Kevin is determined that he'll never join a gang but his path crosses the Tribe's when he saves one of them from a rival gang. Invited to take their initiation test, Kevin plans to break the oath of secrecy and tell everyone. But he falls under the spell of the gang leader, Salom, and becomes a member. Kevin then discovers how hard it is to break away from the Tribe's rules and Salom's power, for when he's challenged Salom always makes you sorry. In this case he fastens on to Kevin's little sister, Glory, and Kevin is forced to take the initiation test again as his sister freezes with horror crossing a beam high above a ruined building.
Maxine's parents have had to do perhaps the worst possible thing: confirm the identity of her brother Derek's body by the clothes he was wearing when he disappeared. So the brother who was missing is now officially dead. But then the worst possible thing really happens: Maxine receives a telephone call from somebody saying he is her brother. She can hardly believe her ears. Has Derek come back from the dead? In this pacy thriller the author manages to confront many issues including: how different people deal with grief, the very underrated effect of severe bullying at school and sibling rivalry - all in a fast-paced compelling narrative voice.
It was as I was walking into the drama class that I remembered the girl I had bumped into and the green sweater just like mine. That was what had got Mrs Watt mixed up. She had seen the girl in the green sweater and thought it was me. That was the simple explanation. Wasn't it? Fay can't help thinking it odd that people start remarking on conversations she knows she hasn't had, or saying they have seen her when she knows she was somewhere else. But then she starts hearing muffled footsteps behind her, the flash of fair hair just like hers around the corner. Is she imagining things? A gripping, spooky thriller from the acclaimed story-teller Cathy MacPhail.
Col McCann becomes a local hero when he saves a boy from drowning but when his older brother is suspected of a serious crime, Col must decide if he should be loyal to his family or tell the truth about what he saw while under the water. Jr Lib Guild. Reprint.
Maxine's older brother Derek has disappeared and is believed to be dead. The family is overwhelmed with grief. Maxine suffers in school, loses friends and is losing the interest of her parents. Then the phone calls begin--a boy claiming to be Derek. Is it truly her brother or could it be one of the bullies who relentlessly tormented him when he was alive? Missing might seem a simple lost and found story, but at its heart lies a compelling examination of what it means to feel powerless and alone. The unexpected ending is written responsibly and with no easy answers. MacPhail writes with page-turning style, making this book eminently readable and thoroughly absorbing.
Lissa's world has just turned upside down. Her father has been in jail and is coming home for Christmas. She can't bear the way her mother and sister are so happy and making welcome plans. After all, he was the one who let them all down and spoilt her life, wasn't he? Before he went to jail, they had a nice house, she had trendy clothes and pretty much anything that she wanted, but now she is taunted by her classmates. Life only gets better when new girl Diane arrives at school. Diane sympathises with Lissa and doesn't make fun of her dad. But Lissa doesn't realise that Diane is manipulative. And she doesn't realise either how much her dad loves her. It is only when a combination of events come together that she has to face facts about who and what are really important to her.
When a ghost begins haunting Duncan, turning his life upside down and ruining his cool image, he and his best friend Markie turn to the class "nerd," whose plan for getting rid of the ghost comes at a steep price.
Ram has cheated death - four times. Who is so desperate to kill him? And why? On the run, Ram finds himself on desolate moorland. He knows he is being stalked, but this time by something less than human . . . Ram is rescued by the seemingly generous and kind William and Mary. But his relief fades to suspicion and fear when, on learning he has no memory, they insist on calling him Noel. Ram is full of doubt. He has no memory of who he is, but he knows he is not Noel - doesn't he? And odd memories start to surface. Memories of guns, rifles, explosions. Strange phrases seem to ring bells. Why does Ram feel in his gut that his secret past is not just vitally important to him, but could have even global significance? Macphail brilliantly sets the clues and racks up the tension in the second of this four-part instalment about Ram and his deadly opponent, the Dark Man. As the series evolves it will be revealed that there is a global terrorist coup being plotted and Ram - unknowingly - holds the secret and the ability to prevent it. Will he realise in time - or will the Dark Man get to him first?
Kerry and her mum have recently moved into new council accommodation in a tower block. Kerry's dad has recently left them, and Kerry and her mum are forging a new life together. But Kerry's mum is not the calmest or the most patient of people, particularly when it comes to getting on with the new neighbours. And when Kerry's mum refuses to be intimidated by Ma Lafferty, the local money lender, Kerry finds out that Ma Lafferty's daughter more than takes after her mother…A brilliantly topical story tackling the dangers of being in debt.
