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The Grapes of Wrath (Penguin Modern Classics)
by John Steinbeck Robert DeMottShocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic remains his undisputed masterpiece.Set against the background of dust bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of the Joad family, who, like thousands of others, are forced to travel West in search of the promised land. Their story is one of false hopes, thwarted desires and broken dreams, yet out of their suffering Steinbeck created a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision; an eloquent tribute to the endurance and dignity of the human spirit.
Heartbreak House: Great Catherine, And Playlets Of The War. By Bernard Shaw, Volume 7... (The\shaw Library)
by George Bernard Shaw David Hare Dan LaurenceWhen Ellie Dunn joins a house-party at the home of the eccentric Captain Shotover, she causes a stir with her decision to marry for money rather than love, and the Captain's forthright daughter Hesione protests vigorously against the pragmatic young woman's choice. Opinion on the matter quickly divides and a lively argument about money and morality, idealism and realism ensues as Hesione's rakish husband, snobbish sister and Ellie's fiancé - a wealthy industrialist - enter the debate. Written between 1916 and 1917 as war raged across Europe, Heartbreak House is a telling indictment of the generation responsible for the First World War. With its bold combination of high farce and bitter tragedy, Shaw's play remains an uncannily prophetic depiction of a society on the threshold of an abrupt awakening.
The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Adaptation Of The Novel By F. Scott Fitzgerald (Penguin Modern Classics)
by F. Scott Fitzgerald Tony TannerJay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach ... Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby - young, handsome, fabulously rich - always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.Contains explanatory notes and an introduction written by Tony Tanner.
This Side of Paradise: (webster's Thesaurus Edition) (Penguin Modern Classics)
by F. Scott FitzgeraldAmory Blaine, intent on rebelling against his staid, Midwestern upbringing, longs to acquire the patina of Eastern sophistication. In his quest for sexual and intellectual enlightenment, he progresses through a series of relationships, until he is cast out into the real world.
The Bunker Diary
by Kevin BrooksWINNER OF THE 2014 CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL.Room meets Lord of the Flies, The Bunker Diary is award-winning, young adult writer Kevin Brooks's pulse-pounding exploration of what happens when your worst nightmare comes true - and how will you survive?I can't believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete.There are six little rooms along the main corridor.There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out.What's he going to do to me?What am I going to do? If I'm right, the lift will come down in five minutes. It did. Only this time it wasn't empty . . .Praise for The Bunker Diary:[Kevin Brooks'] pacey plots . . . have made him a cult among teens. This, though, is the big one. It should be read by everyone. - Amanda Craig, The Times Kevin Brooks has won the Branford Boase Award and been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Manchester Book Award and for the Carnegie Medal (for Martyn Pig, Road of the Dead and Black Rabbit Summer). Kevin Brooks was born in Exeter and studied in Birmingham and London. He had a varied working life, with jobs in a crematorium, a zoo, a garage and a post office, before - happily - giving it all up to write books. Kevin is the author of Being, Black Rabbit Summer, Killing God (published as Dawn in the USA), iBoy and Naked for Penguin. He now lives in North Yorkshire.****If you enjoyed The Bunker Diary and want to get inside more of your favourite books, then check out spinebreakers.co.uk for exclusive author interviews, competitions and much more.****
Guantanamo Boy
by Anna PereraKhalid, a fifteen-year-old Muslim boy from Rochdale, is abducted from Pakistan while on holiday with his family. He is taken to Guantanamo Bay and held without charge, where his hopes and dreams are crushed under the cruellest of circumstances. An innocent denied his freedom at a time when Western boys are finding theirs, Khalid tries and fails to understand what's happening to him and cannot fail to be a changed young man.
Child of All Nations: A Novel (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Michael Hofmann Irmgard KeunKully knows some things you don’t learn at school. She knows the right way to roll a cigarette and pack a suitcase. She knows that cars are more dangerous than lions. She knows you can’t enter a country without a passport or visa. And she knows that she and her parents can’t go back to Germany again – her father’s books are banned there. But there are also things she doesn’t understand, like why there might be a war in Europe – just that there are men named Hitler, Mussolini and Chamberlain involved. Little Kully is far more interested where their next meal will come from and the ladies who seem to buzz around her father. Meanwhile she and her parents roam through Europe. Her mother would just like to settle down, but as her restless father struggles to find a new publisher, the three must escape from country to country as their visas expire, money runs out and hotel bills mount up.
