Malcolm Gerloch Boeken

Flea is more than a kitten; she has grown into an agile and beautiful young lady. She chats to her friend, a laughing kookaburra, in places no cat is expected to reach. This wilful madam can be naughty too and the time comes when she brings shame on her family. But her over-enthusiastic brother, Ridden, rushes to her defence. She is forgiven but then tragedy strikes her loving family. How will it all end? FLEA is a charming and funny tale that will appeal to children, those who read to children and anyone who has ever owned (or been owned by) a cat.

Stories within stories, streams of consciousness and flights of imaginative fancy... These eight pieces, some related and some not, weave their way through some of the trials of human existence. They encourage us to consider the way we choose to live and interact with technology and how we judge others in the modern world, and tell us of the details of lifestyles gone by, highlighting the differences between the life of a young person then and now: culturally, financially and socially. Meet a writer in a bar impressing a lady with his imagination, a fair-minded shopping mall manager, a bird-man, some disembodied voices, European turn-of-the century immigrants and many other characters. Read about an escape on a train, dreams which might not be dreams and the strange things that make different people laugh, interspersed with philosophy and musings on the world.

Stevi is a special chicken in the Miller household, named by Terry Miller in honour of his friend Steve. Stevi loves Terry's extremely brave collie dog, Coll, with whom she sleeps every night. Together they overcome a sneaky thief, Jake Moody, in the middle of the night.Here is a tale which tells of quiet, simple things like building a tree house and how Stevi learns about ants - who all have names, of course - as well as of dramatic events and big words like pteronophobe. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles will enjoy reading this story to their young and curious children.

In Button, just where is the writer going? Is he losing his mind? Hasn't he proofread his story?At least in You, that isn't the problem. Here is a modern-day morality play with just a touch of fantasy.Romp, on the other hand, is just that from end to end.Each of these three stories, which are quite unconnected from one another, hopefully makes you pause and think a while. They were originally conceived for older children or teenagers - and they can be read out loud - but they are more likely to be appreciated by grown-up children of any age.

Sam and Red invite a retired senior policeman and his wife who they have known for years for lunch. There are fifty or so teddy bears and other stuffed creatures around the house who observe the goings-on with laughter and rudeness. This house is a place of secrets. Why does Sam sometimes limp rather badly? Why does Irish, the family bear, wear dark glasses when these friends of the house come? Why is she called Irish anyway? The bears know it all and joke about everything to each other all the time. Can Sam or Red hear what they say?This is a fun-filled tale about crime and guilt, full of naughtiness and scheming with voices in your head. Even the author isn't safe from these bears.

This highly regarded text offers a fine introduction to quantum chemistry, especially for students with a limited mathematical background, and provides an excellent supplement to any chemistry text. Geared toward undergraduates in chemistry and related fields, it covers atomic and molecular spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, and bonding theory, among other topics. Mathematical explanations are presented as simply as possible, and difficult subjects are given full explanations.

It's a strange world where a spider called Alex falls in love with a dragonfly called Zada. Even stranger when that spider is a dance champion, and his friend, Grant, is some sort of rap artiste. The Gordon, however, is not at all like that but a greedy bully of a spider with an orange mane from whom Zada must be rescued.This is a story filled with colour and displays of trust about a search, a rescue and a triumphal homecoming. A mustering of spiders, dragonflies and butterflies gives way to a grand party - a rave, you might say - which illuminates the evening light with sparkle and a deafening beat.For a reading parent or grandparent, there are allusions to two famous stories of old as well as to one inane politician of our times so there is fun for everyone.

Our friendly but all-too-curious marmalade cat, Ridden, has found a new friend from whom he learns some very naughty habits. For goodness sake, have you ever heard of a cat with a longing for raw potatoes? That really annoys some of our neighbours and I have to rescue him from a barking woman and a shouting dog. As if that weren't enough, our ginger fur-ball copies a black Labrador at work and finds himself - and me - in hot water once again.Here is a chance for young people to learn about an unusual, and very expensive, vegetable and some new words, maybe, while having fun following the continuing adventures of this family of humans, cats, dogs, birds and all manner of other beasties.

