Books published by publisher Red Panda Press

Always fascinated by magic, 11-year-old Charlie Wainwright buys a book of wizardry from the village hall car boot sale. It is an old book, written hundreds of years before he was even born and as soon as he takes the volume home he sets out to discover if the spells it contains really do work. They do, his cat can bark, his dog can meow and Charlie is having great fun; but when he has a visit from the book's author, the wizard - Argetlám, will his life ever be the same again? For someone, in the goblin and witch-infested Darklands of the Cumbrian Underworld, is watching him from afar. Watching him through evil and envious eyes. That someone is the wicked Witch Queen - Nemetona; the most beautiful of witches but by far the most evil. Nemetona will stop at nothing to get her hands on Charlie's book of spells and with this in mind dispatches a goblin familiar to the Overland (where humans live) to steal it. Caught by the goblin with the forbidden book, Charlie's cousin, Joanne, is kidnapped and spirited away into the terrifying dimension of the Darklands. Now, Charlie and the wizard must go after her. Firstly, to rescue Joanne, afterwards to retrieve the precious book of spells. It is now that Charlie's adventures really begin, as along with the wizard and his very peculiar friends, they battle goblins, dragons and witches as they continue their quest to find the lost works of the arch wizard - Argetlám.

The Unfinished Social Entrepreneur is about powering up your social justice career.The world feels so screwed up, so unfair, so unnecessarily mean, so Trumpian. More than ever, the world needs you. This book is a book of conviction about the unfinished work of social justice. According to Lewis: "The crusty work of social entrepreneurship is as much fun as I’m permitted to have in public. It’s joyous, fulfilling and happy-making. Tackling big challenges is heady stuff. Fighting the good fight is utterly gratifying."The Unfinished Social Entrepreneur is a compendium of 21 original essays and insights - part memoir, part handbook - about the challenges and questions every social entrepreneur thinks about. For the novice changemaker, each chapter bristles with provocative tips and tools to transform your social justice career. Because social entrepreneurship is not called solo entrepreneurship, the book also contains 19 additional commentaries by other change-makers.Social entrepreneurs are a club of conscience. Sign up. Show up. Stand up.All book profits donated to social justice causes.

Avantika brushes and brushes, but there’s no keeping her curly hair down. How she wished her hair was straight and smooth like Amma’s and Appa’s and her brother Avnish’s. Their parents had adopted the two of them when she was three-and-a-half years old and Avnish a six-month-old baby. Avantika often wonders if their birth mother had curly hair. There are so many questions in her head, the school year has started with hair-raising troubles and Amma is busy at work. Avantika finds a confidante in the mysterious paati she meets in the park. Why Is My Hair Curly by Lakshmi Iyer is a delightful celebration of curly hair and the courage it takes to be yourself. Interspersed with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Niloufer Wadia, this chapter book explores genetics, family dynamics and adoption identity through a light-hearted and sunny tale.

Avantika brushes and brushes, but there’s no keeping her curly hair down. How she wished her hair was straight and smooth like Amma’s and Appa’s and her brother Avnish’s. Their parents had adopted the two of them when she was three-and-a-half years old and Avnish a six-month-old baby. Avantika often wonders if their birth mother had curly hair.There are so many questions in her head, the school year has started with hair-raising troubles and Amma is busy at work. Avantika finds a confidante in the mysterious paati she meets in the park.Why Is My Hair Curly by Lakshmi Iyer is a delightful celebration of curly hair and the courage it takes to be yourself. Interspersed with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Niloufer Wadia, this chapter book explores genetics, family dynamics and adoption identity through a light-hearted and sunny tale.

