Books with author Helen Laycock

Martha is humble and unspoilt, despite living a life of utter luxury at Lottery Lodge with her (mostly absent) father and stepmother Penelope.Mitch lives at the boys’ orphanage, a dilapidated mansion run by Ariadne Scattypants.Neither child has any idea about the life the other is leading.Between Lottery Lodge and the orphanage is a dense wood and it is here that a band of wild boys live. Mitch finds himself at their mercy, but somehow manages to scrabble his way out of the woods, emerging at Martha’s wonderful home.However, here, too, things are taking a sinister turn.Suitable for readers of 8-12

Isadora Wellington, known as Izzy, befriends Titania Moonsong, a wheelchair-bound old lady who lives at 13 Arnison Avenue. Rumour has it that Mrs Moonsong is a witch, which is hardly surprising: she has a black cat, Macbeth; her favourite piece of music is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; and she makes peculiar concoctions from the herbs she grows in her garden. When Mrs Moonsong disappears and Dylan, a strange hippy, moves into her house, Izzy and her cousin Joe are concerned. It seems Dylan is the one intent on casting spells, and Mrs Moonsong is not the only one in danger.Suitable for readers of 7-12

Evie and Mia meet on a train on their way to St. Agatha's Boarding School for Girls. Dropped at a deserted station, with no one to meet them, they trek through the pelting rain and darkness for miles until they find a sign to St. Agatha's which points to an unlikely overgrown track leading up a mountain path.A foreboding place, St. Agatha's School is surrounded by a sea of mist, and overlooks a loch. Coming face to face with the grotesque caretaker, Mandrake, is not the only thing to unsettle them. What is the significance of the strange rings worn by Miss Blackthorn, the head teacher - and why does everyone behave so oddly?The girls stumble across a forgotten burial chamber. Inside, lies the crumbling skeleton of Sister Beatrice, clutching a note which tells of a curse. Locked in the chamber as a punishment, the friends discover an old book within which is the antidote to the curse... but it is hidden in code.Other books by Helen Laycock: Glass Dreams, Salt, The Secret of Pooks Wood, Martha and Mitch, Song of the Moon, Charlie Chumpkins, A Mouthful of Chuckles (Poetry)

Suitable for readers aged 7 – 12A holiday at Pirates’ Cove with Great Aunt Win is nothing like Toby expects it to be…He is baffled by the mysterious beach fires and eerie singing he witnesses during the night. He is fascinated, too, by the weird and wonderful tales of the town: not only the legend of the pitiful Mary-Anne, said to row out nightly to the Blue Rock, but also of the peculiar ‘cursed’ gold plate locked in the guesthouse cabinet.Stranger still, why has a dead man been spotted in the town?With the help of intriguing local girl, Hattie, the secrets of Salt Guesthouse are unravelled… but not before the children find themselves in grave danger. Other books by Helen Laycock:Glass Dreams, Mandrake’s Plot, The Secret of Pooks Wood, Martha and Mitch, Song of the Moon, Mr Charlie Chumpkins, The Further Mishaps of Charlie Chumpkins, A Mouthful of Chuckles (Poetry)

Runaway Jake has no idea what adventures are in store when he finds young circus performer Khala hiding in a ramshackle caravan. Jake sees things – dreams, visions… but should he reveal the contents of the mysterious box he has been warned never to open? Khala has secrets of her own, secrets which could threaten her friendship with Jake. And she is not the only one of the performers with something to hide. Jake soon discovers that Fantazi’s Circus is a place of danger, and together, he and Khala begin to uncover the layers of deceit which have an impact on them both.However, neither one is prepared for the biggest discovery of all.For readers of 8-12

Martha is humble and unspoilt, despite living a life of utter luxury at Lottery Lodge with her (mostly absent) father and stepmother Penelope.Mitch lives at the boys’ orphanage, a dilapidated mansion run by Ariadne Scattypants.Neither child has any idea about the life the other is leading.Between Lottery Lodge and the orphanage is a dense wood and it is here that a band of wild boys live. Mitch finds himself at their mercy, but somehow manages to scrabble his way out of the woods, emerging at Martha’s wonderful home. However, here, too, things are taking a sinister turn.Suitable for readers of 8-12

Evie and Mia meet on a train on their way to St. Agatha's Boarding School for Young Ladies. Dropped at a deserted station, with no one to meet them, they trek through the pelting rain and darkness for miles until they find a sign to St. Agatha's which points to an unlikely overgrown track leading up a mountain path.A foreboding place, St. Agatha's School is surrounded by a sea of mist, and overlooks a loch. Coming face to face with the grotesque caretaker, Mandrake, is not the only thing to unsettle them. What is the significance of the strange rings worn by Miss Blackthorn, the head teacher - and why does everyone behave so oddly?The girls stumble across a forgotten burial chamber. Inside, lies the crumbling skeleton of Sister Beatrice, clutching a note which tells of a curse. Locked in the chamber as a punishment, the friends discover an old book within which is the antidote to the curse... but it is hidden in code.Other books by Helen Laycock: Glass Dreams, Salt, The Secret of Pooks Wood, Martha and Mitch, Song of the Moon, Charlie Chumpkins, A Mouthful of Chuckles (Poetry)

They say that history is written by the victors, and consequently there is a tendency for the Britons to be forgotten in the story of the end of Roman Britain and the post-Roman period. Warlord will redress this balance looking at the extraordinary lives of British leaders from 400-550 and the strategies they used to seize and hold power during these turbulent times. The book focuses on key figures who have been largely neglected in history over the last 30 years. Starting with Gerontius, who rebelled against the Roman establishment, the story then turns the key figures of Vortigern and Ambrosius, who were faced with the Anglo-Saxon invasion, and finishes with a look at how British warlords such as Cerdic were forced to adapt to the situation and were compelled to seek power by working with the new Anglo-Saxon powerbase.