Search results for ""cranthorpe millner publishers""

After spending months suffering from bizarre nightmares about whimstricks, grubblings and other strange creatures, ten-year-old Mikey has finally had enough. But finding out the truth is more dangerous than Mikey could possibly have imagined, and he soon finds himself trapped in the magical realm of Whimsburrow.

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'If you don't know, I don't know...' 'Things not discussed can never be recorded and therefore have never taken place.' Those were the last words Michael Butler said to his younger son, Jeff, on a Saturday evening in August before Jeff left on holiday. Jeff could not have imagined that events would unravel so fast from there, starting with the suicide of his father by hanging in their garage later that night and leading to a surprising trip to Hungary, where his father had been working for an international organisation and had become involved in investigating the trafficking of Roma girls into the sex trade. As far as Jeff was concerned, the act of suicide causes such indescribable pain for those left behind that for anyone to even contemplate the act was inexcusable. An act of love betrayed. But was his father really responsible for taking his own life?

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Discovering that your dad is actually a beast from an enchanted world called Elementa is a lot to process. Finding out you are also half beast; have to travel to this strange magical world, and must compete in a series of potentially life-threatening challenges in the company of almost fifty other teenagers is surely taking things a step too far.

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An eye-opening exploration of the human mind,where reality is stranger than fiction.Drawing on solid scientific research, The Unthinkable Truth will make readers question their own human nature.

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Based on a true story, Gwendoline explores the challenges facing women in the 1900s, the struggles confronted by individuals suffering from mental health issues, and the devastating impact these issues can have on their families.

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Tyler isn't thrilled to be spending yet another mundane afternoon at Great Uncle John's. And that's putting it mildly! But after his visit sparks a chain of inexplicable events, he delightedly discovers magic at his fingertips.

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Athletes Who Rock! shares the inspiring backstories of 15 individuals who have achieved the near-impossible: success in the ultra-competitive worlds of pro sports and music.

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When Andy and Jack walk away from their successful careers, leaving family, friends and Manchester to move to the Canary Islands, they hope to find a new adventure and quality time together in the sun. What they do not expect to encounter is the intriguing, often amusing and sometimes downright bizarre cast of characters that inhabit their new, sub-tropical world. Buying a small house on a pitch 'n' putt golf course surrounded by banana plantations in the north of Tenerife, they set about trying to earn a living while getting to know the eccentric neighbour who hints at a double life as an espionage agent; the Disney Gang; and a white cat with no tail, an Eric Cantona attitude and a penchant for torture. An arrest and a sudden death turn their world upside down and open the door to a series of seemingly unrelated incidents. As Jesus takes up residence in the bottom of the garden and paradise begins to unravel, the shocking truth is finally uncovered and Andy and Jack face losing everything.

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Lieutenant-Colonel (Retd) Diane Allen had 30 years' experience in the British Army. She was one of the first women at Sandhurst. Sandhurst was so unprepared there were no boots small enough for women and no beds for them (a recurrent theme). She served in Northern Ireland and Germany in the regular army, then 25 years in the reserves, alongside a career in the public and private sector. She moved through the ranks into more senior military leadership, creating new intelligence units. But with each success she achieved, resistance from those in charge increased. In November 2018, Diane was awarded the OBE for services to military intelligence. But by November 2019, she had started a messy divorce with the Army. She isn't leaving voluntarily - she has been pushed out. This is her account of her time in the army; the comical, the tragic, the painful and the honest story of a woman for whom the Army will always be her true family.

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Enter a magical world... When Louise and Michael find a secret door in the bear house of their local animal park, they soon discover more than they could ever have imagined. Join this adventurous brother and sister duo as they explore London and beyond in the company of their talking animal friends, and make some very special new friends along the way! Step inside and meet the animals...

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'The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.' In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society. Believing they will at least have each other, the girls are devastated when Ailbe is dumped at the gates of a place known only as 'Bessborough', whilst Maire is forced to continue on to Dublin, to be cared for by the relatives of her married lover. What follows is an enduring tale of family, love, friendship, secrecy, self-sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of women in the most appalling of circumstances.

