The Stage 7 Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories provide humorous storylines to engage and motivate children. The popular characters and familiar settings are brought to life by Roderick Hunt and Alex Brychta. The stories are unchanged from the previous edition but the cover notes have been updated to support adults in sharing the story with the child.

Engaging new artwork and coversAlex Brychta's unique style of artwork enthrals and entertains children, and the fresh new look will heighten their pleasure in reading the stories. With freshly drawn artwork for all the favourite core stories at Stages 2 - 5 and fantastic new covers, Oxford Reading Tree is more appealing thanever!Stories children loveThe Oxford Reading Tree stories have always captivated children's imagination, inspiring them to read - and the stories and characters in the new editions haven't changed at all. Apart, that is, from an exciting new story at Stage 3, The Egg Hunt, which replaces the Dolphin Pool.Simplified structureWe have also simplified the structure of the scheme in response to feedback from you: Owls Storybooks become Stages 6 and 7 Storybooks; magpies become Stages 8 and 9 Storybooks; wrens at Stage 2 have become patterned stories at Stage 1+; and wrens at Stage 3 are now patterned stories at Stage 2.New teaching support materialIn addition to the existing guided reading cards, perfect for use in guided reading sessions, we have brought out new teaching materials to reflect the needs of teachers in today's classroom:DT Flexible, friendly teacher's notes included FREE with each pack of Oxford Reading Tree books - these are easy to store and will save you hours of preparation!DT New Take-Home cards for every Storybook from Stages 1 - 9 to help parents or carers get the most out of reading with their childDT Free resources website at www.oup.com/uk/primary with downloadable photocopy mastersDT New Teacher's Handbook and special edition for Scotland

A violin and a middle-school musical unleash a dark family secret in this moving story by an award-winning author duo. For fans of The Devil's Arithmetic and Hana's Suitcase. It's 2002. In the aftermath of the twin towers -- and the death of her beloved grandmother -- Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister. But there is an upside: her "husband" is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school. Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props. There, she discovers an old violin in the corner -- strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals. Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger. A long-kept family secret spills out, and Shirli learns the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.

In this "raucous, moving, and necessary" story by a Pulitzer Prize finalist (San Francisco Chronicle), the De La Cruzes, a family on the Mexican-American border, celebrate two of their most beloved relatives during a joyous and bittersweet weekend. "All we do, mija, is love. Love is the answer. Nothing stops it. Not borders. Not death." In his final days, beloved and ailing patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, affectionately called Big Angel, has summoned his entire clan for one last legendary birthday party. But as the party approaches, his mother, nearly one hundred, dies, transforming the weekend into a farewell doubleheader. Among the guests is Big Angel's half brother, known as Little Angel, who must reckon with the truth that although he shares a father with his siblings, he has not, as a half gringo, shared a life. Across two bittersweet days in their San Diego neighborhood, the revelers mingle among the palm trees and cacti, celebrating the lives of Big Angel and his mother, and recounting the many inspiring tales that have passed into family lore, the acts both ordinary and heroic that brought these citizens to a fraught and sublime country and allowed them to flourish in the land they have come to call home. Teeming with brilliance and humor, authentic at every turn, The House of Broken Angels is Luis Alberto Urrea at his best, and cements his reputation as a storyteller of the first rank. "Epic . . . Rambunctious . . . Highly entertaining." -- New York Times Book Review"Intimate and touching . . . the stuff of legend." -- San Francisco Chronicle"An immensely charming and moving tale." -- Boston GlobeNational Bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award finalistA New York Times Notable BookOne of the Best Books of the Year from National Public Radio, American Library Association, San Francisco Chronicle, BookPage, Newsday, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Literary Hub

“Such a visual piece . . . readers young and old will return to the story to look more deeply; they won’t be disappointed.” — Booklist (starred review) In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. Wistful and uplifting in true Bob Graham fashion, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.

Throughout his career as a novelist, Banks has also been a master of the short form, publishing four story collections, and winning O. Henry and Best American Short Story Awards and other prizes. Now with The Angel on the Roof, he offers readers an astonishing collection of thirty years of short fiction, resonant with irony and compassion, honesty and insight, extending into the vast territory of the heart and world, from working-class New England to Florida, the Caribbean and Africa. Along with nine new stories that are among the finest fiction he has ever written, he has selected the best from his collections and revised them for this volume.

A USA Today Bestseller! From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella… A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis—it leads to combustion. Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn… As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight. The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him. To read Sadie and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!