Alan Johnson's childhood was not so much difficult as unusual particularly for a man who was destined to become Home Secretary. Not in respect of the poverty which was shared with many of those living in the slums of post-war Britain but in its transition from two-parent family to single mother & then to no parents at all... This is essentially the story of two incredible women: Alan's mother Lily who battled against poor health poverty domestic violence & loneliness to try to ensure a better life for her children; & his sister Linda who had to assume an enormous amount of responsibility at a very young age & who fought to keep the family together & out of care when she herself was still only a child. Played out against the background of a vanishing community living in condemned housing the story moves from post-war austerity in pre-gentrified Notting Hill through the race riots school on the Kings Road Chelsea in the Swinging 60s to the rock-&-roll years making a record in Denmark Street & becoming a husband & father whilst still in his teens. This Boy is one man's story but it is also a story of England & the West London slums which are so hard to imagine in the capital today. No matter how harsh the details Alan Johnson writes with a spirit of generous acceptance of humour & openness which makes his book anything but a grim catalogue of miseries. ...

The first life of the man who was Lord Peter Wimsey Bertie Wooster & starred in Im Alright Jack! With the death of Ian Carmichael in 2010 one of the last links was lost with the golden age of British cinema. Carmichael starred alongside Terry-Thomas & Peter Sellers in the Boulting brothers classic satirical comedies Im Alright Jack! Privates Progress & School for Scoundrels. He summed up on screen & in life the kind of Englishman who was beginning to emerge after the war
- educated not necessarily upper class upwardly mobile & a study in good manners & a sense of fair play
- & thus played the straight-man foil to the distracted ravings of his wilder co-stars. Subsequently he became Bertie Wooster in a highly successful television series based on P.G. Wodehouses Jeeves stories. He also made the part of Lord Peter Wimsey his own in another long-running adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers famous detective novels & was still acting on television well into his eighties alongside Susan Hampshire in ITVs drama series The Royal.

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Sophie & Mandy Anna & Laura
- two daughters & two mothers & a story about the bond of motherly love. Sophie is a happy 18-year-old
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Sinead Moriarty's breathtaking eighth novel This Child of Mine" is the story of two daughters two mothers & the extraordinary bond of motherly love. It's a unique blend of the storytelling genius of Jodi Picoult & the compassion & humour of Marian Keyes in a complex & deeply involving story that will have readers arguing about the nature of motherhood & the rights & wrongs of the characters' actions. Sophie is a happy 18-year-old living in London with Anna her Irish mother. Anna has devoted her life to Sophie. It may be just the two of them but Anna has more than enough love to give. Sophie has everything she could ever need. Laura is a not-so-happy artist. She too has a daughter Mandy. But Laura is haunted by the loss of her first child Jody. Happy-go-lucky as she is Mandy lives in Jody's shadow & wonders why her mother can never let go. Both mothers carry secrets & cannot forget the day their paths crossed. But a chance discovery is about to bring everything into the open & mothers & daughters love & lies past & future will spectacularly collide. Sinead Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland & the UK & she is a four times nominee for the popular fiction Irish Book Award. She has won over readers & critics telling stories that are funny humane moving & relevant to modern women. " This Child of Mine" is Sinead at her very best. Sinead Moriarty lives with her family in Dublin. Her previous titles are: " The Baby Trail"; "A Perfect Match"; " From Here to Maternity"; " In My Sister's Shoes"; " Keeping It In the Family" (also titled " Whose Life is it Anyway?"); " Pieces of My Heart" & " Me & My Sisters"." ...

Max & Vicky Hardcastle recent newcomers to the beautiful village of Ramsthwaite are now quite settled into their tumble-down old farm. But their rural life doesnt always run smoothly for whether Max is plotting to get the better of rival antiques dealers battling Elspeth the obstinate goat or restoring the burnished nether-regions of a Greek statue every day seems to bring new excitement & intrigue. Meanwhile fellow villager Canary Mary finds romance Long John gets a scorching surprise & local poacher Rabbit Joe devises a wily scheme to make a few bob on the races. & somehow Max ends up right in the middle of every incident! ...

