Felix Brooke, the orphaned son of an English soldier and an aristocratic Spanish mother, has been raised in the strict, loveless household of his grandfather in Villaverde, Spain. When Felix gains possession of a letter that contains a clue to the whereabouts of his father's family, he gladly runs away form home to pursue the trail. His journey from Spain to far-off England begins the adventure of a lifetime.

After visiting his family in England, Felix is on his way back to Spain when he's shipwrecked off the coast of France. He is taken in by monks to recover from his ordeal--but it soon becomes clear to him that he is actually being held prisoner. Felix encounters an injured boy, Juan, on the grounds of the monastery and saves him from death. The two boys escape and continue on to Spain together--but a gang is pursuing Juan, and the journey is more dangerous than they imagined.

Despised by his Spanish relatives and ignored by his distant grandfather, twelve-year-old orphan Felix Brooke is lonely and unhappy. So when he's given a parcel with a blood-stained letter from his dead father, it inspires him to track down his long-lost English family. Felix packs his bag, jumps on his trusty mule and heads for the coast and a new life. But his journey across the mountains and over the sea does not prove to be plain sailing - as Felix soon discovers . . .

'Wait, wait! Save us! What'll we do?'Simon is determined to become a painter when he grows up so he sets off to London to make his fortune. But the city is plagued by wolves and mysterious disappearances. The Twite household, where Simon is lodging, seems particularly shifty. Before he even gets a chance to open his glistening new paints Simon stumbles right into the centre of a plot to kill the King. And worse than that Simon is kidnapped and sent to sea! Luckily there are two friendly stowaways aboard - the feisty Dido Twite and the spoiled young Justin. But when the ship catches fire things look pretty dire. Can they escape? Will they save the king in time?BACKSTORY: Test your knowledge of Black Hearts in Battersea and play the name game.

Strong and independent Valla Montgomery abandons her New York career to search for her half-brother in Joan Aiken's gothic novel, Caste Barebane.To get away from her pretentious New York Fiance, Valla is only too pleased to have an excuse to travel to England. So when she discovers her half-brother and his wife have disappeared from their London home - leaving their young two children all alone - Valla rushes to their rescue.Between all the local clubs, music halls and lodging houses Valla has no luck, resolving to extend her search wherever it may take her. With her niece and nephew by her side Valla journeys to Scotland, ending up in a bleak castle perched on the edge of a cliff. In this Gothic setting the mystery surrounding her missing brother only gets darker, more sinister, and more terrifying . . . This unforgettable Gothic tale of love, loss, and human nature is brought to life by Joan Aiken's vivid story-telling and gripping plot....

Dido Twite is waylaid by her father, the shady Abednego Twite, acting on instructions from his evil patron. Why is Dido so urgently needed in Wapping? Why are King Richard's friends all accidentally drowning in the Thames? How does hard-drinking Mrs Lily Bloodvessel figure in this intricate plot, with her cellar full of sleeping guttersnipes? Another rollercoasting story by Joan Aiken, in which Dido's scheming Pa finally receives his comeuppance.

From Publishers WeeklyIn this suspenseful sequel to Go Saddle the Sea and Bridle the Wind , both set in early 19th century Spain, a mature Felix returns, prepared for adventure. Three children have been kidnapped by their father, an escaped political prisoner who is hiding in the mountains. Will Felix be able to free them? Even knowing these are "wild and heartless times" because of King Ferdinand's terrible reign, he agrees to try. The trip will give him a chance to see his love, Juana. From the start, it seems that the little party is being followed. The horses are poisoned, and there are further ominous signs of a plot. Whom can they trust? Have they been sent into a trap? Intrigue is Aiken's stock-in-trade, and there is plenty to be found in this novel. While readers may sense a lack of underlying theme and wish for a greater development of Felix's affection for Juana, they could hardly ask for a more diverting, action-filled plot. As usual, Aiken writes with endless inventiveness and ease. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalGrade 7 Up A stirring continuation of the adventures of the resourceful orphaned heir who, at 12, ran away from his Spanish grandfather's estate to seek his English father's people in Go Saddle the Sea (Doubleday, 1977; o.p.); and a year later made a shipwrecked return, in Bridle the Wind (Delacorte, 1983). It is a more mature Felix, now 18, who develops an understanding of his responsibilities as he meets physical dangers and political intrigues when his studies are interrupted and his help asked in regaining custody of children kidnapped by their mad fatheran escaped political prisoner. His elderly aunts fear that it is all a political trap to confiscate the estates, as grandfather is a known liberal, whose friends and views are out of favor with the restored monarch turned reactionary. But one member of the rescue party is Juana, the Basque girl whom Felix lovesrespectfully, since she has entered a conventand hopefully, since she has not taken final vows. Full of action, interesting characters, and made-real places, this forms a well-meshed conclusion to earlier episodes and an intriguing glimpse into Spain in the 1820s. (Author's historic notes and reading list are appended.) These books get better with each reading; share them with the adults. Ruth M. McConnell, San Antonio Public LibraryCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Young Arabel's life is changed forever when her father, a taxi driver, brings home an injured bird he finds in the street. This wacky raven eats everything in sight, answers the telephone by squawking "Nevermore!" and causes chaos wherever he goes—but Arabel loves her new feathered friend, whom she names Mortimer.This is the first volume of Arabel and Mortimer's adventures, brightened with hilarious illustrations by Quentin Blake.

There is eerie trouble once again in the Cornish village of St Boan, often known as Thunder's Pocket. Some hundred-year-old water pipes are being replaced and the digging has disturbed the ghosts of the past, namely the twins Matthew and Ben Pernel who were killed in mysterious circumstances and their musician father blamed. The three are now trying to be reunited but less innocent forces are also at work and the present townspeople are involved as the unhappy incidents of a hundred years ago are relived. Aunt Lal calls on her nephew Ned to help. She believes only he can bring the Pernels together again and thus truly bury the past. But even Ned is not immune to the horrors of the disturbed spirits. A thrilling sequel to In Thunder's Pocket by this prestigious author.

1832 - a period of English History that never happened. Good King James III is on the throne and the country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When Sylvia and Bonnie (both orphans) fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they must use all their wits to escape unscathed - for the governess is more cruel and merciless than the wolves that surround the great house of Willoughby Chase.