosion while at work. His younger sister Hayley can't believe he's gone. Determined to see the place of his death, she flies to Moscow with John's fiancée, Annie-but the site they're shown isn't where John died. Suddenly it seems that there's more to his death than a tragic accident. Using a tracking system to locate John's mobile phone, Hayley and Annie find the real site of the explosion . . . but they are completely at the mercy of John's former Russian boss and his English speaking son, who have taken them there. Upon recovering the phone, it's clear that John is still alive. Meanwhile, in the Siberian forest, John is being nursed back from the brink of death by a village woman. As he slowly recovers he begins to piece together the truth: he's at the heart of a dangerous power struggle between two brothers who are desperate to silence him-for good.

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Project X Origins is a ground-breaking guided reading programme for the whole school. Action-packed stories, fascinating non-fiction and comprehensive guided reading support meet the needs of children at every stage of their reading development. In The Lost: The Dark Ground Robert suddenly finds himself alone in the middle of the jungle. The last thing he remembers is being in an aeroplane. What has happened? Where is he? Will he ever get home?

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"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of story." David R. Hill, Director of the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading.

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There's a new computer game at school and the chance to enter the Junior Computer Brain of the Year competition is sending ripples of excitement through the pupils. Dinah is a whizz at the game and soon finds herself in the competition final. But it takes a while to realize that it's all just part of the Demon Headmaster's latest plan . . . Dinah is being used to access the computer of the Prime Minster. Great fun and just a little bit frightening, Gillian Cross's Demon Headmaster books still hold readers under their hypnotic spell. Fast-paced and full of adventure, they're impossible to resist!

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When Ashley climbs up and graffiti tags a wall in the middle of the night, she has no idea how serious the consequences will be. Someone sees her, someone dangerous. Now Ashley is being watched . . . and followed. Then the notes start arriving, becoming progressively more sinister. When the threats turn deadly, Ashley realizes she can't confront the stalker alone and seeks the help of local gang leader Eddie Beale. But Eddie's help doesn't come for free-he expects something in return. Ashley has to decide how far she's willing to go-and what she's prepared to risk-to unmask her stalker.

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William and his brother are desperate to have a tree house in the grand old tree at the bottom of the garden. Their father has to go away, but is determined that the tree house should be built. So every month he sends a parcel home to the boys - a parcel containing things they'll need for the tree house. But will their father be home in time for Christmas - in time to join them in the tree house to eat the chestnuts that are growing there . . . Gillian Cross has won many major awards including the Carnegie Medal, the Smarties Prize, and the Whitbread Award.

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A touching tale of friendship, understanding and finding the confidence to be yourself, from one of the UK’s most beloved authors. It's Ella's first day at her new school and that can only mean one thing: making new friends. But the challenge is even tougher than Ella thought, as the girls in her class just don't seem interested in her. When she stumbles across the book 'Five Ways to Make a Friend' in the library, it's like all her prayers have been answered. With five excellent ideas up her sleeve, Ella will be friends with the girls in no time … Right? But what if things don't quite work out as planned? And what if the friend Ella really needs has been there all along? A touching tale of friendship, understanding and finding the confidence to be yourself. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 7+

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Fun and laughter abound in this fun spy caper from an award-winning author. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+ Annie's dad is a private investigator. She's used to mysterious things going on, but when a string of visitors come to her dad's office, it results in the most mysterious event of all – her dad has disappeared! Annie knows something is wrong and she enlists the help of her friends Matt and Ruth to follow a trail of very sticky clues…Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+

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The paperback of Walker's magnificent edition of Homer's epic story, illustrated with lavish full colour pictures and exquisite black and white silhouettes.Homer’s great story is retold with simplicity and style by award-winning children’s writer Gillian Cross, and vividly brought to life in Neil Packer’s stunning illustrations. It charts the ten year epic voyage of Odysseus as he returns from the Trojan War to the island of Ithaca. On his journey he encounters all manner of perils, from the man-eating Cyclops and the evil sorceress Circe, to the deadly lure of the Sirens and the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon. Neil Packer’s striking imagination, and his extraordinary use of colour and dramatic silhouettes, capture the terrors of Odysseus’s travels as well as the dangers faced by his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus at home. The illustrations are a perfect complement to Gillian Cross’s beguiling narrative, which transports the reader effortlessly into Homer’s world.

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MACHINES, MYSTERIES AND MAYHEM - THIS MUST BE A CASE FOR OLLIE SPARK. Ollie Spark loves mending machines and solving mysteries. But he gets more than he bargained for when fixing Aunt Caz's van throws him into a real-life spy adventure! Ollie is whisked away to a mysterious city with strange plants, an unknown language and suspicious people round every corner. With the help of Gasket, his new dog best friend, he sets off on a mission to save the city - and Aunt Caz - from disaster. Can Ollie fix things before it's too late?!

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Machines, mysteries and mayhem await Ollie as he travels to a food festival on a far-flung island. An encounter with a Grand Duchess leads Ollie on an undercover spying mission, that is his most exciting and dangerous yet!

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Mia and James are getting married! When a tight budget means no wedding cake, Mia’s sister Holly plans a surprise… A heart-warming story from an award-winning author, now in a gorgeous 4u2read edition. When Holly's sister announces her engagement, wedding planning begins in earnest. But a tight budget means missing out on some wedding essentials – like the cake! Holly decides to put her baking skills to the test and surprise the happy couple with 1000 cupcakes! What could possibly go wrong? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 9+

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Music is king in this wonderfully charming story of bandmates and babies, with strong messages of family and frienship at its heart. From children's author legend Gillian Cross. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+ Music is the most important thing in Mark's life and he never misses band practice …until new baby sister Amber turns life upside down. She screams all day and all night and nothing Mum, Dad or anyone else does makes a difference! But when Mark is left holding the baby, he turns to the only thing he can to help him through – music. And it might just be that it's the key to Amber's happiness too. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+

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Jack and his friends build the greatest, scariest snowman in the whole world – until it comes alive! An entertaining and clever story by an award- winning author and illustator, Ross Collins. Also suitable for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers. Jack wakes up on his birthday to find an extra special present – everything is covered in fluffy, white snow! He and two friends Sam and Ryan decide to build the biggest, scariest snowman in the world. But when they all receive a mysterious text in the middle of the night, the last thing they expect is to be chased up a tree by the monster snowman! But is the snowman as scary as he seems? A delightfully crafted story with beautiful illustrations from award-winning Ross Collins. With a reading age of 8, it's also suitable for relucatant, struggling and dyslexic readers.

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An engaging classroom playscript. A group of friends take a stand against the actions of their Headmaster, who wants to take over the world. Strange things happen at Lloyd and Harvey Hunter's school. When their new foster sister Dinah arrives she wants to find out why...but can she escape the Demon Headmaster? New, innovative activities specifically tailored to support the KS3 Framework for Teaching English and help students to fulfil the Framework objectives. Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis, and the structure of playscripts, and act as a springboard for personal writing

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Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level Brother Aelred has remarkably smelly feet. To spare the other monks' noses, he is given the job of tending to the pigs. However, when Viking raiders arrive to attack, loot and pillage the Brothers' monastery, it is Brother Aelred, the humblest, gentlest monk, who saves the day. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type – A humorous story. An illustrated character web on pages 38 and 39 helps readers to describe Aelred’s character. Curriculum links – History: Why have people invaded and settled in Britain in the past? A Viking case study; PE: Invasion games; RE: What do signs and symbols mean in religion? This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

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