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It's been 45 years since the end of the Zurvan reign. The Earth is a peaceful planet where solar panels cover the deserts and green pastures feed communities who have phased out currency in place of a local trade system. Michael and Melody are benevolent Sararan leaders who have assembled a democratically elected council in Geneva to regulate the less populated world, but a darkness grows in the west. Letters from Native American tribes find their way to the council describing a disturbing resonance near Shaktis sunken palace. With the Zurvan Order having signed a treaty of alliance years before, the royal Immortal couple is puzzled as to the origin of this mysterious demonic signal. Meanwhile, Melody's ambassador finds who she believes to be the reincarnation of Pavonis: a young adventurous girl from the Balkans named Devonia. All Melody wants is a pupil to teach, but Michael wants a son, and becomes increasingly weary from both his wife's reluctance to bear children and his deteriorating mental state from engaging in shadow wars in Africa. Between Michael's perception of betrayal he feels from Melody, and his complex emotions regarding his forced indoctrination into the Zurvan Order almost a half century earlier, Michael seeks meaning at his mother's grave where a former enemy befriends him there; a woman who knew him at his darkest hour, her web of seduction spun and waiting...

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'Penny still couldn't believe it - Stewart, dead! Killed in broad daylight on a Central London street.' Faded TV presenter Stewart Bingham is lured out of a quiet retirement for one last pay day interview on prime-time television, only to be fatally stabbed as he leaves the London studio. Racked with guilt for lining up this final job, his media agent Penny refuses to accept the police verdict of an anonymous stabbing and launches her own investigation. At the same time, British Secret Service agent Dom Stephens is enlisted to monitor the arrival of his old acquaintance, Dima, back in the UK. As their paths begin to converge, Penny and Dom realise only they can stop a threat to the very heart of the British government. "Full of twists and turns, The Necklace is difficult to put down and doesn't disappoint. The story merges the spy world with everyday life and the interconnected plots keep the reader hooked on every word."

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The woods looked dark and ominous. Between the trees, where the darkness was blacker than black, dozens of slanted yellow eyes flicked open and stared back towards the house. They weren’t the eyes of anything human. When Paul and Christy purchase Croft House, they are both looking forward to a new start. Christy’s abusive father is dying and she is ready to put the past well and truly behind her. But the house has other ideas. They soon realise there is something in the house, something that’s trying to communicate with them. In their fear, they ask a local psychic to remove this entity. And in so doing, release something far, far worse.

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"He didn't know it then, but he cycled right by the spot where his body would soon be dumped, left to decay." In his youth, JJ believed that old saying: ‘you can be anything you want to be if you just try hard enough’. He had built his whole life around it. But now, middle-aged and with his past erupting into his present, it’s clear to him that life is just not that fair. With his son’s disappearance acting as a catalyst, JJ is forced to make some unsavoury decisions in order to survive. But the choices he makes have consequences, and with his life and the lives of his friends and family being turned upside down, will anyone come out the other end unscathed?

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It’s Christmas Eve, and Nathaniel Banks is in despair. But when he begs for help from above, heaven help him, they send Anna Frost. Anna Frost has lost everything she holds dear, her job and her sword. She started the day as a lieutenant in Heaven’s army, but by the end of it, she finds herself stuck on Earth as a Guardian, in a freezing cold Central Park. Anna Frost is having the worst Christmas Eve ever! Fortunately, Anna is an angel with an F-Plan, and under the watchful gaze of her fellow Guardians, the flirtatious Leonardo and food-loving Holly, this feisty foot-soldier focuses all her efforts on fixing Nathaniel Banks so she can get her feathers back ASAP. But unfortunately for Anna, forgotten footsteps, foul play and forbidden fruit soon put her foolproof plan in jeopardy, and this featherless fighter must learn to move Heaven and Earth if her F-Plan is to succeed.

