His Mistletoe Bride

Prof. William S-Y. Wang, an eminent linguist, has made significant contributions to the field regarding lexical diffusion, experimental phonetic studies, language simulation and modeling, and aging and language. To celebrate his 90th birthday, colleagues and friends worldwide have contributed over 30 articles to a two-volume Festschrift. The English volume includes topics such as Chinese language evolution, the relationship between language and music, and the brain processes involved in language production. This Festschrift is written by and for experienced language researchers and is also suitable for students of Chinese linguistics and those interested in Chinese culture, history, and neurology.

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDEBBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICKOVER 29,000 5 STAR REVIEWSGOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF 2022GLAMOUR BEST BOOKS OF 2022'Full of heart and humour . . .I loved it.' Ruth Hogan'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris'I defy you to put it down once you’ve started' Cynthia D'Aprix SweeneyAfter Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors – until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old body can muster to unearth the truth

Finn has always loved going to stay with his grandma . . .until one day, he tells a little fib that gets out of control! A book about telling the truth, from the bestselling author of the Big Bright Feelings series. Be open, be honest, be you! Big Bright Feelings for little people. When Finn accidentally breaks his grandma's precious clock, he tells a teeny tiny little lie - and blames it on his sister instead! Soon, Finn's little fib is OUT OF CONTROL, and it's getting in the way of everything! Can he find a way to tell the truth?This reassuring and humorous book is the perfect springboard for talking to children about the importance of honesty.Tom Percival's Big Bright Feelings series is the ideal starting point for discussions about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence and managing feelings. Every child's bookshelf should contain his books. Also available in the Big Bright Feelings series: Ruby's Worry, Perfectly Norman, Ravi's Roar, Meesha Make

Celebrate the ascension of a new monarch, King Charles III, with ten stunningly illustrated pop-ups in this timely souvenir and addition to the wonderful Panorama Pop series.King Charles III's coronation will take place in May 2023. This beautiful novelty keepsake traces the King's life up to this historic moment. Ten illustrated pop-ups combine with information about his stately duties as well as his personal life, from his childhood as heir to the throne to his investiture in Wales as well as his marriage, good works and connections to various charities. This book also features intriguing facts and striking pop-up illustrations of famous royal residences and popular tourist destinations, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. Celebrate the monarchy and all things royal in this exquisite cut-paper souvenir.

All it takes is a loving teacher to help a boy get control of his sizzling superpowers, in this vibrant picture book by bestselling author Derrick Barnes.Bobby Beacon’s got fire flowing through his veins. And now he’s psyched to attend a new school that’ll help him get a better grip on his powers. But right off the bat, his new teacher is not too welcoming. That causes Bobby’s hot temper to land him in the principal’s office. It ain’t easy to stay calm when people don’t seem to understand you and are always pushing you to the edge. Good thing Bobby gets moved to a class with an understanding teacher who clues him in on ways to calm himself and shows him that caring for others is its own kind of superpower. With her help—and some cool new friends—he just might be on his way to becoming the best version of himself possible.

The monster hunting hero Ham Helsing is back for his biggest challenge yet—a family reunion? Vampires, monsters, and now your dad?! This action-packed graphic novel brings on the laughs and the drama!Ham and his pals are snowed in at the old Helsing manor...and they aren't the only ones haunting its dusty halls. All Ham wanted to do was get some closure after the death of his father, but when his father turns out to be very alive? Ham will have his hands full just trying to keep his friends safe from his legendary monster hunter dad!

The action-packed fifth installment in the infectiously sweet illustrated middle grade series starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination.Omar and his friends are blasting off on another adventure—this time at a rocket-building competition. All of his family's Science Sundays prepared Omar to lead his friends on their quest to build the best rocket in their school, sending them to the nationals. But when their rocket is sabotaged, Omar and his friends have to use their expertise in science and mysteries to find the culprit. This fifth book in the charming, warmhearted, and hilarious series about a boy growing up in a close-knit Muslim family, packed with eye-popping artwork by Kyan Cheng, is explosively fun!

