“In science fiction there is only a handful of books that stretch the mind—and this is one of them.”—Arthur C. Clarke In a moving story of sacrifice and triumph, human scientists establish a relationship with intelligent lifeforms—the cheela—living on Dragon’s Egg, a neutron star where one Earth hour is equivalent to hundreds of their years. The cheela culturally evolve from savagery to the discovery of science, and for a brief time, men are their diligent teachers. Praise for Dragon’s Egg “Bob Forward writes in the tradition of Hal Clement’s Mission of Gravity and carries it a giant step (how else?) forward.”—Isaac Asimov “Dragon’s Egg is superb. I couldn’t have written it; it required too much real physics.”—Larry Niven “This is one for the real science-fiction fan.”—Frank Herbert “Robert L. Forward tells a good story and asks a profound question. If we run into a race of creatures who live a hundred years while we live an hour, what can they say to us or we to them?”—Freeman J. Dyson “Forward has impeccable scientific credentials, and . . . big, original, speculative ideas.”—The Washington Post

It is a rare talent, and only she can care for the Inn's herd. She feeds them, gathers their eggs, and tends to their injuries. But Mella dreams about the dragons of legend, even though hardly anyone believes they still exist. Dragons are small farm animals, not huge fire-breathing monsters. Everyone knows that. Until one day changes everything. A Knight of the Order of Defenders arrives at the Inn. Signs of the mythical dragons have led him there, he says. Then a simple errand takes Mella through the forest, where she stumbles across a dragon's egg—and faces the true, terrifying dragon guarding it. On the spot, Mella vows to get the egg safely to the fabled Hatching Grounds. She must leave her home for the first time, and she finds an unlikely companion in the Defender's squire, Roger. For Mella and Roger, this one day is the beginning of an adventure. Where will it take them?

One day, while skipping their lessons at the Academy, Fishlegs and Meatlug discover a strange, glowing, color-changing gem. Soon several more are discovered. But when Hiccup realizes that the gems are actually the eggs of the dangerous Changewing dragon, everyone must scramble to retrieve the eggs before they hatch and destroy Berk.

Cambridge English Readers is an award-winning series of original fiction readers for learners of English, offering exciting reading from Starter to Advanced levels.

Phonics for Pupils with Special Educational Needs is a complete, structured, multisensory programme for teaching reading and spelling, making it fun and accessible for all. This fantastic seven-part resource offers a refreshingly simple approach to the teaching of phonics, alongside activities to develop auditory and visual perceptual skills. Specifically designed to meet the needs of pupils of any age with special educational needs, the books break down phonics into manageable core elements and provide a huge wealth of resources to support teachers in teaching reading and spelling. Book 1: Building Basics introduces basic sounds and explores their relationship with letters. It focuses on sounds and letters where there is a simple 1:1 correspondence between the two, and explores the sounds in simple words that follow the pattern of vowel-consonant or consonant-vowel-consonant. Sounds are grouped into seven sets, with each set containing more than 50 engaging activities, including: sound story, dynamic blending, reading race, spot the word and spelling challenge. Thorough guidance is provided on how to deliver each activity, as well as a lesson planner template, handy word lists and posters for teachers and teaching assistants to use to support learning. Each book in the series gradually builds on children’s understanding of sounds and letters and provides scaffolded support for children to learn about every sound in the English language. Offering tried and tested material which can be photocopied for each use, this is an invaluable resource to simplify phonics teaching for teachers and teaching assistants and provide fun new ways of learning phonics for all children. This book is accompanied by a companion resource, 'Phonics for Pupils with Complex SEND ', to be used alongside the Phonics for Pupils with Special Educational Needs programme. The activities from Books 1-6 of the programme are adapted to be accessible for non-verbal pupils, including AAC users, and those with physical disabilities.

This perennial favourite is now available with a beautifully redesigned cover! On Ai Lien's birthday, her father gives her a stone from China. "It feels special," he tells her with a twinkle in his eye. "Perhaps it is a dragon's egg!" The stone is pretty, and Ai Lien places it on her dresser. She can hardly believe what happens next. In the middle of the night, the stone cracks and opens . . . and a baby dragon is born. He's not just any dragon, either. He's the son of the Dragon King of the Yangtze River - and he's magic. Soon, what's seemed like the worst year of Ai Lien's life becomes a time of adventure and wonder!

Some curses are the instruments of destiny. After saving Lord Klodian’s life, Mina is elevated above servanthood—but life isn’t as simple as she expected. Her last encounter with a dragon has her questioning everything she’s ever known, and now she’s determined to find the truth. Mina’s quest takes her into The Long Sands, where she comes face to face with her greatest enemy … and an unlikely ally. Egg of the Dragon is the second episode in the series Marked by the Dragon. Scale of the Dragon Egg of the Dragon Call of the Dragon (September 2021)