World Book Day - A World of Stories Online A World of Stories Online in association with World Book Day

A Monster Calls



By Patrick Ness



Based on an original idea by Siobhan Dowd



Read by Jason Isaacs



Costa Award winner and Guardian Prize winning author, Patrick Ness delivers an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss.



The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…



This monster is something different though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.



It wants the truth.

Aliens Love Underpants



By Claire Freedman



Illustrated by Ben Cort



Read by Rik Mayall



Aliens love underpants, in every shape and size! First published in 2007, Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s tale of knicker-snatching aliens was an instant hit and now this zany, hilarious tale is delightfully brought to life with an audio reading by the late, great Rik Mayall.

Am I Normal Yet?



By Holly Bourne



Read by Charlie Sanderson



First book of The Spinster Club series



All Evie wants is to be normal. And now that she's almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as ‘the-girl-who-went-nuts,’ there's only one thing left to tick off her list... a boyfriend. But relationships can mess with anyone's head - something Evie's new friends Amber and Lottie know only too well. The trouble is, if Evie won't tell them her secrets, how can they stop her making a huge mistake?

CHERUB: The Recruit



By Robert Muchamore



Read by Simon Scardifield



A terrorist doesn't let strangers in her flat because they might be undercover police or intelligence agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run all over the place.



The terrorist doesn't know that a kid has bugged every room in her house, cloned the hard drive on her PC, and copied all the numbers in her phone book. The kid works for CHERUB.



CHERUB agents are aged between ten and seventeen. They live in the real world, slipping under adult radar and getting information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail.

Darcy Burdock



By Laura Dockrill



Read by Laura Dockrill



Ten-year-old Darcy Burdock is one of life's noticers. Curious, smart-as-a-whip, funny and fiercely loyal, she sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her.
In this first book, we are introduced to her family: Mum, who Darcy loves as much as her favourite fried egg and chips, Dad, who is kind and fair if a bit hopeless, and little siblings Hector and Poppy, who Darcy likes dressing up in ridiculous outfits and having dance-offs with, respectively. Plus there's her non-bleating pet lamb, Lamb-Beth and best friend, Will, to have adventures with.



Darcy learns that turning into an angrosaurus-rex and causing chaos just gets her in trouble, trying to run away from home with a reluctant lamb in tow leads to sore kneebows, it's best not to throw a massive strop just before your surprise birthday party, Hallowe'en is all about spider costumes and having a pumpkin with a wonky eye, and if she's ever in a situation at home or at school where she's not sure what to do, she should write a story around it and the truth will be illuminated by her imagination.

Five Minute's Peace



By Jill Murphy



Illustrated by Jill Murphy



Read by Miriam Margolyes



A modern picture book classic– there's never a dull moment with the Large Family!



A family picture book favourite, this is the story of Mrs Large the elephant – who just needs five minutes of peace and quiet away from her boisterous children! So, taking refuge in the bathroom, she fills herself a hot, foamy bubble bath and takes in a tray of her favourite breakfast and the morning paper. But there’s never a dull moment with the Larges, and it soon becomes clear that mum's quiet time is to be very short-lived! Read aloud by award-winning actress Miriam Margoyles, family life is beautifully observed in this warm and funny modern classic from Jill Murphy, one of Britain's most treasured author-illustrators.