"I loved every page. This is middle grade fiction at its best."-- Ann Patchett From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians comes a must-read, wholly original middle-grade debut perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl. Dear Uncle Herbert, You've never met me, but I'm your niece Kate, and since it is my birthday tomorrow and you are super-rich could you please send me a present? Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow. Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all. This thrilling fantasy adventure will not only entertain young readers but inspire them to see the beautiful, exciting, and precious world around them with new eyes.

Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking achievements in F1 are the latest successes in a glorious motor sport record for Mercedes and Benz that stretches back to the very first races in the 1890s. For the first time, this book tells the story of Mercedes in motor sport from the very beginning, with those pioneers of the 19th century, right through to today's hybrid F1 cars. It covers the triumphs and disasters, from the early Grand Prix machines and the extraordinarily advanced and massively powerful racers of the 1930s to the highs of F1, Le Mans and Mille Miglia glory and the sorrow of the 1955 Le Mans disaster. The story is brought right up to date, tracing Mercedes victories in sports car racing, Indycar, F1 and Formula E – and this book celebrates the achievements of some of the world's greatest drivers, from Caracciola, Fangio and Moss to Hakkinen, Unser and Hamilton.

The Mercedes sports-prototype of the late 1980s arguably came closer than any other car of the era to recapturing the spirit of the original 'Silver Arrows' of the 1930s. This stunning, fully enclosed, twin turbo, V8 sports-racing car took on the might of Porsche and Jaguar, and, notwithstanding opposition from the likes of Aston Martin, Nissan and Toyota, beat them all! This book is a detailed analysis of the famous C9 racing car, built by the Swiss firm of Sauber, which brought the might of Mercedes back into international motor racing for the first time in over thirty years. The author was present at the time and enjoyed the keen cooperation of the engineers at the heart of the project.

Motor sports.

The battle in Grand Prix racing between the German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams during the six years from 1934 through 1939 was probably the greatest, most spectacular and most important era in motor racing history. The two German teams almost completely dominated Grand Prix racing, mainly because of their technical superiority. This superiority was made possible by the vast sums that the two teams could expend on racing. The money paid to them by the German government was not a direct subsidy, but represented the generous margin above cost incorporated in government contracts. In effect, while Mercedes-Benz developed and manufactured aero engines for the Luftwaffe, the Auto Union Group manufactured tanks and other armored vehicles for the Wehrmacht.

As men gather in a final battle that will determine the fate of mankind in a land torn by war, Isaac looks back on the events that led to this pivotal point as he makes his way with an army of men to the Abyss of Rorrah to fight a being with the power of a god. Born with a gift, unique to a few, known as Anamerians, Isaac learned that he was a counterpoint on events that affected humanity before it happens.Trained by a patron named Gabram, he is given charge of an elite group of warriors known as Ackalans and sent to find three youths that are their hope of stopping an impending war. In his quest, Isaac finds himself in a small town where everyone was killed by creatures that appear and disappear without a trace. He finds an only survivor in one of these mysterious attack, a young man named Samuel who managed to escape and soon they both discovered how tied their fates are to the oncoming battle.

Dance prodigy Karma Clark's unrequited love for Danny is unbearable until Aaryn, son of Cupid, returns to try to fix his mistake and ends up falling in love with Karma, now a teenage mother.