CURSED! David was only trying to be cool when he helped some other boys steal an old lady's cane. But when the plan backfires he is the one whom she 'curses'. Now David can't seem to do anything right. The cool kids taunt him & his only friends are weirdos. He even walks into Spanish class with his fly unzipped! & when he finally gets his nerve up to ask out a cute girl his trousers fall down midway! But is this the curse at work or is David turning into a total loser? Another witty & very clever tale by the master storyteller Louis Sachar. Other titles in this series are THERE'S A BOY IN THE GIRLS' BATHROOM & DOGS DON'T TELL JOKES. ...

It's the greatest story never told: that of a boy who met Jesus & dared to ask Him all the questions that have consumed mankind since the dawn of time. His name was Segatashya. He was a shepherd born into a penniless & illiterate pagan family in the most remote region of Rwanda. He never attended school never saw a Bible & never set foot in a church. Then one summer day in 1982 while the 15-year-old was resting beneath a shade tree Jesus Christ paid him a visit. Jesus asked the startled young man if he'd be willing to go on a mission to remind mankind how to live a life that leads to heaven. Segatashya accepted the assignment on one condition: that Jesus answer all his questions-and all the questions of those he met on his travels
- about faith religion the purpose of life & the nature of heaven & hell. Jesus agreed to the boy's terms & Segatashya set off on what would become one of the most miraculous journeys in modern history. Although he was often accused of being a charlatan & beaten as a result Segatashya's innocent heart & powerful spiritual wisdom quickly won over even the most cynical of critics. Soon this teenage boy who had never learned to read or write was discussing theology with leading biblical scholars & advising pastors & priests of all denominations. He became so famous in Rwanda that the Catholic Church investigated his story. The doctors & psychiatrists who examined Segatashya all agreed that they were witnessing a miracle. His words & simple truths converted thousands of hearts & souls wherever he went. Before his death during the 1994 Rwandan genocide Segatashya continued his travels & conversations with Jesus for eight years asking Him what we all want to know: Why were we created? Why must we suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? When will the world end? Is there life after death? How do we get to Heaven? The answers to these & many other momentous life-changing questions are revealed in this riveting book which is the first full account of Segatashya's remarkable life story. Written with grace passion & loving humour by Immaculee Ilibagiza Segatashya's close friend & a survivor of the Rwandan holocaust herself this truly inspirational work is certain to move you in profound ways. No matter what your faith or religious beliefs Segatashya's words will bring you comfort & joy & prepare your heart for this life...and for life everlasting.
...

Princess Lois has been kidnapped by Anatoly the Handsome who wants to marry her. Cue 'damsel in distress' to be rescued by none other than our own heroic Blart. He sets out on the good ship The Golden Pig with Olaf the innocent
- who believes what everyone says all the time
- & Kupverstich the Strange
- an explorer-come-scientist whose ingenious explanations for the natural world have one thing in common: they're all wrong. They must battle cut-throat pirates a sixteen-tentacled octopus escape the suffocating bureaucracy of Triplicat where they are briefly marooned not to mention evade the Guild of Assassins who have a contract to kill Blart in their selfless (well almost) bid to rescue poor Lois. But will they make it in time?


...

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. It is published in a jacketed gift format fully illustrated in black & white by the award-winning Oliver Jeffers.

...

Brought up as female for 15 years Jon can remember feeling different from other girls since he was only 6 years old. Despite several efforts to fit in it soon becomes clear that its impossible to identify as female. But it will take years of depression incessant bullying self-harm & isolation before Jon discovers that he is transgender. When Jon eventually confides in his mother Luisa she commits herself unconditionally to helping her child & together they embark on a remarkable journey of transition. For Jon the changes that follow hormonal treatment are what hes always wanted. But for Luisa this means coming to terms with the enormous loss of her daughter. ...

Meet classic comic-strip character Big Nate
- The Boy with the Biggest Head in the World
- as he stars in his own super-funny

...

Kathleen Fidlers classic story is set in the ancient Stone Age village of Skara Brae on Orkney now a major tourist attraction. This is a fascinating & vividly portrayed story of life nearly 3 000 years ago. Kali & Brockan are in trouble. They have been using their stone axes to chip limpets off the rocks but theyve 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. The daily life landscape & rituals of Skara have been meticulously researched & are brought to life in striking compelling detail. ...

Edinburgh 1874. On the coldest night the world has ever seen Little Jack is born with a frozen heart & immediately undergoes a life-saving operation. But Dr Madeleine is no conventional medic & surgically implants a cuckoo-clock into his chest. Little Jack grows up different to other children: every day begins with a daily wind-up. At school he is bullied for his 'ticking' but Dr Madeleine reminds him he must resist strong emotion: anger is far too dangerous for his cuckoo-clock heart. So when the beautiful young street-singer Miss Acacia appears
- pursued by Joe the school bully
- Jack is in danger of more than just falling in love...he is putting his life on the line.

...

Timmy Twinkle is chubby. That means he gets bullied at school & hasnt any friends. He longs to play football but hes hopeless at games. Hes miserable. & it doesnt help when Gramps tells him about Great-Uncle Vernon a chubby boy who grew up to be a famous footballer. Then his grans friend May comes to stay. May is a fitness fanatic who knocks Timmy & Gramps into shape in no time & Timmy discovers theres magic in his toes
- he can kick a ball just like Great-Uncle Vernon. & when Timmy performs on the football field everyone wants to be friends with him. A lovely story of a child whose unhappiness is dispelled by the discovery of a magical gift.
...

Its 1979 Im three years old & like all breakfast times during my youth it begins with Mum combing my hair a ritual for which I have to sit down on the second-hand floral-patterned settee & lean forward like Im presenting myself for execution. For Sathnam Sanghera growing up in Wolverhampton in the eighties was a confusing business. On the one hand these were the heady days of George Michael mix-tapes Dallas on TV & if he was lucky the occasional Bounty Bar. On the other there was his wardrobe of tartan smocks his 30p-an-hour job at the local sewing factory & the ongoing challenge of how to tie the perfect top-knot. & then there was his family whose strange & often difficult behaviour he took for granted until at the age of twenty-four Sathnam made a discovery that changed everything he ever thought he knew about them. Equipped with breathtaking courage & a glorious sense of humour he embarks on a journey into their extraordinary past
- from his fathers harsh life in rural Punjab to the steps of the Wolverhampton Tourist Office
- trying to make sense of a life lived among secrets. This book is published in hardback as If You Dont Know Me by Now"."

...