Playschool

Look through the cobwebbed, murky arched window in deepest Patagonia, and this is what you might see... Every day five of the Flood children travel halfway round the world to Quicklime College, the ultimate school for witches and wizards.

There's no time for silly games flying around on broomsticks. Sports day is coming up, and before you even wonder how four-legged Satanella copes with the three-legged race, here's a secret for you. Orkward Warlock, the vilest child in the school, and his sidekick, The Toad, hate the big happy Floods family. And they're plotting to kill the Floods - on sports day.

About the Author

Since he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 60 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel How To Live Forever and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for The Short And Incredibly Happy Life Of Riley. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world. Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include How To Live Forever, numerous picture books, The Floods series, The Dragons series, The Big Little Book Of Happy Sadness picture book, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Children's Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and <i.Free To A Good Home.