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders: Large Print (First Avenue Classics Ser.)
by Daniel Defoe David BlewettBorn in Newgate prison and abandoned six months later, Moll's drive to find and hold on to a secure place in society propels her through incest, adultery, bigamy, prostitution and a resourceful career as a thief ('the greatest Artist of my time') before she is apprehended and returned to Newgate. If Moll Flanders is on one level a Puritan's tale of sin and repentance, through self-made, self-reliant Moll its rich subtext conveys all the paradoxes and amoralities of the struggle for property and power in Defoe's newly individualistic society.
The Woman in White: A Novel (part Two) And Short Stories: The Dead Alive; The Fatal Cradle; Fatal Fortune; Blow Up With The Brig (The\works Of Wilkie Collins #Vol. 1)
by Wilkie Collins Matthew SweetThe Woman in White famously opens with Walter Hartright's eerie encounter on a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter is drawn into the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his 'charming' friend Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons and poison. Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.
Pride and Prejudice: The Story Grid Edition
by Jane Austen Tony Tanner Vivien JonesWhen Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships,gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.
Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Arthur MillerIn the spring of 1948 Arthur Miller retreated to a log cabin in Connecticut with the first two lines of a new play already fixed in his mind. He emerged six weeks later with the final script of Death of a Salesman - a painful examination of American life and consumerism. Opening on Broadway the following year, Miller's extraordinary masterpiece changed the course of modern theatre. In creating Willy Loman, his destructively insecure anti-hero, Miller himself defined his aim as being 'to set forth what happens when a man does not have a grip on the forces of life.'
The Count of Monte Cristo: In English Translation
by Alexandre DumasThe epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translationThrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.Translated with an Introduction by ROBIN BUSS
Pericles: With The Story Of The Prince Of Tyre... .
by William Shakespeare Eugene GiddensPericles, Prince of Tyre, must solve a riddle in order to marry the daughter of the King of Antioch, or be put to death. But when the answer reveals a horrific secret, the young man faces his greatest dilemma. Danger and adventure follow as Pericles flees the city to find his fortune elsewhere, in a romantic drama of families lost and reunited, evil punished and virtue rewarded.
Arabian Nights: A Selection
by Richard BurtonProbably one of the original 'story within a story' books, Arabian nights is a selection of stories told by a young girl on her wedding night to a prince who has sworn to kill any girl who marries him. Her clever stories serve as 'cliff-hangers' and keep him from murdering her night after night. This collection is where classic fairy tales such as Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Theives come from as well as well-known moral tales and metaphors.The use of djiins, magic and an evocation of Oriental splendour makes Arabian Nights dazzle. A 'must read' book and the perfect counter point to western fairy tales such as Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm.
Things Fall Apart (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Chinua AchebeOkonkwo is the greatest warrior alive, famous throughout West Africa. But when he accidentally kills a clansman, things begin to fall apart. Then Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries and colonial governors have arrived in the village. With his world thrown radically off-balance he can only hurtle towards tragedy. Chinua Achebe's stark novel reshaped both African and world literature. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe's landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.
The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood)
by Melissa Albert** Fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Children of Blood and Bone have been getting lost in The Hazel Wood...**"The Hazel Wood kept me up all night. I had every light burning and the covers pulled tight around me as I fell completely into the dark and beautiful world within its pages. Terrifying, magical, and surprisingly funny, it's one of the very best books I've read in years". -Jennifer Niven, author of All The Bright Places************Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate - the Hazel Wood - Alice learns how bad her luck can really get. Her mother is stolen, by a figure who claims to come from the cruel supernatural world from her grandmother's stories. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD.To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began . . . ************"This book will be your next obsession. Welcome to the Hazel Wood, where bad luck is a living thing, princesses are doomed, and every page contains a wondrously terrible adventure - it's not safe inside these pages, but once you enter, you may never want to leave." - Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval Melissa Albert has created a world as dark, twisted and magical as Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter. Will you escape the Hazel Wood?