After breaking a "curse" on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster...and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated historical mystery series!The truth of Maomao’s birth is revealed?!Sly tactician Lakan’s attempts at provocation lead to his own downfall when Maomao challenges him to elephant chess, only to outplay him in a game of wits!In a stupor from drinking “poison” as punishment for his loss, Lakan dreams of a long-lost past, his affair with a beautiful courtesan, and meeting her daughter for the very first time.Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a girl of his choosing and take her home as his wife! But will any of the flowers there catch his eye when his heart is in love with a memory?

Books eight through ten in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs are now available together in a collectible hardcover boxed set!With SPYDER defeated, Ben Ripley is looking forward to his life getting back to normal, or as normal as possible when you’re a superspy in training, but his next mission isn’t too far behind…With bombs going off in the CIA conference room, his nemesis, Murray Hill, boarding the world’s biggest cruise ship in Central America, and someone putting a price on Ben’s head and accusing him of being at the center of a conspiracy on the internet, Ben is faced with his greatest challenges yet.This action-packed hardcover boxed set includes:Spy School RevolutionSpy School at SeaSpy School Project X

From the critically acclaimed author ofYour Name Is a Songand the bestselling illustrator ofThe Proudest Bluecomes a story about a Muslim boy who receives a salat (prayer) rug on his seventh birthday and becomes empowered about his faith.In this beautiful story of community, family, and acceptance, a boy named Muhammad receives a special salat rug on his seventh birthday. Seven is the age when Muslim children are encouraged to pray, and Muhammad is determined to do all five daily prayers on time. But one salat occurs during the school day--and he's worried about being seen praying at school. His father parks his truck to worship in public places, and people stare at and mock him. Will the same thing happen to Muhammad?In the end, with help from his teacher, he finds the perfect place to pray.Salat in Secret, by two highly acclaimed Muslim creators, is a poignant and empowering look at an important facet of Islam that many observant children cherish but might be scared to share.

Ari Avatar is just your average Roblox kid living in a blocky world! Battle monsters and avoid disasters in a Roblox world -- all through the eyes of Ari and his friends. Diary of a Roblox Pro is a must-read for any kid who loves to play Roblox!It's time to escape the obby! Ari's best friend's dad is a professional obby builder. He even constructs obbies to help train the Roblox army. Ari and his friends are excited to visit the latest obby creation but they are absolutely forbidden to touch anything. Well, Ari and his friends just can't help themselves! When they find themselves trapped in the new obby course they must find a way to escape or risk losing it all.

This book offers a glimpse into the wide-ranging 50-year career of the internationally renowned Hong Kong photographer/designer through his work in collages and photomontages. From his early album covers when he was an art director/designer for the music industry in New York, Los Angeles and London in the 1970’s, through his diverse international assignments and personal works, to his most recent exhibition in Hong Kong. The story encompasses the long journey from cut-and-paste collages to the computer-composited photomontages of dreamscapes in this Carnival of Dreams.In his introduction titled ‘The Man from Everywhere’, Pico Iyer writes: “For decades now, Basil Pao has been the global eye through which I’ve taken in almost every country, as clearly as the world within… I never know where to place Basil; I can’t get my head around him. Album-designer, loving father, covert Chan master—21st century Renaissance man—Basil is always bringing the many worlds inside him together to create so

Using the same innovative format as his Caldecott Honor winner, Mel Fell, Corey R. Tabor reimagines Aesop’s “The Dog and His Reflection” in a clever, charming tale of empathy and generosity.One day, down by the pond, Simon meets another dog just like him.And that dog has a bone just like his, only better!How will Simon ever get him to trade, when the other pup knows all the same tricks...?This is another delightfully surprising tale from the award-winning creator of Mel Fell.

Star of the New York Times bestselling picture book Can I Be Your Dog?Everyone loves Arfy the rescue dog——even when he stinks! This is his first Comic Reader in the #1 early reader line, Step into Reading.Arfy used to be homeless, but now he's found his forever home with a sweet person and a squeaky bone! But what's that smell? Arfy loves to sniff things out--he's great at it, so he is on the case! He will find the source of this mysterious smell, even if he has to sniff the whole neighborhood! Tag along with Arfy on his newest adventure--illustrated with panels and speech balloons for a fun intro to comics! Comic Readers are told almost entirely in action-packed dialogue! Simple, graphic, paneled layouts introduce emergent readers to the joy of comics.Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words. Rhymes and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.

