The Northern Lights : His Dark Materials 1

Philip Pullman

Scholastic, 1998 (first published in 1996)

Paperback. 416pp.

£5.99

This is the first in a trilogy in which a new universe has been created. A world when daemons swoop and scuttle along the streets of Oxford and London, where the mysterious dust swirls invisibly through the air, and where one child knows the secrets which most adults would kill for.

In this first part of the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra's friend Roger disappears. She and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him. Their quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where a team of scientists are conducting unspeakably horrible experiments.

This book won The Carnegie Medal 1996, and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 1996.

The two other books in the series are The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Both are terrific reads. (TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE CLOSE THE NEW WINDOW OR PRESS THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER)

Swallows and Amazons

Arthur Ransome

Red Fox, 2001 (first published 1930)

Paperback. 416pp. illustrations

£5.99

To John, Susan, Titty and Roger, simply being allowed to use the boat, Swallow, to go camping on the island is adventure enough. But they soon find themselves under attack from the fierce Amazon Pirates, Nancy and Peggy. And so begins a summer of battles, alliances, exploration and discovery.

There are 12 books in the Swallows and Amazons series. Click here to go to the Arthur Ransome page. (TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE CLOSE THE NEW WINDOW OR PRESS THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

J.K. Rowling

Bloomsbury, 1997

Paperback. 223pp.

£5.99

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by a beetle-eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard!

There is not a lot any bookseller can or need do to promote Harry Potter (he has paid the rent for six years). There are, so far, four books in the Harry Potter series. (TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE CLOSE THE NEW WINDOW OR PRESS THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER)

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson

Puffin, 2000 (first published in 1883)

Paperback. 240pp. map

£2.99

When a rum-soaked old buccaneer expires at the Admiral Benbow Inn, young Jim Hawkins finds on him the key to Captain Flint's chest. Concealed in the chest is a treasure-map sought by Flint's confederates, including the sinister blind Pew, but Jim manages to outwit them all and secure the map for himself. So begins his seafaring adventure, but mutiny, piracy and bloodshed are to beset Jim and his fellow travellers before the Treasure can be found...

This tale of high adventure, suspense and unforgettable characters has enthralled generations of readers. Don't for one minute think that this tale is old hat! This would have become a Hollywood blockbuster if Stevenson wrote today, and its fast pace would outrun even the Indiana Jones films.

The Sword In the Stone

T.H. White

Collins, 1998 (first published in 1938)

Paperback. 356pp. illustrated by Robert Shadbolt

£5.99

When Merlyn the magician comes to tutor Sir Ector's sons Kay and the Wart, schoolwork suddenly becomes much more fun. After all, who wouldn't enjoy being turned into a fish, or a badger, or a snake? But Merlyn has very particular plans for the Wart...

Other books by T.H. White include Mistress Masham's Repose. (TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE CLOSE THE NEW WINDOW OR PRESS THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER)

The Eagle of the Ninth

Rosemary Sutcliffe

Oxford University Press, 2000 (first published in 1954)

Paperback. 293pp

£4.99

The Ninth Legion marches into the mists of northern Britain. And they were never seen again. Four thousand men disappeared and the eagle standard was lost.

Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the Ninth Legion. So he sets out into the unknown on a quest so hazardous that no one expects him to return.

There are two more books that follow on in the series, The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers. (TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE CLOSE THE NEW WINDOW OR PRESS THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER)

I Am David

Anne Holm

Mammoth Books, 1989 (first published in 1963)

Paperback. 184pp.

£4.99

David escapes from a concentration camp and flees across Europe. He is utterly alone - who can he trust? What will await him back home? All the while he knows that they may catch up with him...

Tom's Midnight Garden

Philippa Pearce

Puffin, 1976 (first published in 1958)

Paperback. 218pp.

£4.99

"Tom opened the door wide and let in the moonlight... He was staring at what he saw outside. They had said, 'Really, there's nothing to see.'"

Nothing? Read on...

The Owl Service

Alan Garner

Collins, 1995 (first published in 1967)

Paperback. 224pp.

£5.99

The flowery owl pattern on the old dinner service, which Gwyn finds in a loft, obsesses Alison. Its discovery marks the start of an extraordinary chain of events that affect not only Gwyn and Alison, but also her stepbrother Roger. For there's a power stirring in the remote valley that dates from a sad and distant myth - a tragic Welsh legend that has begun to repeat itself. Gwyn tries to shake off his involvement by running away, but he cannot escape, and, as the tension mounts, he is made to realise that only by facing up to the myth can it be resolved.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster

Collins, 1999 (first published in 1961)

Paperback. 255pp. illustrated by Jules Feiffer

£5.99

Milo was surprised when an enormous package in his bedroom marked "One Genuine Turnpike Tollbooth".

Having nothing better to do, Milo points his little car towards the strange land that lies beyond the Phantom Tollbooth - the Kingdom of Wisdom. Before he knows what he is doing he volunteers to rescue the banished princesses, Rhyme and Reason, from their Castle in the Air. The stairway to the Castle is guarded by fierce demons, and the road leading to it is full of extraordinary and unexpected hazard. Is Milo quick enough to leave the Demons of Ignorance behind, and cunning enough to outwit - among others - the Terrible Trivium? Along the way Milo discovers that he must eat his own words at a banquet in Dictionopolis, but it is a tasteless meal!

This is a delightful and, above all else, clever (!) book. It is often taken to task because of its didactic tone and its sophisticated wordplay and humour; but the book is so imaginative and so full of character and entertainment that Juster must be forgiven.