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Books by Michael Cox

Just keep scrolling until you find one you fancy
(or just fall off your computer table)

Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You

This book will probably make you want to run away to land! Real pirates were a thousand times wickeder and weirder than any storybook swashbuckler! They scared seafarers shirtless from the Bahamas to Brazil and from Carolina to China. And, between 1500 and 1730, the Caribbean Sea was positively seething with them! If you want to find out why Horrible Henry Morgan and his thousand strong pirate posse ate their own shoes, where William Dampier had a two foot long worm dangling from, why Captain Kidd had to be hanged twice, then covered all over in tar, who bit off Sadie the Goat's ear, how many times Blackbeard had to be shot and sliced before he would die, and why it was important for pirates to keep their bottoms clean, plus boatloads more fiercesome facts, stories of seagoing shenanigans and murderous maritime memoirs, this book is for you!

Illustrated
Suitable for ages 7-14
Published by Scholastic on 7 May 2007
paperback, 88 pages, price: £4.99
ISBN: 978-0-439943-81-9

This time, Romeo and Juliet live on a Nottingham housing estate where the Montague and Capulet families collect ASBO's like other people collect Tesco loyalty points. The inside story is told by Baz, Romeo's mate and helper. Just like Shakespeare's original, it's packed with all manner of action and intrigue, not to mention a generous helping of 'lurve'. And of course, it has more twists and turns than Ma Capulet's curly blonde wig, more razzle-dazzle than Boss Montague's Armani track suit, and more bad-mouthing than a week's worth of East Enders. As Baz says, 'I mean, one gang fight, three murders and two suicides on one estate in a single week is a lot in anyone's books, innit?'

Illustrated
Suitable for ages 10-16
Published by A and C Black on 1 February 2007
paperback, -- pages, price: £4.99

This won a 'Story of the Year' award a few years ago, and now it's been republished in glorious flat-screen, high-definition-ready technicolour with bonus verbs, adjectives and pronouns...and all for the stupid price of £3.99.

Wilf Wolf's favourite book is Little Red Riding Hood. Returning from shopping at Wolfworths, he meets little Fred Hood and his ever-so-sweet granny and so begins an adventure involving baskets of goodies, lonely cottages and old ladies. But things don't turn out quite the way Wilf wants them to.

Buy it from Amazon: Little Fred Riding Hood (Red Bananas)

Suitable for ages 5-10
Published by Egmont on 4 September 2006
paperback, 48 pages, price: £3.99
ISBN: 1405219173

A Hurricane of high seas hi-jinks, nautical naughtiness and maritime mix-ups, involving Captain Codswallop and his pirate pals, a couple of very desperate highwaymen, the Spanish Armada, a pile of fish, and thousands of mysterious, beige, lumpy things!

Warning: someone described this book as a 'laugh-out-loud romp' so please don't read it in places where your chuckles, guffaws and hysterical shrieks are likely to disturb the sleeping inmates eg public libraries, school assemblies, granaries (old folks homes), the Houses of Parliament (another sort of old folks home) etc.

Buy it from Amazon: Captain Codswallop and the Flying Kipper (Black Cats)

Black and white line drawings
Published by A and C Black on 1 August 2006
paperback, 88 pages, price: £4.99
ISBN: 0713676302

Vampire Vigilantes

Book 1 When the vampire invasion begins, only Claire and Jason know what's going on - but can they stop it before things go too far? They'll need to be cunning and careful; aware and alert. They'll need to be vigilant. They'll be... Vampire Vigilantes!

The sinister Blodvats have arrived in town, charming Claire's parents and taking an unhealthy interest in Grandpa Reg's neck! Then Jason's family begins acting weirdly. Why do the Blodvats have such a strange effect on everyone they meet?

Buy it from Amazon: Invasion of the Sausage Snatchers (Vampire Vigilantes)

Black and white line drawings by Chris Smedley
Published by Hodder Children's Books 2002
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Book 2 Claire and her classmate Jason have formed the Vampire Vigilantes. They discover that the vampire invasion is widespread - not only has it has been hushed up by the authorities but the worst is yet to come!

After a hair raising encounter with the Blodvat's giant vampire son Vladimir, the Vigilantes find an ally in the Government's secret anti-vampire agent, Professor Weatherwax.

Buy it from Amazon: Nightmare on Eck Street (Vampire Vigilantes)

Black and white line drawings by Chris Smedley
Published by Hodder Children's Books 2002
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Book 3 Claire and Jason, the Vampire Vigilantes are dedicated to defeating the Blodvats: vampires who are masquerading as their parents friends while secretly planning an invasion of the undead.

