The Boy Who Saw True is based on the diary entries of a young Victorian boy whose extraordinary supernatural talent reveals itself within these pages By turns naive insightful funny & moving it is an extremely convincing account of a precocious paranormal talent & all the more persuasive because the young diarist never sets out to win over his readers Born with incredible clairvoyant powers the anonymous author could see auras & spirits yet failed to realise that other people were not similarly gifted This remarkable book has become a paranormal classic ...

Multi-award-winning author David Almond brings us a joyfully life-affirming & fabulously fishy tale about one boy's journey from anguish to joy Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of clanging machinery & the stench of mackerel & Uncle Ernie's obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan's beloved goldfish! Stan however has his own destiny which leads him
- via a hook-a-duck stall
- to Pancho Pirelli the blue-caped madman who swims with piranhas & as Stan delves into the waters he finally discovers who he really can be

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They say magic is long-gone but is it? A chain of fantastical mishaps in schoolboy Bert's dull life spiral out of control
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Written by a recipient of a Mac Arthur award gained for her pioneering work on the storytelling technique & its use in the classroom this book focuses on the challenge posed by the isolated child to teachers & classmates alike in the community of the classroom It is the story of Jason
- the loner & outsider
- & his ultimate triumph & homecoming into the society of his classmates As the reader follows Jason's struggle it can be seen how the classroom is a crucible within which the young discover themselves & learn to confront new problems in their daily experience The book is an essay on the practice of teaching young children & the author uses children's stories as a vehicle of instruction

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Twelve-year-old Jones is an orphan training as an apprentice hunter alongside his mentor Maitland tackling ogres trolls & all manner of creatures that live in the Badlands
- a hidden part of our own world & which most people think exist only in fairytales & nightmares But all Jones secretly wants to be is an ordinary boy & to leave the magical world forever When an ogre hunt goes wrong & Maitland is killed Jones finally has a chance to find out where he came from But the truth he uncovers isn't what he's expecting & it seems that if Jones is going to make his dream come true he'll have to defeat a creature not even Maitland had dared take on & he won't be able to do it alone He's going to need help from Ruby the first girl he's ever met She's outspoken fearless & determined to prove she's as good as any boy & unlike Jones being ordinary is the last thing on her mind Ruby's desperate to find her place in the world & thinks the Badlands could be it So working together isn't going to be straightforward In fact it could be downright dangerous But who said getting what you want is supposed to easy even if it is just wanting to be ordinary?
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Kathleen Fidler's classic story is set in the ancient Stone Age village of Skara Brae on Orkney This is a fascinating & vividly portrayed story of life nearly 3000 years ago Kali & Brockan are in trouble They have been using their stone axes to chip limpets off the rocks but they've gone too far out & find themselves trapped by the tides Then an unexpected rescuer appears a strange boy in a strange boat carrying a strangely sharp axe of a type they have never seen before Conflict arises as the village of Skara must decide what to do with the new ideas & practices that the boy brings As a deadly storm threatens the very survival of the village is in doubt Step back into the Stone Age & learn about the daily life & rituals of the ancient village of Skara Brae in this compelling fictional account of the famous Orkney settlement Vivid descriptions & accurate historical details bring the village to life & make this an ideal choice for those studying the Stone Age curriculum ...

A compelling often hilarious & exceptionally powerful account of an 80s adolescence navigated via literature & music the English class system
- & the impact of & recovery from abuse 320 pages Caveney Graham
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Simon Dawson's mother did not love him & informed him of this fact often She tried to give him away played him off against abusive boyfriends & failed to feed him Simon decides not just to face up to the emotional damage his mother inflicted on him but to try to understand her & achieve some kind of reconciliation before she dies Dawson Simon ...

This luminous tale of loss love & finding family is threaded through with the power of storytelling & a touch of magic 'A giant of a little thing' as Alberto would say The Boy the Bird & the Coffin Maker reads like a classic Kiran Millwood Hargrave author of The Girl of Ink & Stars Alberto lives alone in the town of Allora where fish fly out of the sea & the houses shine like jewels He is a coffin maker spending his quiet solitary days creating the final resting places of Allora's people Until the day a mysterious boy & his magical bird arrive
- flying from danger & searching for a safe haven Tito is fearful suspicious of kindness but as the winter days grow colder & darker Alberto's home grows warmer & brighter Can Tito & his bird be sheltered from the town's prying eyes & the shadows of their past? A story of life & death & of how hope can burn bright in a place faded by sadness
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This short story for young children follows Tom in an underwater adventure where he comes across some friendly dolphins The amount of plastic in the seas around where he lives has gotten so bad that the dolphins are getting tangled up Tom hears their cries but can he rescue them? Does he use his magic pebble again? Find out by reading the second book in the Boy & the Pebble series ...