‘THE WITCHES OF LEWTHAN MOUNTAIN’Reading age: 8-12Always fascinated by magic, eleven year old Charlie Braithwaite buys a book of wizardry from the village hall bring and buy sale. It is an old book, written hundreds of years before he was even born and as soon as he takes the volume home he sets out to discover if the spells it contains really do work. They do, his cat can bark, his dog meow and Charlie is having great fun; but when he has a visit from the book’s author, the wizard – Argetlám, will his life ever be the same again? For someone, in the goblin and witch infested Darklands of the Cumbrian Underworld of England, is watching him from afar. Watching him through evil and envious eyes. That someone is the wicked Witch Queen – Nemetona; the most beautiful of witches but by far the most evil. Nemetona will stop at nothing to get her hands on Charlie’s book of spells and with this in mind, despatches a goblin familiar to the Overland [where humans live] to steal it. Caught by the goblin in the act of reading the forbidden book, Charlie’s cousin, Joanne, is kidnapped and spirited away into the terrifying dimension of the Darklands. Now, Charlie and the wizard must go after her; firstly, to rescue Joanne, secondly, to retrieve the precious book of spells. It is now that Charlie’s adventures really begin, as along with the wizard and his very peculiar friends, they battle goblins, dragons and witches as they continue their quest to find - the lost works of the arch wizard – Argetlám. An ExcerptTHE WITCHES OF LEWTHAN MOUNTAINON THE MOUNTAIN OF LEWTHAN, IN THE PALACE CASTLE OF THE EVIL WITCH QUEEN – NEMETONA.Her head adorned with a solid gold, diamond-encrusted crown and wearing a long, flowing dress and cloak, both of which were made from the finest black-dyed silk, the queen seemed to glide, gracefully, down the Great Hall. Eventually, at the end of the vast, stone-vaulted chamber, she eased herself onto a golden, heavily jewelled throne and through dark, evil eyes, stared down at the trembling goblin who knelt, quaking with fear, at her feet. ‘Well?’ she asked, impatiently. ‘Have you found it?’The terrified goblin shook his head. ‘No Majesty,’ he replied, without daring to look into her eyes. ‘I’ve searched everywhere, ma’am, absolutely everywhere. For nearly a hundred years I’ve wandered across every inch of the Overland. I’ve peered through a million windows, sneaked inside ten thousand homes but___’‘But you’ve still not found my missing book!’ screeched the witch queen.‘No Majesty,’ said the goblin, who by now was shaking so much his teeth were beginning to rattle like an old vintage car.‘Then you’ve failed me!’ she screamed at him. ‘Failed your queen!’‘But Majesty,’ moaned the goblin. ‘Before you called me back to the Mountain of Lewthan I think I was, at long last, getting really, really close.’‘You lie, Fender,’ she spat at him. ‘Your kind will always lie to save your ugly, pathetic hides.’ ‘It’s the truth,’ protested the unhappy goblin. For the first time daring to raise his head and actually look at his sovereign. ‘I think it might be somewhere in the County of Cumbria, in the Overland, Your Majesty.’‘And what makes you think that?’ asked the queen, her temper suddenly beginning to cool a little. ‘Because, at the southern end of the Great Forest of the North, just before I left to report to Your Wickedness, I felt the slightest disturbance of the ether.’‘You did?’ she asked. Her eyes boring into those of the goblin’s.‘Yes Majesty, it was faint, short, but very, very powerful. As though someone, perhaps for the first time in centuries, had at long last opened the book to look inside it.’The witch queen stared down at the hapless goblin. ‘If you’re lying to me, Fender,’ she began, sinisterly. ‘If you’re simply spinning me a goblin’s tale, just to save your worthless skin, then I’ll turn you into a rabbit and have you st

Charlie Braithwaite is at home in his bedroom. It is a boring, wet afternoon, when suddenly, his old friend the archwizard Argetlám appears on his computer screen. At first delighted by the return of his friend, he soon discovers that the wizard has a job for him that is both extremely dangerous and possibly, crucially important to the freedom of everyone living in modern Britain. Argetlám explains to Charlie that Athelwan, an evil sorcerer punished for his wicked ways by entombment in a cavern, centuries earlier, has escaped. Furthermore, he has materialised during the Battle of Britain, in 1940s England. The sorcerer has taken the job of headmaster of the local school and Argetlám is convinced that he is trying to help Britain’s sworn enemy, the evil Nazis. Should he succeed in his scheme, Britain may well lose the battle and therefore, her freedom. The consequences of this re-writing of history being that even people as young as Charlie could be seriously affected, perhaps not even born. Our hero is therefore persuaded to travel back to September 1940, in the guise of a London evacuee. Once there, he is to enrol at Athelwan’s school, where the sorcerer has taken the name Benson, in order to spy on him.

