Jean Ure

Four stray dogs, all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage, with their people Flossie and Joe. The Third Chums title in which Bouncer comes to live at Munchy Flats with Buster and Bella. Bouncer is a very lively little Jack Russell terrier. He’s a cheeky young whipper snapper and Buster doesn’t like it when he starts digging up his garden! Bouncer is just a nuisance to the other dogs and Buster decides he needs taking down a peg or two. However, he doesn’t need to because a farmer – with a gun – does it for him. Bouncer has the shock of his young life when the gun goes off but he is still too lively for his owner. Bouncer turns up again at Munchy Flats Cottage with a label round his neck ‘My name is Bouncer and I have been a naughty boy. But I am not a bad boy at heart. Please give me a second chance.’! So Bouncer joins Bella and Buster at Munchy Flats Cottage – where he is a good boy, at heart!

Four stray dogs all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage with their people, Flossie and Jo. The second title in this new series. Bella is a pedigree – her real name being Princess Isadora of Bude! She’s a lapdog and spoilt rotten by her elderly owner. When her owner is taken into hospital, Bella has to go and live with another family and is bullied and teased by the other dogs. Bella’s hair gets matted, her ribbon torn and she’s very unhappy. She runs back to the hospital where she thinks her owner is, but sadly her owner has died. Bella has to learn to live with her new bullying siblings. One day, out in the park Bella is bullied by a pack of dogs and is left cowering in the bushes. Her new owners decide that they must find Bella a new home and they take her to Munchy Flats Cottage where she settles in nicely with Buster… A heartwarming ending to a story about bullying dogs.

Four stray dogs all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage with their people Flossie and Jo. Buster is the boss dog, and he tells the stories… The first of four titles, each one told through the voice of a rescued dog.Buster the Bitsa is the star of this first book. He’s a mongrel – a bit of this and a bit of that. He’s the boss dog, the one who arrived at Munchy Flats cottage first. When Buster was a puppy he had a lovely warm and loving home. Being an adventurous little soul, he got out of the garden one day and was dognapped by a rogue. He was taken to live with a family who didn’t care for him but he managed to escape. Roaming the woods and fields he rescues a dear little lapdog and becomes a hero – with his picture in all the papers. His People recognise him and there’s a joyful reunion.

A woolly dog and a fluffy cat live together in perfect harmony – until the arrival of a tiny kitten. Heartwarming story from a renowned author. Woffles is a dog. Very big and woolly.Stretch is a cat. Very smooth and slinky. But one day, this contented pair have a new addition to their family. A big ball of black fluff in the form of a very naughty kitten – Muffy – who holds up her claws with her nails sticking out so they look like pins on a pin cushion. And Muffy decides to play tricks on Woffles and mayhem ensues. It’s up to Stretch to restore harmony to the household . He does so by introducing Muffy to a monster – her own reflection in a long mirror in the upstairs bedroom. Muffy is tamed. Meanwhile Woffles, thinking there is a monster in the upstairs bedroom refuses to go anywhere near it, until persuaded to by Stretch to be brave. What confronts Woffles is a big and woolly dog. So Muffy the kitten seeks protection from the monster in the mirror from Woffles; And Woffles knows that he will be protected by the big woolly dog in the mirror!

A quirky, warm and exciting story about family, friendship and time-travel – from legendary author Jean Ure. When twelve-year-old Lily is walking to school one day, a very unusual girl appears out of nowhere! It is 1953 and this stranger is dressed in a green sparkly dress, purple tights with orange swirls and has bright yellow hair sticking up like a dandelion. As quickly as she appears, she disappears again into thin air! Lily rushes to tell her best friends Tara and Geraldine about this strange encounter, and they begin an investigation to solve the mystery. Could it be that the girl is from the future? And what does she want with Lily?

A brand-new adventure about animals and friendship. From the legendary author of the bestselling Frankie Foster series, Jean Ure. Eleven-year-old best friends, Hannah and Katy LOVE animals. Every weekend, they learn to ride at Mrs Foster’s Riding School, where they meet a loveable horse named Rosie. Rosie isn’t able to ride like the other horses, and when Mrs Foster cannot afford to keep her, she is sent to another Riding School. But Farley Downs is no ordinary Riding School, and the owner mistreats Rosie, forcing her to gallop when she isn’t able. Hannah and Katy want desperately to save the horse, but to do that, they will need to raise more money than either of them have ever had. Follow the girls on their journey as they rescue their four-legged friend, Rosie. A heart-warming tale about the love of animals and the power of friendship.

A warm and wise tale about the unique challenges of pre-teen life from a master of the genre. Lucy has lived her entire life in her sister's shadow – Lola is always the centre of attention and constantly in need of new clothes for a party or kit for her dancing, meaning Lucy often goes without. But when a talent show comes to town, an unlikely ally helps Lucy step into the spotlight for once. Will Lucy discover her own star quality? Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 7.

The final instalment in this inspiring series about dancing, friendship and following your dreams. From best-loved author Jean Ure, whose books are described by Jacqueline Wilson as “funny, funky, feisty – and fantastic reads!” A big performance looms and Maddy knows that the school has a way of weeding out the weakest dancers. Now is her time to shine. But will Maddy and her friends be celebrating at the end of the year?

The first in a brand-new series about dancing, friendship and following your dreams from best-loved author Jean Ure, whose books are described by Jacqueline Wilson as “funny, funky, feisty – and fantastic reads!” When new girl Caitlyn arrives at Coombe House School Maddy is sure she must be a fellow ballet dancer; she certainly has all the grace and poise of a ballerina. So when Caitlyn denies it, Maddy isn’t convinced. But it isn’t until she comes across Caitlyn practising ballet in the gym that she realises there must be more to her story… Just what can it be? Maddy is determined to find out!

