Peter Bailey – illustratör

Brought to you by Penguin. I was a Rat! Roger insists, and insists . . . In fact, when Bob the cobbler and his washerwoman wife, Joan, find the young boy abandoned on their doorstep, these are the only words he says. And he does have ratty behaviour, it''s true.Staying with Bob and Joan, however, Roger learns quickly to behave more like a human child. They try to find his parents, but the orphanage, police and hospital all have nothing on their records about a lost boy in the city. What is the truth? As more and more people find out about Roger the mysterious rat-boy he faces more and more danger. But sometimes help comes from the most unexpected of places . . .© Philip Pullman 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE''She''s one of the most important and interesting children''s fiction writers of the last fifty years'' NEIL GAIMAN''What a thrill to discover this gem from the witty and endlessly inventive Joan Aiken'' CHRIS RIDDELL''She is one of the writers I admire most in the world'' KATHERINE RUNDELL''She was a literary treasure, and her books will continue to delight for years to come'' PHILIP PULLMAN''The most swooningly romantic story you''ll ever read - The Serial Garden'' FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE''I wish we''ll have two children called Mark and Harriet. And I hope lots of interesting and unusual things will happen to them. It would be nice if they had a fairy godmother, for instance. And a phoenix or something out of the ordinary for a pet. We could have a special day for interesting and unusual things to happen - say, Mondays. But not always Mondays, and not only Mondays, or that would get a bit dull''As a result of their mother''s honeymoon wish, Mark and Harriet Armitage have a fairy godmother, a pet unicorn and are prepared for anything life can throw at them (especially, but not always, on a Monday): hatching griffins in the airing cupboard, Latin lessons with a ghost, furious Furies on the doorstep and an enchanted garden locked inside a cereal packet. Life with the Armitages can be magical, funny, terrifying - but never, ever dull.''A delightful summary of one side of Aiken''s talent: whimsical, funny, a series of brilliantly imaginative ideas stitched together with dream logic . . . It is the mixture of irrepressible gaiety and invention with the tragic that makes Aiken one of the great children''s authors . . . impossible to calculate the number of people who have enjoyed her books - who have had some magic injected into the mundane'' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE''She was a literary treasure, and her books will continue to delight for years to come'' PHILIP PULLMAN''Witty and endlessly inventive'' CHRIS RIDDELL''She''s one of the most important and interesting children''s fiction writers of the last fifty years'' NEIL GAIMAN ''The Under People. They live in a huge Cave. They are thought to be boring upwards. Giant worms and flying ants. Underground magic''Mickle, the palace cat, knows the kingdom is in danger. He can feel it in his whiskers and he has found a mysterious note in the royal library ... (Yes, of course he can read, and speak - if he chooses to!) Mickle can''t trust the King and Queen with his mission, so he and Prince Michael, with the help of their animal friends (and quite a bit of magic!), set out on a perilous quest to find the sinister Under People, discover their secret power and save the Kingdom of Astalon.In her first novel, written when she was only a teenager, Joan Aiken showcases the imagination, wit and storytelling zest that would lead to classics like Arabel''s Raven and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

''Joan Aiken''s invention seemed inexhaustible, her high spirits a blessing, her sheer storytelling zest a phenomenon'' PHILLIP PULLMAN''One of the most important and interesting children''s fiction writers of the last fifty years'' NEIL GAIMAN ''The Gift Giving is the perfect selection of stories to introduce readers to this precious and incredible author'' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE''The voice that tells these stories is braver than us, unflappable; someone who knows the ways of the world and loves it anyway. She is one of the writers I admire most in the world'' KATHERINE RUNDELL''Favourite stories, like unexpected presents, are things that you can keep and cherish all your life, carry with you, in memory, in your mind''s ear, and bring out, at any time, when you are feeling lonely, or need cheering up, or, like friends, just because you are fond of them'' Joan Aiken is justly famous for her Wolves of Willoughby Chase series, but her greatest love was for short stories, which she wrote prolifically throughout her long career.From a princess turned into a pirate parrot to a procession of Father Christmases chased down Fifth Avenue by a rackety horse and cart; from the ghost of a crusader''s dog, to a captured mermaid in a flying machine, there is something for everybody in this enthralling collection. These stories showcase Aiken''s unique talents - the way she mixed magic and myth with humour to create a kind of modern fairytale. Her stories will appeal to readers of all ages for many years to come.WITH BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER BAILEY

*''Classic Noel Streatfeild at her warm-hearted best. I absolutely loved it'' Hilary McKay, author of THE SKYLARKS'' WAR*''Such rewarding reading'' Daily TelegraphThere are stories for every reader in this delightful collection - exciting crime-solving adventures; nervous young actors in the spotlight for the first time; unforgettable holidays and unlikely friendships.Featuring beautiful illustrations by PETER BAILEYStories include: The Plain One; Devon Mettle; Chicken for Supper; Flag''s Circus; The Secret; Coralie; Ordinary Me; Cows Eat Flowers; Andrew''s Trout; The Old Fool; Let''s Go Coaching; Howard; The Quiet Holiday; Roberta; Green SilkOriginally written for annuals and magazines from the 1930s-70s, these newly discovered stories make captivating reading for Noel Streatfeild fans of all ages.