Showing results by narrator "Sophie Aldred" in All Categories

The charismatic and reclusive Brigadier Munchausen is visited, online, by the mysterious Smith. Has he written his pages? Munchausen obliges and reveals some extraordinary incidents from his early life: a boy on the run, a fight with a seven-foot sailor and a romantic affair involving a whale. These extraordinary events all serve to propel our hero into the realisation that he is destined to save the world. But who is Smith, and why has he been sent? Why does the brigadier fear email? And, most of all, what really happened to him in Raqqa?

On the glittering shores of the Mediterranean in 1928, a dying author in exile races to complete his final novel. Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a sexually bold love story, a searing indictment of class distinctions and a study in sensuality. But the author, D. H. Lawrence, knows it will be censored. He publishes it privately, loses his copies to customs and dies bereft. Booker Prize-longlisted author Alison MacLeod brilliantly recreates the novel’s origins and boldly imagines its journey to freedom through the story of Jackie Kennedy, who was known to be an admirer.

The Fantastic Race is a tale of fast cars, incredible racing and amazing challenges. Two schoolfriends drive across Europe in the car of their dreams. To make it better, no adults allowed. The story takes place in Europe's most famous cities, and shows how intuition, passion and practice go a long way. Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the ride.

The children are saved from the dreaded School Holiday Club in the nick of time! They owe their escape to the elderly Miss Kents, who live in the basement of Paradise House. The Miss Kents have agreed to look after them. How can the children thank their rescuers enough? They hatch a plan that they think will appeal to old ladies. But things don't go quite as planned. Will the surprise be spoilt?

A brand new version of the classic Hans-Christian Andersen tale. When the evil Snow Queen kidnaps Kay, his best friend Gerda sets out alone on a quest to save him. But even if Gerda can find her friend, will she able to break the Snow Queen's spell before Kay's heart freezes completely?

The Revolting Rabbles have a new job, being peasants at the castle Open Day. And Rae is SO looking forward to dressing up in a sack. Rupert can't wait. He's obsessed with making plague boils out of balloons and custard. If only they didn't keep bursting... Another fantastic story about the Rabble family's hilarious historical re-enactments, from best-selling author Susan Gates.

It’s the Queen’s unofficial birthday, and no one has bought her a present. Not the Prime Minister, not the Treasurer, and not even her lazy Ladies-in-Waiting. All she wants is one small, very cheap present. Just because it has four legs and a tail, that shouldn’t put anyone off....

In the age of Trump and Brexit, every crisis is instantly overridden by the next. The turbulent political weather of the 21st century generates anxiety and makes it difficult to know how to react. Laing makes an inspiring case for why art matters more than ever, as a force of both resistance and repair. Art, she argues, changes how we see the world. It gives us X-ray vision. It reveals inequalities and offers fertile new ways of living. Funny Weather brings together a career's worth of Laing's writing about art and culture, and their role in our political and emotional lives.