Geraldine McCaughrean

The Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales series includes 40 of the best known stories from all over the world, which have been passed down for generations. They are a perfect introduction to different cultures, traditions and morals. All the stories are carefully levelled to Oxford Reading Tree levels and matched to the phonic progression in Letters and Sounds, enabling your children to read the stories independently. There are four Traditional Tales titles available at Level 8: Finn MacCool and the Giant's Causeway How Anansi Got His Stories The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood Twelve Dancing Princesses The Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales series includes 40 of the best known stories from all over the world, which have been passed down for generations. They are a perfect introduction to different cultures, traditions and morals. All the stories are carefully levelled to Oxford Reading Tree levels and matched to the phonic progression in Letters and Sounds enabling your children to read the stories independently. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. Each Mixed Pack includes one of each of the Level 8 titles listed above. The Class Packs include six of each of the Level 8 titles listed above.

Mum always liked to buy Neil clothes big enough for him to 'grow into'. And his new cricket jumper makes him look like a lamb in sheep's clothing! But Mum goes too far when she buys a new wardrobe and that, too, is far TOO BIG. It won't fit in the front door, it won't go through the downstairs windows. And, when Mum and Dad finally work out how to get it in the house, Neil - and his too-big cricket jumper - cause a very surprising outcome: one that Neil likes very much indeed!

When Pepper Roux was born his aunt foretold that he would not live past 14 years of age. Throughout his childhood his parents haven't bothered with him much, knowing that his life would be short-lived. So when Pepper wakes up on his 14th birthday he knows this will be the day that he'll die. But as the day wears on, and Pepper finds himself still alive, he decides to set off to sea in an attempt to try and avoid death for as long as possible. As time goes on Pepper steps into many roles and personas and has numerous outrageous adventures. But can he stay one step ahead of death? Or will fate catch up with him? And, if he does live, which of his many lives will he choose to adopt? This riot of a story is a wonderful adventure, and Pepper is an unforgettable character who stays with you long after his story has been told.

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature "Completely gripping." --People"Dazzling." --The ObserverGeraldine McCaughrean--two-time Carnegie Medalist for Where the World Ends and Pack of Lies--takes readers on a spellbinding journey into the frozen heart of darkness with this lyrical, riveting, and imaginative young adult novel. Symone "Sym" Wates is obsessed with the Antarctic and the brave, romantic figure of Captain Oates from Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole. In fact, Oates is the secret confidant to whom she spills all her hopes and fears. But Sym's uncle Victor is even more obsessed--and when he takes her on a dream trip into the bleak Antarctic wilderness, it turns into a nightmarish struggle for survival that will challenge everything she knows and loves.

Rusti is a Tartar, travelling and pillaging with the legendary Horde of Tamburlaine, Conqueror of the World. He dreams of honour and riches, and is proud to capture his first prisoners - an elephant and her keeper. Yet amidst the death and destruction, an unlikely friendship takes hold.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level Three spooky tales from three peerless storytellers, perfect for telling around the fire on a dark, windy night. Read of Flynn, who battled with three skeletons; of Tom, who saw something so weird in the moonlight that it changed his life for ever; and of the terrifying thirteen crows who brought death wherever they went… Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.A selection of newspaper articles about Fearless Flynn give children the opportunity to explore other ways of presenting information and other points of view.Text type: Three fantasy stories.Curriculum links: Music: Stars, hide your fires – Performing together.This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Neverland is calling again... Something is wrong in Neverland. Dreams are leaking out - strangely real dreams, of pirates and mermaids, of war paint and crocodiles. For Wendy and the Lost Boys it is a clear signal - Peter Pan needs their help, and so it is time to do the unthinkable and fly to Neverland again. But back in Neverland, everything has changed-and the dangers they find there are far beyond their dreams. . . Specially commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as the winner of their competition to write the official sequel to J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Scarlet is a thrilling adventure that you will never forget. Proceeds from every copy sold will go to benefit Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

It's 1893 and for Cissy and her family, a new life beckons on the prairies of Oklahoma and they and their fellow settlers prepare for steady business alongside the Red Rock Railroad track. But when they refuse to sell their land to the railroad company, the boss swears that his trains will never stop in Florence again. How will they ever make a living now? Cissy and her friends, family and neighbours vow that they will make the train stop - by whatever means are necessary, no matter how dangerous that may prove to be . . .

Jesse trees (and later, stained glass windows), used in medieval times tell people Bible stories. Using her skills as a storyteller and her love of the Bible, the author has written an intriguing story about the creation of a modern-day Jesse tree. She weaves evocative retellings of selected Bible stories with a sensitive contemporary story about the transforming power of love.

Captain Titus Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym's head. In there, he is her constant companion, her soul mate, her adviser. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind. In fact, if it were not for Titus, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness. When she is taken on a mystery expedition by her eccentric uncle Victor, Sym can't believe her luck. Destination Antarctica-the very place she's always wanted to visit. But Victor has other plans, more sinister than Sym could possibly imagine. Stranded in the most isolated part of the world with her trust in someone she comes to realize is a madman, she must find a way to avoid a gruesome fate. But what should a teenage girl do? Could it be that Titus, the one who perished in that very place, will be the means of her survival?

