Series: HarperCollins Children’s Classics

Dorothy Edwards’ playful stories and Shirley Hughes’ beautiful illustrations have charmed generations of children and adults alike for nearly 75 years. My naughty little sister is stubborn and greedy and full of mischief. She tries to cut off the cat’s tail and eats all the trifle at Harry’s party! How much bother can one little sister be? Dorothy Edwards’ classic...

A classic children’s story from one of our best-loved authors, former Children’s Laureate Anne Fine. This edition is illustrated throughout by Mark Beech and features special bonus material. Bill's New Frock tells the tale of Bill Simpson, who wakes up to find he's a girl—and his mother insists he wear a frilly pink dress to school. How on earth is...

The Whitbread 2000 Book of the Year is a haunting and captivating work of historical fiction for children. The Coram man takes babies and money from desperate mothers, promising to deliver them safely to a Foundling Hospital in London. Instead, he murders them and buries them by the roadside, to the helpless horror of his mentally ill son, Mish. Mish...

In Nazi-occupied Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen is called upon for a selfless act of bravery to help save her best friend from a terrible fate. Winner of the Newbery Medal. “They plan to arrest all the Danish Jews. They plan to take them away. And we have been told that they may come tonight.” It is 1943 and life in...

A timeless classic adventure illustrated by former Children’s Laureate Quentin Blake. A magical old man has asked Kay to protect the Box of Delights, a box with which he can travel through time. But Kay is in danger: Abner Brown will stop at nothing to get his hands on it. The police don't believe Kay, so when his family and...

Julia Golding’s award-winning adventure series is perfect for fans of Katherine Woodfine, Robin Stevens, and J.T. Williams. This HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition features special bonus material. Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award. 'I am Cat Royal – Orphan, Adventurer, Actress… Reader, you are set to embark on an adventure about one...

‘Two of the greatest children’s books ever written’ – The Times on Box of Delights and The Midnight Folk. ‘You ought to know about the treasure, Kay … for until it is restored or traced, no man of our name ought to rest.’ Determined to recover the long-lost family treasure, Kay finds himself in a race against the evil Abner...

Partly autobiographical, this is the second title in Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy of books following the life of Anna through war-torn Germany, to London during the Blitz and her return to Berlin to discover the past. It is hard enough being a teenager in London during the Blitz, finding yourself in love and wondering every night whether you will...

'A mischievous boy hero and an equally amusing ghoul,’ Guardian An iconic ghost story for children from Penelope Lively, one of the modern greats of British fiction. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there… James is fed up. His family has moved to a new cottage – with grounds that are great for excavations, and trees...

The extraordinary story of a boy called Wart – ignored by everyone except his tutor, Merlyn – who goes on to become King Arthur. Come, sword, said the Wart. He took hold of the handles with both hands and strained against the stone… but nothing moved… When the wizard Merlyn comes to tutor Sir Ector’s sons, Kay and the Wart,...

The tale of a lost mouse who finds a new home Thursday the Mouse fell from a balloon, having just escaped from the Home for Waif-Mice and Stray-Mice. The Peck family of church mice adopt him and give him his name – Thursday – because the day he arrived was a Thursday to remember. Thursday joins the Pecks in their...

First published by HarperCollinsUS in 1964, this classic children’s novel has sold over 4 million copies and was awarded the New York Times Outstanding Book Award. Sixth-grader Harriet attends school on New York's Upper East Side along with her two best pals, Sport and Janie. After school every day, she takes her notebook and proceeds through her spy route. Harriet...

The most famous and loved racing story of all time. National Velvet is a classic tale of dreams, ambition and one girl’s belief in a horse. Velvet’ll sit on a horse like a shadow and breathe her soul into it … I never seen such a creature on a horse. Fourteen-year-old Velvet is mad about horses. When she wins a...