With his signature laugh-out-loud humor, world-famous comedian George Lopez launches a magical series inspired by his own colorful childhood and Latinx folklore.In this illustrated contemporary fantasy, twelve-year-old Jorge is lonely and resentful after being sent to live with his grandparents. His first day at his new school doesn’t go well after catching the attention of his belligerent principal and the school bullies, so Jorge might be a little desperate for a friend.But the only kid who shares his interest in junk food and games turns out to be a young chupacabra—a legendary monster whose kind is known for being bloodthirsty livestock killers. The truth is, Carter is anything but savage—he's kind, a good listener, and has great taste in sneakers. Being friends with a mythical creature should be amazing, but when local cattle turn up dead and his principal suspects the truth, Jorge is torn. Should he trust that his friend is innocent and protect him from exposure, or reveal his da

The 30th and final Elmer storybook from BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award winner David McKee, about caring for elderly family members, featuring a reading guide and a link to online resources from Alzheimer's Research UK.Aunt Zelda has a gift to give to Elmer from his Grandpa Eldo, but she can't remember what it is or where it is. Zelda's memory sometimes escapes her, and her hearing isn't what it used to be, so they set off together to find Grandpa Eldo and solve the mystery of the forgotten gift.In his 30th storybook, Elmer's love, patience and respect for his Aunt Zelda and Grandpa Eldo makes for a heart-warming depiction of family life with elderly relatives, and deftly deals with themes relating to dementia with love and respect.

Barney Guttman’s life has been turned upside down. His family is struggling to fully embrace his trans identity, but thanks to his best friend Norma, he’s just landed a job at Phoenix Parks, a Dollywood-esque amusement park inspired by the long life and career of mysteriously youthful actress and singer Pauline Phoenix. Soon, Barney and his dog, Pugsley, secretly move into the haunted house attraction. Little does Barney know, the house contains a portal to the demonic planes of Hell. When Courtney, Barney’s devilish new roommate, invites a demon king to Earth through the portal, they offer Barney and Norma as flesh vessels for the king, but in a strange twist, Pugsley is possessed instead! It’s a race through the park to save Pugsley—and the world—from the demon king’s reign of terror that leaves Pugsley with strange and magical side effects. With all of this chaos going on, Barney is also discovering he has crush on park employee, Logan, so he must face his biggest fear of all… talki

A hilarious new middle-grade from justin a. reynolds that asks: What happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances?Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores . . . especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wears every item of clothing in his wardrobe, summer will be halfway over before he has to do laundry!On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie ends up grounded until he can get his clothes clean. While left home alone to do his laundry, the power goes out mid-cycle. With his first load of laundry soaking wet and the rest still filthy, Eddie sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in just his swim trunks and flip-flops.As he meets up with other neighborhood kids to find out what happened, they realize that their families aren't coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood -- the

For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts."Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may be a traitor in their midst.

An intimate and original memoir of love, grief and male friendship by one of Scotland’s brightest young talents.Ever feel like you were fated to be friends with someone? An alchemy in your meeting, instant fondness – part chemical, part kismet. This is how I’ve felt about every friend I’ve fallen in love with – none so much as you.In 2018, Michael Pedersen lost a most cherished friend soon after their collective voyage into the landscape and luminosity of the Scottish Highlands. Sitting at a desk at The Curfew Tower, Northern Ireland, Michael begins to write to his departed friend – Scott Hutchison. What starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to many friendships – perhaps all friendship.In Boy Friends, Pedersen confronts the bewildering process of grief. As memories rise to the surface – both heart-wrenching and hilarious – he recalls his younger self: the overly sensitive boy growing up in working-class Edinburgh; his befuddling stint in an anci

Meet the Kings of Sin . . .The must-read billionaire romance from the bestselling author of the Twisted series. Read King of Pride now for a steamy opposites attract romance. She's his opposite in every way .. . and the greatest temptation he's ever known.Reserved, controlled, and proper to a fault, Kai Young has neither the time nor inclination for chaos - and Isabella, with her purple hair and inappropriate jokes, is chaos personified. With a crucial CEO vote looming and a media empire at stake, the billionaire heir can't afford the distraction she brings. Isabella is everything he shouldn't want, but with every look and every touch, he's tempted to break all his rules .. . and claim her as his own.***Bold, impulsive, and full of life, Isabella Valencia has never met a party she doesn't like or a man she couldn't charm . . .except for Kai Young. It shouldn't matter. He's not her type - the man translates classics into Latin for fun, and his membership at the exclusive club where she

