From Hans Christian Andersen Medal-winning author David Almond comes a heartwarming story that shows anything is possible with imagination and trust. What should a puppet master do when he’s old and alone, and all his puppets are gone? Sylvester makes one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he walks… While Sylvester shows Puppet the town, the playground and the wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Sylvester to make a new friend, and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation in this wonder-filled story of …

The bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children’s writers of today. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year Award, this unforgettable book now has captivating illustrations by Tom de Freston to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary. When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister’s illness, Michael’s world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. One Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the ramshackle garage of his new home and finds something magical. A strange creature – human? beast? bird? angel? – a being who …

Love, death, hope … the island will change their lives forever. From the bestselling David Almond, author of SKELLIG, and now with fantastic illustrations by the award-winning David Litchfield. Louise has travelled with her father to the island every year since she can remember – it’s the place her mother loved best of all. The arrival of Hassan changes everything. Louise is restless and yearning for independence; meanwhile, the fiercely free and self-reliant Hassan seems to know the island from long ago as if it were his home from birth. Hassan is an acrobat, maybe a sorcerer, possibly a source …

A magical story about finding your identity from one of the most acclaimed storytellers of his generation, richly illustrated in full colour by an internationally renowned artist. My mother says that all things can be turned to tales. I thought she meant tales like fish tails, but I was wrong. She meant tales like this, tales that are stories. But this tale of mine is very like a fish tail too… Annie has never been like the other girls. Her mam tried sending her to school when she was small, but Annie couldn’t seem to make words or numbers stick. …

A stunning new story from the bestselling, prize-winning David Almond, unfolding the magic of the everyday. Mina, from the unforgettable Skellig and My Name is Mina, journeys to Japan and discovers the wonders of the world around her. Kyoto, Japan. Mina is on a bus. Everything is strange and beautiful. Mina watches as a woman folds a piece of paper into an origami boat, then floats it over to her. As Mina discovers the magic of origami, her eyes are opened to the wonders of the real city around her. Unfold the magic of the everyday, on a journey with one of the world’s …

“Mam, did you think George was,” I say, “a bit … weird?” “Weird? Yes, I suppose so. But you kids are all a bit weird if you ask me. And to tell the truth, it’d be weird if you weren’t.” When a new boy joins the class, everyone thinks he’s a bit strange, but he’s brilliant at football and loves crisps, and that’s all that matters to Dan and Maxie. However, the truth about George is stranger than anyone could have imagined … and more sinister, too. Can his new pals help him to become truly free? Almond takes a thought-provoking …

From the bestselling, award-winning David Almond comes a book of hope and joy: under a boundless starry sky, the unforgettable Sylvia Carr finds out what it means to be brave. For readers of Michael Morpurgo and Katherine Rundell, from the author of the beloved Skellig. She felt like a ghost. She woke in the night. What was that music? Sylvia has never been so far away. Her mother has brought her to this village, this place of silence and dark, endless forest, and she yearns for the city, the bright lights, her friends, even a phone signal. Late one night she …

From the bestselling, award-winning author of SKELLIG comes a vivid and moving story, beautifully illustrated, written to commemorate the hundred-year anniversary of the end of the First World  War. “I am just a child,” says John. “How can I be at war?” It’s 1918, and war is everywhere. John’s dad is fighting in the trenches far away in France. His mum works in the munitions factory just along the road. His teacher says that John is fighting, too, that he is at war with enemy children in Germany. One day, in the wild woods outside town, John has an impossible moment: a …

This is a moving, funny and inspirational novel from the bestselling author of Skellig. *Shortlisted for the 2018 Costa Book Awards.* “The day is long, the world is wide, you’re young and free.” One hot summer morning, Davie steps boldly out of his front door. The world he enters is very familiar – the little Tyneside town that has always been his home – but as the day passes, it becomes ever more mysterious. A boy has been killed, and Davie thinks he might know who is responsible. He turns away from the gossip and excitement and sets off roaming towards …