It would have been hard to have missed what was written on the wall. Painted in giant whitewashed letters: 'SHARKEY IS A GRASS'. I hadn't a clue who Sharkey was, but I knew one thing. 'Sharkey's a dead man,' I said. Leo knows the value of never grassing and that you never grass on your friends. Everybody, too, knows the gang leaders in town. And you don't grass on them. Not unless you don't value your life - like Sharkey. And then Leo is unlucky enough to witness the murder of one gang leader by another, a man called Armour. Leo is petrified as he realises what he is witnessing and even more petrified when he realises that Armour has seen him. Sure that he is drawing his own last breath, Leo silently says goodbye to his family and everybody he knows. But all Armour does is wink at Leo, very slowly, and leave the scene of the crime. Leo draws a long breath of relief. He has got away with it. But he hasn't - not really. Leo will live to regret that wink and realise that Armour has an insidious hold on him and his family, which will test his family relationships, and his very sense of what is right and wrong. It will take bravery, luck and sheer daring to extricate himself from Armour's deadly web. A riveting and hard-hitting new novel from Cathy MacPhail.
I am following a man with a secret life. He may even be a murderer."" Spider and Lizzie have gone back in time - again theyre in the dark streets of Edinburgh, in 1861, and all around them lurk kidnappers, killers and monsters?First-class, award-winning authors interweave a gripping narrative with stacks of fun facts: Particularly suitable for reluctant readers who prefer non-fiction/fact books. FYI also entices them into reading fiction Fun, top-quality illustrations on almost every pa
Ivy turned on her. 'I told you I'd get you, didn't I? Well,' her next words sent shivers through Katie. 'Tonight's the night.' Katie is being bullied at school - and cannot get anyone to believe her. She feels frightened and alone. Until one day when she is cornered by Ivy and her fellow bullies on the town dump. Katie is terrified, there is nowhere left to run. But suddenly, as if by magic, a girl called Zan rises from the rubbish in the dump and leaps to Katie's defence. But Zan is not willing to talk to Katie - all she wishes to do is keep her identity a secret. Slowly Katies learns the truth about Zan, and when she does, she realises Zan has much more to lose than the safety of her cardboard box. A gripping story that really brings the issue of bullying to a head. This is Cathy MacPhail's first novel for children, which she wrote as a result of her own daughter being bullied at school.
A new series by Cathy MacPhail - winner of the Kathleen Fidler Award, and author of the best-selling Missing, Bad Girls and Dark Waters. This hilarious series for younger readers is a new departure for Cathy. Ewen's school rugby team is rubbish. He's the best player in it and he can't play rugby for toffee. Everyone is despairing of ever winning a single game, until Granny Nothing decides to take things in hand. She's found them 'a secret weapon' but it's so secret that even the 'weapon' knows nothing about it... Meanwhile, Nanny Sue has discovered she's cursed. Granny Nothing's not terribly inclined to help. She's too busy being an international spy...
Hannah Driscoll is part of a gang called the Lip Gloss Girls. The gang spends most of their spare time together - or baiting the rival gang the Hell Cats. The two gangs constantly square up to each other and vie for which gang can fight the best - whether it be at school, in the park or on the train. Hannah feels safe and comfortable within the gang - until she is accused of betraying the Lip Gloss Girls. All of a sudden Hannah is made to feel what it is like to be cast out and surrounded by enemies . . .
Suspense fiction. Refreshed and repackaged edition of the hugely popular thriller from top author Cathy MacPhail. Nicola wants to scare the new girl, Destiny, so she and her gang stay overnight in the school. After all, Destiny doesn't realise that all the stories about the school being haunted are made up. Or are they? Terrifying chiller. With a reading age of 8, particularly suitable for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers.
James, paralized in a car accident, is now in a wheelchair and he's furious. The teenage driver of the car that hit him was killed in the accident, so James can't believe his eyes when he sees him walking down the street. Despite his wheels, he decides to play detective and the driver's sister joins him in the hunt for the 'dead man walking'.
