Mick Jackson - Böcker

From the pen of Mick Jackson, author of The Underground Man and Five Boys, come these ten acclaimed tales. Featuring undertakers, dark forests, resurrected butterflies and a singularly mean-spirited horse, the stories are nevertheless rooted in the realistic and all too recognisable world of retirement, loneliness, and childhood boredom. By turns funny, scary and heartbreaking, they are always illuminating, and further evidence of one of the most original and brilliant imaginations in contemporary fiction.

One of the most acclaimed novels of recent times, The Underground Man is the fictionalised diary of a deeply eccentric English aristocrat. The duke has just completed a network of tunnels beneath his estate. His health is failing, but his imagination seems to know no bounds. And while he spends more time underground and retreats ever deeper into the darker corners of his house there are some ghosts that demand to be acknowledged and some memories which insist on making themselves known.

Yuki is visiting her sister in the UK, but is also secretly retracing their mother's footsteps from a holiday ten years before. Something terrible happened not long after her mother's visit and Yuki wants to find out the cause. With the help of a local girl, Denny, she sets out to unearth and explain her family's secrets . . .

A newly-widowed woman has done a runner. She just jumped in her car, abandoned her (very nice) house in north London and kept on driving until she reached the Norfolk coast. Now she's rented a tiny cottage and holed herself away there, if only to escape the ceaseless sympathy and insincere concern. She's not quite sure, but thinks she may be having a bit of a breakdown. Or perhaps this sense of dislocation is perfectly normal in the circumstances. All she knows is that she can't sleep and may be drinking a little more than she ought to. But as her story unfolds we discover that her marriage was far from perfect. That it was, in fact, full of frustration and disappointment, as well as one or two significant secrets, and that by running away to this particular village she might actually be making her own personal pilgrimage.By turns elegiac and highly comical, The Widow's Tale conjures up this most defiantly unapologetic of narrators as she begins to pick over the wreckage of her life and decide what has real value and what she should leave behind.

Mabel Taylor has a new red sledge. Just look at it! It has a rope for pulling it round and a shiny bottom to make it go extra-fast...When Mabel Taylor receives a shiny red sledge for Christmas, she can't wait to try it out! But ... oh. No snow. No snow at all. And there's no snow the next day, either ... or the next. So, instead, Mabel imagines herself on the most extraordinary of adventures, becoming a bobsleigh champion, a polar explorer, and even Father Christmas! And just when she’s stopped waiting and watching for the snow to fall, her world is transformed by a thick blanket of brilliant white…Brimming over with the joy of imaginary and outdoor play, this is a timeless winter storybook penned by a Booker-shortlisted writer.

A child’s imagination takes flight in this charming and poignant picture book.Wouldn’t moving house be magical, if your house could move with you?When a boy is told that they are moving house, he envisions his house lifted by cranes, winding its way through narrow streets, and even sailing across the sea… But his mother helps him understand: even if they must leave their house behind, the two of them will still be on an adventure.

Mabel Taylor has a new red sledge. Just look at it! It has a rope for pulling it round and a shiny bottom to make it go extra-fast...When Mabel Taylor receives a shiny red sledge for Christmas, she can't wait to try it out! But ... oh. No snow. No snow at all. And there's no snow the next day, either ... or the next. So, instead, Mabel imagines herself on the most extraordinary of adventures, becoming a bobsleigh champion, a polar explorer, and even Father Christmas! And just when she’s stopped waiting and watching for the snow to fall, her world is transformed by a thick blanket of brilliant white…Brimming over with the joy of imaginary and outdoor play, this is a timeless winter storybook penned by a Booker-shortlisted writer.

There is a train which has beds in their own small cabins so that you can sleep while the train rolls through the night. I went on one, not long ago…“This visually vibrant yet gentle bedtime book promises, like the sleeper train, to calm and soothe readers.” The Horn Book (starred review) “Comforting, vibrant, soothing.” Kirkus Review“A lilting cultural touchstone great for bedtime.” Booklist“Layers feelings of comfort and warmth across time and space.” Publishers WeeklyJust as it’s starting to get dark, a little girl and her family board the sleeper train – they’ll travel all through the night, and reach their destination in the morning. But as the train rocks from side to side, the little girl can’t sleep. It’s all too exciting! So, instead, she travels through her memory to all the different places she has slept – from her room at home, to a tent in the wild, to Mum’s old room at Grandma and Grandad’s house... But will that help her to drift off?Gloriously illustrated in rich colours throughout, this captivating bedtime story will take readers on a journey through the vast Indian countryside, and carry them straight on to dreamland.

