Books published by publisher MP Publishing Limited

Billy Has a Birthday is the first volume in the Billy Growing Up series. The story follows Billy, a young boy who turns 10 on the tenth October - 10, 10, 10 - a once in a lifetime occasion. Billy's excitement at his 'big' birthday perfectly captures that of a child who is bordering on adolescence - each birthday seems so much more important than the last, and the move from single to double figures is one of the greatest of all. On Billy's birthday, he is over the moon to be given a £20 note by his granddad. No more silly children's toys, he can finally buy what he wants. At the age of 10 this seems like a huge amount of money - more than Billy has ever owned. Things take an unpleasant turn when the local bully hears about Billy's birthday present, and forces him to give it up - or else. Billy, like many other children his age, agrees to the bully's demands. Billy is devastated to have lost his special birthday present, but he attempts to keep the situation a secret from his mum and granddad. He has nothing to be ashamed of, but has convinced himself that the adults in his life will be cross if they find out what has happened. Like many bullied children he feels he cannot turn to anyone for help. Fortunately, luck is on Billy's side, and his best friend's little sister finds out about the bully and tells Billy's granddad. Together they are able to hatch a plan to get the note back and to ensure the bully gets what's coming to him! Billy Has a Birthday is a wonderful example of a story that young children can enjoy listening to together with their parents. Using traditional storytelling, it is entertaining while dealing with a serious issue that affect many children as they grow up. Bullying can be a difficult subject for children to talk about, and many feel frightened or embarrassed if they fall victim to bullying. This book acts as the perfect icebreaker for adults and children to begin discussing these issues. The message in the book is clear - you can't rid the world of bullies but you can do something about how you deal with them.

From the author of the internationally acclaimed Torture the Artist, a fiercely funny novel about red-state politics, family traditions, and a common man who decides to fight back. Somewhere in the middle of America dwells Blue Gene Mapother, a mullet-headed patriot who staunchly supports the American war effort without question. Besides his patriotism, little enlivens him except for pro wrestling, cigarettes, and any instance in which he thinks his masculinity is at stake. And though you wouldn’t know it, Blue Gene hails from one of the wealthiest families in the country. His mother, a fanatical Christian socialite, has a dream in which she sees Blue Gene’s older brother, the handsome but anxious John Hustbourne Mapother, becoming an apocalyptic world savior. Eager to fulfill his mother’s prophecy, John runs for Congress but finds that as a corporate executive, he’s not very popular with his largely working-class constituents. And so, after years of estrangement, the Mapothers reach out to Blue Gene, realizing that they need his common-man touch in order to cast their family name in a more favorable light with voters. With absurd humor and poignant wit, this timely, small-town epic takes us from flea markets to mansions to abandoned Wal-Mart buildings, all the while examining the bizarre relationship between the “high” and “low” classes of America.Joey Goebel lives and teaches creative writing in Henderson, Kentucky. He is the author of the novels The Anomalies and Torture the Artist, both of which have been published in nine languages.

These are the stories of Horrid Henry, the child that every teacher has nightmares about. In this book and CD are four unabridged stories with really horrid music and sound effects:-Horrid Henry has nits, Horrid Henry terrorises Perfect Peter, Horrid sabotages the school trip and Horrid Henry gets his own back when his parents send him to bed.Read by Miranda Richardson

For seven to nine year old boys and girls. Children, usually driven by peer-pressure, want the latest toys, electronics, and clothes, but have little understanding of the value of money or where it comes from. This is essential knowledge for later years. Billy wants a new skateboard and games controller, but doesn't understand why he can't have them bought for him. He doesn't pay anything towards other household costs, so why does he have to contribute to a toy? His mum and dad are presented with some large and unexpected household bills, but once Billy understands the challenges his parent's face, it makes him respect them more, and understand how much they work to invest in their family. Does Billy get a new skateboard? Who pays for it? Will the family afford to go on holiday this year? Billy Wants It All is the seventh title in the Billy Books series. Each book addresses a unique topic - bullying, arrogant pride, jealousy, lying, stealing, lack of self-belief, understanding money, and secrets. Written to help parents, guardians, and teachers deal with the issues that challenge preteen children; each topic is presented in a gentle way through storytelling. Setting the issues in a meaningful context helps children to understand the challenges, and to see things from a different perspective. The books act as icebreakers allowing for discussions of difficult subjects. Buying this book today will help your child learn about the value of money and where it comes from.

How does sound work? How do I record a range of instruments? How do I record, mix and master a track? How do I use MIDI for sequencing and arranging? Music Technology from Scratch answers these questions, and more. Exploring both the theory and practice of music technology, it gives the reader clear information on how equipment works and how to get the best results from it. Fully illustrated throughout, diagrams and photos provide step-by-step guides to using your equipment. It includes tips and hints on polishing your recordings and making sure your sessions run smoothly, test yourself questions and projects at the end of each chapter, and a full glossary explaining all technical terms and concepts. It is also enhanced by online videos with explanations of equipment and techniques. This book will help you to achieve a better grade for any of these courses: GCSE, AS and A2 Music and Music Technology, BTEC Firsts and Nationals in Music and Music Technology, and the new Creative and Media Diploma.

