Showing results by publisher "W. F. Howes Ltd" in Historical Fiction

Leif is not unlucky. Yes, he does split his trousers at least once a week. And yes, he's always tripping up. But he's determined to become a true Viking hero, just like his father. Can he unravel the riddles of a witch to find a magical shard of rock that has fallen from a shooting star and wield its magical powers? He will have to journey deep into the heart of polar bear country, outwitting all kinds of mythological creatures along the way.

Moss hates her life. As the daughter of the executioner in the Tower of London, it’s her job to catch the heads in her basket after her father has chopped them off. When she discovers a hidden tunnel that takes her to freedom, she learns that her life isn’t what she believes it to be. Her search for the truth takes her on a journey along the great River Thames. Could the answers lie deep in its murky depths?

Germany, 1941. Twelve-year-old Karl Engel is looking forward to joining the Hitler Youth, like all boys his age. But when his father is killed, his rebellious older brother, Stefan, shows him things that leave his faith in the Fuhrer shaken. What does it mean to be a good German? What does it mean to wear the mysterious flower sewn inside his brother's jacket? Who is the real enemy?

Rose's granddad takes her on a trip to Ypres, Belgium, to visit the graves of those who died in the Great War. It's the day before Valentine's, but Rose can sense the old city beneath the new. And it seems that it can sense her, too. When she goes up to her room that night, she hears the sound of marching feet and glimpses from her window a young soldier on his way to the front line.

Spring 1665, London. Sam was just a young boy when his master took him out of the orphanage. When he was old enough, he was going to become his master’s apprentice. But that was before the plague arrived. Now, Sam finds himself nailed into his workshop home with only his dying master and pet dog Budge for company. Can Sam escape? And even if he does, will he be able to survive?

As a young orphan, Jane Eyre is thrown upon the mercy of an aunt and cousins who are anything but merciful, and when they send her away to an austere boarding school for charity cases, it seems she will never be allowed to forget her humble beginnings. However, Jane has a quiet inner strength and resourcefulness, and when she takes on a role as governess at Thornfield Hall, she quickly gains both the affection and respect not only of her young pupil, but also the child's guardian, the fierce and brooding Mr. Rochester.

To avoid financial ruin, the Bottle family’s theatre troupe has left London behind, travelling to the north of England by train. With new audiences to play to and less competition, they hope to make enough money to pay off their debts back home. But will their plans be foiled by the odious Olio Sleevery? It’s time for young actors Rosie and Charlie to save the day and, with the help of their new friend Edie Boiler, ensure the thunderous success of the company's first performance.

London, 1880s: High up under the eaves of her father's townhouse, twelve-year-old Emma Linden lives and never goes out. Her dream is to follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning, the famous fossil hunter. But Emma is kept hidden away from all the world, science and study, the tools that keep her mind well. When Emma's brother, James, begins to speak obsessively of a tiger gifted to the Natural History Museum, everything she holds certain begins to crumble. Their only refuge is Kersbrook, the magical family home on the Devon coast.

As a young child Eponine never knew kindness, except once from her family's kitchen slave, Cosette. When at sixteen the girls' paths cross again and their circumstances are reversed, Eponine must decide what that friendship is worth, even though they've both fallen for the same boy. In the end, Eponine will sacrifice everything to keep true love alive.

Dark alleys linger with the shadows of unknown figures and the air is thick with whispers and plots. What is going on? What can be done to put a stop to it all? Two girls stumble across a terrifying plot to destroy the House of Lords, taking countless lives along the way. Can they find out who is behind this terrible plan? Will there be enough time to try and put stop to it?

"In sixteen hundred and sixty-six, London burned like rotten sticks." Left alone and homeless by the Great Plague, Sam struggled to survive. He was lucky to get a job working for the Giraud family. But Andre, the son of his boss, doesn't make life easy. Then a fire breaks out on Pudding Lane. Before anyone fully realises what's happening, London's burning... and this fire can't be put out. Now it's time for Sam to prove what he's really worth. If he can get out alive....

It's 1897, and since The Magnificent Marko dramatically departed the stage, no magician has come close to performing a trick as spectacular as The Golden Butterfly. With her grandfather gone, Luciana feels that the world has lost its wonder. Then the imposing leader of the Grand Society of Magicians appears, searching for something belonging to Marko, and Luciana is drawn into a world of danger and deception. As she battles to protect her grandfather's greatest legacy, can she distinguish reality from illusion?

Danny works at Belle Vue Zoo, where - alongside training the famous elephant Maharajah - he helps out with the day-to-day tasks of caring for the animals. But when animals start escaping, Danny is the prime suspect: after all, he was a former street urchin and pickpocket. When a man turns up claiming to be his father, the plot thickens. Can Danny untangle the mystery of the animal escapade - and find out where he really belongs - in order to clear his name?

Queen Victoria wrote this charming story, about the adventures of Alice Laselles at Miss Duncombe’s school for girls and the mystery of who put the cat in Miss Duncombe’s kitchen, when she was just 10¾. This tiny gem in its little red notebook is now kept safe in the Royal Archives. It is told here for the very first time and is a delightful children’s story that will enchant and captivate every little princess today.

Mel Foster has always been told that he'd come to a bad end - he just never thought it would be as a meal for a giantess! But looking monstrous doesn't make you a monster. Eve Frankenstein has no interest in eating Mel. She wants to protect him. While Eve and Mel become firm friends in the Arctic, far away in London, Queen Victoria's strange new butler is hatching a plan...and only Mel has the power to stop him.

Marina's father, a naval captain, has been away for most of her life - certainly since her mother died - and yet Marina feels the pull of an ocean she's never known. When sent to boarding school to learn to be a lady, Marina decides instead to stow away on her father's ship. A perilous voyage awaits - but where are they sailing to and why, and what has it to do with the dark shape in the deep that seems to be following them?