A lyrical, captivating and beautiful picture book by Carnegie Medal-winner David Almond, illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Levi Pinfold. When a great dam was built by the Kielder Water in Northumberland, the valley below slowly filled with water. But just before this, when the villagers had been moved out, two musicians went back to the abandoned valley. They tore down the boards over the houses, stepped inside and started to play – for this would be the last time that music would be heard in this place. In this astonishing picture book that combines themes of loss, hope and music …

A dark, powerful and moving short story from the internationally acclaimed author of Skellig. A beautifully imagined story for fans of Neil Gaiman, by the dream team of bestselling author, David Almond and award-winning artist, Dave McKean. Joe Quinn tells everyone about the poltergeist in his house, but no one believes him. No one that is, except for Davie. He’s felt the inexplicable presence in the rooms, he’s seen random objects fly through the air. And there’s something else … a memory of his beloved sister, and a feeling deep down that somehow it might be possible for ghosts to …

A warm and witty tale from a master storyteller, author of Carnegie Medal-winning Skellig and internationally bestseller The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas. Bert and Betty Brown have got themselves a little angel. Bert found him in his top pocket when he was driving his bus. Bert and Betty’s friends think he’s lovely. So do Nancy and Jack and Alice from Class 5K. What a wonder! But Acting Head Teacher Mrs Mole is not so sure. Nor is Professor Smellie. Or the mysterious bloke in black who claims to be a School Inspector. Then there’s Basher Malone – big, lumbering …

“The interplay between the characters and their environments results in a stunningly human and humanizing story. This is by far Almond’s best work to date.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) A gentle visionary coming of age in the shadow of the shipyards of northern England, Dominic Hall is torn between extremes. He craves the freedom he feels when he balances above the earth on a makeshift tightrope with the eccentric girl artist next door, Holly Stroud–his first and abiding love. Yet he also finds himself drawn to the brutal charms of Vincent McAlinden, a complex bully who …

“That’s reet, lad! Run! There’s a wolf at your tail! Run for your lovely life!” A joyful, uplifting story of times gone by from the internationally acclaimed author of Skellig, illustrated in full colour by the award-winning illustrator of A Walk in London. Liam just wants to go out running with his mates – it’s not long till the Junior Great North Run, and there’s training to be done. But Mam needs him today, to help old Harry clear out his house. Harry knows a thing or two about running. When he was a lad, he says, he ran all the way from Newcastle …

An anthology of dark, powerful and moving short stories from a master storyteller and Hans Christian Andersen Award winning author, inspired by his childhood in the north-east of England. A diverse collection of stories from the author of the internationally award-winning Skellig, deftly interwoven with illuminating autobiographical pieces on the inspirations behind the fiction. David Almond says of this unique volume, “Stories on the page are so beautifully neat. All that lovely black print; those lovely straight lines and paragraphs and pages. But stories are living things, creatures that move and grow in the imaginations of writer and reader. They must …

A magnificent tale of crackpot notions and sky-high courage – from David Almond, the master of magical realism, with illustrations by the award-winning Polly Dunbar. Paul believes that the moon is not the moon, but is a great hole in the sky. It’s one of many strange ideas that he’s never told anyone (at school he was told that he had no ideas at all), until he meets Molly, his irrepressible neighbour, who begins to convince him that his theory might just change the world. Helped by a very long ladder, some highly irregular characters, two rather worried parents and …

Join a father and daughter as they find their wings together and take to the skies in this funny, tender tale from the master of contemporary storytelling. A warm and wonderfully wacky tale told with heart and hope by the Carnegie award winning author David Almond. Lizzie and Dad live in a rainy town in the north of England. It’s just the two of them, and Auntie Doreen, who pops round to check Lizzie’s spellings and tell Dad he’s daft – and make them nice hot dumplings. But today there’s something unusual going on: why is Dad building himself a …

