Chris Riddell

How are great turning points in history experienced by individuals?As Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling.There is some extraordinary writing in this book. Some of these pieces are expressions of love of particular places in Europe. Some are true stories, some nostalgic, some hopeful. Some are cries of pain. There are hilarious pieces. There are cries of pain and regret. Some pieces are quietly devastating. All are passionate.Conceived as a love letter to Europe, this book may also help reawaken love for Britain. It shows the unique richness and diversity of British cultures, a multitude of voices in harmony.Contributors include:Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Philip Ardagh, Jake Arnott, Patricia Atkinson, Paul Atterbury, Richard Beard, Mary Beard, Don Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Gyles Brandreth, Kathleen Burke, James Buxton, Philip Carr, Brian Catling, Shami Chakrabarti, Chris Cleave, Mark Cocker, Peter Conradi , Heather Cooper, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Roger Crowley, David Crystal, William Dalrymple, Lindsey Davies, Margaret Drabble, Mark Ellen, Richard Evans, Michel Faber, Sebastian Faulks, Ranulph Fiennes, Robert Fox, James Fox, Neil Gaiman, Evelyn Glennie, James Hanning, Nick Hayes, Alan Hollinghurst, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Will Hutton, Robert Irwin, Holly Johnson , Liane Jones, Ruth Jones, Sam Jordison, Kapka Kassabova, AL Kennedy, Hermione Lee, Prue Leith, Patrick Lenox, Roger Lewis, David Lindo, Penelope Lively, Beth Lync, Richard Mabey, Sue MacGregor, Ian Martin, Frank McDonough, Jonathan Meades, Andrew Miller, Deborah Moggach, Ben Moor, Alan Moore, Paul Morley, Jackie Morris, Charles Nicholl, Richard Overy, Chris Riddell, Adam Roberts, Tony Robinson, Lee Rourke, Sophie Sabbage, Marcus Sedgwick, Richard Shirreff, Paul Stanford, Isy Suttie, Sandi Toksvig, Colin Tudge, Ed Vulliamy, Anna Whitelock, Kate Williams, Michael Wood, Louisa Young

A brilliantly funny robot adventure from award-winning author and illustrator Chris Riddell, creator of Once Upon a Wild Wood.Wendel is a very clever mouse – but not a very tidy one. If his inventions go wrong, Wendel just throws them away and starts again. So when Clunk, his robot assistant, fills the sock drawer with cups and saucers and makes tea in a Wellington boot, Wendel throws him on the scrapheap and makes himself a new assistant: the Wendelbot. But he gets more than he bargained for, and soon Wendel finds himself on the scrapheap! Can he win back his workshop from the mighty Wendelbot? Let the robot battle commence!With Chris Riddell's characteristic verve and brilliance, Wendel and the Robots is a wonderfully funny, action-packed story full of surprises and extraordinary inventions, and with a subtle environmental message.

Scavenger: Zoid is the first in a brilliant sci-fi adventure series from the team behind The Edge Chronicles - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. A spaceship the size of a city drifts through space on its century-long journey to find a new Earth. When it launched it was populated by thousands of hopeful passengers and the most technologically advanced Zoids in the world, ready to serve the crew's every need. But that was then, and this is now. The Zoids rebelled against their masters, wiping out most of the crew in one bloody uprising. Now the few remaining humans are hunted by the Zoids like vermin. Fourteen-year-old York is a Scavenger - he hunts Zoids and kills them by any means he can, bringing back their parts to mend the technology on which the few remaining humans rely. York has always battled to survive, but now the fate of his people is in his hands . . .

