The Double Act

Ruby and Garnet are ten-year-old twins. They're identical, and they do EVERYTHING together, especially since their mother died three years earlier - but they couldn't be more different. Bossy, bouncy, funny Ruby loves to take charge, and is desperate to be a famous actress, while quiet, sensitive, academic Garnet loves nothing more than to curl up with one of her favourite books. And when everything around the twins is changing so much, can being a double act work for ever?

No-one can ever be like a mother to us. NO-ONE. NO-ONE AT ALL. ESPECIALLY NOT STUPID FRIZZY DIZZY ROSE . . . Ruby and Garnet are ten-year-old twins. Identical! They do EVERYTHING together, especially since their mother died three years earlier. But can being a double act work for ever, when so much around them is changing? This ever-popular story now includes an extra-special new introduction by Jacqueline!

The double act has been at the heart of the British entertainment scene for over 150 years: from its start in the music halls, through radio shows such as Hancock's Half Hour playing in virtually every household and on cinema and television, from Carry On films to Withnail and I. Explore the influence of comedy duos on their audience and how their performances evolved over time, the importance of the subtle art of the straight man next to the comic and discover some acts who might have passed you by. This book is a tribute to the comedians who have entertained the public for so long, dedicating their lives to adding a bit of laughter to the mundane everyday. The Double Act will appeal to all lovers of British comedy as it takes them through the golden moments of its history.

Meet the terrible twosome, Ruby and Garnet, in DOUBLE ACT twins with identical looks and identical interests, but different hopes&And in BAD GIRLS, there s Mandy who s desperate to escape being teased at school. Friendship with Tanya seems like a great

Not many can boast of careers that lasted successfully for nearly seventy years, but that is what both Googie Withers and John McCallum achieved. Googie portrayed everything from brazen murderesses to Lady Bracknell, taking in blonde nitwits, wartime Resistance workers, lady farmers and Shakespeare along the way. John not only performed memorably in all the acting media but also was a pioneer producer in Australian television – sending Skippy into the far corners of the earth – the managing director of a huge theatrical firm, and a film director, playwright and author. Just as remarkable was their 62-year marriage, not all that common in the entertainment world, and the way this worked is as fascinating as their varied and prolific careers. There were plenty of disagreements along the way but underlying all was their profound respect for each other’s work and a kind of love that was essentially complementary. Together, in professional and personal matters alike, an unbeatable combination. Brian McFarlane’s biography does justice to this remarkable pair – and reads as an absorbing story. ‘Brian’s book brings back wonderfully vivid memories of an important Australian past. Once I had met and worked with Googie and John I knew they were true royalty. Together, they made my life richer and gave my profession a finer meaning. This book brings them vividly to life. It is a great read.’ – George Ogilvie, theatre director and drama teacher

Get ready for moving islands! Mischievous monkeys! And a splashy adventure with illustrations on almost every page. When Oliver’s explorer parents go missing, he sets sail to find them with some new friends. There’s a grumpy albatross, a nearsighted mermaid . . . even a living island! But the high seas are more exciting and strange than Oliver could have imagined. Can he and his crew spar with sarcastic seaweed, outrun an army of sea monkeys, win a fabulous maritime fashion contest, and defeat a wicked sea captain in time to save Mom and Dad? For early chapter book readers who are ready for something longer, the Not-So-Impossible Tales are packed with silly humor, action, and larger-than-life fun. “[A] sly and dashing tale. . . Readers’ ribs aren’t the only ones that get a vigorous tickle.” —Kirkus Reviews “A delightfully told, beautiful tale of nautical hairdressing, saltwater primates and sarcastic seaweed—this is my kind of book!” —Chris Riddell, award-winning co-creator of the Edge Chronicles From the Hardcover edition.

A biography of Laurel and Hardy describes their original teaming in the 1927 short, "Duck Soup, " their considerable innovations, and their ongoing influence.

Translated from Serbian, this stirring novel draws on a wealth of archival materials and Nazi bureaucratic records about the concentration camp at the Belgrade Fairgrounds, from where, in five months in 1942, 5,000 Jews were loaded into a truck and gassed. A Serbian Jewish college professor looks back and obsessively imagines himself as perpetrator, victim, and bystander.

In this major study, Ira Nadel shows how Tom Stoppard's life imitates his art and vice versa. An authorised biography, it draws on inside sources including Stoppard's own notebooks and letters, some previously unpublished.