Aesop's Fables
(illustrated by Jonathan Hateley)
Geraldine McCaughrean retells ten classic tales of pride, jealousy and tricksters. The characters may be animals, but humans can learn a thing or two!
Published 1998, Longman
The Orchard Book of Roman Myths
(illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark)
A wonderfully rich and varied collection of fifteen stories from Roman mythology, retold for today's young readers. Here are all the famous myths from the birth of Venus, to the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus. The great gods and goddesses, including Jupiter, Mars and Diana, are brought vividly to life by Emma Chichester Clark's beautiful illustrations that perfectly reflect the liveliness of Geraldine McCaughrean's gripping retellings.
Published 2003, Orchard Books.
Reviews
"These tales, freshly interpreted by Geraldine McCaughrean, never lose their ability to enthral."
-Carousel
'The book would be an attractive addition to the school library.'
- School Librarian
The Orchard Book of Greek Gods and Goddesses
(illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark)
The Greek gods and goddesses were members of a large extended family headed by Zeus and his wife Hera. Here are fifteen wonderful stories which recreate the world of these powerful characters who nevertheless possessed human attributes and failings.
Published 2005, Orchard Books
Reviews
"Refreshes and reframes tales that will not be over-familiar to most children."
- The Evening Standard
"McCaughrean has an original way of approaching her storytelling...A beautifully retold selection for children in the older age group."
- Best Books, Child Education, US
The Orchard Book of Greek Myths
(illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark)
The gods, heroes and monsters of Ancient Greece have all been brought to life in this exciting collection of Greek Myths. Retold in a contemporary style with snappy dialogue, whimsical descriptions, dramatic vignettes and ingenious embroideries and explanations.
Published 1992, Orchard Books
(Anniversary Edition) published 2013)
Reviews
'16 stories wonderfully retold...'
- Sunday Times
'...beautifully clear and serve as an excellent introduction to the Greek myths.'
- Good Book Guide
'These powerful stories are brought to a young modern audience with a verve and simplicity that makes them shine in our minds.'
- Michael Rosen
Greek Heroes
An anthology of the four heroes, Perseus, Theseus, Hercules and Odysseus.Courage, strength, cunning and determination. Is that what it takes to become a Hero?
Published 2007, Oxford University Press
Reviews
Powerful stories told with great panache that will keep readers gripped to the very end . . . Myths and legends are required reading for the curriculum, and you'll be hard-pressed to find better, more dramatic, more complete versions of the Greek epics than these. - Manchester Evening News
Retellings of the Greek myths and legends are many: this collection is one of the best.
- School Librarian
The Greek heroes may have had supernatural conceptions but they were men not gods and it is on their human aspect that Geraldine McCaughrean concentrates in her latest retellings . . . The style and assurance of the writing brings a smile of pleasure on every page.
-Jan Mark, Times Educational Supplement
Brave Magic
(illustrated by Cathie Falstead)
Once upon a time when magic flew on the wind, two chieftain braves were born, but one of them wanted to kill the other...
Published 1999, Scholastic
Gilgamesh the Hero
(illustrated by David Parkins)
This is the oldest story in the world - older than the Odyssey, older that the Iliad, older even than the Bible. And it's all about the things that matter most to us today: friendship, fame, courage, happiness.
Published 2002, Oxford University Press
Reviews
'Altogether a powerful and classic retelling of the famous story, well within the understanding of juniors and early teens.'
- School Librarian
Britannia: 100 Great Stories from British History
(illustrated by Richard Brassey)
Our island's history is made up of the best stories from the very beginning right up to our own times. Some of them are little more than legend and have disappeared from the history books. Others that seem hard to believe are absolutely true. 'Britannia' does not set out to be an accurate chronicle of Britain's past, but to put the 'story' back into history.
Published 2004, Orion Childrens' Books
Reviews
'Best of the bunch...her re-tellings are fresh, lively and accessible...'
- Daily Telegraph
'...colourful, exciting and heroic stories...' Bookseller '...a succession of readable, child-friendly two page spreads...she is a storyteller often touched by genius...'
- Books for Keeps
'This is an inspiring collection, mainly because of the quality of the retelling, but also because of the choice of subjects.'
- Good Book Guide
'This is the kind of book that can grip a child's imagination and spark a lifelong love of history.'