The BFG (New Windmills Ser.)
by Roald Dahl Quentin BlakeThe much-loved Roald Dahl story now in full colour format.When Sophie is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night by a giant with a stride as long as a tennis court she is sure she's going to be eaten for breakfast. But luckily for Sophie, the BFG is far more jumbly than his disgusting neighbours, whose favourite pastime is guzzling up whoppsy-whiffling human beans. Sophie is determined to stop all this, and so she and the BFG cook up an ingenious plan to rid of the world of the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater and all their rotsome friends forever.
The Twits (The\raven Rock Primary Novel Study Collection)
by Roald Dahl Quentin BlakeThe classic Roald Dahl story with phizz-whizzing full-colour illustrations by Quentin Blake.Mr Twit is a foul and smelly man with bits of cornflake and sardine in his beard. Mrs Twit is a horrible old hag with a glass eye.Together they make the nastiest couple you could ever hope not to meet.Down in their garden, the Twits keep Muggle-Wump the monkey and his family locked in a cage. But not for much longer, because the monkeys are planning to trick the terrible Twits, once and for all . . . Look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store and Google Play- including the disgusting TWIT OR MISS! inspired by the revolting Twits.
Fantastic Mr Fox (Puffin Story Tapes Ser.)
by Roald Dahl Quentin BlakeThe legendary Roald Dahl story with full-colour illustrations by Quentin Blake throughout.Fantastic Mr Fox - the tale of the most cunning fox in the world. Boggis is an enormously fat chicken farmer who only eats boiled chickens smothered in fat.Bunce is a duck-and-goose farmer whose dinner gives him a beastly temper.Bean is a turkey-and-apple farmer who only drinks gallons of strong cider.Mr Fox is so clever that every evening he creeps down into the valley and helps himself to food from the farms.Now the farmers have hatched a plan to BANG-BANG-BANG shoot Mr Fox dead. But, just when they think Mr Fox can't possibly escape, he makes a fantastic plan of his own . . . Listen to FANTASTIC MR FOX and other Roald Dahl audiobooks read by some very famous voices, including Kate Winslet, David Walliams and Steven Fry - plus there are added squelchy soundeffects from Pinewood Studios! And look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store and Google Play - including the disgusting TWIT OR MISS! and HOUSE OF TWITS inspired by the revolting Twits.
The Ordinary Princess
by M M KayeOnce upon a time, there was the most beautiful, extraordinary princess. At least, until the day of her christening, when a grumpy fairy placed a spell to make her ORDINARY!Princess Amethyst Alexandra Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne (also known as Princess Amy) doesn't mind being ordinary- she gets to play in the woods, and run about to her heart's content! But when she realises that her parents intend for her to marry a dreary prince, she must take matters into her own hands.She may have been born ordinary, but Princess Amy's adventures are nothing but!Is Princess Amy your #GirlHero? Check out the other stories in our #GirlHero collection- which character is your favourite?A Wrinkle in TimePollyannaPride and PrejudiceAnnieBallet ShoesChinese CinderellaThe BorrowersA Little PrincessAnne of the Green GablesLittle WomenThe Secret Garden
Girl Online: On Tour (Girl Online #2)
by Zoe Zoella Sugg*Contains an EXCLUSIVE Q&A with Zoella!*Penny's bags are packed...The sequel to the number-one bestseller Girl Online. Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend, Noah, on his European music tour.When Noah invites Penny on his European music tour, she can't wait to spend time with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend. But, between Noah's jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming bandmates and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she's really cut out for life on tour. She can't help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot . . . and her blog, Girl Online. Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?
