A. J. Liebling, born in Manhattan in 1904, joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and contributed innumerable articles to the magazine throughout his lifetime, on subjects ranging from food to boxing and France to horse racing. As a war correspondent during the Second World War, he reported from France, England and Algeria, and participated in the Normandy landings. In later life he married the writer Jean Stafford, his third wife. He died in 1963.

A. J. Liebling

A. J. Rosen is an author of YA fantasy and is known as @agatharoza on Wattpad.

A. J. Rosen

A. K. Davidson

A. O. Scott has been a film critic at the New York Times since 2000. His writing has appeared in many other publications, including the New York Review of Books, Slate, the New Yorker and the Nation. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2010, Scott is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Criticism at Wesleyan University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
@aoscott

A. O. Scott

A.S. Byatt (1936-2023) was a novelist, short-story writer and critic of international renown. Her novels include Possession (winner of the Booker Prize 1990), the Frederica Quartet and The Children’s Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and was awarded the Erasmus Prize 2016 for her ‘inspiring contribution to life writing’ and the Pak Kyongni Prize 2017. In 2018 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

A. S. Byatt

A. T. Williams won the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2013 for his book A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa. He lives in Warwickshire.

A. T. Williams

A. W. Chase

Dubbed ‘The new queen of spy fiction’ by the Guardian newspaper, and ‘the real thing’ by the Washington Post, A.C. 'Ava' Glass is the CWA Dagger-shortlisted author of Alias Emma (The Chase), The Traitor and The Trap. The Traitor was a 2023 Richard and Judy Bookclub pick. Alias Emma was a Barnes and Noble book of the month. A former crime reporter and communications consultant, for five years Ava worked closely with spies. Her time in that world fascinated her, and the people she met back then inspire every book she writes.

A.C. Glass

A.E. Housman

Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. 
 
An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.

A.E. Waite

A.E. Warren is the author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series, which consists of Subject Twenty-One, The Hidden Base, The Fourth Species and The Final Rising. 
 
After spending eight years working as a lawyer, she began to write in the evenings and early mornings as a form of escapism from life in a very small cubicle with lots of files. She self-published her first novels in her spare time, which were picked up by Del Rey UK which is the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. 
 
 She is an avid reader, occasional gamer and fair-weather runner. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and hopefully, one day, a wise border terrier named Austen.

A.E. Warren

A.G.D. Maran

A.J. Ayer

A K Benedict writes crime and speculative fiction in a room filled with clowns, mannequins and Doctor Who figures. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was nominated for an eDunnit award and is in development for a major 8-part TV series by Company Pictures. Her second, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts, came out in February 2016. She's written Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish and her short stories have featured in anthologies including Great British Horror and Best British Short Stories. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

A.K.Benedict

A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in Essex.

A.L. Kennedy

A.M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children. Angelica is also the author of Hunt A Killer, a PERFECT SCORE novel, under the pen name A.M. Ellis, which she wrote as an IP for Scholastic in the US.

A.M. Ellis

A.N. Wilson was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist, winning prizes for much of his work. He lives in North London.

A.N. Wilson

A.W. Priest

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organised a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, travelling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.

ABC Merriman-Labor

AJ Cronin

AJ Molloy

Aabria Iyengar is an American actress and author.

Aabria Iyengar

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.

Aaliya Jaleel

Aaron Allston

After more than fifteen years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick has taken the amazing insights from psychology and psychotherapy out of the consultation room and made them accessible to the wider world. 
 
He has been an ‘agony uncle’ for many years for both CBBC and BBC Radio 1, as well as on television, including BBC Worldwide, BBC 3 and BBC Learning.

Aaron Balick

Aaron Carroll

Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready--a global organizational transformation and coaching practice--that helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Clients include Johnson &amp; Johnson, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Boeing, Mailchimp, Airbnb, Dropbox, and charity: water. 
 
He is also the founder of Murmur--a SaaS startup that helps teams scale culture through the magic of working agreements. The Murmur platform will allow every team on the planet to define and share their ways of working. 
 
Dignan is the author of Brave New Work (2019) and Game Frame (2011), co-host of the Brave New Work podcast, and a friend to misfit toys.

