On a stormy winter night, a stranger knocks at the door of a shepherd's cottage. He is cold and hungry, and wants to get out of the rain. He is welcomed inside, but he does not give his name or his business. Who is he, and where has he come from? And he is only the first visitor to call at the cottage that night... In these three short stories, Thomas Hardy gives us pictures of the lives of shepherds and hangmen, dukes and teachers. But rich or poor, young or old, they all have the same feelings of fear, hope, love, jealousy...

'My brother preferred being with mother and me. He used to help us prepare vegetables in the kitchen or make the bread. But what he liked best was listening to my mother's stories.' But those childhood days are long gone, and now a great distance divides sister and brother, children and mother. The stories in this volume of World Stories come from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The writers are Romesh Gunesekera, M. Athar Tahir, Chitra Divakaruni, Anu Kumar, Anne Ranasinghe, Ruskin Bond, Anita Desai, Vijita Fernando, and Amara Bavani Dev.

When Carruthers joins his friend Arthur Davies on his yacht Dulcibella, he is expecting a pleasant sailing holiday in the Baltic Sea. But the holiday turns into an adventure of a different kind. He and Davies soon find themselves sailing in the stormy waters of the North Sea, exploring the channels and sandbanks around the German Frisian Islands, and looking for a secret — a secret that could mean great danger for England. Erskine Childers' novel, published in 1903, was the first great modern spy story, and is still as exciting to read today as it was a hundred years ago.

Winnie the Witch is ready for anything life throws at her! In 'Winnie's Awful Auntie' Winnie and Wilbur have to deal with an unbearably fussy relative on an unexpected visit; in 'Winnie Gets Cleaning' Winnie offers her janitorial services to the local school with hilarious results; in 'Winnie and the Ghost in the Post' Winnie and Wilbur find themselves the surprise winners of a television poetry competition and in 'Mini Winnie' there's an unusual solution to a laundry problem. Four crazily funny stories featuring everyone's favourite witch, her big black cat, Wilbur, and a zany supporting cast of new characters. Korky Paul's exuberant black line illustrations complement the humour, slapstick, and moments of real drama that run through each story. Pure magic!

Captain Teachum has a reputation as a wicked and terrible pirate. He has, so his readers are told, led a life of crime: capturing ships, making his enemies walk the plank, and burying stolen treasure all over the world. But then we discover some unexpected secrets about Captain Teachum's home life: he is more than a little hen-pecked, he has twenty five children, and his memory is rather unreliable... Hardly surprising, then, that Captain Teachum has not been able to find his buried treasure. So, by the time Captain Teachum's story is finished and we see his mischievous grin as he lies in his hammock, we're left wondering how much of his boastful bluster about past dastardly deeds is true and how much of it is wishful thinking!

Sanji lives above a baker's shop. Every morning, he steps on to his balcony and enjoys the delicious aroma of freshly-baked breads and pastries. But the Baker is a mean-spirited, greedy and selfish man. 'Thief!' he cries at Sanji's door. 'You are stealing my smells!' Poor Sanji is taken to court to pay a hefty fine. How will the Judge make sure the Baker gets what he deserves? The riveting story is great to read aloud and Korky Paul's illustrations take to you to an exotic faraway location. With its clever courtroom-drama finale, this is a book that children will just love to hear over and over again.

Professor Puffendorf is a world-class inventor: where would any of us be without her Unburnable Toast or her Smell-o-Telephone? She shares her laboratory with her much-loved guinea pig, Chip, and Enzo, her rather lazy assistant. One day, when the professor goes out to address a conference, Enzo opens her 'top secret' cabinet. Inside he discovers an array of potions promising to deliver anything from curly, luxuriant hair to a beautiful singing voice. Enzo realizes the secret formulas for these potions could make him unbelievably rich but first he decides to test them on poor Chip. However his devious plan does not quite go as he imagined and it is the villainous Enzo who ends up as the guinea pig — quite literally — in this entertaining cautionary tale of role reversal.

Deep in the ocean lives a fish whose wishes come true! He wishes for all sorts of crazy things — a castle, a car, and even fine clothes to wear. But he is a rather foolish fish and one day he wishes to be just like all the other fish... perhaps this will be the one wish he wishes he never wished! The rhythmical text is great to read aloud and Korky Paul's illustrations take to you to a crazy underwater world. With its neat punchline, this is a book that children will just love to hear (and join in with) over and over again.

