WINNER OF THE 2014 SAINSBURY'S CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD Here begins a tale of two sisters - Eliza, who dreams of becoming a swashbuckling hero, and Lavender, whose greatest wish is to be a pampered princess. When Lavender gets kidnapped in the Forest of Toothy, Vicious and Flatulent Dragons, the sisters must face a host of deadly enemies. Hairy-faced villains. Ominous turnips. A witch called Boris. And a moat-dragon who is just a little bit peckish for a tasty child-sized snack. Will Eliza and Lavender ever escape? Why is their goat, Gertrude, so depressed? Whose side is Bonnet, the smallest giant in the world really on? And what day is it today? This book will answer some, but not all, of these questions . . . Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat-Dragon by Sarah Courtauld is a brilliantly funny debut for fans of How to Train Your Dragon and Mr Gum.

Eliza must rescue her sister Lavender who got tired of waiting around for her prince.

Once upon a time, on the Old Tumbledown Farm, in The Middle of Nowhere, in the Forgotten Corner of the Kingdom, two sisters are still arguing over their destinies. Sadly, neither of their plans are really working. Eliza's archery skills are dangerous to everything but the target, and her trusty steed is merely their goat, Gertrude. Meanwhile, a sudden rash of royal weddings has sabotaged Lavender's plan to marry a prince. Obviously, magic is the only answer. One rash Thumbelina-inspired wish on a magical snail later, and the Old Tumbledown Farm is suddenly a giant's birthday present-and this giant is not willing to let go of her new toys. Can Eliza and Lavender actually work together to come up with a cunning escape plan or will Lavender be too distracted by the sudden appearance of a handsome prince? Hold on to your socks (or Gertrude will eat them!) as author Sarah Courtauld delivers everything fans of fractured fairytales could want from magic and princes to battling giants and cantankerous goats in Buckle and Squash!

This is the story of two very different sisters - Eliza, who longs to ride into battle against villains and dragons, and Lavender, who would give anything to be a pampered princess. Before the end of the story both of them have had a chance to fulfil their dreams, though not quite in the way they intended ... Accompanied by their depressed goat, Gertrude, with their granny's warnings about the Black Death ringing in their ears, they head out into the forest and come face to face with an evil count who definitely does not have their best interests at heart ... For fans of Cressida Cowell and Andy Stanton.

The sequel to Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat-Dragon by Sarah Courtauld - winner of the 2014 Sainsbury's Children's Book Award. A funny quest adventure featuring two very different sisters, a magical snail and a giant who loves to play with dolls' houses . . . Here begins a tale of Eliza, who wants to become a swashbuckling hero, and Lavender, who dreams of being a fairy-tale princess. When Lavender casts a spell to make herself tiny, becoming a giant's birthday present was never part of her plan. Unfortunately, this giant loves dolls' houses and isn't letting her new toys out of her sight. Can Eliza and Lavender come up with a cunning plan to escape? Where have all the gentle giants gone? Is the Holy Snail really magical? How many socks can their goat, Gertrude, actually eat? And what's for dinner? This book might answer these questions, but then again it might not . . . A brilliantly funny quirky story for fans of How to Train Your Dragon and Mr Gum.

Presents the life and accomplishments of the English seaman and explorer, from his childhood in the house of his seafaring uncle, through his career as a privateer and explorer for Queen Elizabeth I, to his death at sea.

A powerful tale of endurance, survival and resistance in the face of slavery. A compelling account of the story of slavery - from ancient times, through the plantations of the Caribbean and America, to the official abolition of the slave trade more than 200 years ago. Recounts the stories of people who were enslaved, including their daring tales of resistance and escape. Highlights the continued existence of slavery today and what you can do to help stop it. Contemporary photographs and artworks bring the story to life, while maps provide visual variety and links to carefully selected websites on the Usborne Quicklinks website provide extra information.

This beautifully illustrated book is packed with more than 100 stickers of some of the best-loved paintings in the history of art. It tells the fascinating story of western painting, from the very first cave painters right up to the present day.

The New York Times bestseller and basis for the Tony-winning hit musical, soon to be a major motion picture starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande With millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is established not only as a commentary on our time but as a novel to revisit for years to come. Wicked relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination. Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin—no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens. But Elphaba’s Oz is no utopia. The Wizard’s secret police are everywhere. Animals—those creatures with voices, souls, and minds—are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals—even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas. Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel has inspired the blockbuster musical of the same name—one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel’s distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire’s Wicked is as unique as its green-skinned witch.