Aaron Dignan

Aaron Edwards is a senior lecturer in defence and international affairs at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, specialising in terrorism and counter-insurgency. He is the author and editor of several books, including Defending the Realm: The Politics of Britain’s Small Wars Since 1945, and has lectured all over the world on aspects of national and international security. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Aaron Edwards

Aaron Robertson is a writer, an editor, and a translator of Italian literature. His translation of Igiaba Scego’s Beyond Babylon was short-listed for the 2020 PEN Translation Prize and the National Translation Award, and in 2021 he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, Foreign Policy, n+1, The Point, and Literary Hub, among other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Aaron Robertson

Aaron Shapiro

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Dick King-Smith

Puffin presents eight six stories from master storyteller, Dick King-Smith. 
 This collection featuring one of Dick King-Smith's most famous stories The Invisible Dog. 
 The Invisible Dog is the story of a girl who tries to satisfy her yearning for a dog by introducing an imaginary Great Dane called Henry to the house. Her wish comes true and she is allowed a real Henry - but there's more than a hint that old Mrs Garrow, with her cackling laugh and black cat, may have been involved. 
 The other brilliant stories featured this collection are:The Clockwork mouse, King Max the Last, Noah's Brother, Daggie Dogfoot and The Excitement of Being Earnest 
 'Sparkling humour and wonderful characters are Dick King-Smith's trademarks' - Books for Your Children

The Invisible Dog and Other Animal Stories

Roald Dahl

Quentin Blake

"Bigger and bigger grew the peach, bigger and bigger and BIGGER." 
 
 
James Henry Trotter is about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. 
 
James lives his awful Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, two of the meanest people you can imagine. 
 
 
Life isn't much fun at all, until something peculiar happens at the bottom of his garden . . . 
 
 
A peach at the very top of a tree begins to grow . . . and grow . . . and GROW! Inside are seven very unusual insects - all waiting to take James on a magical journey.

James and the Giant Peach

"Human beans is not really believing in giants, is they? Human beans is not thinking we exist." 
 
 
One dark, silvery moonlit night, Sophie is snatched from her bed by a giant! 
 
 Luckily it is the Big Friendly Giant (the BFG), who is no ordinary bone-crunching giant, but instead prefers snozzcumbers and frobscottle to children. 
 
 But there are other giants in Giant Country. And those giants have a plan to gallop far and wide to find some tasty human beans to eat. 
 
 Can Sophie and the BFG stop them?

The BFG

"One child a week is fifty-two a year. Squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear." 
 
This is a story about REAL WITCHES. 
 
Real witches dress in ordinary clothes, have ordinary jobs and look very much like ordinary people. 
 
But they are far from ORDINARY . . . 
 
The Grand High Witch, leader of all the witches, has a plan to make each and every child disappear. 
 
That is, unless one boy and his grandmother can stop her . . .

The Witches

Ben Lerwill

Harriet Hobday

Picture a city. What do you see? Traffic and towering buildings? Or maybe you imagine something a little . . . wilder? 
 
These are the astonishing stories of the animals who are adapting to live in our urban world - and how you can help them to thrive. 
 
From the pitter-patter of penguins in Cape Town, to the prowl of a leopard in Mumbai, the splash of a seal in Sydney, cities are home to all sorts of unexpected residents. 
 
Keep your eyes wide open as as we travel the globe discovering wild cities. With magical illustration and beautiful storytelling, these incredible stories will fascinate every reader who has the travel bug, or is an animal fan, or has ever wondered what else exists in our big cities. 
 
Featuring: London, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, Calgary, New York City, Chicago, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Cape Town and Seoul.

Wild Cities

Adam Larkum

Danielle Brown

"For all those finding it difficult: the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away. Remember that tomorrow will be a good day." 
 
Captain Sir Tom Moore captured the hearts of a nation, as he walked 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS. Captain Sir Tom wished to celebrate many other inspirational stories from this uncertain time, and with his blessing, these one hundred stories make a book of hope for the future. This is a book of gratitude for his inspiration, and a celebration of incredible everyday heroes from across the UK. 
 
