John Julius Norwich examines the oldest continuing institution in the world tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter (traditionally
- but by no means historically
- the first Pope) to the present. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity. One was said to have been a woman her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Almost as shocking was Formosus whose murdered corpse was exhumed clothed in pontifical vestments propped up on a throne & subjected to trial. From the glories of Byzantium to the decay of Rome from the Albigensian Heresy to controversy within the Church today The Popes is superbly written witty & revealing.

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The Maude is outside. It wants to come in. It wants to sit on your chest. The mentally ill patients in Beechway High Secure Unit are highly suggestible. A hallucination can spread like a virus. When unexplained power cuts lead to a series of horrifying incidents fear spreads from the inmates to the staff. Amidst the growing hysteria AJ a senior psychiatric nurse is desperate to protect his charges. Detective Inspector Jack Caffery is looking for the corpse of a missing woman. He knows all too well how it feels to fail to find a loved ones body. When AJ seeks Cafferys help in investigating the trouble at Beechway each man must face a bitter truth in his own life. Before staring pure evil in the eye. ...

Poppy & Max dont always agree. Sometimes they even argue. But theres one thing they know for sure
- they are the best of friends!
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Poppy & Max dont always agree. Sometimes they even argue. But theres one thing they know for sure
- they are the best of friends!
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Chug chug! Set sail with Poppy Cat as she sets off out to sea in a boat. Try not to get wet as she splashes over the waves bobs along the shore & zooms back home in time for lunch. With a chug chug soundchip to press on every page these books encourage lots of noisy fun. Young readers will love getting the chance to join in the story. ...

Jessica Hart's beloved mother has died in childbirth & her stepmother & father are forcing her to marry the dull local blacksmith. She runs away from her country home to Birmingham arriving late one night on the doorstep of her poverty-stricken aunt's tiny terraced house already home to her four cousins. Ned a family friend comes calling one day & he & Jessica fall for each other immediately. But Ned is married & his young wife is expecting a baby... Annie Murray's uplifting saga set during the Great War is a moving story of love remembrance & ultimately of healing. Full of warmth & domestic detail which inspires the reader. Annie Murray brings her characters vividly to life."
- Denise Robertson."
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Who is mad? Who is sane? Who decides? Welcome to the Dorothy Fish a hospital in North London. N has been a patient for thirteen years. Day after day she sits smoking in the common room & swapping medication. Like the other patients Ns ambition is never to be discharged. Then in walks Poppy Shakespeare in a short skirt & snakeskin heels. Poppy is certain she isnt mentally ill & desperate to return to her life outside & though baffled N agrees to help her. But in a world where everythings upside down are they crazy enough to upset the system? ...

The Music Fairies desperately need Rachel's & Kirsty's help! Jack Frost & his naughty goblins have stolen the fairies' Magical Musical Instruments which means that music is being ruined for everyone! Jack Frost plans to use the instruments to help him win a national talent competition in the human world & with the help of the enchanted instruments he's bound to win. If this happens humans will find out about Fairyland & then all the fairies will be in danger! Poppy the Piano Fairy needs Rachel's & Kirsty's help to find her Magic Piano. But how will they outwit Jack Frost & his goblin henchmen...? ...

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing & reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Poppy is very excited to be going on holiday especially when she is given a skull & crossbones scarf to wear. But life as a pirate dog at the seaside is trickier than she realises... ...

When Poppy discovers that her father Frank is in prison she is angry & bewildered. Seeing her wonderful heroic father in a London prison looking pale subdued & in prison clothes she suddenly has a brilliant idea: to free her father. She & her friend Will invent all kinds of escape ideas for him
- until she hears that he has been removed to a prison far away on an island with five years to serve. But when the prison decides to stage a musical using professionals & prisoners Frank is picked for the lead role. It is then that the questions begin... The story of a feisty girl & how she deals with the pain of her dad's downfall has much to say about the harsh realities faced by the unlucky children of prisoners.
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