All the Bright Places
by Jennifer NivenA compelling and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who wants to die.'If you're looking for the next The Fault in Our Stars, this is it' - GuardianA New York Times bestseller.Soon to be a major film starring Elle Fanning.Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?An intense, gripping novel, perfect for fans of John Green, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman and Jenny Downham.Selected as the launch title for the Zoella Book Club.'This book is amazing - I couldn't put it down' - Zoe Sugg aka Zoella'A searingly honest and heartbreakingly poignant tale about the power and beauty of love' - Heat'Sparkling' - Entertainment Weekly
Invisibility
by David Levithan Andrea CremerStephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. Invisible. Cursed.Elizabeth sometimes wishes for invisibility. When you're invisible, no one can hurt you. So when her mother decides to move the family to New York City, Elizabeth is thrilled. It's easy to blend in there.Then Stephen and Elizabeth meet. To Stephen's amazement, she can see him. And to Elizabeth's amazement, she wants him to be able to see her - all of her. But as the two become closer, an invisible world gets in their way - a world of grudges and misfortunes, spells and curses. And once they're thrust into this world, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how deep they're going to go - because the answer could mean the difference between love and death.From the critically acclaimed and bestselling authors David Levithan - who wrote Every Day and co-wrote Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green, and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist with Rachel Cohn, as well as many other novels - and Andrea Cremer - who wrote the bestselling Nightshade series - comes a remarkable story about the unseen elements of attraction, the mortal risks of making yourself known, and the invisible desires that live within us all.David Levithan and Andrea Cremer met each other in Washington, DC, even though that's not where they live. Andrea was pretty certain she wasn't invisible, but David confirmed that fact by introducing her to some other writers, who were all able to see her.Before writing with Andrea, David had never written a novel with a one-word title. His novels include Every Day, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green) and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn). You can visit David at www.davidlevithan.com and follow his lover's dictionary on Twitter @loversdiction. He lives just outside New York City.Andrea's novels include Nightshade, Wolfsbane, Bloodrose, Rift and Rise. You can visit her at www.andreacremer.com and follow her on Twitter @andreacremer. She lives in New York City, quite visibly.
The Fault in Our Stars
by John GreenJohn Green's witty yet heart-breaking tour de force. The multi-million #1 bestseller, now a major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.** A thought-provoking love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns and - with David Levithan - Will Grayson, Will Grayson.** John Green has over 2.3 million Twitter followers, and more than 2.1 million subscribers to Vlogbrothers, the YouTube channel he created with his brother, Hank. ** The Fault in Our Stars will capture a crossover audience in the same vein as Zadie Smith, David Nicholls' One Day and Before I Die by Jenny Downham. ** 'Electric . . . Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy' - Jodi Picoult** 'A novel of life and death and the people caught in between, The Fault in Our Stars is John Green at his best. You laugh, you cry, and then you come back for more' - Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief
Stars: Star Pilot (Stars #01)
by Luke Jennings Laura JenningsStars is the first title in a brand new performing arts boarding school series for girls of 9+. It has all the warmth of Cathy Cassidy and the behind-the-scenes detail of a dance-world-insider.Dreams are made and stars are born at the Arcadia School of Performing Arts.Has Jess got what it takes?Jessica Bailey's mum has left, her dad's moving abroad for work and Jess is starting over at boarding school. At first she's unsure of herself - then she meets her roommates and begins to feel at home.But standards at Arcadia are high, and Jess soon starts to doubt her talents. She can't dance like Spike or sing like Ash and she doesn't have Foxy's style . . . So when an amazing chance comes her way, she knows she has to take it . . . Four friends dreaming of becoming . . . Stars.Whether you're a fan of Ballet Shoes, X-Factor, Glee, or you just love a great story, Stars has something for everyone.'An inspiring and unique debut' - Emma ThompsonAbout the authors:Luke Jennings is the author of three novels, including the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic . His memoir, Blood Knots, was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson and William Hill prizes. Before becoming a writer Luke trained as a dancer, and worked with classical and contemporary companies for ten years. He is currently the dance critic at the Observer, and has also written for Vanity Fair and the New Yorker.You're less likely to know his daughter, Laura Jennings, who is thirteen and lives with her parents, two brothers and her dog Dusty. She says, 'At school I'm quite sporty but I like drama best, because I have always enjoyed acting, singing and performing. I love books, and my favourite author is Stephen King'.