Stravaganza City Of Ships

Sequel to City of Masks, the setting is again Talia, the parallel world very similar to 16th-century Italy, but the main character in this book is Georgia - who has a love of horses. She is desperate to buy a little, dusty winged horse that has appeared in a local antique shop. This tiny, winged horse proves to be the talisman that transports Georgia right into the rivalries and the high-octane excitement of the hugely competitive Stellata horse race. Mary Hoffman proved herself a mistress of a narrative tour-de-force with City of Masks and this sequel will not disappoint. Fans will be thrilled too that favourite characters from the first book, such as Lucien and Arianna, again appear.

Feeling inferior to her talented twin brother, teenaged Isabel is transported to a parallel world that resembles the Italian Renaissance city-state of Ravenna, where she tries to save the city from attack by the fierce Gate people.

The sixth title in the ever popular Stravaganza series

Drawn to France to explore the myth of Saint Christopher and the "cynocephalus" or the dog-headed, Annja Creed finds herself repeatedly and inexplicably targeted by vicious mercenaries. Her best defense is to trace this brutal violence back to its source, which she soon discovers to be a millionaire and self-professed descendant of King Charlemagne. Original.

All Hal ever wanted was a dog - but a dog would damage the expensive carpets in his parents' glamorous home, and they refuse to consider one. That's until they discover Easy Pets, a dog-rental agency. Fleck the terrier arrives on Hal's birthday, and Hal is overjoyed. But when Hal discovers to his horror that his dog is to be returned, he runs away... along with a bunch of pedigree hounds, all joyfully escaping from Easy Pets! Soon Hal and his dogs - including Otto the wise St Bernard, and the fierce and excitable Pekinese Li-Chee - are being chased across the country by ruthless pursuers. Helped by a travelling circus and some orphanage children, can they race to freedom? Written in the timeless tradition of 101 Dalmations, this is a tail-wagging grand adventure that every dog-lover will adore. Praise for Eva Ibbotson: "Readers of classic children's fiction will be familiar with the bliss that steals over one when a new Eva Ibbotson novel is published." Amanda Craig, The Times "Eva Ibbotson weaves a magic like no other. Once enchanted, always enchanted." Michael Morpurgo "This kind of fun will never fail to delight." Philip Pullman

Living temporarily in Venice, three American siblings uncover a mystery surrounding magical objects, an Arabian Nights book, and animals that can walk in and out of paintings.

Set in Classe (Ravenna in our world), the Stravagante is Isabel, a younger twin by a matter of minutes. Her talisman is a pouch of silver mosaic tiles and she stravagates to Classe, where she is met by Flavia, a successful female merchant who trades spices, silks, tapestries, and whose son is an outcast and a pirate. Isabel finds that Classe and Bellezza are under threat from attack by the fierce Gate people. What can she do to help save the city? A thrilling story packed with action, pirates and drama.

A mysterious warrior travels the kingdom of Auroria, battling monstrous creatures and seeking adventure. Few know this warrior's true identity as the young and inexperienced masked monarch, Queen Vivian! Stravaganza chronicles a world where humans are not at the top of the food chain, and the Queen in the Iron Mask must learn to use both her sword and her throne to protect her people from the dangers looming beyond the city walls.