Tom Vaughan – författare

'A hilarious adventure with heart for fans of TheWorst Holiday Ever and Gangsta Granny featuringa gorgeous intergenerational relationship between a boy and hisgranddad ... Brought to life with fabulous illustrations throughout- this package will delight readers' LoveReading4KidsOne boy's mission to take down a team of super-villains... with the help of his boring, dishcloth-selling grandad? When Jesse's grandad wins tickets to a retirement cruiseand offers to bring Jesse along, Jesse is not exactlythrilled. A boat load of old age pensioners?! No thanks.Not to mention that he's pretty sure his parents are goingto be talking about a D.I.V.O.R.C.E. while he'ssafely out of the way.But from the moment the pair arrive on the cruise ship, it's adifferent story. Mysterious cat burglars, crime lords andsmugglers all seem to be on board ... and odder than that,Gramps knows them all! When an attempted murderoccurs, Jesse decides it's time to find out what they're hiding,and catch the villain responsible.But Gramps might be hiding the biggest secret of all... can Jesse unravel the mystery, before time runs out? A hilarious adventure with heart for fans of TheWorst Holiday Ever and Gangsta GrannyFeaturing a gorgeous intergenerational relationship betweena boy and his grandad, who is determined to reconnectwith his family before illness intervenesBrought to life with fabulous illustrations throughout - thispackage will delight readers.

Featured in The Sunday Times' best children's booksinspired by Greek myths.Hercules Braver has a secret: he's a real-life demigod!So, why does he seem so... ordinary?Most children of Zeus have some kind of superskill - like bravery,warrior skills or healing powers. Well, thanks to a wild boar(long story), Herc and his friends are off on a school trip toGreece. He's bound to discover his gift there - and even meet moreof the gods!But after ending up neck-deep in horse poo, almost falling downa mountain and facing a fierce flock of ravens, this trip feelsmore like an epic voyage...What's really going on with the mysterious gods, Athena, Apolloand Ares? And will Hercules discover what makes him special? Following up on Hercules: the Diary of a (Sort of)Hero, this is a hilarious, accessible package brilliantlyillustrated by David O'Connell.Ideal for fans of Louie Stowell's Loki, Maz Evans, Marvel'sThor films and Disney's Hercules.Hercules Braver's adventures in this book are looselybased on the next three Labours of Hercules, ideal for all youngfans of Greek mythology!Heartfelt exploration of friendship, secret strugglesand discovering your strengths and talents, even if they're unexpected.Book 1 was a Waterstones Children's Book of the Month  Praise for the first Hercules book"With a generous smattering of Greek mythology, this laugh-out-loudtale explores the nature of friendship, love and loyaltywith a perfect mix of humour and tenderness." BookTrust"A brilliant, accessible and VERY funny book" -Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

Featured in The Sunday Times' best children's booksinspired by Greek myths.If Hercules Braver is going to survive his new secondaryschool, he has to live up to his name, fast. He needs to become strongand tanned and popular, like a Greek hero. Not weak and paleand unpopular, like a Greek yoghurt.But his bid for popularity ends up saddling him with a set ofimpossible tasks ... like cleaning out the monster-riddled schoolpond, facing up to the school bully and finding the headmaster'smissing cat.Then Herc's charming, impressive birth dad turns up after yearsliving in Greece, and Hercules thinks his problems are solved.With God-like strength and awe-inspiring powers, could his dad evenbe ... the real Zeus?!And will Hercules learn what it truly means to be a hero? A hilarious, accessible package brilliantlyillustrated by David O'Connell. Ideal for fans of Louie Stowell'sLoki, Maz Evans, Marvel's Thor films andDisney Hercules.Hercules Braver's are loosely based on the first threeLabours of Hercules, ideal for all young fans of Greek mythology!Warm-hearted representation of blended families and alternatefather figures.    Praise for the first Hercules book"With a generous smattering of Greek mythology, this laugh-out-loudtale explores the nature of friendship, love and loyaltywith a perfect mix of humour and tenderness." BookTrust"A brilliant, accessible and VERY funny book" -Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

Featured in The Sunday Times' best children's booksinspired by Greek myths.Hercules Bravermay seem like a regular kid, but he is (secretly) a Greek hero...His birth dad is Zeus himself! So, Herc's life will no doubt befilled with GLORY. But what about FORTUNE?It's the school holidays and Herc has so many plans... sailinga yacht, going on a cruise, and generally touring the world slayingmonsters. But Mum tells him they're struggling to make ends meet,and the best she can manage is to send him to Young Explorerscamp with his friend Pav. DISASTER!How can Herc make money? Invent something amazing? Win the lottery?Become a tech billionaire? He's on the case with Pav, Hattyand Natthew. But their schemes take them to some unexpected places...especially when vengeful Zeus finds out that Hercules and Mummight reveal his secret existence! Soon, Herc is facing the pranks of trickster god Hermes, raftingdown a treacherous river, and dressing up as a donkey... Can heget his hands on the fortune he craves, or will he find that trueriches lie in unexpected places? And can he and Mum finally getone over on the Greek Gods...? The third instalment in the bestselling series, thisis a hilarious, accessible package brilliantly illustrated by DavidO'Connell. Ideal for fans of Louie Stowell's Loki, MazEvans, Marvel's Thor films and Disney's Hercules.Hercules Braver's adventures in this book are looselybased on the next three Labours of Hercules, ideal for all youngfans of Greek mythology!Heartfelt exploration Herc's relationship with his mum,heroines of Greek mythology, and what true riches might be.  Praise for the first Hercules book"With a generous smattering of Greek mythology, this laugh-out-loudtale explores the nature of friendship, love and loyaltywith a perfect mix of humour and tenderness." BookTrust"A brilliant, accessible and VERY funny book" -Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

