Alex George`s A Good American is a positive & uplifting novel about the American Dream. This is the story of the Meisenheimer family, told by James, a third-generation American living in Beatrice, Missouri. It`s where his German grandparents
- Frederick & Jette
- found themselves after journeying across the turbulent Atlantic, fording the flood-swollen Mississippi, & being brought to a sudden halt by the broken waters of the pregnant Jette. A Good American tells of Jette`s dogged determination to feed a town sauerkraut & soul food; the loves & losses of her children, Joseph & Rosa; & the precocious voices of James & his brothers, sometimes raised in perfect harmony.. .sometimes in discord. But above all, A Good American is about the music in Frederick`s heart, a song that began as an aria, was jazzed by ragtime, & became an anthem of love for his adopted country that the family still hears to this day. ” There`s plenty of storytelling charm on display here, with echoes of John Irving`s humane zaniness”. (The New York Times). ” Epic, lyrical, compelling”. (USA Today).”A sweeping, lush intergenerational novel about a family of German-Americans learning to live in 20th-century America”. (Oprah.com).

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How two unlikely heroes inspired a whole town Sometimes, in the blink of an eye, you do something that changes your life forever. Like climbing a tree with a girl you don`t know. Marnus is tired of feeling invisible, living in the shadow of his two brothers. His older brother is good at breaking swimming records & girls` hearts. His younger brother is already a crafty entrepreneur who has tricked him into doing the dishes all summer. But when a girl called Leila turns up on their doorstep one morning with a petition, it`s the start of an unexpected adventure. And finally, Marnus gets the chance to be noticed... ...

An egg is the simplest & most versatile of ingredients. Nutritious, rich in protein, low in fat, perfect for a quick brunch, essential for baking & key to so many starters, main courses & puddings, there is something magical about the humble egg. Eggs are cheap & available to us all
- particularly to those who keep chickens. Inspired to find the most imaginative ways to make the best use of her hens` steady supply, & at the same time use as much fruit & vegetables from her garden as possible, Genevieve Taylor has created a year`s worth of recipes that are shaped by the changing seasons & are spontaneous, unfussy & joyful. Her passion for food that tastes & looks gorgeous, whether for every day or for parties, shines through each & every recipe & photograph in this wonderfully handy book. Move over omelette & custard, here are tortillas & tarts, pasta & pies, sauces & ice-creams, curries & clafouti & a couple of cakes for every month of the year.
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The old neighbourhood block in Beirut was home to an ever- changing population as the fighting intensified & lessened. But three people were almost always there. The older Polish woman, Margo, refugee from her past, her country & family after another war, spinning her tales of freedom fighters, itinerant peoples, despair & courage. & Lebanese born & bred Layla, only recently returned from Australia after fleeing the earlier civil war to teach her students again. Palestinian Kamal; refugee, writer & lecturer, whose cherished faith in a free, tolerant, democratic Lebanon has been shattered by difficulties of living there now. Among their friends are older politicians, university friends often visiting from lucrative posts in Europe or the USA, & local political activists. The retaliation raids by Israel & the political aftermath further shatter their community: some flee to the mountains, many leave the country. Some like Layla try to identify more deeply what it is that holds her to this place, why she cannot leave. Nada Awar Jarrar has written a powerful & moving novel, full of character & insight, of joy & tears, which makes us understand how people can stand such daily fear of violence & can continue to have faith in the country of their heart. ...

Escapee from suburbia, overweight, oversexed.. . Morgan Leafy isn`t overburdened with worldly success. Actually, he is refreshingly free from it. But then, as a representative of Her Britannic Majesty in tropical Kinjanja, it was not very constructive of him to get involved in wholesale bribery. Nor was it exactly oiling his way up the ladder to hunt down the improbably pointed breasts of his boss` daughter when officially banned from horizontal delights by a nasty dose.. . Falling back on his deep-laid reserves of misanthropy & guile, Morgan has to fight off the sea of humiliation, betrayal & ju-ju that threatens to wash over him. ...