After a narrow escape from the vampires' clutches, the vigilantes can at last piece together their enemy's wicked plans. The horrors of Hallowe'en are nothing compared with what lies ahead - as the undead await the Return of the Master...

Buy it from Amazon: The Fall of the House of Blodvat (Vampire Vigilantes)

Black and white line drawings by Chris Smedley
Published by Hodder Children's Books 2002
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Dead Famous

You've probably heard of Leonardo da Vinci... He is dead famous for: - painting the most famous picture in the world - designing the first-ever flying machine - being THE all-round fabulous Renaissance Man. But have you heard that Leonardo: - spent ten years making a seven-metre tall horse - thought pink was the coolest colour for clothes - loved to play practical jokes? Yes, even though he's dead, Leonardo's still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Leonardo's lost notebook, flick through the pages of the Milan Messenger and discover dozens of the dazzling inventions the great man dreamed up in his amazing super-brain. Dead Funny - Dead Gripping - Dead Famous

Buy it from Amazon: Leonardo Da Vinci and His Super-brain (Dead Famous)

Black and white line drawings by Clive Goddard
Published by Hippo on 20 June 2003
paperback, 176 pages, price: £4.99

You've probably heard of Elvis... He is dead famous for: ...being the King of Rock 'n' Roll ...having trouble fitting into his spangly white jumpsuits ...causing a riot with a wiggle of his pelvis. But have you heard that Elvis ...escaped from tornadoes by hidiing in a cave ...flew halfway across America for 22 giant sandwiches ...had a tooth stuck in his lung? Yes, even though he's dead, Elvis is still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Elvis's lost diary, peek in the pages of 'The Hillbilly Herald', and check out our exclusive guide to Elvis impersonating.

Buy it from Amazon: Elvis and His Pelvis (Dead Famous)

Black and white line drawings by Philip Reeve
Published by Hippo on 16 February 2001
paperback, 208 pages, price: £4.99

My Story

October 1415 What I saw when we looked down into that valley made my stomach churn, my heart pound and my legs feel like they were made from bowstrings. There below us, about half a mile away, for almost as far as I could see in all directions, was a vast sea of grey steel. Moving before us was the most enormous host of men I had ever laid eyes on in my life. As their pennants fluttered in the breeeze and their countless lances bobbed up and down, thousands and thousands of French knights on horseback were now taking up their positions in the valley.....

Buy it from Amazon: Agincourt: Jenkin Lloyd, France, 1415 (My Story)

Published by Hippo on 17 April 2003
paperback, 176 pages, price: £5.99

Pickle Hill Primary

'Eyes closed and hold tight!' said Mrs Parrot. The class carpet rose in the air and a moment later we were flying! Our school is definitely different. Take our teachers for starters. Mrs Parrot gets in a bit of a flap about rainforests, but her lessons really are magic! We learned about: - life in the trees - when we took a trip in a glass lift to the top of a rainforest! - sloths - when one spoke to us - very sloooooowly! - tarantulas - when a giant spider chased us through the forest! It's brilliant here. Come on in and see for yourself...!

Not currently available from Amazon

Black and white line drawings by Kelly Waldek
Published by Hippo on 17 April 2003
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

In Mr Megamouth's Shark Lessons, Simon Sidworth turns, hilariously, into a great white shark and reaveals to the rest of the class some very nasty habits.

Buy it from Amazon: Mr.Megamouth's Shark Lessons (Pickle Hill Primary S.)

Black and white line drawings by Kelly Waldek
Published by Hippo on 16 August 2002
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

The Knowledge

First there were a load of boffins who got excited about thier network of nodes. Then along came one boffin who decided to make his net into a web. Now over 600 million users log on to the Incredible Indernet and Wondrous World Wide Web every day. Yes, this cyberspace safari tells you all you need to know about the people and inventions that made it all happen. From Internet toilets to gorilla online chat sessions, you'll also discover sites and bytes along the way you didn't even know existed. PLUS find out if you're a nerd, webaholic or a newbie in our cybertrivia challenge. If you want to be in the know, get The Knowledge!

Buy it from Amazon: The Incredible Internet (Knowledge)

Published by Hippo on 19 July 2002
paperback, 176 pages, price: £4.99

First houses were made of mud...so they got washed away every time it rained. Next architects went wild - take the temple that was deliberately built to tilt, the bouncy castle made of stone, and the office block with the features of a car. Now the sky's the limit. Who'll be next to break the record for the tallest building in the world? This mind-boggling guide opens the window on awesome architects and barmy builders. Meet the con man who built up his bank balance by selling Big Ben and the architect who got lost in his own building. Visit a palace full of mirrors, the woman with a door in her foot and a castle made of ice. PLUS design your own superstar skyscraper.
If you want to be in the know, get The Knowledge!