- Jennifer Lofthouse, ABC Magazine
Britannia has also been published in five parts of twenty stories by Dolphin Press
Britannia on Stage : 25 Stories Adapted as short stage plays for schools and drama groups.
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
King Shahryar kills a new wife every night, before she can stop loving him. But new bride Shahrazad has a clever plan to save herself. Her nightly stories- of Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba- are so exciting that King Shahryar finds himself postponing her execution again and again...
This is a completely original version of the Arabian Nights.
Published 1982 Oxford University Press
Reviews
"McCaughrean could probably weave a mesmerizing tale from the copy on the back of a cereal box."
--Publishers Weekly
"Teachers and librarians will find this version a wonderful addition to school programs focusing on world literature."
-- Territorial Tattler
The Quest of Isis
(to be added)
Published 1995, Longman
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Written especially for World Book Day 2003.
Showstopper!
The Bright Lights Theatre Company hit Darkville at 11.28 a.m. The Junker Boys arrive at the very same minute. The Bright Lights come armed with friendship, fun and Shakespeare.- but the Junkers have come to rob the bank.
A miniature sequel to McCaughrean's award-winning Stop the Train! And the prequel to the thrilling Pull Out All the Stops.
Published 2003, Oxford University Press
Winner of the 2001 Nestle Bronze Book Award
Shortlisted for the 2002 Carnegie Medal
Shortlisted for the 2002 Angus Book Award
The Kite Rider
Haoyou sees his father killed 'testing the wind' for a ship about to set sail - hauled aloft on a hatch- cover, just as if he were a kite. Horrific a place as the sky now seems, Haoyou is obsessed by its vastness, its dangers, its population of spirits. Somehow, it has become his fate to fly on the wind like his father, to man a kite. And when the circus of the Great Miao comes to town, it seems it is Haoyou's fate to travel with them into the very presence of Khublai Khan, Mogul conqueror, the unimagineable enemy of every Chinese patriot
Published 2001, Oxford University Press
Reviews
It snatches you up from the first chapter...beautiful and compulsive.
- The Sunday Times
A masterpiece of storytelling .
- The Times
Gripping stuff .
- Ian Hislop, The Sunday Telegraph
With her exuberant, nonstop plotting and supremely colorful setting, McCaughrean grabs hold of readers' imaginations and doesn't let go.
- Publishers Weekly
Amazon.com Editor's Top Ten Children's Books of 2000
The Stones are Hatching
Phelim knows he is nothing out of the ordinary. His sister is always telling him so. Why, then , is he suddenly beset by strangers calling him by the wrong name and telling him he must attempt the impossible - that everything depends on him? The countryside is overrun with monsters so old that the world has forgotten their names. The washerwoman at the river predicts that he will soon be dead. But the girl with no shadow, the leaping madman and the 'Obby 'Oss will not let him give up. Phelim Green must keep his rendezvous with the Stoor Worm whose warmth, in waking, is causing the very stones under her to hatch.
Published 1999, Oxford University Press
Reviews
McCaughrean is a superb storyteller, and her tale is irresistible.
- Times Educational Supplemen
Full of rich language and breathtaking imagery.
- The Bookseller
This evocative and sometimes profound fantasy distinguishes itself by way of vivid imagery, compelling action and often Siren-like lyricism.
- Publisher's Weekly
Readers will cheer…a whopping good read.
- Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books
Forever X
When the Shepherds' car breaks down on their way to their summer holiday, the only place they can find to stay is Forever X, the hotel where every day is Christmas Day. Mr and Mrs Shepherd would like to give the festivities a miss: four- year-old Mel wants to enter into them heart and soul. Joy is not sure how she should react, but when she makes friends with Holly, the resident elf, she can't help being drawn into the strange Partridge household. Then the mysterious Mr Angel arrives, who has the power to ruin everything and seems bent on using it. Can old F.C. and the children foil him keep the police at bay?
Published 1997, Oxford University Press
Reviews
A marvellous novel...brilliantly plotted. Within a few pages I was hooked by a marvellous novel.
- Tony Bradman, The Daily Telegaph
A stunningly clever novel.
- Books for Keeps
A subtle and literary novel.
- Sunday Times
A superbly written novel, both funny and illuminating.
