Thrilling historical adventure set during the English peasants' revolt of 1381, by Paul Dowswell, the author of Ausländer, and Wolf Children. It's 1381 and the king, Richard II, has imposed a new tax on the people. In the village of Aylesford, Tilda and her ploughman father were already struggling to make ends meet. As serfs they have no rights to move freely or earn wages for their work. Tilda is desperate for a better life than the village can offer, so when the villagers begin to rebel she is swept up in the excitement. Tilda and her father travel to London with the others to petition the king, but the peaceful rebellion they hoped for soon ignites into violence, mayhem and treachery. Tilda's fight for a better life is only just beginning...This page-turning adventure sheds new light on a period of history which is covered in the KS3 curriculum, and will have readers gripped from start to finish.

A gripping, fantastical adventure set against the enthralling backdrop of ancient Bohemia. When Lukas Declercq is orphaned, his uncle summons him to Prague, a refuge for Europe's greatest alchemists and natural philosophers, offering to take him on as an apprentice. Uncle Anselmus is court physician to Rudolph II, the reclusive and unstable Emperor. He is also curator of Rudolph's bizarre Cabinet of Curiosities, a series of vast rooms stuffed with wonders and scientific marvels such as a nail from Noah's Ark, phoenix feathers and monstrous freaks of nature, which fascinate Lukas. As Rudolph retreats further into his fantasy world, the threat of rebellion hangs in the air. Dorantes, a diplomat from Spain, comes with his daughter, Celestina, on a mission from Philip II to persuade Rudolph to give up his heretical ways. But he discovers the court is full of diplomats who have been waiting months or years for an audience with the Emperor. Dorantes notices how some had wormed their...

Alex Ostermann lives in an apartment block with his family in East Berlin. He hates the regime and his parents are worried that Alex and his sister, Geli, aren't displaying the correct 'socialist attitude'. After school they are often followed. Friends suddenly break off relations. The final straw comes when Alex is arrested.With the help of professional 'escape assistants' the whole family make a dramatic escape to the West. Although their driver and his accomplice are killed in the attempt, the family all make it alive.But Alex soon discovers that in a bid to save Alex and Geli, their father has cut a secret deal with the Stasi, agreeing to become a spy in West Germany. A deal that places Alex and Geli in even more danger when their father's Stasi handler realises that Alex and Geli have found out. With the CIA and West German Secret Service on their trail too, powerful forces converge for a terrifying showdown.

In the exciting tradition of Patrick O'Brian comes the saga of one boy's life in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Thirteen-year-old Sam Witchall had always dreamed of a sailor's life, but he didn't realize how dangerous and gruesome life at sea could be until he is pressed into service aboard H.M.S. Miranda. Beginning his naval career as a "powder monkey"-assistant to a gun crew on the warship-Sam learns the hard way how to cope with enemies both in battle and on the Miranda herself. With enough conflict, storms, and shipwrecks to thrill any fan of the Master and Commander series, this epic tale introduces a new generation to this exciting historical period, when even a lowly powder monkey could become a hero. Recognition Powder Monkey has been named a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Reviews "Readers will be absorbed in the day-to-day life of young Sam, and his vivid tale will keep them on edge as he tries to escape his ...

Eight thrilling true stories of daring escapes.Contains tales of breakouts from infamous institutions such as Alcatraz and Devil's Island, and the risks the prisoners faced afterwards, including savage dogs, armed guards and shark-infested waters.Gripping and engaging for readers who prefer real life to fiction.

