You're thirteen. All you want is a normal life. But most normal kids don't need heart transplants. So there's this doctor. He says there's a chance for you. But he also says it's experimental, controversial and risky. And it's never been done before. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, this is a powerful, thought-provoking story from the award-winning Malorie Blackman.
'If you care about something you have to protect it. If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it'. Eleven-year-old Owen Meany, playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire, hits a foul ball and kills his best friend's mother. Owen doesn't believe in accidents; he believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is both extraordinary and terrifying.
This is a sweeping and evocative portrait of both a family and a country struggling to move toward independence in a society that has resisted change for centuries. Set against the backdrop of Britain's occupation of Egypt immediately after World War I, Palace Walk introduces us to the Al Jawad family. Ahmad, a middle-class shopkeeper runs his household strictly according to the Qur'an while at night he explores the pleasures of Cairo. A tyrant at home, Ahmad forces his gentle, oppressed wife and two daughters to live cloistered lives behind the house's latticed windows, while his three very different sons live in fear of his harsh will.
"In Other Rooms, Other Wonders" illuminates a place and people as it describes the overlapping worlds of an extended Pakistani landowning family. Servants, masters, peasants and socialites, all inextricably bound to each other, confront the advantages and constraints of their station, the dissolution of old ways, and the shock of change. These richly textured stories reveal the complexities of Pakistani class and culture, as they describe the loves, triumphs, misunderstandings and tragedies of everyday life.
The kingdom of Goredd is populated by humans and by dragons who fold themselves into a human form. Though they live alongside each other, the peace between them is uneasy. But when a member of the royal family is murdered, and the crime appears to have been committed by a dragon the peace and treaty between both worlds is seriously threatened...
Enter master story-teller Terry Pratchett's incredible Discworld in this third book in the Tiffany Aching series . . .Tiffany Aching is starting to realize that some witches are a bit odd . . .When the Spirit of Winter takes a fancy to young witch Tiffany Aching, he decides he wants her to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.But forever is a long time, so right now Tiffany is just trying to make it through the Winter and hopefully find a way to escape.It will take all of Tiffany's skill and cunning, as well as some help from the legendary Granny Weatherwax and the irrepressible Wee Free Men - to survive until Spring. And survive she must, because according to the other witches, if Tiffany doesn't make it to Spring . . . Spring won't come at all.'If you've never read a Discworld novel, what's the matter with you?' Guardian'Characteristically entertaining' Sunday Times'In every sense fantastic' IndependentDISCOVER THE FULL TIFFANY ACHING SERIES, THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO DISCWORLD:The Wee Free MenA Hat Full of Sky Wintersmith I Shall Wear Midnight The Shepherd's Crown
Auggie Pullman stole the hearts of over a million readers in the bestselling, award winning WONDER. 365 DAYS OF WONDER is a beautiful collection of precepts and quotes one for every day of the year from WONDERs fans, famous authors and personalities, and from the novel itself. Its the perfect gift for anyone who loved WONDER, and its a book to be treasured and enjoyed again and again.
A funny, rhythmical story focusing on friendship and sharing, with an array of fabulous animal characters. "Her enchanting use of colours, magical eye for detail and captivating stories make her books stand out." }The Oxford Times{.
My dad can wrestle with giants, eat like a horse, swim like a fish ...Can yours? This is a brilliant, humorous look at fatherhood from a child's point of view, from this multi-award-winning author/illustrator.
2045-2059. After the cataclysmic upheavals of Step Day and the Yellowstone eruption humanity is spreading further into the Long Earth, and society, on a battered Datum Earth and beyond, continues to evolve. Now an elderly and cantankerous AI, Lobsang lives in disguise with Agnes in an exotic, far-distant world.
A beautiful, eerie hotel in the Swiss Alps, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, is the last place Detective Elin Warner wants to be. But her estranged brother has invited her there for his engagement party, and she feels she has no choice but to accept. Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. And things only get worse when they wake the next morning to find her brother's fiancee is missing. With access to the hotel cut off, the guests begin to panic. But this is only the first disappearance. Everyone's in danger - and anyone could be next . . .
In the }New York Times{ bestseller lists since publication and optioned by DreamWorks, this is an awesome thriller wrapped in the mystery of ancient Maya. Should appeal to fans of }The Da Vinci Code{.
