Gervase Phinn

For Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be 'out of the woods' but he is certainly not 'over the hill'.Looking back over more than ...

She was wearing red shoes! With silver heels! Elisabeth Devine causes quite a stir on her arrival in the village. No one can understand why the head of a big inner city school would want to come to sleepy little Barton-in-the-Dale, to a primary with more problems than school dinners. And that's not...

This title presents more brilliant stories about children at Christmas. Following on from the terrific success of "A Wayne in a Manger", Gervase Phinn has collected together from his bestselling "Dales" books his favourite stories about children, and included some poems from his popular Puffin poetr...

With entertaining examples of just about every type of poem known to man, and wonderful illustrations, Gervase Phinn's new collection of poems for children makes poetry fun and thought-provoking. Cautionary verses, limericks, rhymes, conversation poems and free verse jump off the page in this hilari...

This entertaining volume of verse for the very young is the perfect introduction to poetry. Written by author, lecturer and visiting professor of education, Gervase Phinn, it includes poems about everything that is important to children: animals, family, food - and some very good jokes! Jane Eccles'...

Gervase Phinn is back with his tales of life as a schools inspector in Yorkshire. His colourful cast of characters have now become firm favourites - the mostly mad staff at County Hall as well as the children themselves who find ways of embarrassing the school inspectors with innocent ease. We recon...

Royston Knapper is heading for trouble! Penelope Pringle is always on his case. Teachers, parents and even his best mates seem to think he's the naughtiest boy around. How much chaos can a single schoolboy create? Eleven-year-old Royston Knapper is always up to mischief and in trouble as he disrupts...

"Have you ever thought that, when I'm twenty-one, you'll be dead?" "Granddad, we've been asked to take something very old to school tomorrow - will you come in with me?" "Grandma, who'll get the fish and chips when you've gone to Heaven?" "My daddy says my granny is well past her sell-by date." "Mum...

The second collection of Royston Knapper stories, in which the naughtiest, noisiest boy in the school is on the loose again! There's a broken window, a car crash, trouble in Accident and Emergency and a narrowly avoided catastrophe on the beach. Sergeant Snaith thinks Royston is the bee's knees, so ...

Brilliantly observed as always, family, teachers, pupils and the dreaded school inspector all leap to life in this wonderfully warm and witty, brand new, poetry collection from bestseller Gervase Phinn. New kids, disobedient deputy heads, school reports and fireworks, daydreamers and embarrassing mu...

"A Wayne in a Manger" includes some wonderfully funny and touching nativity play anecdotes, including children forgetting their lines, ad-libbing, falling of the stage, picking their noses and showing their knickers. One hilarious anecdote tells of an innkeeper who generously says there's plenty of ...

Gervase Phinn, school inspector, begins his third year with a spring in his step for in April he will marry Christine Bentley, head teacher of Winnery Nook School. But before then he has to suffer the wicked repartee of his fellow inspectors on the subjects of love and marriage. The well-named Mrs S...

Dominic's middle name is trouble, but not because he's got a troublesome nature, but quite simply because he's always in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it's not surprising that he's only allowed on the school trip to Thundercliff Bay - home to pirate legend, chilling ghost stories and lost tr...

Now in his fourth year as an Inspector for English in the Yorkshire Dales, Gervase Phinn still relishes visiting the schools - whether an inner city comprehensive fraught with difficulties or a small Dales primary school where the main danger is one of closure. With endless good humour, he copes wit...

This sequel to "The Other Side of the Dale" continues the story of Gervase Phinn working as a schools inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. Many of the same characters appear again: his fellow inspectors, quirks and all, the local landowner-cum-school governor, the eccentric caretaker at the staff devel...

Elisabeth Devine certainly rocked the boat when she arrived in Barton-in-the-Dale to take over as head teacher of the little primary school. Now it's a new term, and after winning over the wary locals, she can finally settle in to her new role. Or so she thinks ...For the school is hit by a brand-ne...

She was wearing red shoes! With silver heels! Elisabeth Devine causes quite a stir on her arrival in the village. No one can understand why the head of a big inner city school would want to come to sleepy little Barton-in-the-Dale, to a primary with more problems than school dinners. And that's not...

One hot day in the middle of a jungle, a strange little creature hatches out of an egg. 'Who am I?' he asks himself. Off he plods through the tall grass to find out. He meets many animals but all of them are different. Will he ever find out who he is and what makes him special?Author BiographyGervas...

In this title, Gervase tells of a life full of happiness, conversation, music and books shared with his three siblings, mother and father. This book is a snapshot of growing up in Yorkshire in the 1950s - reminisce with Gervase, and share in his personal journey - of school days and holidays as well...

For Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be 'out of the woods' but he is certainly not 'over the hill'.Looking back over more than ...