In March 1801, a mere six weeks after Sam Witchall's ship wrecked off the Cornish coast, his hopes for getting home are dashed when he is framed for theft and sent to Australia for punishment. The 15,000 mile, eight month journey is a hard and horrible one, and when he and his good friend Richard finally arrive, they find themselves fighting for their lives in the Australian bush. This epic sequel to Powder Monkey is every bit as exciting and action packed as its predecessor.  From School Library JournalGrade 5-9–Back with his mates at sea, and now on the enormous HMS Elephant, 13-year-old Sam Witchall, first introduced in Powder Monkey (Bloomsbury, 2005), is once again in the heat of battle. But this time he comes painfully close to death when he and his friend Richard are falsely accused of a crime and sent aboard a prison ship headed for Australia. The danger worsens when he escapes into the Australian Bush and is tied up by a cannibalistic murderer. Fate lends him a hand when two fugitives rescue the boys, and they fight their way back to civilization. The venturesome and dangerous life of a sailor in 1801 is vividly brought to life. This tale, however, takes on a much darker turn as Sam is exposed to torture, illness, and a gruesome murder. Adventure fans will not be disappointed with the daring rescues, shark attacks, espionage, and heated battles that fill the pages of this historically accurate and vastly entertaining sequel.–Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review'Prepare to have your timbers well and truly shivered by Paul Dowswell and his naval warfare novels, already hailed as "Patrick O'Brian for kids". With detail that points to extensive research and a plot with more snap than a cat o' nine tails, we join Sam on his journey from terrified "powder monkey" with a gun crew to experienced sailor who knows the ropes.' The Scotsman 'Another splendid book for 11+ boys, with a masterly climax.' The Times

Set during the final 24 hours before the armistice at 11 a.m. on 11th November 1918, the story follows a German storm trooper, an American airman and a British Tommy. Their destinies converge during the death throes of the first ever conflict to spread across the globe. War becomes incredibly personal as nationality and geography cease to matter to each of these teenagers on the Western Front, and friendship becomes the defining aspect of their encounter. But who will live and who will die before the end of the day?ReviewPraise for Auslander: A breakthrough into the top league for Dowswell, a hugely impressive thriller set during the Second World War ... There will be many adults sneakily borrowing this from their children The Bookseller Auslander is a superlative, at times almost agonisingly compelling, piece of historical fiction ... The climactic escape to freedom is pure muck-sweat tension Financial Times Doswell is one of the best new writers of historical fiction for children ... [Auslander] steps outside the victim culture of novels such as those by Morris Gleitzman and comes close to classics such as The Silver Sword. Admirers of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas should look at this novel as a model of imaginative sympathy The Times About the AuthorA former senior editor with Usborne Publishing, Paul Dowswell is now a full-time author. He has written over sixty books, including Ausländer, shortlisted for the Red House Children's Book Award and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. Paul lives in Wolverhampton with his family.*http://www.pauldowswell.co.uk/*

Russia, 1940. Fifteen-year-old Misha's life is about to transform when his father is offered a job in Stalin's inner circle. They move into a luxurious apartment in the Kremlin, but doubts about the glorious new Russia quickly surface. Misha realises that the secret police can do whatever they like. His own mother is arrested and sent to prison, but Misha and his father daren't complain. Then as German troops advance on Moscow, the atmosphere in the Kremlin ignites. Misha and a friend find themselves at the heart of a battle against the mighty state in this powerful evocation of one of the most turbulent places and periods of the 20th century, told by a master storyteller.

When Peter's parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland. But Peter is Volksdeutscher-of German blood. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler Youth poster. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable. Indeed, a prominent German family is pleased to adopt such a fine Aryan specimen into their household. But despite his new "family," Peter feels like a foreigner-an ausländer-and he is forming his own ideas about what he sees and what he's told. He doesn't want to be a Nazi. So he takes a risk-the most dangerous one he could possibly choose in 1942 Berlin. . . .Paul Dowswell weaves meticulous research into a thrilling narrative, exposing a different angle of the horrors of Nazi Germany.

One in five never returned.Every boy dreams of flying, but in war that dream can turn into a nightmare. Harry Friedman is the gunner of the Macey May, an American Flying Fortress stationed in East Anglia. The Second World War is raging and the Nazis have swept over Europe. The crews of every Flying Fortress face terrible odds on their bombing missions. To make it through alive, Harry will need luck on his side and courage...Courage to keep going when he has watched close friends die. Courage to confront a terrible evil. And the courage to make it home from deep behind enemy lines.Nail-biting tension and compelling storytelling combine with Dowswell's meticulous research to deliver a page-turner for fans of John Boyne, Morris Gleitzman and Marcus Zusak.

Sam escapes death in Australia when the truth about his false conviction is finally revealed. But on the journey back to England he faces pirates and a terrible storm, before making the longed-for trip back up the River Thames. Finally reunited with his family in Norfolk, Sam realises how much life at sea has become part of him. So when he hears that Napoleon plans to attack England, he is tempted to join the Navy once more, and finds himself Midshipman on none other than the Victory, preparing for one of the most epic battles in history: Trafalgar.