Abi grapples with a new school and new friendships in this warm and insightful story about prejudices and forgiveness. When her family's circumstances suddenly change, Abi finds herself moving to the large and intimidating local high school. She's pretty nervous on her first day but soon meets someone she thinks she could be friends with – even best friends. But as the two girls bond over Abi's treasured snow globe, prejudices and stereotypes might just tear them apart. There's a lot to learn about friendships and forgiveness. Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 8.

A brand new story of crushes, first love and friendship from the original Queen of Tween – Jean Ure! When Maya falls off her bike and into the arms of Jake Harper, her cousin Mattie thinks the crush that follows will be as short-lived as the rest – especially as Maya is a Year 8 nobody and Jake is a Year 12 god. Mattie’s pretty sure that Jake's taken, anyway. But if Jake’s got a girlfriend then why does he keep offering Maya lifts around town? And why does Maya accuse Mattie of being jealous of her? Perhaps there’s more to this crush than meets the eye…

Collins Arabic Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 3 to 11. The series is structured with reference to the learning progression of Arabic at nursery and primary schools researched especially for Collins. This carefully graded approach allows children to build up their reading knowledge of Arabic step by step. Level 14 books build on level 13 by offering stories with more complex plots and with a greater number of chapters to encourage the development of reading stamina. Non-fiction texts use complex vocabulary and deal with challenging global themes. The style of language further reflects progression in the teaching of Arabic grammar, while still using largely familiar vocabulary and simplified concepts. Matato is a cat, very long and slinky. Shamshoom is a dog, very big and woolly. When the People bring home Nisma the new cat with very sharp claws, Shamshoom’s quiet life is shattered by this little pincushion. One day, Matato has an idea to put an end to Nisma’s little games… Comically illustrated by Sholto Walker, this hilarious story was written by popular children's author Jean Ure.

Lily goes to great lengths to own her very own dog in this charming animal adventure! Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+ Lily is absolutely desperate for her very own dog. She's wanted one for as long as she can remember and no other pet will do. But Mum says they can't keep one in their new flat – disaster! So when Lily meets a fellow dog-lover in the park one day she hatches a plan to be a co-owner. Will her new friend Charlotte and Fred the dog be the answer to all her prayers? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+

A humorous and heart-warming story about a little sister, a big sister, a cat, a dad and… a new girlfriend! Bitsy, or ‘Jelly Baby’ as she’s sometimes called, has been doing just fine living with Dad and big sister Em since Mum died. The housework may not always get done, and dinners might not always be at the table, but none of them ever minded! Until one day Dad brings home a girlfriend – and everything changes. Now it looks like it might be down to the Jelly Baby of the family to keep it from falling apart…

The beautifully repackaged eighth title in Jean Ure’s acclaimed series of humorous and poignant stories, about making wishes come true. "I'm your fairy godmother!" Annie sprang off the bed and did a little twirl. "I'm the one who makes you dreams come true!" Annie's arranged an amazing birthday present for her best friend, Megan. She's surfed the Net, made the contacts, and it's all sorted! Now all they need to do is to escape from Annie's bossy older sister, because a secret meeting wouldn't be the same if it wasn't, well secret…

When Billy the Skid and his nasty gang of mountain bikers ride into Bodley Street and ride menacingly up and down, Danny and friends are determined to fight back.

The poignant, heart warming and beautifully written new standalone novel from the best-loved and original Queen of Tween, whose books are described by Jacqueline Wilson as “funny, funky, feisty – and fantastic reads!”. Ruby, Tizz and Sam are sisters. At 12, Ruby is the oldest but with all the stuff she has to worry about right now, sometimes she feels more like the mum of the family. And speaking of mums, the sisters do have one, and she loves her three girls to the moon and back, butshe suffers from something called bipolar disorder which can sometimes make life very difficult… A poignant, moving and uplifting story about family and friendship by the original Queen of Tween, Jean Ure.

Jacqueline Wilson calls Jean’s books “Funny, funky, feisty – and fantastic reads” and Pumpkin Pie is no exception, especially now it’s sporting a gorgeous new cover look! Who wants to be one of three? And who wants to be the middle one of three? Polly is stuck in the middle, with a beautiful, fashion-conscious older sister and a high-achieving younger brother grabbing all the attention. Polly wants to be the one to get noticed, the one to become a famous actress, the one who is thin. But when Polly decides to take drastic action to shed pounds, she loses more than just weight.

The second fantastic book about ten-year-old FRANKIE FOSTER – the girl who wants to help, but ends up causing chaos! Frankie Foster loves fixing people's problems. Her help might not always be welcome – and she might cause the odd total disaster – but Frankie always fixes things. Eventually! When Frankie’s mum agrees to have a friend’s daughter to stay for a fortnight, it falls on Frankie’s shoulders to look after Amelia. Having another girl share her broom cupboard of a bedroom is one thing, but wherever Amelia goes, trouble seems to follow, however hard Frankie tries to keep her out of it!Frankie certainly gets more than she bargains for with Amelia, but in typical Frankie fashion, she soon realises how being different is no bad thing and learns some important lessons along the way… like the true meaning of friendship and how to keep life ‘sweet’!

This is the first title in Jean Ure’s acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children. Cherry's mother has just re-married, much to Cherry's disgust. The worst thing about her step-father is his name: Roland Butter. Can you imagine? Cherry's best friend, Skinny Melon, is a sounding board for all Cherry's angsts – Roland's allergies for one – who wants a wimpy step-father, all sniffly and red-eyed? All this and curried compost school dinners to contend with. But when Roland starts sending Cherry coded messages, her curiosity is aroused. Will she ever learn to live with, and even like, Roland Butter?