The thrilling true story of how one woman masterminded slave resistance to British rule in eighteenth-century Jamaica - part of the True Adventures series 1720. Blue Mountains, windward Jamaica. In the sweltering heat Captain Shettlewood leads a troop of British soldiers through the thick trees towards the river. They are hunting slaves who have escaped from the brutal plantations. Their mission: to find them, and kill them. But up ahead, hidden among the rocks above the water, a group of ...

"Unique stories that will thrill readers of all ages [...] alongside stunning black-and-white illustrations from Pam Smy." - Books for KeepsWith a foreword from 'First Lady of the Paranormal' Yvette FieldingThe unusual creak of a floorboard, a flash of light in the dark, the eerie breeze from a closed window … We've all heard tales of phantoms and spooks haunting old buildings – but how many can be traced back to real people, real places...

Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Josephine Baker in this true story chronicling her life from poor girl to beloved actress, dancer and wartime heroine.Dancer, singer, actress, movie star, civil-rights activist – Josephine Baker was a phenomenon!Overcoming the poverty and abuse of her childhood, Josephine grew up to become one of the biggest stars of the early twentieth century, particularly adored in her adopted country of France. She use...

As a child, I only knew the world with the thoughts of a child. Not understanding that my feet were being planted on a strong foundation with each passing day. Many lessons were taught, I did not understand them all. Yet, the lessons I've learned are set firmly in my essence. The roads I traveled were straightened.As wisdom comes, my eyes are open, understanding begets knowledge. HE comes before every step that I take. His Eyes are on me, never leaving, guiding me, always showing m...

'Characterful, page-turning drama and a vivid mixture of research and imagination' - The Sunday TimesA gripping tale of a group of larger-than-life con artists who roam the streets of eighteenth-century London.Cato Hopkins is the youngest member of Mother Hopkins's 'family' - a group of skilled fraudsters and pickpockets. There's Addy, who can become a very convincing boy when she needs to; the beautiful Bella, who can charm any rich young man out ...

“Gentlemen!” William McAdam addressed the room, a knife in each hand. “Your watches, please! I guarantee you the fastest amputation ever performed anywhere in the world…”Sixteen-year-old Ezra McAdam has much to be thankful for: trained up as an apprentice by a well-regarded London surgeon, Ezra’s knowledge of human anatomy and skill at the dissection table will secure him a trade for life. However, his world is turned on its head when a failed break-in at ...

From the horrors of the slave trade to a book that changed the world, Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Olaudah Equiano in this gripping true story.Aged only eleven, Olaudah Equiano was cruelly snatched from his home in Africa and sold into slavery. He spent much of the next ten years serving various masters at sea, travelling to the far corners of the globe. He witnessed horrendous cruelty and occasional kindness, while experiencing daring adventures and extreme ...

A thrilling fictionalised account of the life of Matthew Henson, the first African American man to travel to the North Pole, from the Carnegie-nominated author Catherine Johnson.Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, and offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become navigator, craftsman, translator, and right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds and the ma...

Although television has developed into a major agent of the transnational and global flow of information and entertainment, television historiography and scholarship largely remains a national endeavour, partly due to the fact that television has been understood as a tool for the creation of national identity. But the breaking of the quasi-monopoly of public service broadcasters all over Europe in the 1980s has changed the television landscape, and cross-border television channels - with t...

Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2016, this is a very curious tale indeed . . .Out of the blue arrives an exotic young woman from a foreign land. Fearless and strong, 'Princess' Caraboo rises above the suspicions of the wealthy family who take her in.But who is the real Caraboo?In a world where it seems everyone is playing a role, could she be an ordinary girl with a tragic past? Is she a confidence trickster? Or is she the princes...

How can we give animals the best life—for them? What does an animal need to be happy? In her groundbreaking, best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her experience as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into the science of animal emotions and how animals think, act, and feel. Now she builds on those insights to show us how to give our animals the best and happiest life—on their terms, not ours. Kn...

Book Band: Dark Red - Ideal for ages 10+An exciting adventure set in revolutionary France which tells the true story of a swashbuckling hero Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, whose mother was an enslaved African woman and whose father was a French noble.Alex is happy living with his brothers and sister on his father's farm on Haiti but his father wants to go back to France and can't afford to take his mixed-race children with him. Soon, Alex must fig...