Beatrice Masini is an Italian journalist, translator, and writer whose works often focus on female characters and their narratives. Her prose is characterized by depth and an understanding of the complexities of human relationships, frequently imbued with a touch of melancholy and introspection. Through her stories, she explores themes of identity, memory, and the search for meaning. Her distinctive style is poetic and evocative, adept at drawing readers into the inner lives of her characters.
A courageous little girl is determined to show her bravery to all the people who laugh at her tiny size by venturing out alone to face a dragon, a sorcerer's magic spell, and a flock of hungry vultures.
A mystery and coming-of-age novel set in a grand house in nineteenth-century Italy - Kate Morton meets the Brontes.
Zoe is happy to be back at Ballet Academy after the holidays & looks forward to starting work on her character dance, where she can give free reign to her creativity. Outside lessons she has to put up with best friend Leda's up and down moods, but she consoles herself with shopping trips with new friend Bianca.
A squirrel wakes from hibernation feeling something is wrong with his home, and after consulting his forest friends realizes that their community is what makes a place right.
The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there are spells to be learnt and (unluckily) Potions and Divination lessons to be attended. But Harry can't know that the atmosphere is darkening around him, and his worst enemy is preparing a fate that it seems will be inescapable . . . With characteristic wit, fast-paced humour and marvellous emotional depth, J.K. Rowling has proved herself yet again to be a master story-teller.
When Harry and his best friends go back for their third year at Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass-murderer on the loose and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school. Lessons, however, must go on and there are lots of new subjects in third year - Care of Magical Creatures and Divination among others - to take Harry's mind off things!
Harry has yet again spent the summer holidays at the Dursleys'. He has had plenty to think about, though - from the death of his beloved godfather Sirius Black, to the terrifying chase through the Ministry of Magic by the Death Eaters, to the fierce duel he witnessed between Professor Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry is waiting nervously for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. He can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys' of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine J.K. Rowling charts Harry Potter's adventures in his sixth year at Hogwarts with a mix of detail and humour that is unsurpassed, pace that is breathless and above all a flair that is magical.
This Penguin Classics edition of Louisa May Alcott's inspiring tale of sisterhood is edited with an introduction by Elaine Showalter. The story of four 'little women'—Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth—and their wise mother Marmee was an instant success upon its 1868 publication. Set against the backdrop of Civil War New England, the March sisters have captured the hearts of readers for generations. Fans have cheered for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo, mourned little Beth's death, and imagined traveling through Europe with Aunt March and Amy. Jo's dedication to writing has inspired future authors. This edition includes both parts of the tale and features Showalter's insightful introduction, which explores Alcott's influences and the novel's impact on women writers like Joyce Carol Oates and Cynthia Ozick. Additional notes on the text by Siobhan Kilfeather and Vinca Showalter enhance the reading experience. Alcott (1832-1888) was surrounded by notable American writers and drew from her experiences as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, publishing works like Hospital Sketches before creating this beloved classic. If you enjoyed this tale, you might also appreciate Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, available in Penguin Classics.
A journey beyond imagination is about to unfold. . . . It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. There lives Candy Quackenbush, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold. When the answer comes, it's not one she expects. Welcome to the Abarat.
_______________ 'I will always put Celia and her books on the top rung of YA' - BookWitch 'Celia Rees is one of Britain's foremost writers for teenagers' - Playdays and Runaways _______________ The outstanding sequel to critically acclaimed bestseller Witch Child As Witch Child ends so Sorceress begins. Alison Ellman is still searching for information about Mary Newbury; she has a diary and some scattered information about other people in Mary's life, but Mary has disappeared into the forests and Alison has no way of following her. But when she meets Agnes Herne, Alison encounters the person who is going to tell her all about Mary's life after she leaves Beulah. Agnes is a descendant of Mary's and has a special skill which allows her to be in touch with Mary in the spirit world. And Mary has a story to tell. A story of love and friendship, sadness and loss. A story that takes her across the New World in an epic search for a home. We fell under the spell of Mary in Witch Child and now at last we find out what happened to her after her ill-fated time in Beulah. Just as Mary's story has to be told to Agnes, it has to be read by us for it is passionate, compelling and utterly wonderful.