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Alexander (Sandy) McFarlane has just secured his new role as a DCI working for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. Before long, he is asked to investigate the death of Robert Smythe, an accountant who has been auditing an aid grant to build a solar panel farm in Vadodara, India. DCI McFarlane travels to India where he immediately suspects foul play. But he is up against local police who refuse to admit that Robert's death was suspicious. He soon finds himself embroiled in politics, battling the extremely wealthy and powerful Thakur family, the billionaires who had facilitated the British aid grant to build the solar panel farm, and in whose interest the local police are sweeping Robert's death under the rug. For a long time it seems he is fighting a losing battle and he is forced to leave India in disgrace. Can McFarlane get justice for Robert's family?

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Lesbian literary scholar Morgan Byrd has no time for babies, or cats. But when the disappearance of her university's resident tomcat is rapidly followed by baby snatching and murder, Morgan is drawn into the police inquiry, alongside ten-year-old Oliver Cresswell, a maths prodigy turned boy detective with a man-sized secret to hide.

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Joan Eardley was a passionate painter who, in a short career, managed to create some of the most important works of the twentieth century. Hers was a truly wild and beautiful art. Come and take a look inside her world...

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Mary is dead, and the government is to blame. That is what David believes. Convinced the only way to make a positive difference in society is by taking matters into his own hands, David plans to remould society in his image, one where those in power care for the people they serve and are not motivated by power or greed.

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The gender confidence gap has long been a hotly debated topic. But do women need to be more confident or do the outdated behaviours of some organisations need to change? This book discusses these issues and how, in today’s workplace culture, working hard and delivering well is no longer enough to get a woman who is interested in growing her career the success she dreams of. Instead she needs to demonstrate not just competency but also confidence, courage and credibility. To improve their chances of career success, women need to get comfortable with being visible in their organisation and industry. Sharing successes, stepping up to take new responsibilities and getting their voice heard. Jo Painter is a leading International Career, Leadership and Confidence Coach. She uses her research and coaching of thousands of women, to identify and examine what it takes to be successful in your career--without doubting your capabilities or worrying what others think. Jo spent 17 years in a corporate career before developing her coaching business 12 years ago. She works with individuals and organisations such as Amazon, Ford, Lloyds Banking Group, Women in Tech, Women in Banking and Finance, and Lean In. Have you had some career success but struggle with self-doubts? Are you frustrated with your career progress or want to have greater impact and credibility at work? If so, this is an essential guide for you.

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A secret school hidden in the deep forests of Northern Ireland is protected by an ancient powerful magick. But an evil presence lurks in the forest. A portal to another dark realm was cracked and sinister energy is leaking through, killing everything that surrounds it. A group of eleven special children of Blackhill Manor face a race against time to develop their magickal powers, and stop the destruction from spreading. They will need the power of an ancient dagger called the Athame. The crystals that power it are missing and they must be found. Can twelve-year-old Luna Green lead the new Guardians of the Athame to find the missing crystals in time to protect the world from the Shadow Walkers and the darkness that will be unleashed?

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"You think you're fuckin' better than me?" A dead girl's words haunt a detective's broken life as he struggles to find her killer. Returning to work after losing his wife and unborn child in a horrific car accident, Detective Senan Maguire is rapidly thrown in at the deep end, with an intense murder case that hits a little too close to home. As Senan and his team investigate, revelations come to light that will change their lives forever, unravelling a world of deceit and corruption.

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For over forty years, former band members of Generation 27, a briefly successful band in the late seventies, have been haunted by the shadows of the group's collapse. Stephen is weighed down by guilt, Philip blames everyone else for his fall from stardom, while Martin battles addiction and illness. Only when strangely familiar figures emerge from those shadows is each of them forced to confront their loss and regret. The past really is a foreign country, but how will the three friends navigate their way from there to the future?

