Paul Jennings

The story of education in Harrogate is a fascinating one. The nineteenth century was one of huge development and change in education, with the 1870 Forster Act aiming to create a school within reach of every child. As with so many aspects of life even now, class, religion and gender largely determined the type and quality of the provision of learning. Harrogate was no exception, and Paul Jennings examines all of these factors in this important new book. But in addition, Harrogate’s health resort status also led to the creation of an unusually high number of private schools, as fee-paying parents were assured that their children would benefit from the especially healthy surroundings. For all types of school, the author covers topics such as the patterns of the school day, meals (or lack of them), segregation of the sexes, punishments and the changing curriculum. The result is a comprehensive and readable volume that will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of both education and the town of Harrogate.

This book charts the history of gin from its arrival in England in the sixteenth century to the present day. In doing so it uses a range of perspectives: economic, social, cultural and political to give a rounded picture of how the spirit developed in the way it did over some 400 years. It looks at how gin’s popularity has ebbed and flowed over the centuries among different groups in society. It is therefore concerned with the drinkers of gin and why they chose it and at the meanings which they attached to its consumption. Gin was particularly popular with women and the spirit is often associated with them, in phrases like Mother’s Ruin. This also alerts us to the fact that gin has often had a bad press, never more so than in the infamous Gin Craze of the first half of the eighteenth century, so vividly depicted in Hogarth’s Gin Lane. The book attempts to tell something of the real history of gin beneath the frequent condemnation. It ends with the resurgence of gin’s popularity with the emergence of so-called designer gins in the twenty-first century.

A moving story of family, love and loss from one of Australia's greatest storytellers. Emily loves the bush and the native animals on her family's reforested property, particularly the beautiful rainbow lorikeets that nest in one of the tallest trees. But then her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Emily's world enters a tailspin. Her twin brother, Alex, refuses to accept the truth. His coping mechanism is to build elaborate additions to his treehouse in the superstitious belief that it will avert disaster – leaving Emily to deal with harsh reality on her own. When Alex secretly adopts a feral kitten, going against everything that's important to Emily, the siblings' emotions reach boiling point – with potentially dangerous consequences for them all.

We understand the world to be a weave, a skein of spirit, that is how we see its ways and recognise its flows. We walk the threads and know the places and times they cross. As is the world, so we are woven. Palaeolithic Voyages is an FKR role-playing game built with very light rules and plenty of procedures to allow fast referee preparation for play.

In the telling of his own tale, children's author and screenwriter Paul Jennings demonstrates how seemingly small events can combine into a compelling drama. As if assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle he puts together fragments, memories and anecdotes to reveal the portrait of a complex and weathered soul.The accounts of the trials and joys of turning his stories into episodes of the television program Round The Twist will be of special interest to the millions of fans of this series. Untwisted is revealing, moving and very funny.Paul Jennings has crafted perhaps his most masterful story yet ...the story of his life

The pub has been at the heart of English life for centuries, evolving from elegant coaching houses and humble alehouses through Victorian backstreet beerhouses and ‘fine, flaring’ gin palaces to the drinking establishments of the twenty-first century.In this new and revised edition, historian Paul Jennings takes us on a fascinating journey over three centuries of pub life. Set within the wider context of social change, Jennings delves into the lives of the customers who frequented them, as well as those of the men and women who ran them, and takes a closer look at their architecture and interior design. The Local has been brought up to date to record both the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on English pubs and what it tells us about pubs’ continuing importance to English people.

The final part of a series which started with 'A Different Dog', followed by 'A Different Boy', published by Old Barn Books in August 2018. 'A Different Land' continues to explore themes of family and displacement as our narrator seeks to find a home. Told with Paul Jennings empathy and gentle humour - and there is bound to be a twist in the tale!

'The ship was a towering fortress looming over the pier. Anton stared enviously at the emigrants lining up in front of the wide gangplank. Heading off on a voyage to a land of peace and plenty. Leaving the land of broken buildings and crushed hopes behind. Looking forward to sunshine and steaks. How he wished that he was one of the lucky ones.' Loosely based on Paul Jennings' journey to Australia as a 'ten pound Pom', the story of Anton, who escapes from an orphanage and successfully stows away on a boat headed for the land of 'sunshine and steaks' has a timeless reality of its own. It is a tale of loss, guilt, mistaken identity and taking risks but also surprisingly heartwarming and heartbreaking. Perfect for reluctant readers in upper primary and lower secondary, it speaks of loss, migration, reslience and courage. Beautifully illustrated by Geoff Kelly.

The child narrator of A Different Dog can't speak - we assume it is from a disability or a reaction to a trauma in his past. He is teased by the other kids and is a loner. On a cold winter's day, when everyone is participating in a fun run on the mountain, our narrator finds himself alone at the scene of a car accident where the driver has died. But there is a little dog in the car... What follows is a moving story of survival and redemption (and somehow humour in the midst of all that), all told in a 96-page novella.