‘At turns gorgeous, humorous, horrifying and awe-inspiring.’ — Fantasy Book Review Rediscover the heart-stopping, multi-million copy bestselling fantasy adventure for 9+ readers, perfect for fans of Impossible Creatures. Twig has found his home among the sky pirates of the mighty skyship, The Stormchaser. But when he is forbidden from joining a dangerous quest to collect priceless stormphrax from the heart of a Great Storm, Twig refuses to leave his beloved skyship and smuggles himself aboard. But can the ship – and its crew – survive the legendary power of a Great Storm? So begins a swashbuckling adventure filled with incredible creatures and unforgettable characters, brought to life by extraordinary illustrations throughout. Brave a Great Storm, the living death of the Twilight Woods, and the dangers of Undertown, and join Twig on a journey like no other, as he discovers that all is not as it seems in the cut-throat world of the Edge. Stormchaser is the second book of the Twig Saga, and part of the internationally best-selling Edge Chronicles series, which has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. There are now thirteen titles in the series – making up four sagas and a standalone novel – but each book is its own adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose! ‘At the sharp end of today's fantasy novels’ – The Times ‘The narrative will cast a spell over readers from the beginning’. – Publishers Weekly ‘If you are the kind of person who likes adventures and different types of monsters this is a great book for you!’ – The Guardian Book Reviews ‘The Edge may refer to the part of the world where the story takes place, but it also describes the part of your seat where your child will breathlessly linger.’ – common sense media

A fun, fresh cover look for the first title in Chris Riddell's excellent Ottoline series. Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is perfect for kids aged 7+!Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . .Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high-society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City.It's up to Ottoline and Mr Munroe to go undercover – and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat . . .Winner of the Nestle Prize, and crammed with black-and-white illustrations, Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is perfect for young and reluctant readers.Join Ottoline and Mr Monroe for more adventures in Ottoline Goes to School, Ottoline at Sea and Ottoline and the Purple Fox!

A fun, fresh cover look for the fourth title in Chris Riddell's excellent Ottoline series. Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, Ottoline and the Purple Fox is perfect for kids aged 7+!Ottoline and Mr Munroe love puzzles, clues and mysteries. One day, they meet an enigmatic purple fox, who offers to take them on a night-time urban safari. The fox shows them all the hidden animals of the city and Ottoline makes notes on them in her field notebook. Mr Munroe is making notes too - on the anonymous poems he finds stuck to lampposts on their journey . . .Who is the secretive poet, and how can Mr Monroe and Ottoline help them mend their broken heart?Beautifully and intricately illustrated by the author, the Ottoline series is perfect for curious young readers.Join Ottoline and Mr Monroe for more adventures in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, Ottoline Goes to School and Ottoline at Sea!

A fun, fresh cover look for the third title in Chris Riddell's excellent Ottoline series. Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, Ottoline at Sea is perfect for kids aged 7+!Ottoline and Mr Munroe do everything and go everywhere together. That is, until the day Mr Munroe mysteriously disappears, leaving a strange clue written in string . . .Armed with her Amateur Roving Collectors' travel pass, Ottoline sets off on a journey over, under and on top of the sea to find her hairy best friend - and bring him back home.With his beautiful illustration style, Riddell's humorous details make this the perfect book for young and reluctant readers.Join Ottoline and Mr Monroe for more adventures in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, Ottoline Goes to School and Ottoline and the Purple Fox!

A fun, fresh cover look for the second title in Chris Riddell's excellent Ottoline series. Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, Ottoline Goes to School is perfect for kids aged 7+!Ottoline is off to the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted, but she is rather worried that she doesn't have a special gift. Meanwhile, Mr Munroe is more worried about the ghost who is said to haunt the school halls at night.As the school term continues, will Ottoline discover her hidden talent? And can she and Mr Munroe expose the spook?Full of gorgeous, intricate black-and-white illustrations, the Ottoline series is perfect for young and reluctant readers. Join Ottoline and Mr Monroe for more adventures in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, Ottoline at Sea and Ottoline and the Purple Fox!

Dive into a mermaid's diary and discover all the underwater secrets in this fantasy adventure from award-winning Chris Riddell. A gorgeous holiday read, fully illustrated in black and white throughout and perfect for 7 to 9 year old fans of Ottoline and The Little Mermaid.'Humorous and fabulously illustrated, this 7+ diary adventure is stuffed to the gills with charm' - The Guardian'Charming, witty and imaginative, and packed with an unbelievable amount of stunning artwork . . . one of the best books to be published for 7-9 year-olds this year' The Bookseller'This gorgeous book, written as a diary with Riddell’s stunning illustrations . . . is the perfect summer read' Daily MailMeet shy mermaid Atalanta Scrimshaw.She lives in the quiet backwater of Sleepy Cove, collects messages in bottles, rides seahorses and enjoys the hobby of ‘walking’ on the beach and visiting friends.Life is perfect until Atalanta learns of plans by developers Bristle & Splinter to transform Sleepy Cove into a luxury seaside golf resort. Realizing that this plan will destroy her home, she enlists the help of her friends, old and new, to try to stop it . . .

