Twelve-year-old orphan Measle Stubbs is shrunk down to half an inch tall and placed in a toy train set by his evil guardian, the Wrathmonk.

Meet Matilda Stubbs. She's nine months old, has six new baby teeth, and loves to send spoonfuls of porridge catapulting through the air. But this is no ordinary baby: Matilda is also a Mallockee -- one of the most powerful creatures in the world. And guess who her big brother is. In his third heroic adventure, Measle is thrust into his most outlandish predicament yet. How will he ever escape from the spooky, deserted castle, fend off his guardian Wrathmonk, rescue his kidnapped parents, and look after his baby sister? The odds are stacked against him until he learns that, this time, he's got a powerful ally -- Matilda the Mallockee is on his side.

When Toby Jugg, Measle's nemesis, turns up on the school trip, Measle knows he's in danger. The school trip is supposed to be an adventure and a challenge - and now it is. Toby Jugg shoves Measle into a dark hole - the doompit, a door to all sorts of scary worlds. Measle must escape the jaws of a pack of werewolves, the pincers of some giant ants, the massive arms of the abominable snowman, and the petrifying stare of the gorgon. Oh, and rescue his schoolmates, find Iggy and Tinker,discover a way out and defeat Toby Jugg at the same time. Thank goodness Measle is one of the bravest boys around!

Measle is up against a whole gang of Wrathmonks and numerous fairground animals which come alive in a most alarming way, plus the evil Dragodon and his dragon Arcturion. Will Measle be in time to save his mum from the Dragodon's evil clutches? Originally published: 2004.

Newbery Honor Book: A “stunning” historical novel of a teenager’s journey from Spain to the New World in search of gold (Kirkus Reviews). Mapmaker Esteban de Sandoval is only seventeen years old, but he has experienced much adventure, traveling to the New World to hunt for gold with the Conquistadors. Whatever treasure they find, they were expected to give one-fifth of it to the king. But Esteban is accused of withholding the king’s fifth—and of murder. As he waits for his trial to begin, he recalls the experience of his journey: the men he sailed with, the young Native American girl who guided him—and the ways that it changed him—in this remarkable novel about Spanish colonialism by the author of such classics as Island of the Blue Dolphins.

A small boy, a slimy dog and a very sticky ending . . . When a blob of oozing slime is on the loose, gobbling up everything in its path, nothing is safe. Especially not Measle Stubbs!

Poor Measle Stubbs . . . just when things are looking up for a change, the mysterious Dragodon and his gang of wicked wrathmonks cast a spell on Measle's dad and snatch his mum. So now it's up to Measle and his little dog, Tinker, to rescue her from the spooky theme park - The Isle of Smiles. Being hunted down by horrors in a dark, wet funfair is anything but fun! But Measle's on a mission with more ups and downs than any rollercoaster, and he's determined to save the day. The second instalment of the fantastic Measle Stubbs Adventures.