Author:Joan Aiken,Quentin Blake

Arabel and her notorious pet raven Mortimer make a welcome return to the Puffin nest.

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 a million. '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 seven hilarious escapades in this collection, brought to life by Quentin Blake's wonderfully animated illustrations: THE MYSTERY OF MR JONES'S DISAPPEARING TAXI; MORTIMER'S PORTRAIT ON GLASS; MORTIMER'S CROSS; MORTIMER SAYS NOTHING; A CALL FROM THE JONESES; MR JONES'S REST CURE and ARABEL'S BIRTHDAY.