The first in an epic trilogy that combines vivid characterisation with a wealth of historical detail in a compelling novel of love and hatred, ambition and rivalry, peace and war. From the }Sunday Times{ bestselling David Gemmell.
Heaven is being with the one you love. Hell is being kept apart. Where will Cam fall?§§The long-awaited new novel in the global bestselling Fallen series.§
'A superb account of the invasion that deserves immense praise. To convey the human drama of Normandy requires great knowledge and sensitivity. Holland has both in spades' The TimesRenowned World War Two historian James Holland presents an entirely new perspective on one of the most important moments in recent history, unflinchingly examining the brutality and violence that characterised the campaign, and totally recalibrating our understanding of this momentous event.D-Day and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed have come to be seen as a defining episode in the Second World War. Its story has been endlessly retold, and yet it remains a narrative burdened by both myth and assumed knowledge. In this reexamined history, James Holland challenges what we think we know.Drawing on unseen archives and testimonies from around the world, introducing a cast of eye-witnesses from foot soldiers to bomber crews, sailors, civilians and resistance fighters.
From the internationally bestselling author of Zealot comes a fascinating, provocative and meticulously researched history of humanity's relationship with the divine.
It's Berlin, 1933. William E. Dodd, a mild-mannered academic from Chicago, has to his own and everyone else's surprise, become America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany, in a year that proves to be a turning point in history. Dodd and his family, notably his vivacious daughter, Martha, observe at first-hand the many changes - some subtle, some disturbing, and some horrifically violent - that signal Hitler's consolidation of power. Dodd has little choice but to associate with key figures in the Nazi party, his increasingly concerned cables make little impact on an indifferent U.S. State Department, while Martha is drawn to the Nazis and their vision of a 'New Germany' and has a succession of affairs with senior party players, including first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as the year darkens, Dodd and his daughter find their lives transformed and any last illusion they might have about Hitler are shattered by the violence of the 'Night of the Long Knives' in the summer of 1934 that established him as supreme dictator.Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the times, and with brilliant portraits of Hitler, Goebbels, Goering and Himmler amongst others, Erik Larson's new book sheds unique light on events as they unfold, resulting in an unforgettable, addictively readable work of narrative history.
The first volume in the brilliant, bestselling Bartimaeus sequence, now adapted into a stunning graphic novel format - this is Bartimaeus as you've never seen him before! Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, has revenge on his mind. Desperate to defy his master and take on more challenging spells, he secretly summons the 5000-year-old djinni, Bartimaeus. But Bartimaeus' task is not an easy one - he must steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, Bartimaeus and Nathaniel are caught up in a terrifying flood of intrigue, rebellion and murder. Set in modern-day London controlled by magicians, this brilliant adaptation of Jonathan Stroud's bestselling novel will enthral readers of all ages.
The war of Troy is looming, and all the kings of the Great Green are gathering, friends and enemies, each with their own dark plans of conquest and plunder. Into this maelstrom of treachery and deceit come three travellers; Piria, a runaway priestess nursing a terrible secret, Kalliades, a warrior with a legendary sword, and Banokles who will carve his own legend in the battles to come. "Shield of Thunder" takes the reader back into the glories and tragedies of Bronze Age Greece, reuniting the characters from Lord of the Silver Bow; the dread Helikaon and his great love, the fiery Andromache, the mighty Hektor and the fabled storyteller, Odysseus.
"THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: THE RETURN OF JACKSON BRODIE, 'LIKE ALL GOOD DETECTIVES, A HERO FOR MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE' (The Times) 'Big Sky is laced with Atkinson’s sharp, dry humour, and one of the joys of the Brodie novels has always b
'If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats,' Sarah thought, 'she would be more careful not to tramp through muddy fields.' It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and raw. Domestic life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and an iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman, bearing secrets and the scent of the sea.
An intricately plotted novel by the Whitbread winner, her first since }Emotionally Weird{. A commericial story full of suspense and often very funny. Set in Cambridge, a private investigator is thrown into the middle of three unsolved old cases. "Triumphant... Her best book yet... A tragi-comedy for our times" }Sunday Telegraph{
Matthew Dunbar, eldest of five brothers, is on a journey to find them all. Only then can he tell the astonishing story of his family, rocked by tragedy and a long-buried secret. He will learn of a mother who crosses continents for a new home; of a father searching for love in the keys of an old piano; and, finally, of a brother named Clay, who will make the most challenging journey of them all, and change their lives for ever. An epic and spellbinding quest for redemption and greatness, Bridge of Clay will take you to many places, and will ask two eternal questions: where are you going, and who will you be when you get there ...?
Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don't get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara's great aunt Sadie - in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl - has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can't rest without. Lara's got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she's just been dumped by the love of her life. But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie's ghost be the answer to Lara's problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?
'Anything you do in the past changes the future. The tiniest little actions have huge consequences. You might tread on an ant now and it might entirely prevent someone from being born in the future.' There's nothing like the issue of evolution to get under the skin of academics. Even if their field of expertise is magic rather than biology. With the best and most interfering minds of Unseen University somehow left in charge at a critical evolutionary turning point, the Discworld's last continent needs a saviour. Who is this hero striding across the red desert? Sheep shearer, beer drinker, bush ranger, and someone who'll even eat a Meat Pie Floater when he's sober. In fact, it's Rincewind, a wizard so inept he can't even spell wizard. He's the only hero left. Still ...no worries, eh?
For amiable City trader Jimmy Corby money was the new Rock n' Roll. His whole life was a party, adrenalin charged and cocaine fuelled. If he hadn't met Monica he would probably have ended up either dead or in rehab. But Jimmy was as lucky in love as he was at betting on dodgy derivatives, so instead of burning out, his star just burned brighter than ever. Rich, pampered and successful, Jimmy, Monica and their friends lived the dream, bringing up their children with an army of domestic helps. But then it all came crashing down. And when the global financial crisis hit, Jimmy discovers that anyone can handle success. It's how you handle failure that really matters.
When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else's life. "The odyssey of a simple man, original, subtle and touching." (Claire Tomalin). "From the moment I met Harold Fry, I didn't want to leave him. Impossible to put down." (Erica Wagner, "The Times").
WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; DAILY MAIL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; BOOKMARK BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020; GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'A joy of a novel, with real insight into the lives of women, the value of friendship and the lasting effects of war' GUARDIAN'Exciting, moving and full of unexpected turns... surely this is the one that will propel the intrepid Joyce off the long and shortlists into prizewinning territory.'THE TIMES 'Brilliant and elegant and wise...powerful and moving...I can't recommend it enough.' JOANNA CANNON____________________It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition.She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist. Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in mind. And yet together they will be drawn into an adventure that will exceed every expectation.They will risk everything, break all the rules, and at the top of a red mountain, discover their best selves. This is a story that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries.
'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny' proclaimed ADAM KAY, author of the No.1 bestselling This is Going to Hurt'A filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise' said the GUARDIANJASON MANFORD thinks it's 'Hilarious. You'll never look at Manchester the same way again.'The Chronicles of St Mary's series author JODI TAYLOR declared 'I loved this . . . great premise - great story - great characters . . . hugely enjoyable.'And THE TIMES called it 'ripping entertainment from start to finish.'There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular), so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them . . . A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable.At least that's their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door - and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got problems of her own.When tragedy strikes in her first week on the job The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating. What they discover leads to a shocking realisation: some of the stories they'd previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker forces than they could ever have imagined. The Stranger Times is the first novel from C.K. McDonnell, the pen name of Caimh McDonnell. It combines his distinctive dark wit with his love of the weird and wonderful to deliver a joyous celebration of how truth really can be stranger than fiction.Readers love The Stranger Times:***** 'A delight from start to finish - laugh out loud funny yet with plenty of thrills.'***** 'Full of wit and humour, and knows how to keep the reader hooked.'***** 'You'll soon fall in love . . . fans of Pratchett, Gaiman, Aaronovich will be blown away.'
Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it's particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . . Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose - step forward the staff of The Stranger Times. It's not like they don't have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn't like people touching his stuff - it's the principle of the thing. Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as 'a lot of baggage' and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch. This Charming Man is the second book in the critically acclaimed The Stranger Times series. 'A gag-filled romp . . . in the spirit of Terry Pratchett.' The Times 'Great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise.' Guardian 'Fresh and genuinely funny.' SFX
The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilisations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them . . .Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, enigmatic worlds which have been hidden away, booby-trapped, surrounded with layers of protection - and to crack them open for the ancient relics and barely-remembered technologies inside. But while they ply their risky trade with integrity, not everyone is so scrupulous.Adrana and Fura Ness are the newest members of Rackamore's crew, signed on to save their family from bankruptcy. Only Rackamore has enemies, and there might be more waiting for them in space than adventure and fortune: the fabled and feared Bosa Sennen in particular.Revenger is a science fiction adventure story set in the rubble of our solar system in the dark, distant future - a tale of space pirates, buried treasure and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism . . . and of vengeance . . .