This book is an introduction to the history of alcoholic drink in England from the end of the Middle Ages to the present day. Treating the subject thematically, it covers who drank, what they drank, how much, who produced and sold drink, the places where it was enjoyed and the meanings which drinking had for people. It also looks at the varied opposition to drinking and the ways in which it has been regulated and policed.As a social and cultural history, it examines the place of drink in society and how social developments have affected its history and what it meant to individuals and groups as a cultural practice. Covering an extended period in time, this book takes in the important changes brought about by the Reformation and the processes of industrialization and urbanization. This volume also focuses on drink in relation to class and gender and the importance of global developments, along with the significance of regional and local difference. Whilst a work of history, it draws upon the insights of a range of other disciplines which have together advanced our understanding of alcohol. The focus is England, but it acknowledges the importance of comparison with the experience of other countries in furthering our understanding of England’s particular experience.This book argues for the centrality of drink in English society throughout the period under consideration, whilst emphasizing the ways in which its use, abuse and how they have been experienced and perceived have changed at different historical moments. It is the first scholarly work which covers the history of drink in England in all its aspects over such an extended period of time. Written in a lively and approachable style, this book is suitable for those who study social and cultural history, as well as those with an interest in the history of drink in England.

Even before all this happened I had never been like the other kids. I tried not to be seen. If I climbed a tree or hid among the bins, no one could find me. 'Where's What's His Name?' they'd say.Then, one weekend, I got what I wanted. First, I blended in with things. But on the second day I changed.I mean, really changed.The hilarious story of a boy with an unusual problem, from children's book legend Paul Jennings. Includes fantastic look-and-find colour illustrations.

A 2017 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title award winnerThis book is an introduction to the history of alcoholic drink in England from the end of the Middle Ages to the present day. Treating the subject thematically, it covers who drank, what they drank, how much, who produced and sold drink, the places where it was enjoyed and the meanings which drinking had for people. It also looks at the varied opposition to drinking and the ways in which it has been regulated and policed.As a social and cultural history, it examines the place of drink in society and how social developments have affected its history and what it meant to individuals and groups as a cultural practice. Covering an extended period in time, this book takes in the important changes brought about by the Reformation and the processes of industrialization and urbanization. This volume also focuses on drink in relation to class and gender and the importance of global developments, along with the significance of regional and local difference. Whilst a work of history, it draws upon the insights of a range of other disciplines which have together advanced our understanding of alcohol. The focus is England, but it acknowledges the importance of comparison with the experience of other countries in furthering our understanding of England’s particular experience.This book argues for the centrality of drink in English society throughout the period under consideration, whilst emphasizing the ways in which its use, abuse and how they have been experienced and perceived have changed at different historical moments. It is the first scholarly work which covers the history of drink in England in all its aspects over such an extended period of time. Written in a lively and approachable style, this book is suitable for those who study social and cultural history, as well as those with an interest in the history of drink in England.

This beginner's guide for anyone learning to play the Cajon takes you through the basics of the instrument and its techniques with dozens of exercises and over 30 grooves from many genres including rock, Latin, blues, jazz, flamenco, funk, and more. There are also more advanced techniques in the final chapter that include how to change the pitch with your foot, playing with brushes, and playing rolls with your fingers.With the book come 45 accompanying online videos that demonstrate many of the rhythms and techniques in the book. Topics covered include: playing position, how to read the notation, bass and slap tone exercises, grooves, changing pith, foot slide exercises, finger doubles and triples, playing with brushes, and much more.

This fascinating volume tells the story of Bradford's pubs over two centuries of history. Illustrated with over 150 old photographs, plans and advertisements, the collection recalls the pubs, the people who ran them, the customers who frequented them adn the brewers who supplied and usually owned them.The reader will glimpse the pub in all its many guises, from the coaching inns of the early nineteenth century, to the splendid Victorian gin palaces adn humble back-street beer houses, right up to modern pubs of the twentieth century. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both Bradford and its pubs, Paul Jennings takes the reader on a tour from the centre of the city out through the old working-class districts which surround it, including Broomfields, Wapping and White Abbey, and into the varied localities which together formed old Bradford.

Parents are the best reading teachers in the world. Parental involvement is key to a child learning to read, to use language - and to their whole early years education. In an easy-to-read, jargon-busting book, Paul Jennings gives simple strategies to show how parents can use books to enrich their children's lives - it's not just about learning to read, it's about learning to love reading. He cuts through the jargon and controversy to show how every parent can infect their child with the reading bug.

A collection of eight quirky, bizarre, and very funny short stories from the brilliant Paul Jennings.

A selection of the best short stories from Paul Jennings' earlier Puffin titles. Everyone is entirely different but all are wacky and extraordinary. Subjects range from the longest kiss ever, to a boy who becomes transparent - and the stories are all unpredictable!