These beautifully illustrated true stories of everyday heroes across the nation is introduced by Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore. During the pandemic we have found hope in unexpected places, and these one hundred stories of hope - written by Paralympian Danielle Brown MBE - show just how extraordinarily we can work together. We feature well-known stories such as Joe Wicks' family workouts, as well as equally astonishing stories of everyday heroes, such as dancing binmen and fancy-dress postal workers, who brought joy to their neighbourhoods. 
 
These are stories of courage and community, of everyday kindness and perseverance. From the scientists racing to find a vaccine, to frontline workers putting themselves at risk, from clapping together to celebrate keyworkers, to breathing cleaner air, discover one hundred hopeful stories from an uncertain time. With lively and engaging illustrations, these are stories that will help you hope that tomorrow will be a good day. 
 
£1 donation will be made to The Captain Tom Foundation (now called ‘1189808 Foundation’) for all hardback sales in the UK and Ireland.

One Hundred Reasons To Hope

True stories of everyday heroes

Janet Ahlberg

Jam-packed with brilliant jokes to tell your mum, your dad, your baby brother, your best friend or your worst enemy, your dog, your teacher - in fact anyone else you can think of! Jokes that will have everyone chuckling, such as: 
 
Q: What goes ha ha bonk? A: A man laughing his head off! Or 
 
Q: What did the policeman say to his tummy? A: You're under a vest.' And 
 
Q: What came after the Stone Age and the Bronze Age? A: The Sausage! 
 
These and more besides make a perfect joke book for all the family to enjoy!

The Ha Ha Bonk Book

Brought to you by Puffin. 
 
This wonderfully funny audio collection contains eight adventures from the master of animal tales, Dick King-Smith. 
 
Perfect for young listeners, this magical collection features one of Dick King-Smith's most-loved stories: The Hodgeheg. 
 
Max is a hedgehog who lives with his family in a nice little home, but it's on the wrong side of the road from the Park where there's a beautiful lily pond and plenty of juicy slugs, worms and snails! 
 
The busy road is dangerous, but Max is determined to make his way across. If humans can do it, why can't hedgehogs? His first attempt ends in a nasty bump on the head and, when Max tries to speak, he realises his words are all mixed up. He is no longer a hedgehog but a hodgeheg! 
 
Still determined to fulfil his mission, Max discovers the best way to cross the road - with the help of the lollipop lady and some careful detective work . . . 
 
Other timeless classics included in this collection are: 
 
Poppet 
E.S.P 
The Mousebutcher 
The Merrythought 
Lightning Strikes Twice 
A Narrow Squeak 
Under the Mishmash tree 
 
'Sparkling humour and wonderful characters are Dick King-Smith's trademarks' - Books for Your Children

The Hodgeheg and Other Stories

Gyles Brandreth

WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? 
An embarrassed Penguin 
A sunburnt elephant 
A newspaper! 
 
Did those jokes make you laugh? Make you groan? Maybe a bit of both? There's a lot more where they came from. 
 
Collected here by jokesmith Gyles Brandreth are some of the best and worst jokes ever (plus a few riddles to keep you on your toes). 
 
From 'Knock, knock' to 'Waiter waiter', with some funny elephants and giraffes thrown in for good measure, this also has a bit of expert joke advice, so you can show others just how funny you can be!

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

Laura is amazed when her baby brother George starts talking to her when he's only four weeks old, particularly as he sounds like a grown-up! It's a big secret to keep from their parents and the rest of the family and leads to all sorts of comic confusion until George's first birthday - when he makes a speech to his startled family.

George Speaks

Robert Bartelt

Harry isn't very pleased when he inherits a parrot from Great-Uncle George, but Maddison is no ordinary parrot. Not only can he talk, but you can have conversations with him and he and Harry quickly become great friends - but then Maddison is stolen ... Will he and Harry ever be reunited?

Harry's Mad

Magnus is so big and so hungry that his parents have to find extra food for him. But perhaps pig-fattening pills weren't quite the right thing as Magnus grows and grows and becomes a huge, fearless mouse, a real Power Mouse! But as Magnus grows, so do the problems he faces...

Magnus Powermouse

Dick King-Smith, creator of 'Babe the Sheep-Pig', presents the cleverest guinea pig in the world! 
 
