Four-year-old Lisas world turned upside down when her step-father moved in. Most of the time he was just violent but then he started making her do things she knew were wrong. Soon he was visiting her at night. Lisa begged her mother for help but she just shrugged telling Lisa he would have his way. It was the greatest betrayal of all. At first Lisas step-father would just make her stroke & massage his feet hitting her if she stopped but he soon wanted more. Much more. By the time she was 12 he was regularly abusing her. One day when Lisa turned 16 she came home to discover that her mother had swapped bedrooms with her. Youre my girlfriend now her step-father told her. Lisa turned to her mother for help but was met with a shrug. She wouldnt hear a word against her husb&. Dont blame me she said. Her step-fathers abuse was horrific but what completely tore her apart was knowing her mother knew & encouraged it. Trapped & increasingly desperate Lisa tried to find a way out. But her isolation was complete. Several months later her mother told her shed arranged for Lisa & her step-father to move into a flat together down the road. It was too much for Lisa to bear. Please dont make me please she sobbed. But her mother just ignored her. Lisa was marched around to the flat with her possessions & her nightmare was complete. Alone with her step-father Lisas life became even more unbearable. Then one day finally she got the chance shed been looking for to escape. Lisa bravely struck out on her own petrified her mother would find her & hand her back into the waiting arms of her step-father. But Lisas mother had no idea how determined she was to break away... ...

Just how are babies made? Erm Well...they're delivered by dinosaurs squidged out of tubes & found under stones! In this story the kids put their embarrassed parents straight & dispel the myths surrounding baby-making growth & birth. Babette Cole careers through the facts of life with her no-nonsense text & funny illustrations. ...

What are tummy buttons for & how do they get there? What does the tooth fairy really look like? Why do grown-ups have hair in their ears & up their noses but sometimes none on their heads? Why do Mummy & Daddy lock you out of their bedroom & where do they go at night? Babette Cole explores these questions & many more with her wonderfully sharp text & riotously funny illustrations. ...

When Reece arrives at Cathy's door aged 7 years old he has already passed through the hands of four different carers in four weeks. As the details of his short life emerge it becomes clear that to help him Cathy will face her biggest challenge yet. The latest title from the author of Sunday Times & New York Times bestseller Damaged. Reece is the last of six siblings to be fostered. Having been in care for four months his aggressive & disruptive behaviour has seen him passed from carer to carer. Although only 7 he has been excluded from school & bites people so often that his mother calls him ' Sharky'. Cathy wants to find the answers for Reece's distressing behaviour but he has been sworn to secrecy by his mother & will not tell them anything. As the social worker prepares for the final hearing he finds five different files on Reece's family & is incredulous that he had not been removed from them as a baby. When the darkest of family secrets is revealed to Cathy Reece's behaviour suddenly starts to make sense & together they can begin to rebuild his life. ...

Acting wasnt a long-held childhood dream for Larry Lamb instead his childhood memories are filled with recollections of his parents continuously fighting. His mother & father were totally mismatched the only thing they shared in common was their children & life in the Lamb household veered from laughter & happy moments to hysterical outbursts & terrifying episodes. Larry the eldest of three children was only too often caught in the middle & found himself at the centre of his fathers raging anger tormented by a man who struggled with the enormity of fatherhood. When his parents marriage finally broke down Larrys mother moved out along with her baby daughter & as they grew up Larry & his brother Wesley lived with their father seeing their mother & sister only in rushed meetings at bus stops & in public parks. For years Larry didnt know where his mum lived & he didnt dare talk of her at home his mothers presence left a gaping hole. As soon as Larry was old enough he left home. Putting as much distance as he could between himself & his volatile childhood he set off on a journey that would take him to work as an encyclopaedia salesman in Germany in the oil business in Libya & Nova Scotia until he found himself starring on Broadway. In time it would take him to Hollywood too & bring him leading roles on the Square in Eastenders & in Billericay in the much-loved comedy Gavin & Stacey. Along the way Larry wasnt just trying to make his own way in the world he was seeking the close female companionship hed missed out on with his mother too. After a series of relationships he found himself back in England & father to George. Facing fatherhood was a pivotal moment so easily he could have fallen into the ways of his own father but whilst his marriage to Georges mother didnt last he couldnt let the same mistakes be repeated again & he vowed to have the relationship with his son that hed never been able to have with his father. Mummys Boy is by turns heartrending as Larry recalls the relationship broken beyond repair with his father searingly honest as he describes the effect his childhood had in later life & hugely entertaining as he tells captivating tales of making it as an actor breaking out from his little world in Essex & finding himself in a new life on stage & screen. ...

Attention all lardies! Are you sick to death of mum-upmanship at the school gates? Have you had your fill of Mother Superiors who lose their baby weight in six weeks while you're still carrying yours years later? Do you crave the company of like-minded mums who will admit motherhood smells not of roses but of dirty nappies? Well look no further than Mums Like Us" a weekly group where knackered mums can let rip about kids husbands & work. So join our rejection of perfection & fight for 'good enough' parenting. & drink. & lots of cake. Stella Smith " Mums Like Us" Chairwoman." ...

When Hairy Bikers Si & Dave toured the country in search of ordinary Mums & their families' favourite recipes they had no idea they would unearth such a wealth of talent tradition & nostalgia. So began their search for the dishes we love best. This beautiful cookbook brings together over 100 of the nation's favourite recipes from the second series of BBC2's MUMS KNOW BEST. It

Includes:: Si & Dave's personal family recipes as well as their favourite recipes that they discover through the mums they meet & the recipe fairs they hold. Episodes include Comforting Food High Tea School Dinners & Al Fresco. An irresistible collection of recipes that will inspire you to keep cooking with love for the people that matter to you most.

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For the mum who embraces motherhood & all that it entails The Mums Book" is a humorous handbook on the ups & downs of being a mother. Featuring: recipes for the perfect fairy cakes; tips on how to throw the best childrens parties; examples of the best games to play on long journeys; advice on the best ways to pamper oneself; plus other invaluable & bizarre pearls of wisdom handed down from generation to generation. " The Mums Book" is also a celebration of motherhood a miscellany of hilarious anecdotes & survival techniques from the worlds best mums. No mother should be without this informative & amusing guide!" ...

Look out! Its a.. .dinosaur stampede! Mungos latest book is the wildest adventure of all. Horrible hunter Scarface Sam & his men think the secret of the Lost Island will make them rich... But when the dinosaurs get out of control & out of the book its up to Mungo to put things right! This is a hilarious action-packed adventure for brave heroes everywhere! ...

Mungo was really enjoying his new book Galacticus & Gizmo Save the Universe". The dashing hero Captain Galacticus had just been captured by the evil Dr Frankenstinker & things didnt look good. Mungo couldnt wait to find out what happened next but when he turned over the last page was missing! Who would foil Dr Frankenstinkers dastardly plan? Who would save the universe now? There was nothing for it
- Mungo took a deep breath & jumped into the story.. .and his very own space odyssey! With a lot of courage & a little help from a Vroom-101 spaceship Mungo saved the day (and the universe) & became the youngest ever member of Star Squadron."
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