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Nick Greene flees the life he’s known in exchange for peace in his quaint town’s rugged forest park, but when a curious fisherman foils his tranquillity, Nick’s missing persons case turns into a manhunt. Heading to the neighbouring city of Abercrombie, Nick finds refuge in a run-down motel known for taking in hopeless cases. He forms a friendship with his neighbour, Marina, but little does Nick know, a fatigued detective from his hometown is hunting him down, determined to redeem himself after his first and only missing persons case back in 1997 ended in disaster. Inspired by the Southern Hemisphere’s flora and fauna, The Runaway Man is the first in a series that traverses a rural backwater, to beachland, to a vibrant city, and tells the stories of those who seek new lives, and those left behind in the old ones.

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Brian Stewart is a respected professional man, liked by his colleagues and friends and loved by his wife Marcia and their two young children. He has never been the kind of man who would lose his sense of propriety or do anything on an impulse. Until, that is, the day he starts to go off the rails. Alarmed at the change in her husband, Marcia is horrified to discover that he has incurred tens of thousands of pounds in debts after starting to gamble compulsively. Soon afterwards, he is arrested for alleged sexual offences, including rape. Marcia stands by Brian but is unable to understand or explain this profound change in her husband's behaviour. Surely, he is not in his right mind. But what sort of affliction could lead to such serious loss of control over his basic impulses?

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How far would you travel to find ‘The One’? When chronically indecisive maths teacher Gemma Higgins accidentally enters another dimension, she learns the great secret of existence: that we inhabit a multiverse run by giants, HR managers and angst-ridden writers. Unable to return to her old world, Gemma is told she can take her pick from one of her remaining lives. She chooses a life where she meets ‘The One’, and is delighted when it seems ‘The One’ is the ex who shouldn’t have dumped her. If only she could stop being distracted by the handsome ghost she’s been able to see, ever since she arrived from the other dimension…

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“Family, however it comes, is bonded by love.” As an unmarried mother-to-be, Sal is determined to make the best of a bad situation, and decides to move away from the city to build a new life for herself and her baby. When she begins her new job at a small-town doctor’s surgery, she discovers people are less judgemental than feared, and new relationships are forged that transform her life forever. Mother’s Love follows Sal’s journey through the peaks and troughs, tragedy and triumph of life and motherhood, and explores her unique relationships with each of her daughters – their lives intertwined by the tenuous bonds of love and sisterhood.

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“At sunrise on the day she would die, Ginny Hill flew fast and low along the border to save a spy with no name hiding from his enemies in a field of stones.” When a British Army helicopter crashes in a lake in Wales, killing the female pilot, questions naturally arise. Was this terrorism? If so, who were the terrorists? And why did certain people never admit they had an agent on board - one they wished dead? All too soon, the law of unexpected consequences kicks in, and the pilot’s death triggers the unravelling of five secret but interlinked lives, including that of her radical clergyman father. Moving at pace between Northern Ireland, Scandinavia, South Africa and South America, this Russian doll of a story builds to a brutal conclusion... but one with a wickedly unexpected twist in its tail.

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'As he looked on in horror, the woman turned her head, giving Craig the full view of the exit wound. A piece the size of a grapefruit had been blown out of her skull. What remained within was black and lifeless.' Lifetimes is the sequel to Legacy, the story of time-travelling ex-Marine Craig Edmonds, and his battle to save himself and his family from the evil witch, Beyath. Able to harness both time and space, Beyath returns from the dead to hunt down Craig Edmonds and destroy everything he knows and loves. Trapped in an alternate timeline, with no wife or family to support him, Craig is a wreck and bent on self-destruction. But with the help of a friend from his original lifetime, he slowly comes to terms with his new reality, and the two of them decide to go back to 1968 to finally destroy Beyath, not just in one timeline, but across all timelines. The question is: will they succeed?

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"Boomy the bittern lived in a wetland. A wetland of pools, islands, ditches and dykes..." Boomy the Bittern tells the story of a family of bitterns as they go about life in their wetland home: hiding in the reeds, bringing up their young, squelching through the mud and scooping up fish to eat. But when the wetlands are drained by humans, where will the bitterns go? Complete with beautiful illustrations by wildlife artist Sally Mills and a captivating, informative narrative by Pam Earnshaw, Boomy the Bittern makes a wonderful bedtime story for any nature lover. With text designed to develop children's reading skills, it also provides the perfect teaching tool to positively engage young readers in discussions about wildlife conservation and climate change.

