Long ago, a powerful king named Midas lived in a place called Phyrgia. Midas had a large kingdom, a beautiful palace, and a loving daughter. But the thing Midas loved most of all was gold. One day, a god gave Midas the power to turn everything he touches into gold. But was this power a blessing, or a curse?

Sherlock Holmes is a great detective. There are few cases that he cannot solve. In these three stories we meet a young woman who is terrified of a mysterious ‘speckled band’, a family who think that five orange pips are a sign of death, and a banker who believes that his son is a thief. But are things really as they seem?

Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything: money, influential friends and fabulous parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion is full of beautiful people laughing and dancing and talking about their mysterious host.

How much did the Dutch pay for Manhattan Island in 1614? Where is the world’s blue jeans headquarters? Who can you meet in the ‘Malibu Colony’, near Los Angeles? New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans are America’s most distinctive and exciting cities. Similar in some ways and yet completely different in others, they fascinate everyone who visits them. Open this book and find out why.

Our planet is full of natural wonders: the forests, which are home to millions of species; the oceans, which cover three quarters of its surface; and the Polar regions and deserts, which have adapted to extreme climatic conditions. They have existed for thousands of years, but these environments and the plants and animals which live in them are changing. Discover why they are changing and what you can do to help.

Today we know a lot about faraway places – we have maps, photographs and detailed descriptions. But the first explorers knew nothing about where they were going. Their courage and determination drove them to explore the unknown, facing terrible dangers and hardships. Who were these remarkable people and why did they risk their lives to explore the unknown? Where is the final frontier and who is ready to explore it? Share the thrill of discovery through the centuries with this exciting book.

English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Have you ever wondered why? Here we go on a journey over five continents to look at countries where English is used in daily life: from the top of Mount Everest in the Himalayan Mountains to the beaches of the Caribbean, from the plains of Kenya to the streets of New York, the shores of Australia, and beyond.

What does Cymru mean? What did Emperor Hadrian build in England nearly 2000 years ago? What do competitors throw at the Highland games? Why do people ‘kiss the Blarney Stone’? The British Isles tells the story of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It includes the most important events in their history from the Bronze Age to the twenty-first century, as well as key information about their cultures. The British Isles is full of interesting, and sometimes surprising, facts about the people and their way of life.

This is a lovely anthology of poems for the whole Christmas season. There are traditional carols and songs, and modern poems about children's experiences of Christmas: food and families, presents and celebrations, and the snow and ice of winter. 

Levy, an old Greek sailor, takes on his last job and discovers that the cargo on board is not what he expected. Molly, an American teenager finds a body on the beach when she’s walking her dog. What happens when Levy tells the captain? Why does the body disappear? And how are Levy and Molly connected?

When teen hackers Tricia and Daniel discover that a local company could be involved in a sinister plot to trade carbon, they suddenly find that their lives are in danger. How is Tricia’s father involved? Can Tricia protect her family and Daniel?

Jake hasn’t seen his archaeologist father for five years, but now he is going to spend his summer holiday with him in Greece. Jake arrives in Athens airport, but his father is nowhere to be seen. When the local police show little interest in the case Jake decides to investigate his father’s disappearance himself.

Bruno, a poor coconut seller from the favela, meets Clara, a beautiful rich girl from Rio de Janeiro’s wealthy Ipanema area, and they fall in love. But Clara’s father doesn’t approve and stops the relationship. Then Zeca, a criminal from Bruno’s past, tries to blackmail Bruno into helping him make some easy money.

When Josh meets Trish and Suzi at their first day of college in London, little do they know that they will soon be swept up into a mystery involving the British and Yolandan governments. Luckily for them, Morrow, a British Security Service agent, takes them under his wing.

When Caterina finds her great-great grandmother’s diary in the attic she reads about her difficult life as a child worker in the local mill. Caterina starts thinking and soon she has started a campaign against a local boutique that sells cheap fashionable clothes. However the shop belongs to Jake’s Uncle Sanjit.

Architecture student, Sibel Karaman, receives a letter from Great-Uncle Ismail on the day of his death. He leaves her a mystery to solve which takes her and Aunt Sofia on a wonderful adventure to three beautiful cities: London, Venice and Istanbul.

Have you ever wondered what a rock star’s life can be like? When Nic Wild from the Wild Kats asks his son Andy to perform with him at a concert in Paris, little does he know that terrible things are about to happen to him. Where is Alan Carver, Nic’s manager, when he needs him most? How does Andy save the day with his accountancy skills?

When Lewis Morrow escapes from his captors and a sure death he makes a new life for himself as a taxi driver in Paris. He thinks he has left everything behind until one day he sees three young people he once helped in London.

Three stories to leave you wondering about life and the supernatural by the master of ghost stories, Edgar Allan Poe.