Street Child is the unforgettable tale of an orphan in Victorian London, based on the boy whose plight inspired Dr Barnardo to found his famous children’s homes. When his mother dies, Jim Jarvis is left all alone in London. He is sent to the workhouse but quickly escapes, choosing a hard life on the streets of the city over the...

Partly autobiographical, this is the third title in Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy of books following the life of Anna through war-torn Germany, to London during the Blitz, and her return to Berlin to discover the past. A Small Person Far Away is the story of Berlin, where Anna lived before Hitler, when she was still a German child; before...

The original story of everyone’s favourite bear, Paddington, now a major movie star! “A bear on Paddington Station?” said Mrs Brown in amazement. “Don’t be silly – there can’t be.” A Bear Called Paddington begins as Paddington Bear travels all the way from Darkest Peru, where he first meets the Brown family at Paddington station. From that moment on, their...

In a perfect world, Jonas begins to see the flaws… The Giver is the classic award-winning novel that inspired the dystopian genre and a major motion picture adaptation for 2014 starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift. It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything....

You must get away tonight, the man had told him. David escapes from the concentration camp where he has spent his entire life and flees across Europe. He is utterly alone – who can he trust? What will await him? And all the while, how can he be sure that they won’t catch up with him... This is the remarkable...

A spine-tingling magical fantasy and modern classic from the author of Charlie Bone, Jenny Nimmo. ‘Time to find out if you are a magician, Gwyn …’Gwyn’s grandmother leaves him five gifts: a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. She tells him they will help make him a magician – but...

One of the all-time great animal stories. Kenneth Grahame's classic children's book, with exclusive illustrations from E.H. Shepard, has delighted generations. "There’s nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.…" One of Junior Magazine’s 100 best children’s books of all time! The Wind in the Willows is one of the most famous and...

A gift edition of this classic tale of pups and villains, with vibrant illustrations by the award-winning Alex T Smith, creator of Claude.‘As comforting as hot buttered toast’ – Guardian THE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANSWhen dastardly Cruella De Vil steals a whole litter of Dalmatian puppies to make a new fur coat, the puppies’ parents, Pongo and Missus, lose no...

Both heart-wrenching and heart-warming, The Animals of Farthing Wood is a classic story of animal adventure and the fight for survival. ‘We must all find a new home. Now – before it’s too late!’ Farthing Wood is being bulldozed, and there’s a drought. Fox, Badger, Toad, Tawny Owl, Mole and the other animals must band together and set off to...

This semi-autobiographical classic, written by the beloved Judith Kerr, tells the story of a Jewish family escaping Germany in the days before the Second World War. Suppose your country began to change. Suppose that without your noticing, it became dangerous for some people to live in it any longer, and you found, to your surprise, that your own father was...

The Kingdom by the Sea is The Guardian award-winning novel about courage, friendship, and war. When a bomb during an air raid destroys Harry's home and kills his family, he knows that he is all alone in the world and has only himself to rely on. Anxious that he will be sent to live with his fussy Cousin Elsie, he...

Three classic adventure tales in one from the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Imagine living in the heart of Africa. Imagine living in a place where the sun rises every morning over blue mountains. Akimbo and his parents live on the edge of an African game reserve. It's his father's task to protect the thousands of amazing...

Robin Jarvis’s classic dark fantasy, perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Derek Landy and Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. Set in the home of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. ‘Deeply creepy and utterly compelling,’ Guardian When orphans Ben and Jennet arrive in the seaside town of Whitby to stay with Alice Boston, they have no idea what to expect. A lively...

This is the story of love, commitment, and the flowering of the human spirit against the backdrop of South Africa’s apartheid. Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the...

A classic and magical retelling of St George and the Dragon from the author of The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame, featuring the original and official artwork by E.H. Shepard, illustrator of Winnie the Pooh. The perfect gift for young children. ‘Now, dragon,’ said the Boy imploringly. ‘You’ve got to fight him some time or other you know, ’cos...