Showing results by narrator "Laurence Boxhall" in All Categories

Corinne Gray is a woman whose life is falling apart. When probationary detective Kyle Nazarian unexpectedly knocks on her door on a rainy morning, she knows why. He wants to talk about her son, Ben. This is her chance to finally explain how her sweet-natured child – who loved history and dreamed of swimming for Olympic Gold – grew up to do the unthinkable. What really happened to Ben? And could anyone have prevented it?

Hercules Quick wants to be a magnificent magician. He just needs a special box of magic tricks. But the box is expensive, and Hercules doesn't have any money. Luckily, Hercules lives in a big apartment block with Aunt Alligator and his tadpole friend, Sylvie, and he has plenty of neighbours who are willing to pay for his help. Whether it's babysitting for the Elks, spring-cleaning for Queen Claude or helping Professor Calamari choose the perfect bow tie, no job is too odd for Hercules Quick!

Sixteen-year-old Tamurlaine is approaching her coronation, the day when she will officially assume rule over the Kingdom of Balthasar, a magical land where teenagers have the power to turn dreams into reality. But an assassin is preparing to kill her at the ceremony, and no one can stop him because he is sneaking into Balthasar from another universe – ours.

A toga-tickling gladiatorial gallop through ancient Rome! Being plunged into the past (again) wasn’t what Henry had planned for the afternoon. But now that he’s stuck in ancient Rome, can he survive his scheming friends’ foul play, escape some marauding lions and avoid the steaming piles of poo long enough to make it back to the present day?

Being whisked back to 1300 BC certainly wasn't on Henry's to-do list. Can he make his way through a new school, odd sports, unexpected friends and deadly pets, Egyptian style? And will he ever find his way back to the present day?

From the author of The Wolf Road comes a compelling thriller about a boy caught up in a land of shadows ruled by a mysterious queen. In a dangerous land enslaved by the cruel Regent, where the Dreamers have the magical power to turn dreams into reality, Toby meets Tamurlaine, a strange girl who has lost her memory. To uncover the mystery of her identity and get Toby back home, the pair must go on a thrilling journey to the heart of the kingdom, the castle of the Regent.

Remi Victoire grew up in a theatre troupe based in Paris after being abandoned by his mother. He has a good heart but is a womaniser and a drunkard. His faithful best friend is Pascal, who shares with Remi the experiences of the theatre trouple. Saskia is a Prussian contortionist who joins the two men on their storytelling journeys. They - along with the other young members of the theatre company - are the ‘lost children’, caught up in the trials and tribulations of a chaotic period of war and peace, which also marks the transition from oral to written storytelling.

If Peter Pan had been a girl...with a beard...then she'd have probably been called King Coo! The aliens have landed...or have they? Something mysterious has dropped into Coo's woods, and an even more mysterious government agency, the MIC (the Men in Caps), are out to find it. There's danger at every turn: Ben and Coo are going to need their most ingenious plan yet to save The Thing from Space.

A poignant and uplifting story of family, connection and imagination. Tabby’s fed up. Fed up with losing her best friend and fed up that Grandad has come to stay. Grandad’s always telling the same old silly, made-up stories, and now Tabby has to walk his smelly dog, Buster, every day after school. When one of Tabby’s walks takes her to a lonely hilltop house she spots something strange going on. So strange she can’t help but mention it to Grandad, who of course turns it all into another fantasy.

Over the years, the Grunts have made more than a few enemies. But fortunately they're all safely behind bars. Or are they? There's been a prison breakout and three of them are after revenge. It's time for the Grunts to go on the run.

It's five months since the nightmare year-six school trip to Crater Lake, and something has gone very wrong in Lance's home town of Straybridge. There's been an explosion at the university, a mysterious test creature is missing and no one is allowed in or out of the town. On top of this, Lance has lost touch with his friends since starting at his new school. And now his mum has been acting strangely since they started decorating the Christmas tree. As he goes door to door trying to reunite his team, Lance realises how bad things have got.

James splits his life between his mum’s and his dad’s houses. It’s far from perfect. Especially now Dad doesn’t have time for bike rides with him any more and Mum’s always with her new boyfriend. The constant is Digger, his dog and best friend. He’s the glue that holds the two halves of James’ life together. So when James finds a lump on Digger’s leg, everything changes. Digger is the one he can talk to about anything. But when it’s Digger he needs to talk about, where can he turn?

Vulgar the Viking and a Midsummer Night's Scream: Vulgar thinks Midsummer Night's Eve is the best Viking festival of all! There'll be a massive bonfire, and everyone will sing songs about excellent longboats and enormous battles, then eat and drink until their stomachs explode! So what's with the tiny pile of firewood? Vulgar the Viking and the Battle of Burp: Vulgar can't believe his luck. He's going on a school trip in a real live longboat, with oars and everything! And they're going to visit Burp, where a long-ago battle once took place.

When Mrs Grunt's mother, the gloomy Ma Lunge, enters a Preserves, Jams and Jellies competition, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty. Add a nose-biting squirrel, escaped bees, rogue fireworks and crashing biplanes (again!), and you'll see why poor Sunny and Mimi have a lot on their plate. And that's before the Grunts end up in jail.

Vulgar the Viking and the Spooky School Trip: Vulgar's new teacher is called Otto the Bone-Cruncher, and he's a proper viking! Vulgar can't wait for the school trip, to learn all about hunting and exploring and having adventures. But after a very, very long walk and a tea of roasted slugs, Vulgar's not so chipper. It's getting dark, and he's a bit spooked. There are trolls in these hills. Vulgar the Viking and the Midsummer Night's Scream: Vulgar thinks Midsummer Night's Eve is the best Viking festival of all!

Owen and his mum are struggling. It’s just the two of them now and they’re finding it difficult to ask for the help they need. When Owen discovers a battered old war memorial in the local park, he finds great comfort in confessing his worries to the war-weary stone soldier. No matter what Owen says, the soldier just sits and listens, and most days that’s all Owen needs.

Ben Pole is back at school and back in trouble! A band of burglars and an ancient mystical curse have him in a terrifying tangle. Who will save the day? Will they catch the Midnight Mob? Will Ben survive breakfast? He needs a genius. He needs a fearless bearded girl.

Meet our hero, Ben Pole. He's on the run from his arch-enemy Monty Grabbe when he discovers a forest with rope swings, water slides, Herbert the wombat and best of all King Coo. But watch out! Cow-pat-a-pults and Slug Pulp to the ready! Monty and his gang have a dastardly plan, and Ben and Coo need to come up with their best invention yet.

Mr Grunt's a man with a mission. He has to get a Person of Great Importance (or POGI) to someone called Mrs Bayliss by the 25th. Alive and well. And he can't tell anyone more than that, not even his lovely wife, Mrs Grunt, because there will be people trying to snatch the POGI and so the POGI must be transported in secret. It's an exciting adventure, but what interests Mr Grunt most are the silver coins he's been promised at the end of it.

When Melvin moves from the city to Donut (a perfectly round island with a hole in the middle), he thinks it's the most rubbish place ever. Then he meets Rhubarb. Rhubarb is obsessed with mysteries and has her own school newspaper to investigate the strange goings on in Donut. (Unfortunately nothing ever happens in Donut so she's never had anything to write about.) But then Melvin notices that the kids at school are acting very strangely. Could it be something to do with the Donut Hole Monsters that everyone is collecting? Also includes Attack of the Haunted Lunchbox.