The Marble Crusher and Other Stories — Michael Morpurgo

This book includes three captivating stories from a master storyteller. In The Marble Crusher, Albert is new at school and believes everything the bully Sid tells him about the headmaster, Mr. Manners, and his terrifying marble-crushing machine. Albert feels desperate when his marbles are confiscated, but Mr. Manners finds a way to turn the joke on Sid. In Colly's Barn, Annie had to find a way to stop the farm's old barn from being torn down. Nothing, it seems, can save it -- until Colly the swallow and Screecher the owl help Annie save their home. And in Conker, it's the time of year when conkers, the hard fruit of the chestnut tree, ripen. That means it's also time for conker fights, and Nick desperately wants to win. With a little help from his grandmother, he becomes a very special conker champion.