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than 19, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara. A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, a genius at making icons to summon angels, and supremely adept in forcing them to do her bidding. Liliath already knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighbouring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran's descendents. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will become ashes, or they will turn into beastlings. They are known as Refusers and can live only the most lowly lives. But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who fix her interest, for they are the key to her quest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. The four feel a strange, immediate kinship from the moment they meet but do not know why or suspect their importance. Only Liliath knows their secret, and she draws them in to her complex plot, just as she manipulates Queen Louisa and her musketeers; King Ferdinand and his guards; Cardinal Duplessis and her pursuivants; and the Refuser Night King Biscaray and his criminal gangs. All become pawns in Liliath's grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else.

Billy Field is given an opportunity to act in the school play, but he tells himself he can't do it. He convinces himself that he'll never learn all the lines. Feeling unsure and vulnerable, he thinks of all the ways he can get out of playing the part. Instead he becomes a member of the stage crew, and without even realizing it, he learns the lines, not only for the main part but all the other parts too. Following an accident befalling Ant Turner who is playing the lead role, the play might have to be cancelled. Is Billy able to play the main part? Will Ant be well enough to save the day? Does Billy overcome his lack of self-belief? Billy Saves the Day is the sixth title in the Billy Books series. Each book addresses a unique topic - bullying, arrogant pride, jealousy, lying, stealing, lack of self-belief, understanding money, and secrets. Written to help parents, guardians and teachers deal with the issues that challenge pre-teen children, each topic is presented in a gentle way through storytelling. Setting the issues in a meaningful context helps children to understand the challenges, and to see things from a different perspective. The books act as icebreakers allowing for discussions of difficult subjects. Downloading this book today will aid your child to gain confidence in their abilities and belief in themselves.

East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, OAPs are getting hoodwinked, children are missing. But word has spread: if you've got a case the police can't or won't touch, Isaiah Quintabe will help you out. They call him IQ. He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford, which might be a set of tyres or some homemade muffins. But now he needs a client who can pay. And the only way to that client is through a jive-talking low-life drug dealer he thought he'd left behind. Then there's the case itself. A drug-addled rap star surrounded by a crew of flunkies who believes his life is in danger, a hit man who even other hit men say is a lunatic, and a monster killer dog. If he solves this case, IQ can put right a mistake he made long ago. If he doesn't, it won't just be the hit man coming after him....

Six children leave the comfort of their homes. They are drawn to Coldharbour - an eerie wasteland of wind, rats, seagulls and rubbish tips. Emily and Freda, the twins, scuttle bright eyed and insect-like in search of the others. They find Thomas on a food tip. The gentle giant boy, Walter, joins them and so does Helen, who can read minds. And at the centre of it all is luminous Milo, his skin hot and bright with silver. Each of them has a unique gift, but they must learn to use their skills fast. Drawing ever closer in a maelstrom of fury is the Roar, something vast and dreadful that wants to destroy them all. As in The Doomspell trilogy, Cliff's characters really are "the children next door" until they discover the powers they possess and he sweeps them and the reader into his worlds of magical fantasy, writing exciting, breathtaking adventures with richly imagined, vividly drawn characters, and an infectious energy, warmth and humour. The Silver Child is Book 1 in a heart-stopping new sequence.

The dreadful secret that Torak carries with him at the close of Soul Eater is revealed, and he is cast out from the clans. It's his 14th summer. He's alone, cut off even from Wolf and Renn. Hunted and on the run, he takes refuge in unknown territory: the haunted reedbeds of Lake Axehead, where he is menaced by the Hidden People. Other threats lurk nearby, and his battle with the Soul-Eaters is far from over. As he fights for his life, Torak uncovers a deception too awful to contemplate, one that shakes him to the core and shatters his world.

Stealing is taking another person's property without permission or payment, and without intending to return it. Most people have stolen something at one time or another, be it a pen from the office stationery cabinet, the soap from a hotel room, or not volunteered a bus fare. At the other end of the scale, people facing extreme hardship steal food or other necessities for their family's survival, because it is the only option they have. People see stealing in different ways. Stealing from a shop or company feels less impactful than stealing from an individual because we assume they have plenty. However, there are always consequences; if no one pays for the shop items, the shopkeeper will soon go out of business. There is also a type of stealing that may not be considered as stealing, such as acquiring someone else's idea, their music or their story. This is especially true today with Internet downloads, but it is still theft. Max knows that stealing is wrong but at first she justifies it to herself, and even acts as if she just forgot to pay for the item. But stealing at whatever level is a crime, and if we get caught there are serious consequences like fines or a prison sentence. Parents can teach their children that stealing is wrong by insisting they return whatever item they have taken and apologize to the owner. This makes the child understand that if they take something that doesn't belong to them it impacts the other person, and it is wrong. Max is made aware that her only option is to return the item and apologize, when it is pointed out by her friend Billy. She was able to understand the impact of her actions. Children especially are susceptible to being persuaded by their peers to steal, perhaps by being dared to shoplift. This is part of learning how to deal with bullies who are able to manipulate vulnerable people. It is very hard in this case not to do as you're told, so these types of people are best avoided.