Joan Aiken 
Arabel and Mortimer Stories 

Arabel and her notorious raven Mortimer make a welcome return to Puffin Books!When Arabel’s father, Ebenezer Jones, drives his taxi home late one night he comes across ‚a large black bird, with a hairy fringe around its beak.‘ He takes it home and from that moment on, life is never the same again for the Jones family. Arabel’s raven is called Mortimer – and he’s one in amillion. ‚Nevermore!‘ he cries when astonished or upset, ‚Down the hatch‘ he thinks before gobbling bowler hats, stairs, telephones. He dislikes flying except in emergencies, and with disaster-prone Mortimer around there are plenty of those. There are six hilarious escapades in this collection, brought to life by Quentin Blake’s wonderfully animated illustrations.