1916: the Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where has the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No Man's Land gone? 2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive (some said mad, others dangerous) scientist when she finds a curious gadget - a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a ...potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way Mankind views his world for ever. And that is an understatement if ever there was one...
Florence: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings. A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city. Only Langdon's knowledge of the hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers. With only a few lines from Dante's Inferno to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the Renaissance's most celebrated artworks to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat...
On 1 May 1915, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool. The passengers - including a record number of children and infants - were anxious. Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, its submarines had brought terror to the North Atlantic.
Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then 'The Origins of the Industrial Revolution' somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson's 'Shatterproof' ruler. But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh and learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now...In this "Horrible History for Grown Ups" you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; 'Look I think we have to try and respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends - oi, he's nicked my bloody ox!' Discover how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendents still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne today.And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn't have much choice.)A book about then that is also incisive and illuminating about now, "2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge", is a hilarious, informative and cantankerous journey through Britain' fascinating and bizarre history. As entertaining as a witch burning, and a lot more laughs.
No player has been more synonymous with the glory years of Manchester United Football Club over the past two decades than right-back Gary Neville. An Old Trafford regular since he attended his first match at the age of six, captain of the brilliant 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning team that became known as 'Fergie's Fledglings', outspoken representative of MUFC, Neville is the ultimate one-club man. He has been at the heart of it all and, at the end of an amazing career, is now ready to tell it all. Authoritative, insightful, fearless and never less than 100 per cent honest, no-one has better credentials for documenting the story of United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Neville reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets of his early days with the likes of Giggs, Scholes and his best mate David Beckham; what it was like to play with Cantona, Keane and Ronaldo; the Treble in 1999; and, of course an entire career of playing for the greatest manager in the game.Then there are all his experiences with England, from being the youngest starter at Euro 96 when football came home, to the ups and downs of five major championships and seven managers - Venables, Hoddle, Wilkinson, Keegan, Eriksson, McClaren and Capello. There are opinions and analysis on Gazza, Rooney, WAGs and the true story of the FA and Rio Ferdinand. For twenty glorious years, Gary Neville has worn his heart on his sleeve. This is his story.
This is a cool, sexy YA romance novel from seventeen-year-old Wattpad sensation Beth Reekles. Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular - and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile - and a total player. When Elle decides to run a kissing booth at the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer - this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. But will Elle get her happily ever after?
Widely thought of as the best book Terry Pratchett ever wrote, this is a story of a Nation, a story of a friendship, a story of growing up and the truths we must learn. It is epic in every sense . . .Prepare for the world to be turned upside down . . .Then a discovery is made that will change the entire world forever . . .
The Clash of the Sky Galleons is the third book of the Quint Saga, part of the bestselling Edge Chronicles - over three million copies sold! Young sky-pirate Quint's family was devastated when most of them were killed in a vicious arson attack. Now the treacherous quartermaster responsible has returned, and Quint and his father are determined to take revenge. From the deserted quarries of the Edge Cliff to the deadly glades of bloodoak trees, their deadly pursuit can only end in a clash of the sky galleons. The third book of the Quint Saga, part of the Edge Chronicles.
The Winter Knights is the second book of the Quint Saga, part of the bestselling Edge Chronicles - over three million copies sold! As the Floating City of Sanctaphrax strains to break free of its tether, ancient feuds threaten to tear its people apart. What can Quint, a young squire of the Knights Academy, do to avert disaster? On his own, nothing. But with the help of a band of loyal friends he might just be able to loosen the grip of the city's never-ending winter...
An Economist BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR As the data economy grows in power, Carissa Véliz exposes how our privacy is eroded by big tech and governments, why that matters and what we can do about it. The moment you check your phone in the morning you are
The dramatic account of the last British bomber raid - the long-range attack on Stanley airfield that opened the Falklands War. }Vulcan 607{ is a story of ingenuity, courage and sheer bloody-mindedness that is destined to become a classic.
Four different characters tell their own version of a walk in the park. Anthony Browne won the 1998 Kurt Maschler Award for his work. Readership level: 5 - 10 years. Full colour illus.