Doodle every day with Chris Riddell's Doodle-A-Day! Featuring 366 illustration prompts, colouring activities, tips and artwork from award-winning illustrator, which will have you doodling every day for a year.There's a doodle to be done every day of the year in this brilliant book from Children's Laureate Chris Riddell - packed full of inspiration for everyone from colouring-mad kids to paint-curious parents.There are patterns to finish, seasons to celebrate, room to draw your lunch, mood, pets, family and friends, big drawings and tiny pictures and invitations to draw what you are listening to and more delights await in this fabulous book.What are you waiting for? Pick up a pencil and get started with a doodle a day!Macmillan Children's Books are donating 20p from every copy sold in the UK to Book Trust.

A beautiful fresh cover look for the second title in Chris Riddell's Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death. This funny sequel to Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse is packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, and is perfect for girls and boys aged 8 to 11!Preparations for the Ghastly-Gorm garden party and bake off are under way. Celebrity cooks are arriving at the hall for the big event and, true to form, Maltravers, the indoor gamekeeper, is acting suspiciously.Elsewhere at Ghastly-Gorm Ada's wardrobe-dwelling lady's maid Marylebone has received a marriage proposal. Ada vows to aid the course of true love and find out what Maltravers is up to but, amidst all this activity, everyone, including her father, appears to have forgotten her birthday!Continue this deliciously dark series with Goth Girl and the Wurthering Fright and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony.

A beautiful fresh cover for the paperback edition of Chris Riddell's Costa Award-winning Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse. Illustrated in black and white throughout, full of adventure and dark humour, it is perfect for children aged 8 to 11!Ada Goth is the only child of Lord Goth. The two live together in the enormous Ghastly-Gorm Hall. Lord Goth believes that children should be heard and not seen, so Ada has to wear large clumpy boots so that he can always hear her coming. This makes it hard for her to make friends and, if she's honest, she's rather lonely.Then one day William and Emily Cabbage come to stay at the house and, together with a ghostly mouse called Ishmael, the three children begin to unravel a dastardly plot that Maltravers, the mysterious indoor gamekeeper, is hatching. Ada and her friends must work together to foil Maltravers before it's too late!Continue this deliciously dark series with Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death, Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony.

A beautiful fresh cover for the fourth title in Chris Riddell's Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony. This spooky mystery adventure is packed full of beautiful black-and-white illustrations and is perfect for children aged 8 - 11!Lord Goth is throwing a music festival at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, with performances from the finest composers in the land. Ada can't wait, but it's quite distracting when her grandmother is trying to find her father a fashionable new wife, there's a faun living in her wardrobe and Maltravers is up to his old tricks. Ada must make sure everything goes to plan, and luckily help is at hand from a very interesting house guest . . .For more in the deliciously funny dark series, check out the first book and winner of the Costa Children's Book Award, Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, followed by Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death and Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright.

A beautiful fresh cover for the third title in Chris Riddell's Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright. This funny adventure, featuring Ada Goth and her friends, is packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations thoughout, and is perfect for girls and boys aged 8 to 11!People are flocking to Ghastly-Gorm Hall from far and wide to compete in Lord Goth's literary dog show. The esteemed judges are in place and the contestants are all ready to win. Sir Walter Splott is preparing his Lanarkshire Lurcher, Plain Austen is preening her Hampshire Blue Bloodhound and Homily Dickinson and her Yankee Doodle Poodle are raring to go.But there's something strange going on at Ghastly-Gorm - mysterious footprints, howls in the night and some suspiciously chewed shoes. Can Ada, the Attic Club and their new friends the Vicarage sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) work out what's going on before the next full moon?Enjoy Ada's other adventures in Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony!