Sharks

by Dr Helen Orme and David Orme

Published 24 June 2011
Which type of shark do you most not want to meet in the water? But if you are attacked - where's the best place to poke a shark? Great White Sharks, Bull Sharks, even Whales Sharks - it's all in here. Get the facts. Then read the adventure story 'Swimming with Sharks'. Learn the big lesson of the day: don't bleed when there are sharks around!

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Fear

by David Orme

Published 24 June 2011
What are you frightened of? Spiders? Snakes? Or just ghosts and monsters? How about the skull that lay in its grave - and screamed? Can fear ever be a good thing? Which creatures do you never want to meet? It's all in here. Get the facts. Then read 'Just my Imagination?' - poems about dreams that are real and horrors you cannot describe.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Fashion

by Helen Orme

Published 4 August 2008
What is fashion? What are mods? Or rockers, hippies, chavs and goths? Would you know one when you saw one? What kind of jobs are there in fashion? How do you become a model? It's all in here. Get the facts. Then read 'Fashion Shoot', a story about getting a job in the fashion business.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Plagues

by David Orme

Published 1 January 2010
What was the Black Death? How many people did it kill? And how did it kill them? Find out about plagues we have now. What causes them? What can we do about it? Get the facts. Then read 'The Lost Village' - a story about plagues and people. After a thousand years, who's the winner?

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Mummies

by David Orme

Published 1 July 2009
Describes what mummies are, how they are made, and where they are found, and includes a short fictional story about a mummy's curse.

Lost Animals

by David Orme

Published 30 October 2009
This book is about animals that have disappeared - animals that are now extinct. How does it happen, and why? Find out all about alien species and mass extinctions. Find out about animals that seemed to come back from the dead. Get the facts. Then read 'The Last Mammoth', a story where the past meets the present.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Dinosaur!

by David Orme

Published 1 July 2009
Find out all you need to know about dinosaurs! When did dinosaurs rule the Earth? What were the biggest dinosaurs? Why did they die out? And how? Become an expert. Get the facts. Then read a great dinosaur story: 'The Land Time Forgot'.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

UFOs

by David Orme

Published 24 June 2011
UFO means 'Unidentified Flying Object'. What are UFOs? Are they real? What do UFOs look like? This book will tell you. Do aliens exist? What colour are they? Have aliens visited the Earth? Who has seen them? Have people really be taken away - or abducted - by aliens? Then read a great story about aliens invading Earth: 'The Valley of the Zombies'.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Trailblazers Complete Pack

by David Orme and Helen Orme

Published 30 October 2009
The Trailblazers Library is a pack of all 29 currently available reading books from Ransom's Trailblazers Series. The series has a range of highly illustrated books on popular non fiction topics. Designed to encourage children to read, the books start with a non fiction section which is followed by a fiction story on the same topic. The reading age of the books is 6 to 7 years and they are designed for children up to age 14.

The pack includes the following titles:

Ancient Mysteries
Body Art
Bugs and Spiders
Comets
Crime
Death
Dinosaur
Endangered Animals
Extreme Sports
Fantastic Feats
Fear
Formula One
Great Disasters
Great Gadgets
Great Journeys
How to be a Pop Star
Inside the Earth
Killer Plants
Life in Space
Lost Animals
Manga
Mummies
Plagues
Science Fiction
Sea Killers
Sharks
Spies
UFOs
Weird Creatures

Formula One

by David Orme

Published 1 October 2013
Do you want to be a great Formula One driver? Find out how motor racing started. Learn about the greatest Formula One drivers. Understand how Formula One cars work - you'll need to know in a race! Then read a great Formula One story about the fastest driver in the world: 'The Man of Mystery'.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Body Art

by Helen Orme

Published 1 October 2013
Sound like an expert. Tattoos, body piercing, jewellery and face painting. People have been decorating their bodies for thousands of years. Who thought that flat heads were the latest in fashion? Who had a 4,000 year-old tattoo? Now you can find out. Get the facts. Then read 'Death by Arsenic', a story about what happens when you start to believe the adverts.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Manga

by David Orme

Published 1 October 2006
What is Manga? What is anime? What's it got to do with Pokemon, Samurai and the Ninja? Here are the answers. Then read a great Manga story about a new superhero - Boffin Boy, who must defeat an evil robot from ancient Japan, Mogon the Mighty.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Ancient Mysteries

by David Orme

Published 1 January 2010
Who built a space port for aliens? Who lost the lost city of Atlantis? What's a Big Foot? Does the Yeti exist? And what's the secret of the Great Pyramid of Khufu? These are some of the ancient mysteries that are described in this book. Then read 'Doorway to Demons', a story about what happens when you're both the good guy and the bad guy.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Death

by Helen Orme

Published 1 October 2013
Why do people die? How do you know if you - or anybody else - is dead? What happens when people die? What happens to the body? What happens in other countries? How do people remember their friends who have died? What is the 'Day of the Dead?' Get the facts. Then read a sobering story about how it could happen to anybody: 'Not My Fault!'

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Bugs and Spiders

by David Orme

Published 27 August 2009
Which bug has the most legs? Which bug is the fastest runner? Which spider is the most poisonous? And what's the deadliest bug of all? This is the world of bugs and spiders. Find out all about it. Get the facts. Then read 'What's Bugging You?', a story about alien explorers who get a big welcome from the local insect life.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Weird Creatures

by David Orme

Published 1 October 2013
Which octopus has floppy ears? How do you spot a see-through squid? Which creature stands without moving for sixty days? (Outside, and in winter.) Are you hungry? How about 3,000 ants for breakfast, and again for lunch? Welcome to the world of weird creatures. Get the facts. Then read a scary story about a creature that refuses to die: 'Is It Alive?'.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

How to be a Pop Star

by David Orme

Published 1 January 2019
So you want to be a pop star. Where do you find a band? How do you get a gig? What's recording all about? And most important - do you look cool? It's all in this book. Get the facts. Then read the story 'The Stormers' and find out what happens when pride gets in the way of making great music.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Life in Space

by Helen Orme

Published 30 April 2009
What is needed for life? Why is the Earth right for life? Where else might there be life? How did life start on Earth? Did it come from space? Get the answers. Get the facts. Then read 'The Search for Life', a great story about how life started on one planet in the universe.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Body Art

by Helen Bird and David Orme

Published 24 June 2011
Sound like an expert. Tattoos, body piercing, jewellery and face painting. People have been decorating their bodies for thousands of years. Who thought that flat heads were the latest in fashion? Who had a 4,000 year-old tattoo? Now you can find out. Get the facts. Then read 'Death by Arsenic', a story about what happens when you start to believe the adverts.

This fantastic book features an exciting combination of both fiction and non-fiction. The non-fiction section enables readers to engage with the subject matter, using dramatic illustrations and bite-sized texts. The beautifully illustrated fiction story appears in two formats - short, simple texts for more able readers and an illustrated 'speech bubble' version of the same story, for those who are really struggling. Part of the Trailblazers series, this book is brilliant for keeping reluctant readers engaged.

Trailblazers Interactive Software accompanies three reading books in the Trailblazers Series; Comets, Dinosaur! and Mummies. The software contains talking book versions of each of the fiction stories in each book and a range of activities based on the fiction and non-fiction themes in the books. Each activity is designed to develop students' basic skills and to give them confidence in reading and understanding. The activities are broadly graded in difficulty.