Judy's classmates snigger when she claims guinea pigs are brainy. But, when her guinea pigs have a baby son, she decides to call him Jenius and train him to prove her point. Soon he can do all kinds of clever tricks, and Judy can't wait to show him off at school. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

The Jenius

Wendy Cooling

Children will be spellbound by the amazing characters in this fabulous collection - a greedy king, a very bad giant, a fairy queen and lots more... 
 
Perfect for eight-year-olds to share or read alone.

The Puffin Book of Stories for Eight-year-olds

Steve Cox

This brilliant collection is full of magic, mayhem and adventure! Find out how the camel got his hump, how Jimmy learned to vanish, and what Horrid Henry got up to on his holiday... 
 
Perfect for seven-year-olds to share or read alone.

The Puffin Book of Stories for Seven-year-olds

Clare Balding

Tony Ross

Charlie's racehorse has certainly earned the name Noble Warrior: he won the Derby against all odds and bested a bunch of nasty kidnappers. But now Noddy is facing his greatest challenge yet . . . 
 
Charlie's best friend Polly is still recovering from an accident that left her almost paralysed. But Polly has a real talent with horses - and she and Charlie are determined not to let it go to waste. Can the two best friends find a way to make Polly's equestrian dreams come true, and forge a new path for the racehorse who wouldn't gallop?

The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance

With the extraordinary chocolate tycoon Willy Wonka as your host, join Roald Dahl's best-loved characters for a bumper activity book that will keep boredom at bay and chiddlers at play. 
 
Stuffed full of marvellous activities, puzzles and more that will keep entertainment flowing for every day of the year. 
 
Perfect for summer holidays and rainy days, open up Wonka's factory and bring on the fun!

Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

The Puffin Book of Christmas Stories is essential Christmas-time reading including classic and contemporary stories, from traditional to real life, humour and most importantly, the magic of Christmas. Christmas is coming! A delightful collection of stories by some of the finest writers for children.Writers range from Charles Dickens to Gillian Cross, Trish Cooke, Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson.

The Puffin Book of Christmas Stories

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.... 
 Three Naughty Muggle-Wumps 
 Two Smelly Twits 
 and 
 Matilda in the library! 
 
 With whipple-scrumptious recipes for festive feasting, tricksy pranks to get you on the naughty list, amazing Chrimbo activities and jolly jokes guaranteed to make Santa ho-ho-ho, the world's favourite storyteller brings you everything you need for a very merry Christmas!

Roald Dahl's The Twelve Days of Christmas

Maddie Ziegler

Harper and her fellow Dance Starz are headed to New York City for the big national competition! Not only will they be up against their arch-rivals, the Belles, but Harper will also face off against her old dance team. Does Harper have what it takes to finally prove that she belongs on the big stage? 
 
The Competition, written in collaboration with Julia Devillers, is the third and final book in the glittering trilogy from international dance superstar Maddie Ziegler.

The Competition

Mike Unwin

Be truly inspired by these powerful true stories of animal heroes: meet heroic bears, drone-catching eagles, loyal dogs, sassy cats, and much, MUCH more! 
 
This book brings you the heart-wrenching stories of the real animals who traversed treacherous paths, made daring rescues and went above and beyond to save human lives. When faced with human conflict, these animals have all shown bravery, friendship, or brought comfort. 
 
Journey throughout history from Hannibal's elephants to a guide dog in the Twin Towers. Uncover 34 amazing animal stories - and celebrate their humans. 
 
With a heart-warming introduction from Michael Morpurgo. Illustrated in vivid colour by five different illustrators, and with knowledge from the experts at the Imperial War Museums, this is a book to treasure and share.

Tales of Amazing Animal Heroes

With an introduction from Michael Morpurgo

Allan Ahlberg

Meet Billy McBone and the Mad Professor's Daughter, be amazed by the Longest Kiss Contest, shed a tear for the Boy Without a Name and - if you're a stressed teacher - sing the Mrs Butler Blues. Allan Ahlberg's collection of poems and songs paint a funny and accurate portrait of primary school life, with highly appealing and atmospheric illustrations by Fritz Wegner.

Heard it in the Playground

"Please Mrs Butler, this boy Derek Drew 
Keeps copying my work, Miss. What shall I do?" 
 
Discover this hilarious collection of poetry by award-winning Allan Ahlberg, perfect for primary school children. 
 