奧利佛．薩克斯以細膩筆法描寫自己年輕時的熱血與迷惘，從愛上重機、公路與鍛鍊身體，到走入加州與紐約醫院，與病患同行、發現未知疾病。他誠實談及家人、愛情、思鄉與學術啟發，也讓我們看見，推動他行動與思索的，其實是同一股不安分的求知熱情。When Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote in his report: 'Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far'. It is now abundantly clear that Sacks has never stopped going . . .From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, On the Move is infused with his restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California and then in New York, where he discovered a long-forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, as well as with a group of patients who would define his life, it becomes clear that Sacks's earnest desire for engagement has occasioned unexpected encounters and travels – sending him through bars and alleys, over oceans, and across continents.With unbridled honesty and humour, Sacks shows us that the same energy that drives his physical passions –bod

If I Were King is a heartwarming picture book about the importance of home and family from the fantastic illustrator Chelsea O'Byrne. Thomas is fed up with his annoying family. He has been stuck inside with them for ages and he can't even escape into his books without his annoying little brother distracting him.'If I were a king, I would be in charge! No more eggs and toast for breakfast, I'd eat CAKE! I would read books all day long, and wear a glittering gold crown that I'd never take off.'But after a night of particularly strong wishing, he wakes up a king and can do anything he wants! Living in the castle are all the other children who had the same wish. Things are fun at first but, even though he is allowed cake for breakfast, it doesn't seem as fun as if he could share it with his naughty little brother. This moving story about the power of imagination and the even greater power of home is told with tenderness with words and beautiful illustrations by the enormously talented Chel

Hotel Didadoum is a very old hotel - built in the 30s, I would say. But anyway, our story takes place in the present day...Arthus is an exemplary bellboy. He is pleasant, attentive and professional. Nothing could phase Arthus.Or could it?When his Aunt Clothilde leaves her beloved cat Mika in his care, things at Hotel Didadoum become a lot more complicated.How can Arthus restore peace at the hotel?Will he find a way to love the incorrigible Mika?

Piggy is back, and his newest plot is his most diabolical yet. Dog Man and the rest of your favorite characters must join together in this heroic and hilarious, ALL NEW adventure. WHAT new villains are on the horizon? WHERE are they all coming from? And WHO will step forward to save the city when scoundrels sabotage our Supa Buddies? Find out in DOG MAN #11 -- there's so much more than ever before -- it's EPIC!

A Caribbean celebration of family and food - with a spicy twist!There is not a better smell in the world than Ajee's Cook-up rice. The kitchen fills with the smell of coconut, garlic and spices. Faruq loves his grandmother Ajee, and he loves her cooking.In fact, Faruq would like to cook too - he wants to be a chef, but Ajee says he has to be a doctor like his father. But one day when Ajee is too ill to make the family feast, with the help of his neighbour Mrs Joseph, Faruq picks some hot wiri wiri chilli peppers and cooks up a banquet. Preparing food for his family fills Faruq's heart with love - and sets a different course for his future.This sumptuous story celebrates Caribbean culture and food through Sophia Payne's distinct voice that is reflective of her Indo-Guyanese heritage and is brought to life by Sandhya Prabhat's beautiful artwork. It also includes a recipe for Guyanese Lime cookies for you to try at home!

"A beautiful, gentle, rhyming exploration of grief and mourning." - Joe Coelho, Waterstones Children's LaureateThe Hare-Shaped Hole is a beautiful, touching, and poignant picture book which gently explores themes of grief and loss. Hertle and Bertle were always a pair, though one was a turtle and one was a hare. They were utterly buddies, and best friends forever and whenever you looked, you would find them together...until quite unexpectedly... the end came. When Hertle disappears for good, Bertle can only see a Hertle-shaped hole where his friend should be.He pleads with it, get angry with it, but the hole still won't bring his Hertle back. It seems like hope is lost... until Gerda the kindly bear finds him.She explains that he must fill the hole with his memories of Hertle. And slowly... Bertle begins to feel a little bit better.Powerful and moving text from children's author and poet John Dougherty is paired perfectly with warm illustrations from the wonderfully talented Thomas Doc