The Ghosts of Badger WoodThe story, which is suitable for all children from the age of 8 to 80, is one of old-fashioned decency confronting an extremely evil group of far from decent, modern thugs. It doing so, it tells of a most unusual joint venture between the police service and a bizarre group of long-forgotten war heroes, men who most certainly bring a whole new meaning to the newly-coined phrase – ‘The Big Society’. In BriefThe Carrington children are on holiday in the Lake District when they discover an injured badger cub lying in a ditch. The animal is cared for by their host, the owner of their holiday home and a former vet. When the injured beast is at last ready to be returned to the wild, the children learn of a plot by badger-baiters to dig out the local sett and use the animals in their violent, evil and extremely gruesome pastime. Immediately the children try to warn people, but few adults believe their story. Even those who do assure them nothing could ever happen to the badgers for no one has dared to bother the residents of Badger Wood for nearly a century. Why? Because the wood, and all the peace-loving creatures that dwell within it, are guarded by the ghosts of the long-dead soldiers of the village of Merethwaite – well – they are – aren’t they?

'Drop Zone' by R.M. McLeodAnticipated reading age: 8-11Length: circa 20,000 words.Set in the English Lake District, Abigail, Imogen and Ross, the young heroes of the story, are enjoying a well-deserved holiday when they accidentally become involved with a group of drug smugglers. The smugglers, a far from friendly group of men, have a hideout in the workings of a long disused copper-mine and the trio are set to have some hair-raising adventures, and put themselves at considerable risk, as they find themselves fighting for their lives whilst trying to bring the criminals to justice. If you want old-fashioned adventure, a book that is going to appeal to the most reluctant of readers, that is not too long, has suspense and lots and lots of nail-biting excitement, then R.M. McLeod’s 'Drop Zone' is definitely for you.

‘THE TIME FLYERS’ A Novel by R.M. McLeodSci-fi adventure novel. Reading age 9-13Henry Harrison is twelve years old and something of a minor tearaway. He is also, quite incorrectly, the prime suspect of the armed robbery of a market trader and, as the novel begins, on the run from the law. Anxious to clear his name, he finds midnight sanctuary, illegally, in the home of a retired professor of physics, but rather than immediately hand him over to the police, the professor listens to his trespasser’s tale with some sympathy and even offers to help Henry clear his name. This he does by allowing him to use his newest, most secret and prized invention – the ability to travel in time.'The Time Flyers' is a combination of the good old ripping yarns Henry’s grandfather might have read and a modern adventure story, with modern boys, and featuring some of the latest hi-tech gizmos to hand. It is a fast-moving, often very funny, seat-of-the-pants ride across time and space and therefore a must-read for everyone who likes suspense, a little sc-fi and nail-biting drama. Oh yes – readers must be able to cope with hungry sabre tooth tigers, thieving, prehistoric cavemen from the last ice age and a 2,000-year old, far from friendly, Roman patrol somewhere near Lake Windermere, the largest lake in England. For, when the kindly professor is kidnapped by terrorists, Henry and Razi’s exploits (Razi is the professor’s grandson) as they try to rescue both him and a world leader taken hostage with him, their most unusual adventures are guaranteed to leave the reader gasping, literally, for breath!So, if it is high adventure you are after download 'The Time Flyers', fasten your seatbelts, and hang on for grim death! ExtractWhilst Razi and Henry had been impersonating tiger food and talking to the professor, something very, very big was happening in the kitchen. Some three minutes after the traumatised kidnappers had screamed their way into the body of the house, a rather large pair of tusks appeared through the walls of the now, much lower, cone. The tusks, which were curved and around five metres long, were followed by a massive, high-peaked, knob-like head, which looked around the kitchen with little interest and apparently, complete bafflement. Almost instantly bored by the uninteresting, twenty-first century kitchen; the four metre tall woolly mammoth slowly turned itself around. Then, after trumpeting twice, wiggling its bottom and stamping its great feet on the floor of the cone, the kindly creature bestowed, upon the lucky occupiers of Fellgarth Towers, the quite extraordinary gift of a large, unbelievably smelly deposit, of extremely rare, prehistoric mammoth dung. In conclusion, with a final trumpeting farewell and a proud, concluding glance at the now almost completely overloaded and steaming kitchen table, the giant, lonely beast, wandered off; returning nonchalantly and happily, to the dying days of the last, great, ice age.