Buy it from Amazon: Mind-boggling Buildings (Knowledge S.)

Published by Hippo on 20 November 1998
paperback, 160 pages, price: £4.99

First a loin cloth and a bit of body paint made a loud fashion statement. Next everyone was at it. Men wore corsets, women showed their ankles and fashions changed every five minutes. Now just about anything goes - hats that look like shoes, underpants worn over your trousers - and fashions still change every five minutes. This go-ahead guide will kit you out from top to toe. try on a hat that started a riot, tie on a horsehair bustle that's designed to make your bum look big and slip on some pointy shoes...that are three times as long as your feet. Meet the designer who made rubber, zips and safety pins fashionable, a celebrity with a famous tummy button and the man who made shoulders BIG in the 1980's. PLUS design your own smashin' fashion collection.
If you want to be in the know, get The Knowledge!

Buy it from Amazon: Smashin' Fashion (Knowledge S.)

Published by Hippo on 22 May 1998
paperback, 160 pages, price: £3.99

Presenting a mind-blowing line-up of musical talent! Superstar Rock n' Roll legends Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard! Cool classical megastars Mozart, Beethoven, Pavarotti! Mega pop legends The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, Oasis! AND many more special guests... Tune in to all sorts of COOL musical happenings, from the birth of the blues to the AMAZING invention of a sound recording machine. Get into the groove with MIND-BOGGLING musical instruments, and read about a tragedy that sparked the biggest MUSICAL EXPLOSION ever. PLUS how to become and overnight pop sensation! If you want to be in the know, get The Knowledge!

Buy it from Amazon: Mind-blowing Music (Knowledge)

Published by Hippo on 12 December 1997
paperback, 160 pages, price: £4.99

First cave-dwellers hid their mammoth doodles in dark, damp caves. Next - you name it, they painted it - from luscious landscapes and mouldy meat to diabolical dream-sequences. Now anything can be art - building bricks, half a cow, even a bin full of rubbish! In this imaginative guide, you'll meet rich artists, poor artists, dead artists and artists who really made an exhibition of themselves. Find out about some forgers and fraudsters who brushed with the law, palette loads of ancient artefacts, and how to create your own priceless masterpiece. PLUS are you the owner of an artistic temperament? If you want to know, get The Knowledge!

Buy it from Amazon: Awful Art (Knowledge)

Published by Hippo on 19 September 1997
paperback, 192 pages, price: £4.99

Top Ten

Find out which ghost story has the number one slot out of hundreds of haunting tales! Michael Cox's brilliant and funny interpretations of classic ghost stories such as 'The Body Snatchers', 'Turn of the Screw' and 'The Night Mail' are backed up with fascinating fact sections on ghosts and phantoms, ghost hunters and lots more.

Buy it from Amazon: Top Ten Ghost Stories (Top Ten S.)

Black and white line drawings by Michael Tickner
Published by Hippo on 20 April 2001
paperback, 224 pages, price: £4.99

Ten classic horror stories as you've never seen them before. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a TV crime show, The Pit and the Pendulum is told as an interiors magazine article, Frankenstein - and his monster - write to an agony aunt to tell her all their woes and the story of Dracula becomes a musical spectacular! PLUS brilliant and fascinating fact files on werewolves, vampires, phobias, mad professors and lots more. A very original approach to classic horror - a must for all horror fans.

Buy it from Amazon: Top Ten Horror Stories (Top Ten)

Black and white line drawings by Michael Tickner
Published by Hippo on 21 July 2000
paperback, 224 pages, price: £4.99

What was top of the pops in ancient Norse times? Want to know which Viking Legend's had the number one slot since the dark ages? It could be... THE BINDING OF FENRIR - Fenrir the the giant wolf is out of control. The gods write to Rolf for some serious advice. Read their letters - and his replies... THE THEFT OF IDUN'S APPLES - the gods rely in Idun's apples for their youth and beauty, but they've been nicked! Who did the deed? Inspector Norse investigates... RAGNAROK - it's the end of the world! Jeremy Axeman and his team report the earth-shaking happenings in up-to-the-minute news show 'Bad Newsnight' WITH top ten fact sections, including a gallery of the gods, Valhalla and the Valkyries and ten Norse giants and monsters to avoid. Viking Legends as you've NEVER seen them before!

