Jon Mayhew

The sister is a knife thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother is an undertaker's assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other's existence. Until, that is, three terrible Aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he has carried to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

Mortlock

Prince Dakkar, son of an Indian rajah, has issues with authority. Expelled from the world's finest schools, he is sent to an unconventional educator, Count Oginski. Dakkar plans his escape immediately. But something about the Count intrigues him, including a top-secret project which he shares with Dakkar - a submarine. But others are interested in the Count's invention and what it might achieve and, when masked men kidnap the Count, leaving Dakkar for dead, he doesn't know who was responsible. It could have been British Intelligence, or perhaps a sinister figure known only as Cryptos. Either way, Dakkar is determined to rescue the Count. Taking the prototype submarine, he sets off for adventure. Cue shark attack, giant sea creatures, spies and an evil megalomaniac. From his undersea refuge, Dakkar plans to take them all on . . . with a bit of help from a Girl.

The Eye of Neptune

Sixteen-year-old Jamie Garson thinks the world of his dad. To Jamie, Dad is a hero. When Jamie and his dad foil the robbery of a corner shop, their lives are turned upside down. Dad becomes a hero to everyone and Jamie is a celebrity at school. But not everyone is so happy for them. Heroes attract enemies and Jamie finds there's a deadly downside to fighting crime. YA Reads I and II have been written by experienced authors to fulfil the need for mature yet accessible fiction aimed at young adults. These engrossing and thought-provoking titles have themes spanning sexuality, identity, family breakdown, bereavement, relationships, prejudice and dystopia. With a reading age of 8-9, an interest age of 14+, and a realistic word count of 5000-6000, YA Reads provide struggling readers with captivating, age-appropriate fiction to both inspire a love of reading and broaden horizons.

Have a Go

A new and dangerous mission awaits in the fantastic Monster Odyssey series, in which our hero Dakkar must defeat a clan of evil brothers intent on ruling the world, while battling terrifying monsters. Inspired by Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Dakkar is a young Captain Nemo and these books are the most thrilling of adventures. After being framed for murder, Dakkar must escape from prison and follow the only clue he has – a scorpion-handled dagger – in order to clear his name. Knowing this must be work of an evil Oginski brother, Dakkar soon finds himself in Algiers facing the deadliest crawling monster ever! But even if Dakkar can defeat this beast, he will face the ultimate betrayal – his enemy has been closer than he thought, all along. Will there be anyone left who Dakkar can trust? A fast-paced adventure with underwater battles and dramatic desert action. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Indiana Jones and monsters! Readers ready to move on from Beast Quest will love this!

The Venom of the Scorpion

Arabian Nights meets Indiana Jones (with a dash of Dickens). A superlative adventure packed with vengeful Djinni, flying carpets and a breathtaking race against time

The Bonehill Curse

Fabrizio Dibaldo

A wonderfully creative retelling of Shakespeare's famous tale of revenge. When Hamlet's father expectantly dies and his mother quickly remarries his uncle, something doesn't feel right. A warning from a ghost sets in motion a terrifying investigation to uncover the truth. But at what cost? Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage Curriculum links: English: fiction from the English literary heritage

Hamlet

Adrian Stone

Lena's best friend Katy has dumped her and she's feeling lost and alone on a school trip to the British Museum. But when Lena finds herself in a painted room at the heart of the Pomepii exhibition, she discovers a world which is about to meet a terrifying end.

Macbeth

Get acquainted with Shakespeare’s classic tale of greed and revenge, in this light-hearted and amusing retelling. Bassanio is overjoyed when he finally gets to marry Portia. But, his happiness is short-lived when he is forced to defend his dear friend Antonio, who’s in trouble with an old merchant – intent on getting his pound of flesh.

The Merchant of Venice: Band 16/Sapphire (Collins Big Cat)

Adam Tiller visits Dark Cove every year. Only the legend of an evil mermaid who haunts the bay makes this sleepy fishing village interesting. Adam sets out to make a hoax video of her. But other forces are at work in the village and the mermaid might be the least of Adam's problems. After all, she's just a legend, and legends aren't real. Are they?

Dark Tide

Dakkar is plunged into a new and perilous adventure as history and fantasy collide for a breathtaking showdown in a mysterious world at the centre of the earth.

The Wrath of the Lizard Lord

Martin Griffin

Martin Griffin and Jon Mayhew's Storycraft: How to teach narrative writing is an inspiring and practical resource to support secondary school teachers in developing their students' creative writing. This book is not a style manual. Authors Martin Griffin and Jon Mayhew think there are plenty of those about. Instead, it picks apart the craft of narrative writing and equips teachers with activities designed to help their students overcome the difficulties they experience when tasked with creating something from nothing. Written by two fiction writers and English teachers with over forty years' combined experience in education, Storycraft packs in expert guidance relating to idea generation and the nature of story and provides off-the-peg writing prompts that teachers can immediately adopt and adapt in the classroom. The book breaks down the simple components that must be in place for a narrative to work the crafting of character, setting, shape and structure and shares fifty-one stimulating activities that will get students writing narratives regularly, more creatively and with greater confidence. Martin and Jon also include helpful advice in a chapter dedicated to the process of editing in which they provide activities designed to help students diagnose and improve misfiring narratives, and they close the book with invaluable tips for GCSE exam preparation written directly for students and with an impending creative writing exam in mind. Suitable for English teachers of students aged eleven to eighteen.

How to teach narrative writing

Storycraft

Prince Dakkar and his mentor Count Oginski discover a plot by arch-enemy Cryptos to kill Napoleon. Arriving on their revolutionary submersible to intercept Cryptos, they glimpse a terrifying monster that seems to escape back into the bowels of the Earth. It leads them to discover an amazing underground world, and a plan more nefarious than they could ever have believed – even from Cryptos. The stage is set for an epic showdown complete with a giant reptilian cavalry and the Battle of Waterloo, in another breathlessly paced and endlessly inventive adventure for fans of Percy Jackson.

Monster Odyssey: The Wrath of the Lizard Lord

Edgy Taylor sees demons. They walk among us, masquerading as humans, but he can see through their disguises. So when Edgy discovers the Royal Society for Daemonologie, he hopes that at last he will find some clue to the origins of his mysterious ability. Within the Society's ancient walls are the answers to many secrets. And when Edgy joins their expedition to the Arctic Circle, he sails through icy seas towards the darkest secret of all . . .

Jon Mayhew

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