Why Can't You Just Be a Normal Girl?

Alison doesn't seem to fit into the stereotype of being a girl and is constantly asked the question: "Why can't you just be a normal girl?" Through inner conflicts and confusion, Alison journeys into the definition of what it means to be 'normal'. Accepting the beliefs of significant people in her life, the journey proves challenging when who Alison really is and what she does are at controversy. What is it that makes Alison different to every other girl? How will Alison manage the struggles of being different? And… what does it really mean to be 'normal'?

Vortex 184°

Follow Lewis and his best friend, Corky, on an amazing journey full of unexpected, and sometimes frightening, adventures. Their friendship is tested to the limit as they encounter a world that has been dramatically changed from the one they know. It is a world inhabited by creatures that are shunned and no longer accepted by their natural environment; where the ‘unknown’ is always a scary possibility.

Can their friendship endure such a life-changing experience? More importantly, will they survive to describe what they have seen?

Tree of Pearls

How does a young slave girl become free? How does she survive kidnapping and violent attacks? How does she become the chief adviser to a great ruler? How does she defeat the Crusaders? And, finally, how does she rule the whole of Egypt as its Queen?

This is the extraordinary and inspiring story of Shajara al Durr, a Muslim girl who became one of the greatest leaders in history—a Queen of Egypt known as Tree of Pearls. It is a story that stretches from Baghdad to Damascus to Cairo. It is the story of a young woman who raised herself from poverty to power, educated herself, and proved able to outwit her enemies and capture the loyalty of an army. It is a story of romance and intrigue, and of courage and persistence in the face of great danger. And it is true!

Tom's Song

An abusive father. A dominant grandmother. And a boy with the voice of an angel.

Set in the early 20^th century, Tom Holland is a young boy with an extraordinary talent for singing. Yet despite his love for music, his father and grandmother find it feminine and forbid him to follow his dream of becoming a professional singer. Through a serendipitous meeting he meets Sebastian Gallo, a retired opera singer, who takes Tom under his wing and begins secretly teaching him. Tom enters singing competitions, meets a love interest, and discovers a new world outside his own. But a series of unfortunate events threatens Tom’s dream, and he’s forced to face the darkness of his past before looking ahead to the light of his future.

Tom’s Song is a story of challenges, dreams, and a determined spirit to overcome all odds. It’s a story that teaches hope despite defeat, and that as long as you have hope, defeat cannot exist.

The Pompous Emperor and the Wise Old Man

In The Pompous Emperor and the Wise Old Man, the author explores the transformative power of truth and the fundamental principles that govern all of creation. Through the story of an affluent Emperor who meets a wise and humble man, the novel delves into the corrupt and lustful desires that often plague society and the importance of making positive impacts on the world. With a focus on authority and the influence of individuals on others, the story shows the transformative power of a single encounter and the lasting impact it can have on the heart. The book also includes a motivational piece called ‘The Fundamentals’ and a simple poem that offers insights on reality. With the goal of helping readers live a better life and make the world a lovelier place, The Pompous Emperor and the Wise Old Man is a thought-provoking and impactful read.

The Bridge and the Flare

The war’s drawing to a gruelling close. The Allied ring of steel pushes from the depths of defeat into the downfall of their killers. Even with the inevitable victory not far from sight, there still must be men continuing to fight in the brutal conditions of the battlefield. Through mud and blood, an ordinary British infantry platoon has no preparation to succumb to the horrific experiences that await. No matter the cost. No matter the sacrifice. From D-Day to the Rhine, only one solemn expression remains. There will be no going back.

The World Through My Eyes

You might be wondering why this child is writing the story of her life down. There’s nothing interesting in a little “farm girl’s” life story or her view on how messed up the world is. You may be right. I’m not a big, wise person. However, I felt like I had a lot of things I needed to get off my chest, and also, when I was younger, I kind of wished I knew of someone similar to my age now, who was ready to speak about certain things with a freshly turned adult’s mind.

I do believe that sometimes young adults need young adults to share their perspectives because we speak a similar, if not the same language.

The Why Question

What if you were growing up in a war, with a best friend who has fled from the enemy for safety? To whom do you talk? And whom can you trust? And then in a zoo you discover a secret that you must never tell anyone. Imagine yourself in that same Dutch city, famous for its mouse and windmills, with your everyday life of bicycles, schools, visits, friends and parents.

And then disaster strikes. The boots arrive. Who is on whose side? Who is brave and who not? And even if you make a little sense of it all, you are no longer a child, and growing up fast, and the very biggest question of all is coming your way… why?

The Survivors

Birds fly over the streets of Saxet. A sense of despair looms in the air as the Resistance prepares for the annual tests. 

Seven deadly tests.

Designed to kill and leave behind the Survivors, the ones who must be eliminated. With blood on their hands and a grave history with Saxet, Resistance leader Veronica Blanchard, will stop at nothing to find every last one.

16-year-old Mavis Sterling, naïve and unsure of her place in society, is selected to take part in the tests. With her life on the line, Mavis discovers she will do anything to survive.

After the tests, Mavis flees to the abandoned city that surrounds Saxet. Battling between the loss of her family and the uncontrollable pull to the dark and mysterious R, Mavis’ life will never be the same.

As she navigates her new life and what dangers are around every corner, she discovers her hands were not made for playing piano, they were made for throwing knives.

The Storm Pipes

Adam is dared by his friend Matthew to enter the darkness of the reputedly haunted storm pipes at night. 

Adam accepts the dare as he feels it will impress Melissa, a girl from his school he’d very much like to take more notice of him.

Adam’s short and fearful walk into the darkness of the pipes takes an extraordinary turn as he falls into underground caverns and finds himself in a strange and dangerous land with no obvious way home...

The Silver Ghost Ship

Two brothers watch a ghost ship sail along the river towards the sea, one Halloween night. They suddenly find themselves enveloped in fog, before being deposited on the deck of the ship. They later learn from the crew that they have no hope of escape.

When the ship trades goods with the Bobbup Island, the chief refuses to let the boys go. However, after getting help from the boys, the inhabitants of the island set them in the direction that should lead them towards home. There are many dangers ahead for them, not least when they fall foul of the deadly blowpipes of the Grenhogs of Gremable Island.

Later they once again see the ghost ship, and fall in danger of being spotted by the captain, and being returned to his clutches.

Can they survive the perils facing them and reach the safety of their home? Can they evade being captured or will they never escape?

That is for you to find out.

The Sandseeker Prince – Book One

When world-travelled Finlay Fisher is forced to return to the small town of his birth he believes life will be boring, but less than a day after arriving, Finn, his cousin Lincoln, friend Auburn Rivers and many of the local teenagers are abducted. Taken to the strange water-world of Aqualtia and sold into slavery, the teens are forced to ride ferocious dragon-like beasts in bloody fights to the death for the entertainment of their new masters.

Separated from the others, Lincoln and Auburn face even greater ordeals when they are given to Assidian, Aqualtia’s evil king and his witch. They are also trained in the hope that they will recover Aqualtia’s most important and long-lost artefact, a stone that can give life to a planet, or destroy it.

With the planet on the brink of destruction the Fisher boys must accept their heritage and fight, but who will win? Can the teens survive this harsh world and its cruel people, and could it be possible that slaves could save the dying world and the people that scream for their death?