This is a collection of fun, engaging and gently humorous stories about Lotta, the little sister who can find trouble anywhere. She and her young siblings get into all sorts of scrapes, from falling out of their old neighbour's windows and learning some very bad swear words, to making their own pancake tree. Every day brings a new and funny adventure.

Whether he's running his little sister up a flagpole, or trying to escape after getting locked in a shed, Emil's adventures never stop. Hens, dogs, little sisters — and adults — all flee his path. But Emil doesn't mean to be bad, it's just that trouble — and fun — follow him wherever he goes. A collection of utterly engaging tales from one of the world's best-loved children's authors.

Whether he's teaching his pet pig to dance, being chased by a mad cow or wrestling a robber, Emil's adventures never stop. Hens, dogs, little sisters — and adults — all flee his path. But Emil doesn't mean to be bad, it's just that trouble — and fun — follow him wherever he goes. A collection of utterly engaging tales from one of the world's best-loved children's authors.

Lotta is the little sister who can find trouble anywhere. She and her young siblings get into all sorts of scrapes. In this funny and engaging tale, a very cross Lotta runs away from home and moves in with the old lady next door. But Lotta soon begins to realise that, actually, nowhere's quite as good as home sweet home.

There's a rat running amok in Emil's house, and he's determined to capture it. But hiding the rat trap just under his father's bed probably isn't ideal... That's just the start of Emil's adventures, which, once begun, never stop. Hens, dogs, little sisters — and adults — all flee his path. But Emil doesn't mean to be bad, it's just that trouble — and fun — follow him wherever he goes. A collection of utterly engaging tales from one of the world's best-loved children's authors.

It's Winnie's birthday and she's celebrating in style with a garden party. She uses all sorts of magic to invite the guests and transform her garden into the perfect party venue. There are presents to unwrap and games to play but then things start to go wrong when Winnie toots on the magic trumpet that cousin Cuthbert has given her. All her guests disappear! Winnie's party is suddenly in danger of being a rather bothersome occasion but, true to form, Winnie soon has everything back under control and she ends the party with a stunning edible surprise for all her guests to enjoy.

Imagine Eric's delight when, one day, a little man with a propeller on his back appears hovering at the window! It's Karlson and he lives in a house on the roof. Soon Eric and Karlson are sharing all sorts of adventures, from tackling thieves and playing tricks to looping the loop and running across the rooftops. Fun and chaos burst from these charming, classic stories.

Digger is a very determined dog. He has started looking for the bone that he buried and he just won't stop digging. Deeper and deeper he goes, unearthing all sorts of extraordinary things — an old shoe, a coal-miner, and even an underground train. But he's also getting hungrier and hungrier — will Digger ever find something to chew on for his dinner?

New Headway Intermediate (New Edition) is a brand-new edition of this course, maintaining the core content but updated. Key features of the new course are streamlined units, now eight pages long, easy to navigate, with clearly divided sections. There are small changes to make activities run more smoothly, as well as major changes to text and topic. The grammar syllabus has been retained, but has been modified where necessary for greater clarity. Grammar Spots highlight key areas, getting students to analyze form and use. Up-to-date texts with global appeal reflect changing trends and the use of English worldwide. Reading and listening texts from a variety of authentic sources develop comprehension skills and integrate speaking practice, usually personalized. Writing now has a separate section at the back of the book, with a fuller syllabus, providing models and follow-up activities.

The highly successful course for ambitious Cambridge FCE candidates. Key features: — Detailed 'Dos and Don'ts' on how to approach Cambridge FCE tasks. — A greater emphasis on vocabulary. — Guided extracts from recorded Speaking tests. — A Writing Guide containing model answers and ideas for Paper 2. — Tests and photocopiable activities available online.

This is a lovely anthology of poems for the whole Christmas season. There are traditional carols and songs, and modern poems about children's experiences of Christmas: food and families, presents and celebrations, and the snow and ice of winter. The collection is both reflective and joyful and includes contributions from Eleanor Farjeon, Roger McGough, Judith Nicholls, U.A. Fanthorpe and Gareth Owen, among many others. With beautiful colour illustrations throughout, this collection makes a perfect gift at Christmas.

The right explanations and practice for your language level, plus 100% more interactive practice on the NEW Practice-Boost CD-ROMs.