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HIGH EXPLOSIVES YOU CAN STOCKPILE, NUCLEAR WEAPONS YOU CAN STOCKPILE, CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS YOU CAN STOCKPILE, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS YOU CAN NOT. The year is 1991, and the Soviet Union is in a state of collapse. But with chaos reigning in Europe and secrets being leaked all too easily from the Ministry of Defence, why should the British Security Services be interested when the premises of a small biotech start-up are burgled, resulting in an accidental death? Complete with suspected Russian spies and biological warfare, this peculiar case proves more complex to solve than anticipated, and truth and trust are tormented by doubt and deception as the path of the small unit of MI5 agents investigating the case is criss-crossed by innocence and subterfuge, bluff and bullying.

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Pianist and author Keith Jacobsen tells the story of his lifelong passion for the piano as performer and teacher from early childhood in post-war Liverpool to the present day. By interweaving practical examples of how the piano works and how to play a simple tune, he hopes to inspire readers wishing to start their own piano journey. But above all this is a compelling human story, rich in vividly recalled moments and memorable characters.

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We all imagine escaping into new worlds, but how challenging would it really be to survive? What if you were dragged through a gateway into a place filled with magic...and you had none? On Midsummer's Eve, Isabella Mackay finds herself pulled through the Anahera Gate into the archipelago of Hjaltland, a world of scented magic, chaotic storms and competing goddesses. Unable to understand the language, ignorant of its cultures and completely devoid of magic, she struggles to find her own path to freedom and safety. This might be a little easier if she wasn't shackled to the sardonic Captain Bannerman upon arrival and hauled over a mountain. He has a job to do, and she is determined to stop him from doing it. But some fates cannot be avoided, and when they reach the great Citadel, Isabella is faced with an impossible choice: accept their bargain, or be thrown into the slave pits of Hamnavoe. Whether it is flying waka over storm-haunted mountains, riding giant, psychic cats across the Citadel rooftops or feeding tidbits to tiny, alcoholic dragons, she is determined to survive, to forge new alliances and thwart her oppressors. Will Isabella make her way through it, back to our world? And will she even want to?

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There were vultures circling above us and I was told to keep moving in case they thought I was dead... Travels with a Brompton is a sparkling narrative about the adventures of an English couple and their folding bicycles over nearly 30 years of exploring France. This is a wine-fuelled account of sweaty pedalling and hard-earned freewheeling via cols, war memorials, lavender fields, and vineyards. It is a travel guide for those who long for two-wheeled trips in France and a lively read for the armchair traveller who chooses sofa over saddle. The author's Brompton, Modestine, is a descendant of the donkey Robert Louis Stevenson took on his travels in the Cévennes.

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Friday 20th March 1556: Thomas Cranmer is alone in his cell in the Bocardo Prison, Oxford. The first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury. The first Archbishop of Canterbury to have a wife. The first Archbishop of Canterbury to have legitimate children. Tomorrow, on the 21st of March 1556, he will pay the ultimate sacrifice. He will be the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be burned at the stake.

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“I’d imagine my family finding me; would they be surprised? Devastated? Relieved? Would I survive? Would they find me just at the last second, resuscitate me at the vital moment before I could slip away? I could see their angry faces flashing before my eyes, screaming selfish, selfish, selfish, how selfish can you be?” Life has become banal and monotonous for 16-year-old Samantha Ward. The blade she drags across her skin is the only thing that makes her feel alive, that makes her feel real. With the death of her beloved grandmother and the rejection of her best friend, Samantha falls ever further into the grips of her darkness, every day adding to the collection of marks on her skin. Desperate and tired of waiting for change, Samantha ventures out into the rain and finds herself drawn to the graveyard nearby. She stumbles across her classmate Michael Gallagher with a noose swaying behind him. Choosing careful words, Samantha convinces him to leave it behind. With an unspoken bond between them, a friendship blooms. But as Samantha struggles to keep her habit a secret, she realises that Michael is hiding his own secrets too.