Join Mercer Mayer's beloved character Little Critter at a Monster Truck Rally in this My First I Can Read book! Perfect for fans of trucks and cars.Little Critter wants a new toy Squisher truck!For two weeks, Little Critter does chores to pay for it--he lets the dog in, takes out the trash, and cleans his room. When he finally has enough money, the toy store is all sold out.To cheer up Little Critter, his dad takes him to his Uncle Zeb's Monster Truck Rally. From tricks on two wheels to ridding in an actual monster truck, the rally is the best time ever! But will Little Critter ever get his Squisher truck?Young readers will love the fun illustrations in Little Critter: Monster Truck and the simple text will resonate with the littlest of learners.This My First I Can Read book, is carefully crafted using basic language, word repetition, sight words, and sweet illustrations--which means it's perfect for shared reading with emergent readers.Little Critter: Monster Truck is a good choice fo

The special relationship between a child and his grandmother is depicted in this sumptuous book by an award-winning team. Inspired by memories of his childhood, Jordan Scott's My Baba's Garden explores the sights, sounds, and smells experienced by a child spending time with their beloved grandmother (Baba), with special attention to the time they spent helping her tend her garden, searching for worms to keep it healthy. He visits her every day and finds her hidden in the steam of boiling potatoes, a hand holding a beet, a leg opening a cupboard, an elbow closing the fridge, humming like a night full of bugs when she cooks. Poet Jordan Scott and illustrator Sydney Smith's previous collaboration, I Talk Like a River, which received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award expored a cherished memory shared between a father and son. In their new book, they turn that same wistful appreciation to the bond between a boy and his grandmother. Sydney Smith's illustrations capture the sensational impressio

Chen Hansheng was not only a pioneer of modern Chinese social science, remembered for the villagestudies he organized by teams of researchers in the 1930s. He was also a political operative whosecareer as an underground and aboveground Communist activist spanned the twentieth century andthe globe. This book draws on unique interviews, beginning in 1979, with Chen himself, his family andassociates, along with an exhaustive examination of documents, writings, and archives, to build arounded portrait of Chen, the man, and his world.‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐“Stephen MacKinnon’s lifetime study of eminent social scientist and Communist Chen Hanshengmakes for an absorbing, thrilling, and illuminating read. This product of decades of researching Chen,and of years of discussions with him, MacKinnon shows us how one enterprising and creative scholarbecame dedicated to the cause, worked for it, and then ended his life sad and angry about whatbecame of the Chinese Communist Party in power.”—Hans van de Ven,

With more than 32 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! In this opening installment of the newest My Weird School arc, mischief, mayhem, and pranks galore await!A.J. and his friends are starting fourth grade. A new school year means a new teacher, and Miss Banks may be their weirdest one yet.She won't stop playing practical jokes on the class, and A.J. has reached his breaking point. Will he and the gang learn to not fall for their teacher's tricks? Or will Miss Banks prevail as the ultimate prankster? Perfect for reluctant readers and all kids hungry for funny school stories, Dan Gutman's hugely popular My Weird School chapter book series has something for everyone. Don't miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and his friends!

When ordinary boy Marvin wears his super-suit he becomes MARV. A superhero with infinite powers . .. In this story, Marvin and his friends are ice skating at the Blizzard Zone when supervillain Master Blaster takes control of the rink, determined that everyone stops their fun to watch him skate. Soon, skaters are being frozen solid by the supervillain's powerful ice blasts.It's time for Marvin to swap his skates for his superhero suit and become MARV-unstoppable, invincible, and totally MARVellous! Only then can Marv put an end to Master Blaster's showing off.

Rudolph the little vampire moves into Tony’s apartment building in this spooky and funny second book in the classic middle grade Little Vampire series—perfect for readers who loveHotel TransylvaniaandThe Addams Family!Rudolph the little vampire has been banished from his family’s vault over his association with humans. He now lives in the basement of the apartment building where his human best friend Tony lives. The two struggle to keep Rudolph hidden from Tony’s parents and nosy neighbors.When someone gets suspicious about activity in the basement, can the friends avoid discovery?

