Showing results by author "Sylvia Bishop" in All Categories

Betsy is delighted that her father is opening a bakery. And when the taster of fine foods for the queen asks him to cater for a Royal Gala, it seems like the icing on the cake - until they discover just how many cakes are needed. The whole family pitches in to help, but as the day of the gala dawns, Betsy knows the only way they’ll get the job done is with a little help from her 44 mice. Just as long as she can keep them away from prying eyes.

When Max is sent to Istanbul to stay with her boring Great-Aunt Elodie, little does she expect to be plunged into a thrilling nighttime adventure across Europe. And when the mysterious Heartbreak Diamond goes missing, Max must find her feet in a whirling world of would-be diamond smugglers, thieves and undercover detectives. Will she discover the real diamond thief before they reach their destination?

Transplanted from her exciting life as an explorer's daughter, Freya finds herself miserable at boarding school. She hates the boring rules, the other girls are mean and the headmistress is frostiness personified. When a bat removal expert is called in to deal with an infestation, Freya meets his children and makes friends at last. They explore the city, with particular interest in the grand exhibition showing priceless artefacts for the first time. Then the objects are stolen in a heist, and Freya is sure her new friends are responsible - but the true culprit might be closer to home.

The story is about a little girl named Property Jones, so called because she was left in the lost property cupboard of an old bookshop when she was five years old. Property loves living in the bookshop, but she has a secret...she can't actually read! So Property doesn't see the newspaper article announcing the chance to win The Montgomery Book Emporium, a magical place filled with books and a very bad-tempered cat. But all is not as it seems, and soon Property finds herself in a heap of trouble.

When Erica Perkins wakes up on the morning of her 10th birthday, the last thing she expects is to find a very confused elephant sitting on her doorstep. So begins an unlikely friendship. But can a small girl and a rather large elephant learn to live together in a tiny terraced house? And when the dastardly owner of the local zoo plots to steal the elephant, will Erica be able to outsmart him?

Betsy Bow-Linnet is determined to become a world famous concert pianist like her parents. There's just one problem: no matter how hard she practises she doesn't share their musical talents. So when a mysterious letter arrives from a woman claiming to know of an unusual method that will make Betsy's playing stupendous, Betsy jumps at the chance. There's just one condition: she must keep the method a secret.

New York, 1969. Paperboy Jamie Creeden has always wanted to be a reporter - so when he is given a tour of the famous Morning Yorker newspaper offices, he can't believe his luck. But a chance phone call draws him into the mystery of a missing actress. Soon Jamie, along with his new friends Eve and Rose, must navigate a tense world of infamous villains, double-crossing, and carefully planted clues - a world in which he can trust absolutely no one. He still longs to be on the front page - but at what cost?

Betsy is taking her mice to the vets when she spots the lights of the circus tent and can’t resist stepping inside. Soon she’s transfixed by the spellbinding performers as they tumble, spin and fly through the air. But when her mice escape and ruin the final act, Betsy has to face the odious ringmaster, Mr Fry. And he’s determined to make her pay....

Kelda has always protected her little sister Isla from danger on the rivers, and from the suspicions of their community. For Isla cannot breathe underwater – and so her very existence is forbidden by silvermen's Lore. Now the rivers of England are growing sick: monstrous creatures are awakening and a fierce torrent of blame falls upon Kelda's family. When betrayal comes, the sisters escape on a desperate journey upstream. Joining forces with a mysterious boy, Kelda discovers the darkest depths of her kind's secret history.

Dylan was born with two spirits: human and monster. When he and his family dive underwater, they become wyrms, enormous guardians of the seas. Yet Dylan hates his second spirit, and fears he will hurt innocent people. With his family away on a mission to quell a rising danger in the ocean, Dylan takes his chance to change himself for good and feeds his second self to a spirit eater. But things go awry, and Dylan is left half-changed, with the creature ever on his tail.