Books with author Holland K Crossley

In these pages, Kevin Crossley-Holland visits the foreign land of childhood. First memories as a war-baby; starting a museum; being coached at Lord's; living above the spring line below the great chalk cross at Whiteleaf in the Chiltern Hills, and roaming in the beechwoods; holidays on the north Norfolk coast; falling under the spell of Arthurian legendâ?¿Above all, The Hidden Roads revolves around the sanctity and splintering of family, and the bonding of brother and sister, and is steeped in the landscapes and layers of England.

January 2000: Arthur de Caldicot arrives at Holt to be squire to Lord Stephen and accompany him on crusade. It is an exciting and bewildering time for him as he finds a warhorse, is fitted with armour, and improves his fighting skills. He dreads a confrontation with his blood-father, the violent Sir William, and dreams of finding his true mother; he discovers girls - including the vivacious Winnie de Verdon whom he rescues from burning to death; he has to deal with the aftermath of a murder; he sees the sea for the first time, sails to France and finally takes the Cross. And meanwhile these events are reflected in his seeing stone, in stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Packed with incident, wonderful characters, and fascinating historical detail, and interwoven with brilliant retellings of Arthurian legends, this is a glorious follow-up to The Seeing Stone.

Award-winning author, Kevin Crossley-Holland, presents a collection of stories where even the longest story is very short. The longest story in this collection is very short and the shortest just three words long. A wonderful mix of the best short stories. Some are old, some are new, some are scary, some are funny, but all the stories in this book will make you think. There's Tarvaa and the terrible plague, a bagful of butterflies, ghostly tales from the beyond the grave, and the short life of Barbara the Lamb Who Froze to Death.

Annie lives with her elderly parents in a remote cottage. She is used to being alone. Every day she walks by the lonely marsh to school. Only in winter, when the wind howls in the trees, is Annie ever afraid. Her sister Willa is pregnant and Annie is overjoyed when she comes home to have her baby. Annie tells Willa the names of local plants and Willa tells Annie about the ghost, murdered by highwaymen, who is said to haunt the old forge nearby. Then, on a terrible night, with the phone lines down, Willa goes into labor. Annie is terrified of the ghost, but knows she must brave the storm to fetch help. As she ventures into the night, a horseman swings into view. He offers to take Annie to town. Before she can protest, Annie finds herself lifted on to his saddle and off they set on an intense, dream-like journey. Only once he has deposited her safely on the doctor's doorstep, does the horseman reveal that he is the ghost she fears.

Crossley-Holland, a winner of the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal, and the Tir Nan-Og Award, and numerous other distinctions, has written an absorbing fantasy novel for young adults with a formidable heroine. The Guardian praised Bracelet of Bones as "superb" Crossley-Holland writes "with a poet's eye and love of words, painting a vivid picture of the world his characters move through, whether it's the morning mist on the river or the smoke from a funeral pyre." One morning Solveig wakes to find her father, Viking mercenary Halfdan, has broken his promise to her by leaving to join the Viking Guard in Constantinople, without her. Deciding to follow him, Solveig sets off in a tiny boat and into an epic adventure, encountering Swedish traders, a ghost-ship and a Russian king, braving arrow-storms and witnessing a living sacrifice. Through it all, Solveig's belief in her father is unwavering. Will she ever reach Constantinople? And will her father be there? An imaginative and poignant novel that explores friendship and betrayal, the father-daughter relationship, the clash of religions and the journey from childhood to adulthood, Bracelet of Bones is a vivid adventure not to be missed.

Ten tales that sweep ancient Europe, from Iceland to England and from Greece to Denmark, giving a taste of the myth and folk-tale of them all. This book is bursting with fantastic retellings of old favorites such as "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "Arthur the King." It is alive with grippingly told, unfamiliar stories such as "Godfather Death" and "The Lady of Stavoren." There's a tale in here to thrill, delight, or chill every reader.