From the author of Nowhere Boy—called “a resistance novel for our times” by The New York Times—comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that devastated Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s.Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh’s latest novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor—the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades.An incredibly timely, page-turning story

Ari Avatar is just your average Roblox kid living in a blocky world! Battle monsters and avoid disasters in a Roblox world – all through the eyes of Ari and his friends. Ari and his friends can't resist a challenge. Rumor has it there's some kind of monster living in the local abandoned warehouse who devours anyone who steps foot inside.Ari doesn't believe the gossip and accepts a dare to enter the building. But as soon as they set foot in the warehouse, all of the doors lock behind them and they come face-to-face with the beast itself! Can Ari and his friends escape the warehouse? Or will the monster win this game? Read and find out in the first book in the Diary of a Roblox Pro series! A fun and exciting story for fans of roblox A must-read for any kid who loves to play Roblox! Perfect for gamers

你有過超級倒楣的一天嗎？Justin 的星期一簡直災難連連：繼父是吸血鬼、爸爸開著馬桶車、貓可能被外星人綁走，還在新學校第一天就穿著快掉光的毛線泳褲站上10公尺跳台！？這才剛開始！Have YOU ever had a bad week? Start Monday with a bang in the hilarious new series taking the world by storm.His mum just married a vampire, his dad is driving a giant toilet on wheels, and his cat’s been abducted by aliens (probably). Justin Chase is having the WORST WEEK EVER! And that’s all before he’s even started his first day at a brand-new school.At least he has the perfect chance to show off his prowess in the swimming pool, right? Maybe not... As right now, he's dangling off the edge of a 10-metre-high diving tower in front of his entire class wearing nothing but rapidly disappearing crocheted trunks!And it's only... MONDAY!The first book in the hilarious new seven-part highly-illustrated series for fans of Tom Gates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Treehouse series.

In this eleventh Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry catches frogs with his friends! Henry Heckelbeck and his friends spend the day at Brewster Creek, a place where they can relax, run around, and catch frogs! But when Henry accidentally brings a frog home, it does not want to stay put! Will Henry be able to return the frog to the creek? Or will this great frog escape turn into an absolute disaster? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Henry Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Three down-on-their-luck adventurers seek a lost civilization in this epic Minecraft novel!Rajah would do anything to be a great adventurer. But how can he, when his father’s already triumphed over every adventure he can think of? Lord Maharajah fought the Ender Dragon, charted the Overworld, and built a grand manor house. Rajah is surrounded by hand-me-downs, from his father’s fancy old name to his fancy old sword.His servant, Pal, and his squire, Faith, do what they can to help. But Pal is too gentle to be any good in a fight, and Faith’s faith is being tested by the knight she thought was a hero. Try as he might, Rajah isn’t anyone’s hero—he’s everyone’s punchline.Everything changes, though, when, at the end of another day’s failure, Rajah, Pal, and Faith find something: a map that leads to the one place Lord Maharajah never conquered—a legendary castle rumored to hide a mysterious lost civilization’s wondrous inventions.At last, the greatest adventure of their lives has begun. The

In the early work of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Henry James saw "the slightly 'uncanny' spectacle of a talent which on the threshold of its career has nothing more to learn." Sargent's talent, nay, genius was indeed uncanny, sustained with equal intensity through his famed society portraits, like the scandalous Madame X; his full-size showpieces, like The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit; his thousands of watercolors executed en plein air from Venice to Corfu to Maine to Montana; and his ambitious mural decorations for the public monuments of Boston.In Carter Ratcliff, Sargent has found a biographer and critic nearly his match in style and subtlety. Ratcliff expertly evokes the expatriate American milieu into which the artist was born, and offers penetrating insights into every phase of his career, every aspect of his work. Now, for the first time, this landmark monograph is offered in a special oversize format, with all of its 310 illustrations reproduced in stunning full color,

Billy's feeling nervous about his first overnight stay in hospital, as he has to have his tonsils out. The Mini Monsters are determined to help him, and ask to come along too. But there's so much for them to explore in the hospital...will they get back to Billy in time for his operation? And will anyone find out what they've been up to? Another fun-to-read Billy and the Mini Monsters story, with a message of overcoming your fears.