Recommendations based on "The Daydreamer"

The acclaimed story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of history: "An exuberant mixture of history and romance, written with a wit that is incandescent" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). The place is the Greek island of Cephallonia, where gods once dabbled in the affairs of men and the local saint periodically rises from his sarcophagus to cure the mad. Then the tide of World War II rolls onto the island's shores in the form of the conquering Italian army. Caught in the occupation are Pelagia, a willful, beautiful young woman, and the two suitors vying for her love: Mandras, a gentle fisherman turned ruthless guerilla, and the charming, mandolin-playing Captain Corelli, a reluctant officer of the Italian garrison on the island. Rich with loyalties and betrayals, and set against a landscape where the factual blends seamlessly with the fantastic, Corelli's Mandolin is a passionate novel as rich in ideas as it is genuinely moving.

Winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award: “This sturdily textured debut novel never hesitates or meanders.”―Library Journal Alistair MacLeod musters all of the skill and grace that have won him an international following to give us No Great Mischief, the story of a fiercely loyal family and the tradition that drives it.Generations after their forebears went into exile, the MacDonalds still face seemingly unmitigated hardships and cruelties of life. Alexander, orphaned as a child by a horrific tragedy, has nevertheless gained some success in the world. Even his older brother, Calum, a nearly destitute alcoholic living on Toronto's skid row, has been scarred by another tragedy. But, like all his clansman, Alexander is sustained by a family history that seems to run through his veins. And through these lovingly recounted stories-wildly comic or heartbreakingly tragic-we discover the hope against hope upon which every family must sometimes rely.

THESE NEWCOMERS ARE DIFFERENT. THEY WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.For fans of The Essex Serpent and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock.‘By far my favourite book of of the year’ Guardian‘One of only two novels I've ever loved whose main characters are not human’ Barbara KingsolverOne cold night, two newcomers emerge onto the streets of 1899 New York, and it is never the same again.But these two are more than strangers to this land, they are strangers to this world. From the depths of folkloric history come Chava the golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi and Ahmad, a djinni, born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped in an old copper flask released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.Two companions who were never meant to be released, and never meant to meet. And when they do, their opposing natures will be sealed by a special bond, but one that is threatened by watching eyes, roaming owners and a misunderstanding world.A glittering gem of a novel, as spell-binding as it is compelling, The Golem and The Djinni asks us what we’re made of and how we can break free.

First published by Random House in 1968, Russell H. Greenan€™s It Happened in Boston? is the story of a brilliantly talented, unbalanced artist who strives to meet God face-to-face in order to destroy Him. It is €œa magic spell of a book€”phantasmagoric, lushly written, full of unforgettable characters and brilliant twists of plot,€ writes Jonathan Lethem in his Introduction. With a vivid depiction of the art world and a breathtaking narrative that incorporates forgery, time travel, and murder, Greenan€™s hilarious and disturbing debut novel€”now an underground cult classic€”is ripe for rediscovery.

As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

When Lord Trundle finds the old Fern Hollow Castle, he decides it is a perfect place to have the Midsummer Banquet.

Artemis is no stranger to trouble. In fact he's a magnet for it. Now his mother is gravely ill. Artemis Fowl must travel back through time to steal the cure from the clutches of the young criminal mastermind ... Artemis Fowl. That's right, with fairy ally Captain Holly Short by his side, Artemis is going back in time to do battle with himself. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

Frankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game. And now that they have their magical football they're playing against teams they never imagined! During a PE game with a difference, Frankie and his friends are transported to meet a giant, green woman - the Statue of Liberty! They also meet an American boy whose ambition of baseball victory is about to be dashed. Can they race through New York in time to help someone's sporting dream come true?

When Buster impulsively drops a Cybertoy into Arthur's backpack in the drugstore one day, he feels so guilty that he finally confesses to his friend and they try to return the popular toy before anyone else finds out.

The second short story set in Peter Newman’s incredible world of THE VAGRANT. 'It's a story that grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and refused to let go...' Fantasy Faction