SELECTED FOR THE BOLOGNA RAGAZZI AWARD'S AMAZING BOOKSHELF"This book does an important job in reassuring children." The Bookseller "Youngsters with an interest in vehicles especially, will love the visuals, even if a house move isn’t imminent." Books for Keeps When a boy is told that they are moving house, he envisions his house lifted by cranes, winding its way through narrow streets, and even sailing across the sea… But his mother helps him understand: even if they must leave their house behind, the two of them will still be on an adventure.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR ILLUSTRATIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE V&A ILLUSTRATION AWARDThere is a train which has beds in their own small cabins so that you can sleep while the train rolls through the night. I went on one, not long ago…Just as it’s starting to get dark, a little girl and her family board the sleeper train – they’ll travel all through the night, and reach their destination in the morning. But as the train rocks from side to side, the little girl can’t sleep. It’s all too exciting! So, instead, she travels through her memory to all the different places she has slept – from her room at home, to a tent in the wild, to Mum’s old room at Grandma and Grandad’s house... But will that help her to drift off?Gloriously illustrated in rich colours throughout, and written by a Booker shortlisted author, this captivating bedtime story will take readers on a journey through the vast Indian countryside, and carry them straight on to dreamland."A lilting cultural touchstone great for bedtime.” Booklist"A warm-hearted tale of family love and togetherness .... a soothing bedtime story." Red Reading Hub “This visually vibrant yet gentle bedtime book promises, like the sleeper train, to calm and soothe readers.” The Horn Book (starred review)“Comforting, vibrant, soothing.” Kirkus Reviews“Layers feelings of comfort and warmth across time and space.” Publishers Weekly

The second children’s book from the wonderful illustrator John Broadley, working with Booker-shortlisted novelist Mick Jackson, following their glorious debut While You’re Sleeping. The second children’s book from the wonderful illustrator John Broadley, working with Booker-shortlisted novelist Mick Jackson, following their glorious debut picture book While You’re Sleeping. Mick Jackson’s poetic prose and John Broadley’s detailed and unique illustrations make this a special book to read again and again, and treasure for years to come. Beautifully illustrated in a limited colour palette, the winding, lyrical text follows a child’s growth through travel – from crawling to walking, skating to biking and then on to trains, boats and planes. It also looks at the 'journey of life', how children grow and develop, how they choose their own routes through life, and make lasting memories as they go. Starting with the first time a baby comes home with its parents and ending with a grandparent reflecting on their life, it's a beautiful evocation of the journeys we all take through our lives.

Have you ever wondered what's happening in the world while you're asleep in your bed? Have you ever wondered what's happening in the world while you're asleep in your bed?There's a whole world of activity out there – from bakers preparing bread and cakes for your table and firefighters waiting patiently for a call, to hospitals helping people have babies and caring for those who are ill. There are lorry drivers making deliveries of food, flowers, toys and more, and postal workers sorting the mail for your morning delivery. There's also wildlife such as foxes foraging, bats flying, and owls hunting for prey. And then around the world there are children who are playing, learning, eating and reading while you're tucked up fast asleep.This is the perfect book for bedtime, opening up a whole world of wonder and imagination for children, and providing food for the imagination if they wake in those early hours. Beautifully written, with lyrical prose, the illustrations are packed with detail.

•Stage adaptation of Mick Jackson's celebrated novel (1997), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award and winner of the Royal Society of Authors' First Novel Award.•Adapted by Nick Wood, critically acclaimed playwright and bestselling author of A Girl With A Book and Other Plays; his works are performed extensively in the UK, USA and Europe.•Co-produced by Nottingham Playhouse (co-producer of the critically acclaimed stage version of 1984) and Nick Wood's AJTC (A Girl with a Book).