‘It’s not particularly difficult to run a successful bookshop, thought Valerie: a grasp of the rudiments of business, a sensible plan, a little skill in negotiation, a couple of contacts and a large portion of magic.’ When businesswoman Valerie takes over the bookshop owned by her aunt – who has vanished without trace – her intention is to bring some order to the chaos, and then sell the business. But she has underestimated the power of the little shop. One day she stumbles upon a mysterious book with an unfinished ending. Valerie thinks it must be a defective copy, but when a customer turns up searching for that very book, her view of the shop – and world – shifts, as she is forced to question what is and isn’t possible. A Very Special Year is a declaration of love for literature, for beautiful books, the power and magic of stories as well as proof that the world of the imagination is still alive within us.

Continuing a two-year program to bring back twenty-two Maurice Sendak treasures long out of print, our second season of publication highlights one of the most successful author-illustrator pairings of all time. A pioneer of great children's literature, Ruth Krausspublished more than thirty books for children during a career that spanned forty years. Krauss and Sendak collaborated on eight books, and we are delighted to reintroduce four of these gems in brand-new editions, together with a favorite Maurice Sendak picture book.

Siamese twins, midgets, giants, bearded ladies, and hermaphrodites are among the people profiled with compassion and insight

Rabbit and Frog sit with Mouse while she waits.Turtle shares his picnic. It's a lovely, sunny day for waiting, but all too soon the day is almost over.Where are Mouse's Special Friends?

A delightfully simple story about ivf, an egg donor and the arrival of a baby girl. Fabulous pictures make it ideal for very young children and a simple story makes it perfect for older children to read. Without forgetting "the Very Special Lady" that made it possible. There is also an identical story about the arrival of a baby boy.

James Salley is turning sixteen, and it’s not going well. His family’s too busy to care, the local bully creates new tortures daily, someone appears to be following him, and he’s just learned that he’s the Antichrist. All James ever wanted out of life was for Dorian Delaney — the operatically trained and suicidal girl of his dreams — to fall as in love with him as he is with her. But once he’s told of his bloody destiny, he finds himself fighting between who he thought he was and who he’s supposed to be. With the school librarian pushing him to begin the Apocalypse, an irritable homunculus watching his back, and a murderous cabal of Catholics following him everywhere, James must discover how to navigate a world in which everything he’s ever believed is wrong — and if it’s possible to be the hero of a story when you’ve already been cast as the villain.

Being trapped in a strange town in a freak blizzard is scary enough, but Julie Marlowe went into labor in someone's driveway! Lucky for her, a handsome stranger came to her rescue. Lukas Garrett didn't know how much he wanted to be a husband and father until he helped bring Julie's baby boy into the world. Now, the mother and child have grabbed hold of his once-guarded heart. But Julie's past could derail her future with Luke, unless she is willing to trust her heart to this man for the chance to have the family of her dreams.

A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life, this book is designed for young readers to illustrate.