- The School Librarian
Winner of the 1998 UK Reading Association Book Award (UKLA)
Shortlisted for the 1998 Carnegie Medal
Casting the Gods Adrift
When Tutmose and his family arrive in Pharaoh Akhenaten's new city, they are delighted to be taken under the ruler's wing. But this pharaoh's strange ideas about religion will change life for them all…
Published 1998, A&C Black Publishers
Reviews
The stories, told from the perspective of a child whose situation elicits genuine interest and concern, are full of excitement and surprise.
- Times Educational Supplement
Suspenseful... An excellent resource for ancient-civilizations studies.
- Booklist
An exciting read that is sure to entertain again and again, Casting the Gods Adrift will find a permanent spot on your young one’s shelf.
- Cricket Magazine
Winner of the 1996 Smarties Bronze Book Prize
Shortlisted for the 1996 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
Shortlisted for the 1998 ALA Best Book for Young Adults & Notable Book of the Year
Plundering Paradise/
The Pirate's Son
Nathan must leave school. Tamo White is leaving of his own accord. He suggests that Nathan go with him - back to Madagascar where Tamo's father ruled as a pirate king. But what will the island hold for a British boy from a staunchly Christian background, and is it any place to take his sister, the mousy Maud?
Published 1996, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"McCaughrean has the gift of making remote times and places unfold before the readers very eyes... What a novelist!"
- The Independent
"This must be the finest adventure story for years...A brilliant read."
- The Guardian
"The clashing of wildly disparate cultures and what it means to be a grown-up in a place where all the rules are different are viewed through a prism of cyclones, slaver raids, pirate booty, lost ships, blood, gore, and mystery. A finely paced, marvelously crafted read."
- Booklist
"A superb adventure story - the literary equivalent of a good all-action movie."
- Good Housekeeping
Gold Dust
Inez and her brother Maro are amazed to see a big hole being dug outside their father's shop. Their amazement grows as other holes appear in the main street. Then the rumours begin to spread: there is gold under the little town of Sierra Vazia. But as gold-hunters descend on the town to try their luck, life in the little town becomes increasingly unbearable. Inez and Maro, with the help of their samba-singing school- teacher, set out to save their home from the terrible symptoms of gold-fever.
Published 1993, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"Spell-binding from start to finish...hauntingly drawn."
- Books for Keeps
"An engrossing, funny, tragic blockbuster of a story."
- Junior Bookshelf
"A rich tale of the lust for money that undermines an entire
Brazilian town."
- The Guardian
"This novel is a feat of imagination and genuinely awe-inspiring in its scope and authority."
- Books For Your Children
Winner of the 1994 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
Shortlisted for the 1994 Smarties Book Prize
A Pack of Lies
When MCC Berkshire moves into the antiques shop, he turns life upside down for Ailsa and her mother. He sleeps on the old bed in the shop, and button-holes every potential customer with a special story, told just for them. But just who is MCC? And why does he tell such awful lies? Ailsa has never met anyone like this, but MCC cannot afford to become too involved, because MCC has a story all of his own.
Published 1988 Oxford University Press
Reviews
"One of the warmest, funniest, most touching,and above all surprising books you may ever read."
- Touchdown
"The author leaps from genre to genre, in the writing equivalent of sleight of hand... McCaughrean pulls off each meta-fictional complexity with finesse and humor."
- Publishers Weekly
"[An] unusual piece of fiction with surprising twists at the end.
McCaughrean is eloquent and flawless in her style."
- School Library Journal
"Entertainment like this is rare; it should be enjoyed, re-tasted and remembered with pleasure."
- Growing Point
Winner of the 1989 Guardian Book Award
Winner of the 1989 Carnegie Medal
A Little Lower than the Angels
Gabriel takes refuge from his master's cruelty with a band of travelling mystery players. His name and appearance suggest to the play-master a hoax miracle scam, which could make him rich. But miracles have to be handled with care, and in a time of plague, miracle-workers face dangers, which are just not worth the risk...
Published 1987, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"..A compelling narrative appealing young characters, superbly vivid detail and and exciting plot."
- Growing Point
"...thoughtful and powerful."
- The School Librarian
"The main characters are vivid beings, and McCaughrean sustains a pungent, disreputable atmosphere, interwoven with values of loyalty, honor, and literacy. Somewhat easier to read, but in the tradition of Rosemary Sutcliff and Cynthia Harnett... A Little Lower than the Angels will illuminate the feudal era and challenge readers."
- Patricia Harrington, School Library Journal
"One of the most spectacularly talented and enjoyable writers around."
- Books for Keeps
Winner of the 1987 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award