Showing results by narrator "Clive Mantle" in All Categories

Barcelona in 1912 is a city still recovering from the dramatic incidents of the so-called 'Tragic Week' when Catalan conscripts bound for the unpopular war in Spanish Morocco had rebelled at the city's dockside against the royalist forces. In the fighting many were killed and afterwards even more were thrown into prison. Including an Englishman, who was later found dead in his cell.

New York might be the Big Apple, but for Tim it's sausage city. A priceless golden statue has been stolen & Tim has a vital clue.He follows the trail of hot dogs in a chase from Central Park to Brooklyn - helped by the hottest dog of all, Grk.

Malta, 1913, and hot air balloons hover over the Grand Harbour. But one of them falls from the sky, the balloonist dying later from his injuries. He is not the only one to die unexpectedly at the Naval Hopspital, however, as a letter to the Times points out. Special Investigator Seymour of the Foreign Office is sent out from London to uncover the truth. Malta is still a British protectorate; indeed, with its red post boxes, English beer, and English language, it seems like an exotic "Little Britain". But as the rumblings of war reach the small island, many of the old Maltese families are becoming divided in their loyalties.

Tim can’t speak much French. Grk can speak even less. But they have to learn fast when they take the train to France and track down the evil Colonel Zinfandel.In the sixth of their thrilling adventures, Tim and Grk chase Colonel Zinfandel from the top of the Eiffel Tower to the bottom of the River Seine, and finally discover the true meaning of revenge.

Published in time for Remembrance Day 2008, the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, We Will Remember Them commemorates the veterans who are no longer among us. With an introduction by Henry Allingham, 110, only survivor of the Battle of the Somme and Britain's oldest living man, Max Arthur's new book expands the circle of contributors by interviewing the families of First World War veterans.

The day I was appointed Chair of the shop union was the same day the Pope was elected. There the similarities end, however. For while his elevation took place beneath the fine art of the Sistine Chapel, with the mysterious white smoke rising, mine took place in the cold store, with nothing more mysterious than the bacon delivery and yesterday's waste...A vicar for twenty years, Simon Parke trades in his dog collar for a job on the tills in his local supermarket.

When Freddie is given an ancient map for his birthday by his eccentric Uncle Patrick, it seems an odd gift, but Freddie is thrilled. Little does he realise that the mysterious map is about to turn his world upside down. Plunged into a perilous adventure between two worlds, and pursued in turn by a ruthless bully and a determined adversary who each go to any lengths to get what they want, Freddie must fight for what's right - and for his very life.... 

As a boy, Simon Garfield started collecting "errors" - rare stamps flawed by printing faults and absent colours. As an adult his childhood obsession became a full-blown mid-life crisis. This amusing but painfully revealing account of a passion he was once only able to admit to people he could really trust traces his fascination for these tiny print slip-ups from the simple pleasures of boyhood to an attempt to create order out of chaos and finally the gradual decline and break-up of his marriage.

Iggy is an Urk. The Urks are a warlike race with bushy beards and hairy legs – especially some of the women. Urks like boulder-rolling and chasing lizards. They also like the Feast of Urks. This is when Urk boys must pass the Testing to become warriors.But Iggy isn’t quite like other Urks. He likes inventing things. Which is why he has been neglecting his axe-wielding practice. So it is unfortunate for him that the Testing involves killing a large snake – using an axe....

When Tim discovers a man badly hurt on a beach, his sun-kissed relaxing holiday in the Seychelles takes on a more dangerous twist. He and Grk are the only ones, it seems, who want to know what happened. They find themselves speeding towards a well-guarded private island, and single-handedly foiling a dastardly plot threatening the local endangered giant tortoises.

All major social advances have started with a complaint. Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela each brought about changes by beginning with a complaint that the status quo was wrong and needed to change. It's time to reclaim complaint as a progressive, positive force again, and this book explores every kind of complaint that people make.

BERLIN 1948: - A vanquished city of rubble - sliced into sections by the Allies, and set well back behind the Russian lines. A city of old women, black marketeers and sleazy cabarets in ruined cellars.In the British sector was Squadron Leader Michael Harrison, a war hero who had helped to bomb Berlin into fragments. He hated the Nazis who had killed his sister and her children. But here he was, doing his best to ensure that food and fuel was somehow brought in to save the surviving Berliners.

Race to the Pole tells of several expeditions into the unknown. It looks at Scott, the old fashioned hero whose lack of preparation led to tragedy, and at Shackleton, who refused to sacrifice his men to the cause.

Despite warnings from his new found friends, ex-university lecturer Frank spies on his old life from beyond the grave.

Thanks to his Uncle Patrick's mysterious map, Freddie is about to embark on another incredible adventure through time - except now he's not alone. Join Freddie and his best friend, Connor, as a feisty new neighbour, Ruby, threatens to disrupt the boys plans. Clive Mantle brings all the drama of his TV, film and stage career to the second in a thrilling series of incredible time-travel adventures.

India. The country of curry, chutney, tigers, the Taj Mahal... and the Blue Rat Gang! In Delhi, hundreds of children have been enslaved. Will no one help them? Does no one care? One person does. And one dog too. On trains and rickshaws, travelling from slums to palaces, Tim and Grk plunge into the heart of India for the most exciting adventure of their lives.

Join Freddie, Connor and Ruby as they travel to the plague-stricken and fire-ravaged London of the 17th century, where the streets are ruled by a merciless gang of criminals and kidnappers. Stalked through time by the menacing, shrouded figure of the Collector, can the friends outwit their enemies and save history? It's all just a question of time....  

Old Grumbly has begun to spew smoke and rumble noisily and many Urks fear it’s The End of the World. The tribe decides that Iggy and Chief Hammerhead must climb the deadly mountain to ‘sort things out’. Little do they know that something much more dangerous is racing through the forest towards their village. Now would be an excellent time for one of Iggy’s cunning plans. First he just needs to figure out how to avoid being barbecued alive.… The fourth fantastic Iggy the Urk story from bestselling author Alan MacDonald.

Iggy is excited as he sets off with Dad on his first hunting trip. When they find a set of huge footprints, a heap of bones and a pool of slime, Iggy wants to hunt the creature, but Dad is suddenly anxious to get back. Later, Iggy’s Grumma tells him about the Slimosaur – a great scaly beast which coats you in slime before devouring you in one go. The Urks have had a poor harvest and food is running very low.

Westering and Wanting brings to a conclusion the life of Derek Johns’ semi-autobiographical character Billy Palmer. In 'Westering', Billy is in his early 30s and living in New York. He has married an American, and is attempting to pursue a career in the arts whilst discovering married life and contemplating starting a family.

In 'Wanting', Billy is middle-aged. Divorced from Alice, and 3,000 miles away from both her and his teenage son, Michael, he is back in London....