Books with author Gillian Cross

Ashley's life is different from other teenagers. She has to look after her disabled mother full-time and take care of the house. She copes by being relentlessly cheerful and confident. But Ashley has a secret alter-ego: the dare-devil graffiti artist who has been tagging walls. And she hasan admirer in the form of Eddie, a local gang boss. Before long, Ashley is sucked into his world and into a sinister plan to destroy the life of a local shopkeeper. Almost reduced to despair, Ashley turns to her mother for help. Together they devise a way to defeat Eddie and at the same time developa stronger and better relationship.

When John, an explosives expert, dies in an accident in Russia, his sister, Hayley and friend Annie go there to mourn. Before long they begin to suspect that there is more to John's death than meets the eye and that certain people are desperately trying to keep them away from the truth.Themes: personal identity, grief, effects of physical environment, loyalty and betrayal, family relationships, disabilityTeaching Focus:* Skilful evocation of place and atmosphere* The use of tension and suspense to produce a fast-paced thriller* Creation of empathy with characters and their situation* A variety of narrative layers build up the plot structureRecommended for students in Years 7 and 8

The second Demon Headmaster book.Everyone at school is playing the new computer game, Octopus Dare - but only Dinah is good enough to beat it. But she forgets who she is when she looks into the whirling eyes of the Octopus . . . What is happening, and how is the Demon Headmaster involved? And what will he do if he really does getinto the Prime Minister's Brain?* The best-selling series which inspired the top-rating television series* Author with sales of over a million books* Prize-winning author - winner of Smarties Prize, Whitbread Award and Carnegie Medal* Now reissued for the first time as a matching set, with eyecatching fluorescent covers and a sturdy sewn binding.* Gillian Cross lives in Warwickshire.

Dinah and her brothers have moved house as their dad's got a new job at the Biogenetic Research Centre. It sounds great, but all three realize something very weird's going on. People in the village talk like robots when the centre is mentioned. There's a mysterious buzzing sound near thecentre, and a creeper that can grow at an incredible speed. And why is the centre surrounded by such scary security guards? When the kids start probing, they soon run into trouble. Dinah finds she herself is part of a terrifying DNA experiment-masterminded by none other than the Demon Headmaster.Gillian Cross has won the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Children's Novel Award, and the Smarties Prize, and is a highly-acclaimed author. Sales of Gillian's books exceed one million copies.

When Janis Finch storms out of a family row, it starts a chain of events which transforms her whole life. For it's in the motorway cafe, minutes later, that she meets the unknown rock band, Kelp, who talk her into coming to their gig that night. Janis goes along for the ride and finds herselfincreasingly provoked by Christie, Kelp's arrogant lead singer. He pushes her into singing with them, and winds her up into a fever of rage, awe and attraction. So when Christie asks her to join the band, Janis feels powerless to refuse-and her life explodes.

The new club Purple is the place to go-if you can get in-and Ellie persuades Dinah and her friends to come along too. The man everyone wants to see is DJ Pardoman whose face keeps changing from Elvis to Madonna to Brad Pitt. His electronic mask is mesmerizing but no one knows who he really is.When the kids visit his website they see there's an online competition-the person who finds out about him will be allowed to lift off the mask. Dinah thinks it's all weird but she's also curious. In her search she stumbles across something amazing-her real father might be alive after years ofthinking he was dead. Dinah must find out more. But she only realizes the truth of these strange coincidences too late. This time the Demon Headmaster is intent on ensuring that Dinah will not interfere with his plans.Gillian Cross has won the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Children's Novel Award, and the Smarties Prize, and is a highly-acclaimed author. Sales of Gillian's books exceed one million copies.