Buy it from Amazon: Top Ten Viking Legends (Top Ten)

Published by Hippo on 19 November 1999
paperback, 208 pages, price: £4.99

Airmail From...

G'day Mate! My name's Sharon (but you can call me Shazza) and I'm your new pen-pal from Sydney in Australia. Take a squizz at this bonzer bunch of letters all about my life Down Under. You can learn some smooth surfing moves - watch out for killer sea wasps though! Come with me on an outback adventure and chomp on some ooli worm spaghetti. Yum! Get a taste of life in old-days Sydney - but try to stay out of jail! Find out about the amazing Aborigines and meet some freaky creatures and brave explorers. You can even learn how to speak like me s'right! You'll be a ridgi didge Ozzie in no time! Love, Shazza!

Probably not available from Amazon, but have a look just in case: Australia (Airmail From...S.)

Black and white line drawings by Rhian Nest-James
Published by Hippo on 19 May 2000
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Hello to YOU! It is me, Hari Sharma! I live in Old Delhi in the big huge country of India. Just for you, I have done some excellent pen-pal writings about my goings and comings in this busy-whizzy place. You can: - find out why goats are wearing cardigans - and not for the fashion! - suck on sweets made of silver and be blinded by lightbulbs at my sister's wedding - cycle with me through the Delhi traffics - watch out for camels and cricket balls! Meet our great gods, too, visit brave birds in hospital and find out why an elephant is your best friend. Yes! You will go wild for my scribblings! Hari!

Buy it from Amazon: India: Old Dehli (Airmail From...S.)

Black and white line drawings by Rhian Nest-James
Published by Hippo on 19 February 2000
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Hello to YOU! Hi, my name's Keri and I live in a place called Okotoks in awesome Alberta in Canada. I'm real excited to be your pen-pal and I've got heaps to tell you about my life here in the f-f-f-freezing north. You can: - slurp some snow with me and my friends - watch out for the snowballs! - find out why our cows play bingo and polar bears get sent to jail - learn how to make fishy Inuit ice-cream - think I'll stick to pumpkin pie! see the Rocky Mountains too, meet some enormoose Canadian creatures (ha, ha!), and be cool as a cowboy in our Rodeo bonanza. Yippee ay ay ! Love, Keri!

Buy it from Amazon: Canada (Airmail From...S.)

Published by Hippo on 19 November 1999
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.99

Hello to you! Oi! It's me, Leo Lisboa! Me and my twin sister Maria live in Copacabana in brilliant Brazil. We're bursting to be your sunshine pen friends and tell you all about our life at home and our amazing adventures in the Amazon. You can: go bananas at a brazilian football match - and shout yourself horsey! You will bump into rats that bark, frogs you can see through, and tons more scary-hairy jungle creatures. Hang in a hammock on our boat trip down the river - but watch out for biting piranha fish! We'll show you carnival samba dancing too, and some brainy-box history and people things. You will have a bunch of laughs!
Leo from Rio!

Buy it from Amazon: South America; Amazonia - Where Tree Frogs Go Moo! (Airmail From...S.)

Published by Hippo on 16 July 1999
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.50

Hello to YOU! My name is Shrimp (real one Srinthip Prajom!). I come from a place called Ban Pong in Thailand. Can I be your best pen friend for a short bite? In my letters I will tell you all about the fun I am having here. You can: - find out how delicious beetles are and why disco prawns dance on your spoon - come on holiday with me and meet some turtles and sea gypsies - learn why you must never point your feet at a Thai person! There are some very nice pictures by my big brother Frog, and my funny Uncle Boon has some stories to tell you too. You will have fun reading about me and the Land of Smiles!
Love, Shrimp!

Buy it from Amazon: Asia (Airmail From...S.)

Published by Hippo on 16 April 1999
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.50

Hello to You! My name is Christopher Ole Nerento. I live in a place called Ngorongoro which is in Tanzania in Africa. Listen! I would like to be your new pen friend. Here for your interests is a bunch of letters about my exciting goings on. You can meet my family, including my four mums! You'll find out why my tribe is thinking that the poo of our cows is most lucky! I will take you on safari with many dangerous animals - but don't worry, I have made some special tippings for your safety! You will have a good fun reading what it is like to be me,
Christopher!

Probably not available from Amazon, but have a look just in case: Africa; Ngorongoro - Where Cow Poo Is Lucky (Airmail From...S.)

Published by Hippo on 16 April 1999
paperback, 128 pages, price: £3.50

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