Roxy was shaking with fear. She drew in a deep breath. She would not let her fear take over. She couldn't. She had too much to lose. She had to be strong, to be brave. For once in her life she had to think of someone other than herself.' Roxy is wild, uncontrollable. She hates her parents - and her goody-two-shoes sister. Her only solace is her equally wild friends, Pat, Tracey and Jacqueline. Then there is the night of the party, where she lets that boy kiss her, and more. Roxy falls pregnant. Wilfully, she won't tell her mother, her family. She decides to run away to London. In London, Roxy is found by Mr and Mrs Dyce. They are understanding, sympathetic, and promise her a way out of her troubles. They will take her to a comfortable place, along with other girls in the same position and look after her and her baby - which is exactly what happens. Roxy cannot believe her luck. But things aren't as they seem and Roxy eventually works out the dark truth of the outwardly genial Dyces. A gripping and completely compelling story of a girl forced to grow up and think of others other than herself in the most nightmare of circumstances. This story was based on a true story that occured in Italy in 2003.
Greg thinks hes the funniest and coolest boy in school - hes got a nickname for everybody and hes never short of a smart-ass comment for his friends. Until, that is, he finds himself in the frame for the theft of a mobile phone, and realises not everyone thinks hes as cool as he does Hes going to need all his wits, and the help of arch enemy Lucy, to dig him out of this one. A hilarious, madcap detective story.READING AGE 8
Patrick is happy living with his mum. She lets him do what he wants, pretty much, and it's only when his granny comes to stay that he has to get down to his homework and go to bed early. Then Patrick meets Mosi, a quiet, polite boy who, along with his parents, is waiting for his asylum application to be processed. He discovers Mosi is terrified of someone. But who is it? Patrick and Mosi strike up an unlikely friendship. In trying to help each other, they will face situations that are both terrifying and dangerous. And Patrick will find out that there is much, much more to Mosi than at first appears . . . A taut, brilliantly written novel that has both pace and topicality that will give much opportunity for discussion and debate.
Nanny Sue is trying to get rid of Stephanie, Ewen and Baby Thomas so she can settle down to watch Star-Maker, her favourite TV programme. Nanny Sue's got ambitions to be a pop star, more fool her. Then comes a banging on the door. It's loud enough towake the dead. "It's the Bogeyman, come to get you!" shrieks Nanny Sue. (She's good with kids.) But it is far worse than that. It is Granny Nothing, looking like a rhinoceros in a frock, dripping wet and complaining about her feet. And from this point on, things in the McAllister household will never be the same again...
The first book in a new crime series - Ram wakes up in a corridor with no memory of who he is - Then the doors open near him and he is confronted by the body of a dying man trying to tell him something.
A new series by Cathy MacPhail - winner of the Kathleen Fidler Award, and author of the best-selling Missing, Bad Girls and Dark Waters. This hilarious series for younger readers is a new departure for Cathy. The carnival's coming to town and Stephanie and Ewen are desperate to go. Granny Nothing loves carnivals, but will she be mistaken for the Bearded Lady...?It's there that they encounter magician extraordinaire, Mystico the Mysterious and his Box of Mystery. Stephanie's determined to find the key to the box's secrets, but why does she think she might find it in Granny Nothing's suitcase...?
Ross has been saving for a football top of his favourite team for ages, but doesn't think he'll ever afford it. When he sees one pinned to a tree, commemorating the death of a young boy, he can't resist taking it - but Ross gets more than he bargains for, and finds having the shirt comes at a dreadful price.
First-class, award-winning authors interweave a gripping narrative with stacks of fun facts: Particularly suitable for reluctant readers who prefer non-fiction/fact books. FYI also entices them into reading fiction Fun, top-quality illustrations on almost every pageREADING AGE 8INTEREST AGE 10
From Thomas Jefferson to John Rawls, justice has been at the center of America's self-image and national creed. At the same time, for many of its peoples-from African slaves and European immigrants to women and the poor-the American experience has been defined by injustice: oppression, disenfranchisement, violence, and prejudice. In Identity and the Failure of America, "John Michael explores the contradictions between a mythic national identity promising justice to all and the realities of a divided, hierarchical, and frequently iniquitous history and social order. Through a series of insightful readings, Michael analyzes such cultural moments as the epic dramatization of the tension between individual ambition and communal complicity in Moby-Dick, "attempts to effect social change through sympathy in the novels of Lydia Marie Child and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson's antislavery activism and Frederick Douglass's long fight for racial equity, and the divisive figures of John Brown and Nat Turner in American letters and memory. Focusing on exemplary instances when the nature of the United States as an essentially conflicted nation turned to force, Michael ultimately posits the development of a more cosmopolitan American identity, one that is more fully and justly imagined in response to the nation's ethical failings at home and abroad. John Michael is professor of English and of visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester. He is the author of Anxious Intellects: Academic Professionals, Public Intellectuals, and Enlightenment Values and Emerson "and Skepticism: The Cipher of the World.
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