Packed with playful poems about reading tests, never-ending school projects and playground quarrels, this collection has delighted generations of children and adults alike. Voted the most important children's poetry book of the 20th century in a Books for Keeps poll, Please Mrs Butler belongs in every child's bedroom. 
 
'Hilarious and poignant school verses about primary school life. A real winner' - The Guardian 
 
'Clever, funny and nostalgic, the collection is a delight' - Sunday Times 
 
Discover more school stories from Alan Ahlberg: 
Starting School 
Heard It In The Playground

Please Mrs Butler

The timeless school poetry collection

Matilda is BRAVE and BRILLIANT - and you can be too! 
 
Packed with GAMES, JOKES, QUIZZES and much more, this marvellous book has all the tips and tricks you need to become a REAL HERO and even stand up to THE TERRIBLE TRUNCHBULL.

Matilda's How To Be Brave

What do you get if you add 25 and 917, then subtract 765 and divide the answer by 33? 
A headache. (Unless you're Matilda!) 
 
Matilda's Jokes for Clever Kids would even make the Trunchbull laugh! 
 
Narrated by Matilda herself, this joke book is stuffed full of gigglesome gags, silly puns, brain-tickling riddles, and the Trunchbull's favourite insults- guaranteed to raise a chuckle from human beans young and old.

Matilda's Jokes For Awesome Kids

Michael Rosen

Shoo Rayner

Let your imagination run riot and laughter fill your belly as you explore traditional poems, rhymes with a twist, and subversive playground favourites in this playful treasure chest of verse.

Michael Rosen's Book of Very Silly Poems

Tove Jansson

Penguin presents the audio CD edition of Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson, read by Hugh Dennis. 
 
Moominpappa and his family are off to live in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island far out to sea. It's rather quiet and lonely, but as they begin to explore their unusual surroundings the family discover they have a lot to learn about the world - and themselves.

Moominpappa at Sea

Penguin presents the audio CD edition of Finn Family Moomintroll and Other Stories by Tove Jansson, read by Hugh Dennis. 
 
Return to the magical world of Moominvalley with two classic stories. 
 
Finn Family Moomintroll 
Poor little chap! He had been turned into a very strange animal indeed... 
It all begins when Moomintroll wakes up to find a big hat - a magical Hobgoblin hat, no less, that mysteriously transforms anything that falls into it . . . 
 
Tales from Moominvalley 
If you found a tiny golden dragon with green paws, what would you do with it? 
How do the Moomins spend their first Christmas out of hibernation? 
Would you know how to save someone from turning invisible? 
And what exactly are the mysterious Hattifatteners?

Finn Family Moomintroll and Other Stories

Adrian Edmondson

Danny Noble

'Can all animals talk?' Jack asked. 
 
'Well, of course they can,' said Boadicea the Shetland Pony. 'We're not idiots, you know.' 
 
Jack has to live with his drippy aunt Violet, his smelly uncle Ted, and his evil cousin Kelly. But one day he accidentally runs away, and much to his surprise finds himself on an adventure to free his mum from prison - with the help of rather a lot of talking animals! 
 
Filled with excitement, fun and far too much horse poo, this is the hilarious new story from national treasure Ade Edmondson.

Junkyard Jack and the Horse That Talked

Alf Proysen

Mrs Pepperpot can't choose when she will shrink to the size of a pepperpot - it just happens! But whatever she encounters, whether it be a monstrous mousetrap, a crafty fox or a gigantic mountain of ice cream, little Mrs Pepperpot will always come out on top.

Mrs Pepperpot Stories

A Private Thriller

A Puffin Book

A Ripley Novel

A Slice of the Moon

A Victorian Mystery

A Walk in...

A Women’s Murder Club Thriller

A chef Paul Delamare Mystery

Aberrations

Across the Universe

Actiphons

Adelia Aguilar

Adrian Mole

Adventures in Time

Aftermath

Against War

Age of X

Agent 21

Agent Z

Detective Aidan Waits is a troubled junior detective haunted by his past. Facing an uncertain future, and disconnected from his history, DC Waits and his partner, Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe work on Manchester's streets to uncover the city's worst criminals among the grime of the underworld.

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