The Collins Book of Ballet and Dance

Ure, Jean

Literature & Fiction

HarperCollins, Publishers

The fourth title in Jean Ure's acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children. Jean Ure perfectly captures the lives of ordinary children -- but no child is ever ordinary, and certainly not Salvatore d'Amato -- or Sally Tomato, as he's sometimes called. He's out to get a girl and he has a plan: he's going to write some Disgusting Ditties -- one for each letter of the alphabet, and start some secret body-building, too. That way he's bound to attract someone. (But he doesn't want his sister to know his plans...) Whether it's Sal Tomato here, Mandy Small in FRUIT AND NUTCASE, Cherry in SKINNY MELON AND ME, or Becky in BECKY BANANAS, their lives, with all their ups and downs, is presented with courage, humour and tenacity. These are special children who any child can relate to and will draw inspiration and hope from their stories of their lives.

The Secret Life of Sally Tomato

Harper Collins Childrens H/B

Jamie finds that he has an aptitude for ballet - but how will he cope once his friends discover that he has taken to wearing tights and dancing on the stage? This adaptation from the novel is part of the Act Now series of plays for age 14 upwards, which is strongly linked to Youth Theatre projects.

Cascades - "A Proper Little Nooryeff" (Collins Cascades)

Dramas & Plays

No child is very ordinary—certainly not Salvatore d'Amato, or Sally Tomato, as he's sometimes called. He's out to get a girl and he has a plan; he's going to write a Disgusting Ditty for each letter of the alphabet, and take up secret body building without his sister noticing.

The Secret Life of Sally Tomato (Diary Series)

Children's Books

Humor

HarperCollins Children`s Books

Four stray dogs all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage with their people Flossie and Jo. Buster is the boss dog, and he tells the stories…
The first of four titles, each one told through the voice of a rescued dog. Buster the Bitsa is the star of this first book. He’s a mongrel – a bit of this and a bit of that. He’s the boss dog, the one who arrived at Munchy Flats cottage first. When Buster was a puppy he had a lovely warm and loving home. Being an adventurous little soul, he got out of the garden one day and was dognapped by a rogue. He was taken to live with a family who didn’t care for him but he managed to escape. Roaming the woods and fields he rescues a dear little lapdog and becomes a hero – with his picture in all the papers. His People recognise him and there’s a joyful reunion.

Buster (Chums)

Animals

HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks

Four stray dogs all with a story to tell of their rescue and how they came to live at Munchy Flats Cottage with their people, Flossie and Jo.The second title in this new series. Bella is a pedigree – her real name being Princess Isadora of Bude! She’s a lapdog and spoilt rotten by her elderly owner. When her owner is taken into hospital, Bella has to go and live with another family and is bullied and teased by the other dogs. Bella’s hair gets matted, her ribbon torn and she’s very unhappy. She runs back to the hospital where she thinks her owner is, but sadly her owner has died. Bella has to learn to live with her new bullying siblings. One day, out in the park Bella is bullied by a pack of dogs and is left cowering in the bushes. Her new owners decide that they must find Bella a new home and they take her to Munchy Flats Cottage where she settles in nicely with Buster… A heartwarming ending to a story about bullying dogs.

Bella (Chums)

Cresta's diary starts: "My mum! She has boys on the brain!" She and Charlie are seriously embarrassed by their parents who insist on behaving like teenagers. The girls are serious about their schoolwork and their careers—and they are not going to waste their time thinking about boys!

Boys on the Brain (Diary Series)

Teen & Young Adult

The second title in Jean Ure’s acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children.
Becky Bananas is eleven years, nine months, three days and fourteen hours old and her great ambitions are:
•To visit the world-famous Wonderland theme park •To star on the TV programme This Is Your Life •To become a famous dancer •And to be twelve
A poignant and heartwarming story of Becky Bananas, who has leukaemia.
“It’s always sad having to say goodbye to someone you love. But I wouldn’t have missed knowing someone like Becky for the world!” Jean Ure

Becky Bananas: This Is Your Life

Contemporary

The third title in Jean Ure’s acclaimed series of humorous, delightful and poignant stories written in the form of diaries and letters which make them immediately accessible to children.
This is the story of how Mandy learns to cope with her untidy life and finally emerges triumphant.
Mandy Small has trouble writing so Cat, her teacher, suggests that she tells her life story into a tape recorder. So begins Mandy’s funny and sometimes sad story of life with her loving but chaotic parents – Dad, the Elvis look-alike, and Mum, whose idea of a special meal is burnt toast!
Then there’s school, where the horrible Tracey Bigg picks on Mandy and her timid friend, Oliver, not to mention Old Misery Guts, the landlady and Nan, who thinks that Mandy’s parents aren’t fit to look after her. With so many things to worry about, Mandy begins to think that she’s in danger of turning into a real Fruit and Nutcase!
Mandy’s story, told in the form of diary into a tape recorder, is a funny and often moving account of a child’s everyday life, with all its difficulties. Hilariously illustrated by Mick Brownfield.

Fruit and Nutcase (Diary Series)

Rags to riches story of a young orphan who becomes a famous actress. A Roaring Good Read launch title.
Daisy is brought up in a foundling's hospital in Victorian times. At ten she is sent into service as a skivvy at the Dobell Academy.There she watches all the pupils learning how to be young ladies, wearing fine clothes and learning how to read, write and… dance. Daisy dreams of being like them one day and painstakingly teaches herself to read with the help of one kind teacher. She is caught dancing in one of the piano rooms and is and reproved for having 'ideas above her station', but undaunted she perseveres with her dream to be a 'beautiful lady on the stage.' Daisy even makes up a stage name – Marguerite Dobell. One night, in her attic bedroom, she sees a ghost – an old lady sitting in a rocking chair looking through a scrapbook of photos and theatre programmes. The woman is strangely familiar . When the young ladies of Dobell Academy put on their end of term dancing display, Daisy risks being caught again and does her own dance in the corridor -spotted by two late-comers who realise that Daisy is the perfect little dancer to play the part of Dolly in their production Little Dolly Daydream.
That night, in her attic bedroom, Daisy is revisited by her ghost looking in old theatre programmes – she spots the name of the production, it is Little Dolly Daydream and there in the cast list is the name Marguerite Dobell. Daisy has seen into the future, the ghost is none other than herself as an elderly and once famous actress. Her dream will come true.
A wonderful unashamedly sentimental rags- to-riches story which young readers from 7 and upwards will adore, and one which will be timeless and backlist well. My Fair Lady meets The Little Match Girl from a prize-winning author.

Daisy May (Roaring Good Reads)

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Books by Ure, Jean