Pet Idol is in town, and Hamish, a floppy-eared spaniel, is the favourite to win. But as the spotlight falls on the lane, Top Dog and his gang of strays are hunted by the Dog Catcher, and blame Hamish for their troubles. With his haphazard magic, an appetite for toast and a strange travelling machine, can Badger the Mystical Mutt save Hamish from Top Dog and his gang? And can Hamish still win Pet Idol?
Timmy, the cat with the crumpled ear and six and a half senses, desperately wants to join the gang. But no cat has ever been allowed to join the notorious all-dog group. To help him, Badger needs to visit the Crystal Cave, but the Wim-Wim is suffering from a crumpled crank shaft and is going nowhere. Can Badger make alternative travel arrangements? How did Snif, the gang leader, get his brutal scar? And can dogs and cats ever truly rumble along together?
A Big Top has arrived on the lane with a spectacular attraction: a real live minotaur! But the minotaur wants to return home, and Pogo Paws is homesick for his childhood circus family. The minotaur's labyrinth is in a parallel universe called Esterious, and Pogo Paws' circus is far, far away, and to return would mean abandoning Pickle. Can Badger, with his makeshift magic and a little help from a solar eclipse, open the portal in the Crystal Cave, and make the Enchanting Exchange happen? Or will Pickle sabotage Badger's attempts, and make it impossible for Pogo Paws and the minotaur to ever find their way home?
It's the most important night of the year, but a dense fog has descended on the lane. And there's something and someone missing from the gang reunion party: Badger's prized neckerchief, and Pickle's best pal, Pogo Paws. Without 'Chief, his lucky mascot, Badger struggles with his spells until a cheeky fez called Otto comes to his rescue ... and causes even more mayhem. Will 'Chief ever return, and will the gang step up to save Pickle - now the only stray on the lane - from the dreaded Dog Catcher? Badger the Mystical Mutt weaves his wonky magic once again in this tale of friendship and adversity.
A mysterious and extremely whiffy smell has caused the Pong Police to close the lane. Now Cheryl with a C, the dancing diva who puts the wah-wah in Chihuahua, has nowhere to practice for Anton Du Bark's Hotpaws Barking Boogie, and she needs a partner! Newly appointed leader of the gang, Dodgy Dave, has a secret he's not keen to share. Can the Alley Cats bring the lane back to life, and can Buddy Bites get Cheryl off spicy fajitas for ever?
Lennie is now leading the gang, but is having terrible nightmares. Badger's spells are not working so they decide to visit Baby Unicorn. But Nippy Nimbus sends them on an unexpected bumpy ride to the Back of Beyond. Can they escape and find answers in the Zen Den? Back in the lane, The Earl of Doodlepoppington, Badger's distant cousin, arrives with plans for a development of luxury doghouses, which will affect everyone - the alley cats, the gang and the birds!
Stop! Danger! Sex for sale! A red light can signify any one of those, but in a radio station it means a microphone has gone live: the walls may be soundproof, but in a studio space, everyone can hear you scream...or sneeze. For twenty-five years, Jeff Zycinski worked for BBC Radio and became the longest-serving boss of Radio Scotland. He made the big decisions - buying a new vacuum cleaner for the Selkirk office - and chaired a meeting that almost erupted in violence when someone suggested cats were better than dogs. He has a lot to say about Brexit, Scottish Independence, football, BBC bias, Islam and strippers...but not in this book. Okay, he talks about them a bit...mainly the strippers. An affectionate, humorous account of inside life at the Beeb - you will never buy chips in the same way again!
Now in its fifth edition, Inside Book Publishing remains the classic introduction to the book publishing industry, being both a manual for the profession for over two decades and the bestselling textbook for students of publishing.The book remains essential reading for publishing students, those seeking a career in publishing, recent entrants to the industry, and authors seeking an insider's view. The accompanying website supports the book by providing up-to-date and relevant content.This new edition has been fully updated to respond to the rapid changes in the market and technology. Now more global in its references and scope, the book explores the tensions and trends affecting the industry, including the growth of ebooks, self-publishing, and online retailing, and new business models and workflows. The book provides excellent overviews of the main aspects of the publishing process, including commissioning, product development, design and production, marketing, sales and distribution.
An ambitious man and his adoring daughter are separated and estranged by an ocean and by the tides of history in this “marvelous” novel (Los Angeles Times). For Anna Schoene, growing up in the magical world of Shanghai in the 1930s creates a special bond between her and her father. He is the son of missionaries, a smuggler, and a millionaire who leads a charmed but secretive life. When the family flees to Los Angeles in the face of the Japanese occupation, he chooses to stay, believing his connections and luck will keep him safe. He’s wrong—but he survives, only to again choose Shanghai over his family during the Second World War. Anna and her father reconnect late in his life, when she finally has a family of her own, but it is only when she discovers his extensive journals that she is able to fully understand him and the reasons for his absences. The Distant Land of My Father is a “beautiful” novel “for everyone who has ever felt himself in exile from any beloved place, or a time that can never return” (The Washington Post Book World). “Seamlessly weaves together Anna’s own memories with those of her father, gleaned from the journals . . . An elegant, refined story of families, wartime, and the mystique of memory.” —Kirkus Reviews “Vivid with details of prewar Shanghai and Los Angeles.” —Publishers Weekly “Lush and epic.” —San Jose Mercury News “Remarkable . . . A moving tale of love and the possibility of forgiveness.” —Library Journal