Winner of the Guardian children’s book prize 2015. I’m the one who’s left behind. I’m the one to tell the tale. I knew them both… knew how they lived and how they died. Claire is Ella Grey’s best friend. She’s there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted  into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; ofhigh arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured  and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the …

A poignant and powerful narrative about intolerance. When a German refugee moves to a small English town in the aftermath of World War II, he is an outsider. The gang decide to take Klaus under their wing, but their increasingly hateful pranks under the leadership of new lad Joe cause Klaus to question their actions. A powerful and emotive tale about standing up to bullies. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+

The dream team of David Almond and Dave McKean bring us a complete story set in an incomplete world. The gods have created a world – they’ve built mountains, a sea and a sky – and now their days are filled with long naps in the clouds (and tea and cake). That’s until Harry, Sue and Little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. As the children’s ideas take shape, the power of their visions proves to be greater than they, or the gods, could ever …

Erin, January and Mouse live in a children’s home, Whitegates. They often dream of escape, and frequently journey into the outside world. Running away is something they know all about. But this time January builds a raft, and the three of them head precariously down river. Towards the Black Middens. This time they might never come back. When they stumble across a disused factory and its strange inhabitants – Grampa and Heaven Eyes – they wonder if they’ll even have the choice. Heaven Eyes is the girl who should have drowned at sea. The mysterious girl desperately searching for her …

There’s an empty notebook lying on the table in the moonlight. It’s been there for an age. I keep on saying that I’ll write a journal. So I’ll start right here, right now. I open the book and write the very first words: My name is Mina and I love the night. Then what shall I write? I can’t just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I’ll let my journal grow just like the mind does, just like a tree or a beast does, just like life does. Why should a book tell a tale …

There he was, below the bridge, half-naked, eyes blazing. He had a pair of burning torches. He ran them back and forth across his skin. He sipped from a bottle, breathed across a torch, and fire and fumes leapt from his lips. The air was filled with the scent of paraffin. He breathed again, a great high spreading flag of fire. He glared. He roared like an animal. That summer, life had seemed perfect for Bobby Burns. But now it’s autumn and the winds of change are blowing hard. Bobby’s dad is mysteriously ill. His new school is a cold …

In Counting Stars David Almond tackles the themes common to his work – joy, darkness, love, death and identity – with exquisite sensitivity and tenderness. David’s childhood in the north of England was the inspiration for much of his work, and in these beautiful stories he creates a tangible picture of growing up in a large Catholic family. But the sense of mystery and wonderment we have come to expect from David is also present, and it is fascinating to see the kernels of his novels revealed. A must-read for Almond fans everywhere. ‘Sparely written…this could well be Almond’s best work yet.’ …

Every summer Liam and Max roam the wild countryside of Northumberland – but this year things are different. One hot summer’s day a jackdaw leads the two boys into an ancient farm house where they find a baby, wrapped in a blanket, with a scribbled note pinned to it: PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD. And so begins Jackdaw Summer. A summer when friendships are tested. A summer when lines between good and bad are blurred. A summer that Liam will never forget… ‘Thought-provoking and poetic.’ The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Children’s Books ‘A rich and …

Joe lives with his mother in Helmouth, a forgotten village crumbling on the edge of the suburbs. His days are spent trying to evade the demands of school and the taunts of the local bullies. Joe’s friend, Stanny, insists that Joe must toughen up, become a survivor – and he is adamant that a weekend in the wilderness with Stanny and his Uncle Joff will do the trick. Into Joe’s unhappy world comes Hackenschmidt’s Circus, and with it the strangely familiar Corinna. She tells Joe, ‘In the circus there is a secret heart ‘ – a place of contained wildness …