Rosie is almost a terrier. She spends most of her time exploring the cliffs, gardens and sea-side town of Rocky Bay, playing with squirrels but especially with her tousled and untidy friend, Scruff, who is a mongrel of uncertain roots. They have made friends with a pure-bred and loving dog, Bunty, who has the misfortune of being over-groomed and over-constricted. Once by chance and on another occasion, with the help of George, a friendly rabbit, Rosie and Scruff manage to free Bunty from her mistress so that they may explore Rocky Bay together. Of course, they get into several scrapes. Dogs will be dogs. When Rosie is taken on holiday with her owners to Paris, she discovers how much the French love their dogs. She is treated as an equal at table and smells and eats such delicious meals. She is introduced to a dachshund called Solo with whom she explores what seems like half of that beautiful city. These adventures take place against a backdrop of telling observations on decency, class, long words and fun. Parents and grandparents will enjoy reading these stories every bit as much as children themselves.

Faced with the loss of his ancestral home following the huge increase in death duties in mid-twentieth century Britain, Michael Montayne forges an unusual enterprise with his best man, whose family turns out to have been shamefully entangled with Michael's for generations past. The Montayne's home is transformed into a private retreat, club and grand hotel for acceptable, wealthy guests who may partake of its comfort, exquisite food and wine and, above all, Michael's company - and of one or two other secret facilities - by invitation only. This is a story of love and tenderness, humour and good humour, trust and honour, and of money and betrayal, played out by a potpourri of memorable characters from around the world and from a wide variety of backgrounds, whose adventures take us aboard canalboats and cruise liners, up a mountain and around a golf course. 'The Hut is You!', an old friend tells Michael; if only he would believe it.

This autobiographical, non-technical and mostly light-hearted account of three lecture tours through Continental Europe in the late '70s and early '80s by a Cambridge research chemist describes professional and personal interactions with many colourful and extraordinarily talented hosts. There are descriptions of meals, art galleries, ecclesiastical architectural gems, of a wonderful bed, and even of an eccentric toilet. Here are some aspects of the professional life of a don which include glimpses of how his college was run and of fun he had with college butlers. There is also an insight into the flavour and theatre of viva examinations for the PhD degree for chemists as conducted in Britain and France. Central to this tale, however, are events experienced in several German universities, told against the personal backdrop of the author's slowly shedding immaturity. In particular, there are accounts of visits to the Fence between the former East and West Germanys before, and soon after, that border was opened. The writer describes his nervousness and, on one occasion even fear, while in that country, and his thrashing about, seeking reasons for his ennui, a question answered, he concludes, in the closing paragraphs of this book.

Now it's the turn of the humans in our family to fall under the microscope. It will do Flea and Ridden good to read about some of the scrapes their masters (servants) have been getting into. Firstly, we hear about our daughter, Emma, who is growing up fast and learning to be ever so sneaky. Then we recall how her mother, Red, and I are led a merry dance by a little metal guy in Sydney. Finally, Emma doesn't quite believe what happened to Red when I took her to see Disney World; but then, she always did like tall stories.

Flea and Ridden, the most entertaining cats in the fictional world, embark on their greatest adventure yet: joining their slaves - sorry, owners - on a road trip across the country. They weren't invited, of course, but that's not going to stop them and can you blame them? Holidays are for cats too, you know.

Friendship between a cat and a mouse, between an owl and a mouse, between a cat, an owl and snakes? Ridiculous! Can all these creatures speak to, and understand, each other? Can they and their human friends read each other's minds? Why would they want to? Meanwhile, Ridden survives a threat of murder and Hollywood woos both of our gregarious, loving cats. There's nothing boring about this pair! There's a lot of fun in these stories. And a lot of love.

Jewellery goes missing and our agile cat, Flea, is officiously accused of theft once again. Our whole family is in uproar at this insult. Meanwhile, her brother, the marmalade-coloured Ridden, goes missing for four very long, days and the whole family is bereft with worry. Eventually, the solution to the one provides the solution to the other and the wonders of miniature cameras provide all the evidence necessary to exonerate Flea and to restore her glittering reputation. All that, while we learn something about the habits of bowerbirds.

Jubilee is an amusing tale of when Sam with his family and two cats - Flea and Ridden - are invited to the Queen's platinum Jubilee celebration after winning a contest set by the organisation over which the Duchess of Cornwall presided. The family finally gets to meet the Queen of England and the two cats win the royal family's admiration. Not only are they awarded medals for their cute antics and for winning the contest, they make their own place on the royal balcony during the air force flypast. However, the happy memories of this event turn sour the next day when police raid the family's hotel room and arrest them all, including the cats, for not following quarantine procedures. The cats are to be taken away for three months and the family can only beg the Queen to confirm their reason for being in the country. In a comical twist comes the family's salvation. Read on to find out what it is.