One of the brilliant titles in Jean Ure's acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children.

 Jean Ure perfectly captures the lives of ordinary children - but no child is ever ordinary, and certainly not Salvatore d'Amato - or Sally Tomato, as he's sometimes called. He's out to get a girl and he has a plan: he's going to write some Disgusting Ditties - one for each letter of the alphabet, and start some secret body-building, too. That way he's bound to attract someone. (But he doesn't want his sister to know his plans.)

 Whether it's Sal Tomato here, Mandy Small in FRUIT AND NUTCASE, Cherry in SKINNY MELON AND ME, or Becky in BECKY BANANAS, their lives, with all their ups and downs, is presented with courage, humour and tenacity. These are special children who any child can relate to and will draw inspiration and hope from their stories of their lives.

The Secret Life of Sally Tomato

EVERYONE KNOWS HARRIET JOHNSON.

 If someone has a car to be cleaned, or a competition to be organised or a baby to be sat, Harriet is always ready to help.

 Unfortunately, Harriet and disaster go hand in hand, and if something can go wrong, it certainly will!

Help! It’s Harriet!

A classic Jean Ure story for girls AND boys, about a boy who's driving girls wild.

 Dorian Jones is an 11-year-old boy who is having 'terrible trouble with girls'. They just won't leave him alone.

 Girls at school and his annoying younger sisters' friends have massive crushes on him, but Dory's passion is for dinosaurs and he is happiest excavating his back garden. His best friend at school is Aaron and his best friend out of school is a girl called the Herb. How will Dory stop girls throwing themselves at him? Why is Aaron holding hands with Sophy Timms? And why is the Herb acting so strange around Dory all of a sudden.

Hunky Dory

Another title in Jean Ure's acclaimed series of humorous and poignant stories. There's trouble ahead when Steph and Sam's father embarks on a spot of kidnapping.

 Of course, Mum shouldn't have thrown the frying pan at Dad. The day after she threw it, Dad left home.

 Of course, Mum shouldn't have thrown the frying pan at Dad. The day after she threw it, Dad left home.

 Parents! First they're together, then they're apart. For Stephanie, a hip fourteen year old, and Samantha, her ten-year-old sister, being stuck in the middle of their parent's problems is just what they need. Not. When Dad decides that what the girls really need is a summer holiday with him in Brighton, they jump at the chance. No rules, no hassle, no worries. But things never turn out the way you think, and Steph and Sam soon discover there's a lot more to being a family than they thought.

 Jean Ure's diary series includes: Pumpkin Pie, Shrinking Violet, Skinny Melon and Me, The Secret Life of Sally Tomato, Becky Bananas, This is Your Life! and Fruit and Nutcase.

Passion Flower

A humorous, poignant and heartwarming story of four girls and their exasperating parents, from the Queen of Tween, Jean Ure.

 "People always fall out after they're married. I'm going to stay single."

 Jasmine, Laurel, Rose and Daisy. Four very different sisters, four very different attitudes! As if living with each other wasn't bad enough, living with their parents is worse - particularly parents who are both actors. Please!

 But after the Great Row, the girls find themselves living with Mum, while Dad has gone to America to find work. How are the sisters going to achieve their own personal ambitions: become an actress, model, writer, vet. when they can't even achieve their joint ambition - to reunite parents who are on different continents?

Family Fan Club

Danny loves dancing, but not the funky, popular variety that would have his friends green with envy; no, Danny loves Ballet. A 'Billy Elliot' for younger readers by this renowned ballet-loving author.

 Danny loves ballet, but he daren't admit it to his mates. But one of his teacher's knows, and she casts Danny in the starring ballet role in the end of term show at school. But Danny is also in the school football team and the rehearsals for the show clash with team nights. How can be maintain his cool with his peers and still star in the performance. Mixups and mayhen ensue as several fibs are told to parents, friends and siblings. But at the end of the day, is Danny sick as a parrot or over the moon? On performance night, Danny is simply DAZZLING!

Dazzling Danny

One of the brilliant titles in Jean Ure's acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children.

 This is the story of how Mandy learns to cope with her untidy life and finally emerges triumphant.

 Mandy Small has trouble writing so Cat, her teacher, suggests that she tells her life story into a tape recorder. So begins Mandy's funny and sometimes sad story of life with her loving but chaotic parents - Dad, the Elvis look-alike, and Mum, whose idea of a special meal is burnt toast!

 Then there's school, where the horrible Tracey Bigg picks on Mandy and her timid friend, Oliver, not to mention Old Misery Guts, the landlady and Nan, who thinks that Mandy's parents aren't fit to look after her. With so many things to worry about, Mandy begins to think that she's in danger of turning into a real Fruit and Nutcase!

 Mandy's story, told in the form of diary into a tape recorder, is a funny and often moving account of a child's everyday life, with all its difficulties. Hilariously illustrated by Mick Brownfield.

Fruit and Nutcase

Four stray dogs all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage with their people, Flossie and Jo.

 The second title in this new series. Bella is a pedigree - her real name being Princess Isadora of Bude! She's a lapdog and spoilt rotten by her elderly owner. When her owner is taken into hospital, Bella has to go and live with another family and is bullied and teased by the other dogs. Bella's hair gets matted, her ribbon torn and she's very unhappy. She runs back to the hospital where she thinks her owner is, but sadly her owner has died. Bella has to learn to live with her new bullying siblings. One day, out in the park Bella is bullied by a pack of dogs and is left cowering in the bushes. Her new owners decide that they must find Bella a new home and they take her to Munchy Flats Cottage where she settles in nicely with Buster. A heartwarming ending to a story about bullying dogs.

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