Showing results by narrator "Candida Gubbins" in All Categories

When Max is sent to Istanbul to stay with her boring Great-Aunt Elodie, little does she expect to be plunged into a thrilling nighttime adventure across Europe. And when the mysterious Heartbreak Diamond goes missing, Max must find her feet in a whirling world of would-be diamond smugglers, thieves and undercover detectives. Will she discover the real diamond thief before they reach their destination?

When aristocrat's daughter Charlotte Bingham was summoned to her father's office aged 18, she never expected to discover that he was a spy. Even more ominous was his decision that she should work for MI5. Miserably assigned to the formidable Dragon, Lottie wishes for release from the torment of typing. But as fellow secretary Annabella illuminates the mysteries of MI5, and Lottie's home fills with actors doubling as spies, Lottie feels well and truly spooked.

Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy...who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance. But now someone - or something - is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline.

Aveline is thrilled when she discovers that the holiday cottage her mum has rented for the summer is beside a stone circle. Thousands of years old, the local villagers refer to the ancient structure as the Witch Stones, and Aveline cannot wait to learn more about them. Then Aveline meets Hazel: impossibly cool, mysterious yet friendly. Aveline soon falls under her spell. In fact, she is quite unlike anyone Aveline has ever met before - but she can't work out why. Will Aveline discover the truth about Hazel before it's too late?

When her family is struck by a terrible tragedy, Sarah Nightingale is forced to go into service at Grey Friars House as an under-nursery-maid. Although the situation wasn’t of her making Sarah thrives there, but life for her younger brother Alfie is not as easy. Desperate to avoid being sent to the workhouse, Alfie runs away to London to seek his fortune. But young and inexperienced with the dangerous streets of London, Alfie is tricked and sold to work as a slave on a coal barge. Sarah misses her brother terribly but knows she must find a way to survive if she ever wants them to be reunited.

Sarah Nightingale is a strong young woman who keeps her head high and faces every new adversity with courage. So when Daniel Cooper, a happily married man with three children, offers her a position taking care of his children and poorly wife, she jumps at the chance. Perhaps life is finally looking up for Sarah? Meanwhile, Sarah’s brother Alfie is also prospering in London after escaping his life of servitude. But when a personal tragedy strikes, Alfie decides to leave London and go home to look for his sister.

Aveline is determined to discover the truth behind her Uncle Rowan's mysterious disappearance when she travels to his home with Mum and Aunt Lilian. After years of hoping he would return, they have finally decided to sell his house - but Aveline and Harold have other plans. Sneaking into Rowan's study, Aveline discovers he had been researching possible supernatural activity around an ancient burial mound - and linked this with the unexplained disappearances of other local villagers. Dark, magical forces are at work, and they'll do anything to remain hidden.

It's 25 days until Christmas. And 10-year-old Harper gets a surprise when Mum announces she's bringing her new boyfriend Nick home for the holidays! Nick seems nice enough. But why do strange Christmassy things happen whenever he's around? Like snow falling only in the family's garden? Or a reindeer suddenly appearing on the roof?! Harper's convinced that Nick must be Father Christmas! And if her mum and older brother won't believe her, she'll just have to find a way to prove it herself.

From her cellar bedroom, Clementine dreams of a magic place. And she's determined to find it one day. But first she must escape from her wicked aunt and uncle and from the Great Black City. With the help of her best friend, Gilbert, a very clever cat, she sets off on an epic journey that just might make her dreams come true. A thrilling, moving and funny adventure about looking for the most magical place of all. Home.

It's been two years since Harper and Will discovered their mum's boyfriend Nick is Santa Claus—now their family is one bigger thanks to baby Yula Hall who's almost a year old. But baby Yula also seems to have Christmas magic she can't control (cue turning the sandpit into a snow pit, causing mischief at nursery by pulling whichever toy she likes out of any drawer and the house being wrapped up in Christmas paper!)

When Miriam Lea falls on hard times, an advertisement calling for private agents catches her eye, and within weeks she finds herself in Mr Bazalgette's employ as a private detective, travelling on a train to Hamburg in pursuit of an audacious fraudster. What follows is a journey through some of the great cities of Europe - and eventually to South Africa - as Miss Lea attempts to find her man.