Best known for her role in cult comedy TV hit Benidorm & for playing Maggie Conlon in Ken Loach's remarkable film Ladybird Ladybird Crissy Rock is a hugely popular actress & comedienne. But Crissy's path to success was far from easy & her life has been plagued by trauma & turmoil. Never has there been a more honest & disturbing biography ever written; never has there been so much to tell. Crissy Rock's poor but idyllic young life was plunged into darkness at the age of eight when her grandfather began to abuse her both physically & sexually. Pregnant & married to a violent bully at sixteen it seemed that trouble & turmoil would always stalk her. Having finally escaped her violent marriage Crissy began to turn her life around. Having firmly established herself on the comedy circuit she was then cast in Ladybird Ladybird for which she won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. This is one of the most astonishing books you will ever read. ...

1867. Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk to take up her position as governess at Gaudlin Hall on a dark & chilling night. As she makes her way across the station platform a pair of invisible hands push her from behind into the path of an approaching train. She is only saved by the vigilance of a passing doctor. When she finally arrives shaken at the hall she is greeted by the two children in her care Isabella & Eustace. There are no parents no adults at all & no one to represent her mysterious employer. The children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room a second terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong. From the moment she rises the following morning her every step seems dogged by a malign presence which lives within Gaudlin's walls. Eliza realises that if she & the children are to survive its violent attentions she must first uncover the hall's long-buried secrets & confront the demons of its past. ...

Someone called & said Kurt died. I just f*****g lost it. He has sold over 40 million albums. Hes been in bands that have changed popular music forever. He saw his best friend commit suicide. He starts supergroups. Hes the nicest guy in rock. From Nirvana to Foo Fighters from brotherhood to bitter rivalry from breathless highs to lifeless lows Paul Brannigan gives an unparalleled intimate & extraordinary account of the life & times of Dave Grohl. In 1990 little-known punk-metal upstarts Nirvana added a new drummer to the b&. They were soon to become a global phenomenon -- but as we all know things went wrong. Daves friend Kurt frontman of Nirvana took his own life plunging the band & their future into chaos. His friends grief was mirrored by worldwide sorrow to an unprecedented degree. Defying expectations a knack that was soon to become his trademark Grohl refused to see it as the end. In 1995 his new band the Foo Fighters rose to join the pantheon of rock deities. The wonder years were by no means calm. The spotlit existence imposed by his celebrity status the bellowed vilification by his critics & his high-speed lifestyle proved a dangerous cocktail. With an account of Grohls life that is more personal than anything written before more startling more thrilling more heart-rending & more inspiring Paul Brannigan reveals Dave fully for the first time. This is the story of the man who changed music forever. ...

Someone called & said Kurt died. I just f*****g lost it. He has sold over 40 million albums. Hes been in bands that have changed popular music forever. He saw his best friend commit suicide. He starts supergroups. Hes the nicest guy in rock. From Nirvana to Foo Fighters from brotherhood to bitter rivalry from breathless highs to lifeless lows Paul Brannigan gives an unparalleled intimate & extraordinary account of the life & times of Dave Grohl. In 1990 little-known punk-metal upstarts Nirvana added a new drummer to the b&. They were soon to become a global phenomenon
- but as we all know things went wrong. Daves friend Kurt frontman of Nirvana took his own life plunging the band & their future into chaos. His friends grief was mirrored by worldwide sorrow to an unprecedented degree. Defying expectations a knack that was soon to become his trademark Grohl refused to see it as the end. In 1995 his new band the Foo Fighters rose to join the pantheon of rock deities. The wonder years were by no means calm. The spotlit existence imposed by his celebrity status the bellowed vilification by his critics & his high-speed lifestyle proved a dangerous cocktail. With an account of Grohls life that is more personal than anything written before more startling more thrilling more heart-rending & more inspiring Paul Brannigan reveals Dave fully for the first time. This is the story of the man who changed music forever. & hes not finished yet.
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The best-selling This is Citizenship course has been revised & updated to provide a structured programme of flexible activities which cover all the key concept range & content requirements of the 2008 Citizenship national curriculum. This is Citizenship 1 lays the foundations of the course. It provides case studies & activities for use in Year 7 which look at the core themes of: 1 Rights & responsibilities 2 Local citizenship 3 Global citizenship The classroom-friendly activities are carefully designed to:
- be flexible for use on their own or as part of your own school-designed scheme of work
- be accessible to all abilities & easy to prepare & use
- promote knowledge & understanding & to develop the essential skills & processes
- allow you to incorporate local initiatives which reflect the needs of your own school community. The Pupil's Book is comprehensively supported by:
- a Teacher's Resource Book which provides further help with differentiation & assessment
- a Dynamic Learning CD-ROM which provides all the resources from the Pupil's Book & Teacher's Resource Book as well as additional resources for use via an interactive whiteboard or data projector.





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