Books with author Sue Purkiss

This is the story of how Alfred the Great, against all odds, stemmed the tide of the apparently unstoppable Vikings and defeated their leader, Guthrum. But he wasn't alone. With him was his daughter, Aethelflaed, who was much later to become a ruler in her own right: the Lady of the Mercians. They were to become two remarkable rulers: but for now, hiding in the mysterious marshes of Athelney in Somerset, they are first and foremost a father and his daughter.

This is a new edition of Warrior King, with a new cover and updated introductory matter. It is the story of how Alfred the Great, against all odds, stemmed the tide of the apparently unstoppable Vikings and defeated their leader, Guthrum. But he wasn't alone. With him was his daughter, Aethelflaed, who was much later to become a ruler in her own right: the Lady of the Mercians. They were to become two remarkable rulers: but for now, hiding in the mysterious marshes of Athelney in Somerset, they are first and foremost a father and his daughter.

The world of Twelfth Night isa perplexing place where everyone is falling in love, only not with theright people, and not at the right time. It's a world of disorder andconfusion where cross-dressing and mistaken identities wreak havoc.Will love win out in the end? Sue Purkiss brings a modern and livelytouch to one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies.The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare's text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

Our hero is Jess, the long-suffering apprentice to the demanding and rather self-centred witches, Agnes Moonthistle and Sybil Higginbotham. The top lifestyle TV show, Changing Brooms (which bears an uncanny resemblance to another popular TV show) offers all three the chance to get what they really want in the world - using a little magic to help things along - with hilarious and unexpected results! With the gentle humour and tremendous sympathy for her characters that distinguished Spook School, Sue Purkiss has created another winning novel for newly-confident readers.Acclaim for the series: '...a quartet of books with robust child appeal ... the brief is clearly to appeal to those recently emerging from reading schemes but requiring continuing support. But the stories have a fresh originality that will make them great favourites' - Lindsey Fraser, Guardian Education Book of the Week, 13/05/03.

What could be worse for a ghost than not being frightening enough? That's Spooker's problem as he faces his Practical Haunting examinations at the Anne Boleyn Secondary School, under the watchful eye of the Inspectre-ate and Sir Rupert Grimsdyke (who's definitely not Spooker's favourite teacher). He isn't helped by the fact that he's sent for training to a brand-new house in Buttercup Avenue - not at all the kind of dingy, creaky building in which ghosts feel most comfortable. Spooker must find a way to spook the most unspookable people imaginable . . . Or maybe ghosts don't have to be scary, after all?

Spooker is back for a new school year at the Anne Boleyn Secondary School, and now that the wicked Sir Rupert is out of the picture, he hopes his life will be much easier. But when he goes on a residential trip to a remote Scottish castle to make a video about the school's new approach to haunting, strange happenings start to take place - it's almost as if the ghosts themselves are being haunted. And when a group of Americans come to turn the castle into the venue for a celebrity wedding, things start to get very complicated indeed. Who or what can possibly be behind these odd events?

An orphan child full of mischief, Jack lives with his crotchety widow aunt in eighteenth-century England. His naughtiness knows no limits, and when one day he goes a step too far, Aunt Constance decides that she's had enough: from now on, his bachelor uncle can take care of him. Uncle Edmund is in no way prepared for a boy with boundless energy and an impish streak – and anyway, he's off to the Himalayas to search for rare plants! But Aunt Constance is absolutely determined, and Jack's uncle has no choice – he will have to take the boy with him.What follows is a terrific adventure that will see Jack and his uncle – the most unlikely of all expedition teams – sail to India, cross the jungle and reach their mountainous destination, before returning to London to present their findings to the Royal Society. Along the way, Jack will finally come to terms with the great loss that has blighted his childhood years and discover, quite unexpectedly, that he and his late father have much in common.

Spooker is back for a new school year at the Anne Boleyn Secondary School, and now that the wicked Sir Rupert is out of the picture, he hopes his life will be much easier. But when he goes on a residential trip to a remote Scottish castle to make a video about the school's new approach to haunting, strange happenings start to take place - it's almost as if the ghosts themselves are being haunted. And when a group of Americans come to turn the castle into the venue for a celebrity wedding, things start to get very complicated indeed. Who or what can possibly be behind these odd events?

What could be worse for a ghost than not being frightening enough? That's Spooker's problem as he faces his Practical Haunting examinations at the Anne Boleyn Secondary School, under the watchful eye of the Inspectre-ate and Sir Rupert Grimsdyke (who's definitely not Spooker's favourite teacher). He isn't helped by the fact that he's sent for training to a brand-new house in Buttercup Avenue - not at all the kind of dingy, creaky building in which ghosts feel most comfortable. Spooker must find a way to spook the most unspookable people imaginable ...Or maybe ghosts don't have to be scary, after all?

Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4-11. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book.Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.Text type: Fiction from our literary heritageCurriculum links: English: fiction from the literary heritage

Follow the tangled love stories of Beatrice, Benedict, Hero and Claudio in Shakespeare’s classic and much-loved comedy. Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view. Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage Curriculum links: English: fiction from the literary heritage