' After all that
- how you might wonder could one not become a fatalist?' Lermontov's hero Pechorin is a young army officer posted
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The Roman grip on Britain is weakening. Emperor Nero has turned his face away from this far-flung outpost. The Druids are on the rise spreading seeds of rebellion among the British tribes. Roman cruelty & exploitation has angered their British subjects. The warrior queen Boudicca will lead the tribes to war. Standing against the rising tide of Boudiccas rebellion is Roman Tribune Gaius Valerius Verrens Commander of the veteran legions at Colonia. Valerius leads the veterans in a last stand against the unstoppable horde of Boudiccas rebel army. Step by step the bloodied survivors are forced back into the Temple of Claudius. It is here that Valerius wins lifelong fame & the accolade Hero of Rome. ...

This is a gripping & moving first novel by one of the worlds best-loved writers for children. In extraordinary circumstances people are capable of extraordinary things... It is 1944 & Florence is occupied by Nazi German forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope though
- & neither have Paolo & his sister Constanza. Both are desperate to fight the occupation but what can two siblings do against a whole army with only a bicycle to help them? This is a beautifully jacketed edition. It has linked website with historical details about the Second World War in Italy including period photographs videos & music as well as interviews with the author extra illustrations & much more. This is a wonderful first novel from the internationally revered Shirley Hughes; a modern classic in the making.
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It is a gripping & moving first novel by one of the world's best-loved writers for children. In extraordinary circumstances people are capable of extraordinary things.. .it is 1944 & Florence is occupied by Nazi German forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope though
- & neither have Paolo & his sister Constanza. Both are desperate to fight the occupation but what can two siblings do against a whole army with only a bicycle to help them? It offers linked website with historical details about the Second World War in Italy including period photographs videos & music as well as interviews with the author extra illustrations & much more. It is a wonderful first novel from the internationally revered Shirley Hughes; a modern classic in the making.
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Hiccup is lost in the Library Labyrinth & the Driller-Dragons Madguts & Murderous are on the prowl. Hiccups birthday is not going to be the quiet affair he hoped for. Also contains a comprehensive Dragonese Dictionary for those whod like to dragon-whisper themselves. ...

THE STORY CONTINUES in the sixth volume of Hiccup's How to Train Your Dragon memoirs... Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter a dragon-whisperer & the greatest Viking Hero who ever lived. But it wasn't always like that. Hiccup's memoirs look back to when Hiccup was just an ordinary boy & finding it very hard to be a Hero. Hiccup is lost in the Library Labyrinth & the Driller-Dragons & Madguts & Murderous are on the prowl. Hiccup's birthday is not going to be the quiet affair he might have hoped for. Also contains a comprehensive Dragonese Dictionary for those who'd like to dragon-whisper as well as the dragon-whisperer himself. How to Train Your Dragon is a Dream Works film starring Gerrard Butler America Ferrera & Jonah Hill out on DVD in October 2010 adapted from the best selling How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell. Read the rest of Hiccup's exploits in the How to Train Your Dragon series in How to Be a Pirate How to Speak Dragonese How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse How to Twist a Dragon's Tale A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons How to Ride a Dragon's Storm & How to Break a Dragon's Heart. Check out the all-new Hiccup website at www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com. It's the place to go for games downloads activities & sneak peeks! Read all about Hiccup & all of your favourite characters learn to speak Dragonese & train your own dragon to do tricks! ...

Heroes by Robert Cormier is a moving young-adult novel set in World War II. ' What if I told him I am not the hero he thinks I am.. .?' Maimed & disfigured whilst fighting in the war young Francis Cassavant must hide both his face & his identity when he goes back home to Frenchtown. For his past holds a bitter secret one which he has vowed to revenge & which he can resolve only through his final desperate plan: to destroy the man who betrayed him as a boy bringing Francis dishonour & guilt. Left now without a face or a future yet sustained by his deep sense of shame Francis watches. He thinks of the gun in his duffel bag & waits alone for the return of another supposed hero. Praise for Robert Cormier: The Chocolate War: This is a tour de force & tour de force of realism". (Times The Bumblebee Flies Away). "A novel you are unlikely to forget". (Times). Robert Cormier is known for his devastatingly truthful writing. He was an award-winning journalist as well as a successful writer of fiction for young-adults. He lived in Massachusetts & his work is enormously popular on both sides of the Atlantic. He died in November 2000." ...

They say Black Dows killed more men than winter & clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union ever a jealous neighbour is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given & the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones on a worthless hill in an unimportant valley & theyve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. Bremer dan Gorst disgraced master swordsman has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption & addicted to violence hes far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if its his own. Prince Calder isnt interested in honour & still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power & hell tell any lie use any trick & betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesnt have to fight for it himself. Curnden Craw the last honest man in the North has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees & frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him? Over three bloody days of battle the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues follies feuds & petty jealousies it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts or even the strongest arms that prevail. Three men. One battle. No Heroes. ...

When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town his face horribly disfigured during World War II he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero not realising that his act of 'heroism' was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home Francis has a mission -- to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised but betrayed him. & he's prepared to do whatever it takes. What are the themes? Heroism conflict struggle against evil guilt forgiveness loneliness loyalty. Teaching points This short novel with its gripping plot & engaging themes is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure & narrative viewpoint. ...

In 2010 with the full support of the MOD John Jeffcock poet & a former soldier in the Coldstream Guards invited contributions for a book of modern war poems. He was overwhelmed by the response: contributions came from serving soldiers veterans & their families
- wives sisters & daughters (one just 11 years old). The writers have one thing in common: these are people whose lives have been changed by war & the poems speak to readers with direct emotional appeal. While over half of the contributions relate to Afghanistan there are also poems inspired by the Second World War The Falklands & Northern Irel&. This is also the first time that poems have been gathered from all ranks & all organizations
- from the Parachute Regiment to the Special Air Service from the Gordon Highlanders to the Royal Marines. As the poetry of Brooke Owen & Sassoon spoke to those who endured the First World War here are poems that speak of war in our time
- the theatres of war might change but the emotional resonance remains the same.


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