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This heart-warming picture book is a celebration of someone truly special. Beautifully illustrated, with a rhyming text, this unique story is a wonderful, glorious, celebration of love, and effortlessly teaches the lesson of not wanting to be anything other than who you are.

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Following eighteen-year-old Helen as she moves away from her home in Scotland to become a governess in France, Deception at its core is a novel about the moral dilemmas faced by those living in the shadows of war.

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Join nine-year-old Megan as she embarks on a wild, crazy adventure beneath the waves, where she learns that her littering behaviour could have deadly consequences and that rubbish should always be thrown in the bin.

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Amongst the horrors of the Anglo-Zulu War, young lieutenant Albert is conflicted by his feelings for handsome batsman Jack. But with societal prejudices against them, will their blossoming relationship survive?

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More than 150 years later, we still do not know what prompted Captain Briggs, his wife and baby, and the crew of the Mary Celeste to abandon ship mid-ocean, and the speculation continues to this day. Delve into this mysterious case and shed light on possible solutions, credible hoaxes, and tales of other ghost ships.

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Isla is a girl with a huge imagination, who loves listening to her grandad's stories of his childhood in wild and rugged Cornwall. When Isla's dad goes missing on a diving trip in Mexico, her world is turned upside down. Based on the old Cornish folktale The Mermaid of Zennor, this is a journey of curiosity, friendship, mystery and magic.

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Greenbank Primary: First Aid Brought to Life is a narrative non-fiction that tells a story. It tells a story of a town called Humphrington, a school called Greenbank Primary and the Matthews family engaging with family, friends and teachers. The main theme throughout the book is 'what can you, as a 10-12 year old person, do to give first aid in a medical emergency?' What are the simple key actions that you could take to help someone recover from a serious asthma attack, seizure, severe wound, broken limb and even drowning and cardiac arrest? Given that success rates in the UK for survival outside of hospital for cardiac arrest are below 10% there is a need for knowledge especially at a young age. In countries that invest in training young children in life saving skills, survival rates are far better than the UK. This book aims for improvement.

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'Could it really be possible that there exists two such potent, omniscient, and incompatible energies - Fate and Hate?' Sixteen-year-old Lilly-Anne is not supposed to ask about her parents. An outsider to her peers, she lives a quiet life with her Uncle Bill and his wife, Lynne. Hoping for a fresh start at a new college, little does she know that her future lies beyond Earth, and Lilly soon finds herself thrown into a completely different world, or rather, many worlds, all ruled by Fate, an omniscient power who predetermines human life. Or at least, that's what the Authority says. Attempting to understand the otherworlds, Lilly tiptoes the line of lawbreaking, seeking answers to her heritage. But her questions only multiply as she discovers that both her past and the mysterious events around her may hold the key to what Fate has planned. A Reverie Tale is a story of friendship, belonging, and a battle for free will against the most powerful of adversaries.

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'When the rains fell, the world burned...' After a childhood spent in the foster care system, failed PhD student Amy Weston attracts trouble wherever she goes. Acid rain is destroying London's trees, brain lesions are turning once-harmless pets into killer dogs, and her new work colleague, Professor Joel Harket, is the most infuriating man she has ever met. But when the media continue to insist that autumn has simply come early, and humans begin to experience the same symptoms as the killer dogs, Amy must work alongside Joel in order to convince the world of the seriousness of the situation, before it is too late. From the UN Air Health summit in Beijing to the abandoned tunnels beneath the city of London, Amy and Joel search for answers to prevent the end of the world, and as Nelson's Column crumbles and zombie-like 'howlers' wreak havoc worldwide, they discover that the only way to survive the apocalypse is to set aside their differences... and learn to trust each other.

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