Identifying the murderer of the Chancellor of the University is not the only challenge facing physician Matthew Bartholomew. Many of his patients have been made worse by the ministrations of a `surgeon` recently arrived from Nottingham, his sister is being rooked by the mason she has commissioned to build her husband`s tomb, & his friend, Brother Michael, has been offered a Bishopric which will cause him to leave Cambridge. Brother Michael, keen to leave the University in good order, is determined that the new Chancellor will be a man of his choosing. The number of contenders putting themselves forward for election threatens to get out of control, then more deaths in mysterious circumstances make it appear that someone is taking extreme measures to manipulate the competition. With passions running high & a bold killer at large, both Bartholomew & Brother Michael fear the very future of the University is at stake. ...

Identifying the murderer of the Chancellor of the University is not the only challenge facing physician Matthew Bartholomew. Many of his patients have been made worse by the ministrations of a `surgeon` recently arrived from Nottingham, his sister is being rooked by the mason she has commissioned to build her husband`s tomb, & his friend, Brother Michael, has been offered a Bishopric which will cause him to leave Cambridge. Brother Michael, keen to leave the University in good order, is determined that the new Chancellor will be a man of his choosing. The number of contenders putting themselves forward for election threatens to get out of control, then more deaths in mysterious circumstances make it appear that someone is taking extreme measures to manipulate the competition. With passions running high & a bold killer at large, both Bartholomew & Brother Michael fear the very future of the University is at stake. ...

Two of the biggest names in children`s publishing, Michael Rosen & Chris Riddell, come together in a new poetry collection. The poems in A Great Big Cuddle fizz off the page with sound & rhythm, energy & laughter, as Rosen captures in the most remarkable way what it means to be very, very young. A child`s world with all its details & feelings
- toys & games, animals & made-up creatures, likes & dislikes
- is vividly conjured up in the most memorable, playful language, & Chris Riddell has produced some his most extraordinary pictures ever to bring this world to life. It`s a book that will be enjoyed by the oldest grown-up & the youngest child
- & a future classic.


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Welcome to London in the late 17th century. After years of Civil War & repressive Puritan rule, King Charles II is back in town & his restoration has brought new life to this great city. The theatres are open again, markets & shops are thriving & the streets are crowded. People are talking about new ideas in science & architecture & experimenting with new fashions. This book takes you on a journey across London at this time, telling you about its `five-star` sights & their history. It also explains the key events of the time: the reasons for the Restoration, the arrival of the Plague &, of course, the Great Fire of 1666 & the new London that arose out of its ashes. Published to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire, this book gives older children a much broader context for this famous event. With a mixture of maps, archive images & present day photography, it acts as a wonderful guide both to London in the 1660s & how its legacy can still be found in the capital today. London on Fire is an ideal resource for readers aged 10+ & supports the history curriculum at Key Stage 3. ...

The untold story of how America`s secret war in Laos in the 1960s transformed the CIA from a loose collection of spies into a military operation & a key player in American foreign policy. January, 1961: Laos, a tiny nation few Americans have heard of, is at risk of falling to communism & triggering a domino effect throughout Southeast Asia. This is what President Eisenhower believed when he approved the CIA`s Operation Momentum, creating an army of ethnic Hmong to fight communist forces there. Largely hidden from the American public-and most of Congress-Momentum became the largest CIA paramilitary operation in the history of the United States. The brutal war lasted more than a decade, left the ground littered with thousands of unexploded bombs, & changed the nature of the CIA forever. With ”revelatory reporting” & ”lucid prose” (The Economist), Kurlantzick provides the definitive account of the Laos war, focusing on the four key people who led the operation: the CIA operative whose idea it was, the Hmong general who led the proxy army in the field, the paramilitary specialist who trained the Hmong forces, & the State Department careerist who took control over the war as it grew. Using recently declassified records & extensive interviews, Kurlantzick shows for the first time how the CIA`s clandestine adventures in one small, Southeast Asian country became the template for how the United States has conducted war ever since-all the way to today`s war on terrorism. ...