Multi-award-winning author David Almond brings us a joyfully life-affirming and fabulously fishy tale about one boy’s journey from anguish to joy. Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy, but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish. Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of clanging machinery and the stench of mackerel, and Uncle Ernie’s obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan’s beloved goldfish! Stan, however, has his own destiny, which leads him – via a hook-a-duck stall – to Pancho Pirelli, the blue-caped madman who …

David Almond was a virtually unknown author when Cullercoats publisher IRON Press issued his first two collections of stories, Sleepless Nights (1985) and A Kind of Heaven (1997). In 2013, as part of IRON’s 40th birthday celebrations, a selection of these short stories for adults, alongside two previously unpublished tales. were collected in Nesting. The stories draw deeply from the Tyneside estate of Almond’s childhood, exploring the themes that would inform his later work, and displaying all the rhythm, lyricism and drive for which he is acclaimed today.

Joe has birthday money to spend, and decides a cute dog he’s seen in a pet shop window is the perfect purchase. For some reason, though, the pet shop owner is determined not to sell that particular dog … This wonderful story was written by Carnegie award-winning author David Almond, and brought to life with the illustrations of Ayesha Lopez. Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. Text …

For fans of Room by Emma Donoghue, an extraordinary novel about a child who is kept incarcerated – from the bestselling, prizewinning author of Skellig Billy Deane is the child of an illicit relationship between a priest and a young hairdresser. He is born on the very day that terrorists attack his town, and the fact that he survives and flourishes persuades his father that he is a special child with special gifts. Even so, Billy’s birth can’t be made public, and he spends his chidhood in a single room, dreaming of other worlds, occasionally visited at night by his father. When the …

Part story, part graphic novel – a tender slice of life and death from the creators of The Savage. Do you believe there’s life after death? Slog does. He reckons that the scruffy bloke sitting outside the pork shop is his dad come back to visit him for one last time – just like he’d said he would, just before he died. Slog’s mate Davie isn’t convinced. But how does this man know everything Slog’s dad would know? Because Slog says it really is his dad, that’s how. ‘A very touching graphic novel.’ The Bookseller ‘This is every bit as powerful, as moving, …

A uniquely presented, touching tale of grief, solace and hope from a master of contemporary storytelling and a visionary artist. The reading age for the book is 8 years and above Imagine you wrote a story and that story came true. This is exactly what happens to Blue Baker when he writes about a savage living alone in the woods near his home. After his dad’s death, Blue finds comfort in dreaming of a wild kid who survives on a diet of berries and the occasional hapless passer-by. But when the savage pays a night-time visit to the local bully, …

Kit has just moved to Stoneygate with his family, to live with his ageing grandfather who is gradually succumbing to Alzheimer’s Disease. Stoneygate is an insular place, scarred by its mining history – by the danger and death it has brought them. Where the coal mine used to be there is now a wilderness. Here Kit meets Askew, a surly and threatening figure who masterminds the game called Death, a frightening ritual of hypnotism; and Kit makes friends with Allie, the clever school troublemaker. As Kit struggles to adjust to his new life and the gradual failing of his beloved …

With fascination, Davie and his friend Geordie watch the arrival of a new boy, Stephen Rose, in their town. He seems to have come from nowhere, and when he arrives to live with his distant aunt, the local Crazy Mary, no one envies his new home. But perhaps he’s the answer to Davie and Geordie’s prayers – a secret weapon in their war against monstrous Mouldy and his gang. Intrigued, Davie and Geordie befriend Stephen. But they are heading innocently down a path that brings with it a monster of an entirely unexpected nature. Their encounter with the mysterious Stephen …

‘Once, in a shining night, while the moon looked down and the stars glittered in the endless sky, and all the house was lost in dreams… the little girl woke up and heard a cat. “Miaow,” called the cat. “Miaow.”‘ David Almond is known for his subtle and intelligent imagination. This, his first picture book, demonstrates his brilliance as a storyteller – as he weaves together the dreams of Kate, the girl and her family… on a single night of magic.

David Almond’s second collection of short stories for adults, published by IRON Press