Secrets of the Sea

Two Plays

My Dad's a Birdman

The Tale of Angelino Brown

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

My Name is Mina

Winter in the Forest: A Seasons in the Forest Book

The One and Only Sparkella

In fiction, real worlds merge with dreamed worlds. Real people walk with ghosts and figments. Earthly truth goes hand in hand with watery lies…

May Malone is said to have a monster in her house, but what Norman finds there may just be the angel he needs. Joe Quinn’s house is noisy with poltergeists, or could it be Davie’s raging causing the disturbance? Fragile Annie learns the truth about herself in a photograph taken by a traveling man near the sea. Set in the northern English Tyneside country of the author’s childhood, these eight short stories evoke gritty realities and ineffable longings, experiences both ordinary and magical.

In brief autobiographical preludes, master storyteller David Almond speaks to his own inspiration and shows how all things can be turned into tales, reflecting on a time of wonder, tenderness, and joy.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

Secrets of the Sea

Eleanor Taylor, Kate Baker, 2017

Two Plays

David Almond, 2005

My Dad's a Birdman

David Almond, Polly Dunbar, 2007

The Tale of Angelino Brown

Alex T. Smith, David Almond, 2017

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

David Almond, Almond D, 2012

My Name is Mina

David Almond, 2010

Winter in the Forest: A Seasons in the Forest Book

Christine Copeland, Chris Weeks, 2023

The One and Only Sparkella

Kim Barnes, Channing Tatum, 2023