An engaging classroom playscript. Doctor Faustus, a talented student in Wittenburg, Germany, wants to learn more than the university has to offer. Craving knowledge of things beyond his reach, Faustus turns to the study of magic. Tempted by the immense powers of the black arts, he makes a pact with the devil himself... 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

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level At the dawn of time, the Maker is having problems with the animals he makes. His beaver and his ants are too big, his moose is the same size as a mouse and his elephant can hide behind a blade of grass! Maker is forced to think again about the original plans for the animals, adjusting their size to the way they are today. Lime/Band 11 books have longer sentence structures and a greater use of literary language.Text type – A story by a significant author.An illustrated diagram on pages 30 and 31 reminds the reader of how the animals looked before and after the maker finished creating them, an ideal cue for children to retell the story in their own words.Curriculum links – Citizenship: Choices; Science: Plants and animals in the local environment, variation.This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

A thriller set in ancient Egypt between 1351-1354 BC. Tutmose and Ibrim's father, the animal dealer, is commanded by the new pharaoh Akhenaten, to bring him animals - lots of animals - for his new capital city. The boys' father is delighted. But he has no idea what the pharaoh's strange new religion will mean for all of them...

Everyone knows the story of the Flood, the men God chose to survive, the animals that went in two by two. But what about the others that sailed on the Ark - the women and the children? This adventure story asks what it was really like when the heavens opened and the world drowned - and what might have happened in the days that followed. With a frighteningly zealous and single-minded Noah; Japheth and his young wife, Zillah, concerned for the welfare of the animals; the stowaway boy and baby found by Noah's daughter Timna; and the animals themselves, continuing to act as animals do, whatever their surroundings, this is an extremely compelling and at times very frightening story, beautifully written as ever by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Geraldine McCaughrean--two-time Carnegie Medalist for Where the World Ends and Pack of Lies--delivers a dazzling story of adventure, betrayal, family, and sacrifice set in the dramatic, dangerous world of thirteenth-century China. "A genuine page-turner," raved ALA Booklist in a starred review The Great Miao, master of the Jade Circus, offers twelve-year-old Haoyou the amazing chance to change his life--to escape from his family's poverty and the pain of his father's recent death--by becoming a kite rider Strapped onto a beautiful scarlet-and-gold kite, Haoyou is sent into the sky to soar perilously among the clouds and entertain awestruck crowds below. Traveling the Empire with the circus, Haoyou earns freedom, money, and unexpected fame as he skillfully performs for local villagers who believe he can bring back messages from lost loved ones whose spirits haunt the sky. The Great Miao even plans for the boy to perform before the Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan himself But what if the Miao isn't all that he seems? And can Haoyou really leave behind all the duties that bind him to the ground--his family and especially his widowed mother--for good?

A tale about a Challenge to find the king of the animals. The Challenge is set by the king, and the king is always Elephant. But this year, brave, kind Mole wins the Challenge and the crown. Illustrated by Silvia Boschetti

'I had a dream last night... large enough to fill the rest of my life.' This retelling of John Bunyan's classic story is filled with drama, excitement and adventure. On his journey of a life-time to the City of Gold, Christian meets an extraordinary cast of characters, such as the terrible Giant Despair and the monster Apollyon. Together with Hopeful, his steadfast companion, he survives the snipers and mantraps, the Great Bog, Vanity Fair, Lucre Hill and Castle Doubting. But will he find the courage to cross the final river to the City of Gold and his salvation?

This is a completely original version of the "Arabian Nights Stories" by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean. In order to delay her inevitable execution, Queen Shaharazad tells her murdering husband, King Shahryar, a wonderfully exciting story every night. The King is used to a new wife every day, only to put her to death the following day, but finds himself so intrigued in the magical stories Shaharazad tells, he can't bring himself to kill her. Night after night she tells her wonderful stories until the King starts to realize that he won't be able to live without them...

Prepare to meet with witches, ghosts, mad kings and murderers in these retellings of ten of the best-known Shakespeare plays. The moving and tragic events of Romeo and Juliet; the chilling and bloody actions in Macbeth and the unearthly and mysterious happenings of The Tempest are just some of the stirring retellings this book contains.

The epic journey of Odysseus, the hero of Ancient Greece...After ten years of war, Odysseus turns his back on Troy and sets sail for home. But his voyage takes another ten years and he must face many dangers - Polyphemus the greedy one-eyed giant, Scylla the six-headed sea monster and even the wrath of the gods themselves - before he is reunited with his wife and son.Retold by award-winning author, Geraldine McCaughrean.Geraldine McCaughrean has written over 160 other books, including A Little Lower Than Angels, which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Children's Novel Award in 1987, A Pack of Lies, which won the Guardian Prize and Carnegie Medal in 1989 and Gold Dust, which won the Beefeater Children's Novel Award in 1994. She has written retellings of notoriously tricky classics including El Cid, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Moby Dick and The Pilgrim's Progress.In 2004, she won a competition to write the sequel to J M Barrie's Peter Pan. And in 2006, Peter Pan in Scarlet was published to great acclaim.