Showing titles in Music & Performing Arts

Ray has trouble at home, and he has trouble at school - until he’s permanently excluded and ends up sleeping on the floor of a record shop. What happens to a boy like Ray? If he’s lucky, maybe he gets a chance to shine. The story of three boys who aren’t easy. They don’t fit in. They seem to attract trouble. But they know what they want, and they’ve got the talent to back it up.

Meet Jay. Summer. And Dylan. Jay plays guitar, writes songs and dreams of being a rock star. But his ambitions are stifled by seven siblings and a terrible drummer. Summer works hard at school, looks after her nan and has a one-in-a-million singing voice. But can her talent triumph over her nerves? Dylan is happiest lying on his bunk smoking, but his school rugby coach has other ideas, and Dylan reluctantly joins a band to avoid crunching tackles and icy mud. They're about to enter the biggest battle of their lives.

Ellen's life is turned upside down by the hilarious Mirror-Belle, a spirited princess who claims to be from somewhere mysterious and far away. She appears out of mirrors to tell Ellen magical stories and take her on exciting escapades. From going to ballet class to staying at Ellen's grandparents' house, causing mischief with their furry friends, having fun at Halloween and taking the princess test, you can always guarantee that wherever Mirror-Belle goes, trouble will follow.

It's April 1940 and German troops are pouring onto the streets of Denmark. 12-year-old Bamse is ordered by his father to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But Bamse and his daring friend Anton can't resist playing the occasional practical joke on the invading soldiers. When it becomes clear that the trouble isn't just going to pass them by, the people of Denmark decide to take action and Bamse and his eccentric family are about to take part in one of history's most dramatic rescues - smuggling Denmark's Jewish population, across the water to Sweden and safety.

Since the death of her mother, Hannah's family life has been somewhat chaotic. Her father is absorbed by running their dilapidated farm, and the four children are increasingly left to their own devices. These include "farming" each room of the house, looking after an enormous pet sheep called Jasper, and writing and directing plays in a disused hen house. But when the farm is threatened with demolition, Hannah determines to save it and realise her dreams at the same time...

Peter and Santa live a rather dull existence with their aunt, Rebecca, but when she dies, they face the awful prospect of life in separate orphanages. In desperation, they run away to find their only living relative, Uncle Gus, who works in a circus as a clown. Gus will let them stay only if they promise to work hard, and so the children plunge headlong into the circus world, where they soon discover skills they never knew they had. But life is so different - will they ever truly belong?

Rachel and Hilary are sent to live with their ambitious aunt who runs a stage school, training a troupe of dancing girls. It's heaven for Hilary who loves to perform, but quite the opposite for quiet Rachel. The last thing Rachel wants is to become one of her aunt's Little Wonders—particularly if it means behaving like their irritating show-off of a cousin. A mischievous, fun and moving story about young performers, from the acclaimed author of the classic Ballet Shoes.

Fizzlebert Stump's second adventure. The bearded Barboozul family are the new stars of Fizz's circus. Their act is full of magic, mystery, fear and fun. And it's nice to have another boy around, even if he is a bit... hairy round the chin. But then things start going wrong. The lion loses his dentures. The clowns lose their noses. The Ringmaster loses his temper. And the circus is about to lose its licence. Is the bearded boy to blame? Can Fizz save the day?

Miffy is back, thoroughly modern and more adorable than ever in the fourth volume of delightful adventures! Follow Miffy as she embarks on more adventures big and small - exploring the exciting world around her with her friends and family. Featuring 'Miffy’s Halloween', 'Miffy on Safari', 'Miffy’s Mystery Footprints', 'Miffy’s Christmas Dinner', 'Miffy and the Starry Night', 'Miffy’s Winter Fun', 'Daddy’s Father’s Day Card', 'Miffy and the Pet Show', 'Miffy and the Midwinter Festival' and 'Farmer John's Surprise'.

The first in a brand-new series about dancing, friendship and following your dreams, from best-loved author Jean Ure. When new girl Caitlyn arrives at Coombe House School, Maddy is sure she must be a fellow ballet dancer; she certainly has all the grace and poise of a ballerina. So when Caitlyn denies it, Maddy isn't convinced. But it isn't until she comes across Caitlyn practising ballet in the gym that she realises there must be more to her story...Just what can it be? Maddy is determined to find out!

Audie Award, Middle Grade, 2016. Lost and alone in the forbidden Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each become sinterwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together.

Meet Z . . . Z has a small, well kind of BIG, problem. Every time he speaks – a couple of words, or even just a line – it rhymes! Seriously. So when Z is at school, answering questions in class, in the dreaded school lunch queue, in the playground . . . when Z speaks, it always rhymes! In fact, that’s how he earned his nickname: Z. A reflection of the number of words he now speaks at school on a daily basis. Zero! Yep, ZILCH!

When a young girl wakes up in the middle of the desert, she has no idea who she is. She's wearing one shoe, a silky black dress, and she's carrying a strange, heavy case. She meets Tarni, who is on a mysterious quest of her own. Together, the two girls trek across the vast and ever-changing Australian Outback in search of answers. Except both are also hiding secrets.

Tom Falconer is in trouble. Pursued by the notorious criminal Ratsey, Tom soon finds himself alone and hungry on the streets of London. Luckily enough, the mysterious Dr Mobius soon recruits Tom to play an important role in a play to be performed in front of Queen Elizabeth. Tom knows there’s something not right about Mobius, but he’s willing to take a risk in order to keep his neck out of Ratsey’s murderous hands.

Natasha Pyne, Stephen Thorne and Gemma Saunders star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling - he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam.

Ricky and Nini, who play Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, share chemistry on and off the stage, but with their understudies, E.J. and Gina, plotting to take over their roles, will these talented performers make it to opening night?

A sneaky reporter is on a mission to discover Hannah Montana’s secret! If he finds out that the pop sensation is really teenager Miley Stewart, her life will change forever. What’s worse, Miley forgets about her best friend Lilly’s 16th birthday. So her dad, Robby Ray, insists on a trip back home to Tennessee. Surrounded by her family and old friends, will Miley remember her true self? And when the reporter gets too close to discovering her secret identity, will she have to give up on her dream of being Hannah Montana?

Hannah's family farm is once again under threat. This time, a water company wants to flood the land to make a reservoir. How can Hannah stand by and watch as her home, the land her family has farmed for generations, the wildlife, the ancient trees all disappear under a deluge of water? She isn't going to go down without a fight, and the school play might just be the answer... When the going gets tough, the tough take to the stage!

Rising to fame with her 1936 novel Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild soon became one of the most popular authors of her day. She was one of the first winners of the Carnegie Medal and was awarded an OBE in 1983. She died in 1986, but her stories continue to captivate children today. Included here are three of her very best - Ballet Shoes, The Growing Summer and When the Siren Wailed.