'THE REVENGE OF BOTAN THE BONE CRUSHER'Reading Age: 9-12Approx. word count: 36,000Following on from The Theft of the Crown of Bodran, this sequel deals with the attempted revenge of the awesomely unpleasant giant – Botan, who was so cleverly duped by Charlie and his friends when they retrieved King Bodran's stolen crown.After finding himself in a great deal of trouble with a supply teacher, due to a case of mistaken identity, Charlie soon finds himself the centre of attention of the furious giant’s spies. Charged with locating his home in the Overland, the place where humankind live, the spies eventually run Charlie to earth and report back to their master. Delighted that he has at last discovered the home of one of his greatest enemies, Botan decides to invade the Overland and capture Charlie, or one of his cousins, for ransom. Eventually, with Botan on the rampage in the Darklands and his dwarf army and coven of witches mobilised for war, Charlie and his friends have to join battle with him to save the world.Like most of Ross's stories, there is humour as well as tension and the former is best seen in the shape of a couple of really dopey and totally incompetent dwarves. However, it is the tension that will keep the reader’s head in the book as from page-to-page and chapter-to-chapter, it seems that Charlie, and his family and friends, are at the mercy of an extremely frightening and very angry colossus.

The Theft of the Crown of BodranReading age - 8-12 yearsEstimated word count – 35,000Charlie is in class, listening to a boring geography lesson when his old friend, Argetlám the wizard, suddenly appears before him. Invisible to both Charlie’s teacher and the rest of the class, the wizard quickly tells his young friend that the much coveted and prized crown of the elfin King Bodran has been stolen. He also tells him that he would like Charlie’s help in finding the thief and recovering the king’s stolen property. Thus begins yet another adventure for our young hero. This time, as with The Witches of Lewthan Mountain, Charlie has to venture deep into the Cumbrian Darklands, a strange and dangerous dimension dominated by hostile witches, giants, goblins and other dark forces of evil. His journey takes him via the Cumbrian lake known to humans as Wastwater, but better known to the wizard as the Mere of Ffion; home to Queen Ffion, sovereign lady of the water nymphs who dwell there. Whilst at the lake, Ffion presents Charlie with a sword that has strange magical and healing properties and once owned by the young Sir Galahad of Holy Grail fame. It is from there that they cross into the awesomely dangerous dimension of the Darklands where they immediately stumble across elves and goblins fully engaged in a battle to the death and it is then that Charlie’s third, great adventure, really does begin.

When Stephen Hawking was a little boy, people often called him odd. He was different. When the other kids were busy playing and having fun Stephen wondered about the mysteries of the space, stars and beyond. But then a sudden bout of illness changed his life forever. But Hawkings wasn’t one who’d give up so easily. He fought his illness, overcame disabilities and his genius and endless curiosity powered his work. He went on to make several revolutionary discoveries, including the black hole theory that shook the science world.Beautifully illustrated by Nirzara Verurkar and movingly told by Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy, the story of a little boy who overcame all odds and went to be become one of the greatest astrophysicist of all times—comes blazingly alive for the little ones. It’s never too early to introduce your child to the people you admire. Here’s a collection of beautifully illustrated picture books for children aged 5 to 8 years. Each book in the Little Leaders series will introduce young readers to an incredible story of people who followed their dreams, despite all odds. These tales of passion and courage will emphasise that turning-point in the lives of role models, some of them as old as the readers themselves. Both parents and children will appreciate these moving stories of grit, determination, perseverance and using the imagination.