Darren Gate – illustratör

Thanks to an unfortunately tasty-looking radioactive garden slug, eleven-year-old Murdo McLeod is now the world's worst superhero. His two powers are pretty unique: the first is sliding up walls. Quite slowly. The second is secreting slippery slime from his skin. (Yes, just as disgusting as it sounds.)In a Scotland full of awesome superheroes, Slugboy has a lot to prove. No one wants help fighting bad guys from someone with a horrible habit of (quite literally) messing things up. He's so underrated, in fact, that when an evil mastermind devises a plan to capture all the other superheroes, Slugboy isn't even on his list. Now, Slugboy has to use his not-so-super and oh-so-gross abilities to free the other superheroes and save the world. Let's hope he doesn't slip up.

What was the First World War really like? Step into the boots of 14-year-old soldier James Marchbank and find out.Inspired by the real-life diary of a Scottish boy soldier, each easy-to-read chapter mixes James's story with timelines, letters, diagrams and illustrations to create a fact-tastic account of the First World War, which is both fun and emotionally engaging for younger readers.Why was rat hunting a popular hobby in the trenches?How did parachuting pigeons help win the war?Why would a really good friend rub whale oil on your feet?What did it feel like to be a teenager at war?Take a journey through time and discover all the most important and incredible bits of the First World War.A Secret Diary of the First World War is the first in a new brilliant series, which blends together intriguing facts and fascinating fiction to bring the most exciting, gruesome and crucial moments of Scottish history alive for young readers.

Who were the Jacobites and what were they fighting for? Step into the shoes of siblings Rob and Aggie, young Jacobites living in the Scottish Highlands in 1745, the year of the final Jacobite Rising.From the battlefield to the croft, each easy-to-read chapter mixes Rob and Aggie's stories with timelines, maps, diagrams and illustrations to create a fact-tastic account of the Jacobite Risings, which is both fun and emotionally engaging for younger readers.Take a journey through time and find out:Who was Bonnie Prince Charlie and why was a young man from Italy leading the fight for the Scottish crown?What happened at the earlier failed Risings, and why did the Jacobites keep fighting?How can you turn a kilt into a sleeping bag?What really happened at the Battle of Culloden?Who were the Redcoats? How did the Jacobite Risings change Scotland for ever?The Dangerous Lives of the Jacobites continues the brilliant Fact-tastic series, which blends together intriguing facts and fascinating fiction to bring the most exciting, gruesome and crucial moments of Scottish history alive for young readers.

When a daring young pelican lands unannounced into a quiet garden in Southend-on-Sea, she meets Aaron, a young boy whose curiosity is as boundless as the sky. Their instant friendship and bond turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, soon garden ponds become ice rinks, driveways become runways, and every flap of Gargi’s enormous wings invites Aaron to dream bigger. Eventually rehomed to London’s St James’s Park, Gargi does what no other pelican dares, she flies! With her wings unclipped and her appetite untamed, she flaps between parks, palaces and people, becoming a legend in the skies. Told with playful, rhyming interludes from Gargi’s own cheeky point of view, this book celebrates friendship, freedom and the magic that happens when real events meet a child’s limitless imagination. Gargi the Great Flying Pelican is a picture book that blends true events with a child’s sense of wonder. Children and grown-ups will fall in love with this unforgettable true story full of warmth and humour.