Featured in The Sunday Times' best children's booksinspired by Greek myths.Hercules Braver,modern-day son of Zeus, is about to face his BIGGEST challenge yet...A legendary Greek monster has escaped from the underworld!Hercules is ready to start a new school year as the BEST demigodwhen, to his surprise, his cousin Theseus suddenly comes to stayfrom Greece. Theseus, son of Poseidon, is a young demigod justlike Hercules. But right as Herc was (finally) preparing to be aheroically good role model, infuriating Theseus causes TROUBLE atevery turn! But soon the boys are forced to work together - because Zeus hasbeen so focused on writing a book that he's lost control of thecosmos... and now the universe is in jeopardy. One of the mostterrifying monsters in Greek myth has hatched an escape from theunderworld! With their dads pre-occupied, it's up to Herc and Theoto track down and stop the Minotaur. No doubt about it, this is Herc's most high-stakes adventure yet.Will the boys become monster-slaying heroes like their namesakes?Or will they learn that myths might not have the full story? The fourth epic adventure in the series is bigger and bolderthan ever, with a mega monster and a new demigod - brilliantlyillustrated throughout by David O'ConnellDue to the curriculum, the Minotaur is one of the most familiarGreek characters to kids, and this book wraps up the modern twistson the Twelve Labours of Hercules, featuring another legendarycharacter, CerberusAlongside humour, Tom Vaugham explores themes of bravery, 'goodness',unlikely friendship and blended families

This book follows a previously published selection of poems and pictures by the children of Terezn and Osvtm, the camp of lies of the Theresienstadt Ghetto and the camp of death of Auschwitz.Beyond the Colonnade is a selection of notes on situations and individuals encountered over decades of community-based primary care practice, starting in the East End of London and terminating in Chicago.From medical school on, the lifetime of learning required by the ethical practice of medicine presents an introduction to humanism unsurpassed by any other discipline; and, by its implicit connections to other areas of scholarship, scientific, social and literary, a first-rate general education. Such learning is reinforced daily by the diversity of human contact.The exercise of the craft affords the practitioner an entre to large communities, small homes and to the privileged communication of individuals. It offers a unique vantage point from which to observe the broad spectrum of human motivation, emotion and response and to become acquainted with the impact of societal and economic realities on the enjoyment of health and the experience of disease.Of this wider view of the medical life, the lines which follow may stand in evidence of such a claim.For every physician who maintains an unrestricted practice, consider:that, when the whole world can walk in at the door, the unusual and fascinating are always to be expected!Cover picture: The Colonnade, Guys Hospital, London, 1972

When a story is written with a child or children in mind, one which may be read to them or which they will read, to the question "Who is it for", "Whoever!" is not a fair reply. To questions about their age or reading age, "No particular age in mind! would again suggest a question avoided.But, in every case, there will be exceptions: for chronological age, for reading age, for degree of literacy, since these notably do not coincide, leaving open the question: "have we already missed an opportunity?" and to the assertion that "They will read when they are ready" an important question: How shall we know unless we have tried?"

First shown to the public in the months following the Liberation of Prague, the letters, art work and poetry of the children of Terezin and Osvtim were then fresh upon the page. Many survived to within a few months of the victory. One could almost touch their hands. The unimaginable tragedy of the slaughter of millions is viewed more intimately when a survivor sees in an old album the faces of family members who were killed and recognizes their goodness and humanity. In the same way, the images and verses of children, expressive of their private thoughts, sentiments and observations offer the opportunity to acknowledge the enormity of their loss from a closer, more personal perspective. The author has been for many years a clinical and research physician and teacher at the Illinois West Side Medical Center. Born in England, trained at a London teaching hospital, and possessing advanced medical qualifications there and in the USA, he has degrees from Oxford University in Physiology and European languages and literature; and from the University of London in sociology.He has maintained close contact with Prague friends from student days, contacts which could be resumed after the Velvet Revolution of November 1989.

How did life begin? How does it end? What happens to those qualities that make each of us alive as individuals after the bodies they animated die and disappear? Taking inspiration from Sir David Attenborough's maxim 'Nature wastes nothing' and drawing on the wisdom of commentators as varied as NASA astronauts, the Dalai Lama, existential philosophers, a couple of prescient teenagers and even an engagingly 'human' gorilla - Hope . . . and the Hedgehog distils the thinking behind the principal interpretations of creation, before presenting them to the reader in an easily digestible summary. This is not a religious book and nor does it extol religion - rather it offers the same kind of assurance Bear Grylls presents to his readers. In the same way, it helps unpick the enduring puzzle that prompted Steve Jobs, creator and co-founder of Apple, to enigmatically describe death as 'Very likely the single best invention of life.' Which reinforces the importance of hope addressed here.