Oaks Park LRC

My Name’s not Friday follows the life of well mannered and thoughtful Samuel and his misbehaving younger brother Joshua, who are free black boys living in an orphanage, at the end of the Civil War. When one of Joshua's pranks go too far one day, and Samuel takes the blame for him, he doesn't realise the consequences he now has to face. My name’s not Friday is a gripping read for anyone who is interested in history and also wants a great novel. My Rating 4 stars Reading age: 12-14 yrs

Shortlisted for the  Booker Prize  2019 From the author of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel,  The Fisherman Umuahia, Nigeria. Chinonso, a young poultry farmer, sees a woman attempting to jump to her death from a highway bridge. Horrified by her recklessness, Chinonso joins her on the roadside and hurls two of his most prized chickens into the water below to demonstrate the severity of the fall. The woman, Ndali, is moved by his sacrifice. Bonded by this strange night on the bridge, Chinonso and Ndali fall in love. But Ndali is from a wealthy family, and when they officially object to the union because he is uneducated, Chinonso sells most of his possessions to attend a small college in Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, he discovers that all is not what it seems. Furious at a world which continues to relegate him to the sidelines, Chinonso gets further and further away from his dream, from Ndali and the place he called home. In this contemporary twist of Homer's  Odyssey

The third novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman - one of the most talked about YA writers in recent years. For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark - a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark's fandom has given her everything she loves - her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He's their frontman - and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing. But dreams don't always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be. A funny, wise, and heartbreakingly true coming of age novel.  I Was Born for This  is a stunning reflection of modern teenage life, and the power of believing in something - especially yourself.

We are her world and her universe and her space and her stars and her sky and her galaxy and her cosmos too.  Frank is ten. He likes cottage pie and football and cracking codes.  Max is five. He eats only Quavers and some colours are too bright for him and if he has to wear a new T-shirt he melts down down down.  Sometimes Frank wishes Mum could still do huge paintings of stars and asteroids like she used to, but since Max was born she just doesn't have time.  When tragedy hits Frank and Max's lives like a comet, can Frank piece together a universe in which he and Max aren't light years apart?  This jaw-dropping, heartbreaking and hopeful novel from debut author Katya Balen will remind you we are all made of stardust. For fans of thought-provoking, moving middle grade from Wonder to Skellig.

Glorious rejacket of the story collection set in the worlds of Chrestomanci. The stories featured in this collection are: Warlock at the Wheel Stealer of Souls Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream The Sage of Theare Everybody's favourite nine-lifed enchanter makes a guest appearance in each tale. Plus man favourites from theChrestomanci novels - and a cast of thousands! With illustrations by Tim Stevens.

In a subterranean society, a young labourer begins to question the system in this invigorating dystopia from debut novelist Liz Hyder. Claustrophobic, oppressive and pulsating with tension,  Bearmouth ’s character-driven narrative bears comparison with the greatest dark fantasy that YA has to offer. Life in Bearmouth is one of hard labour, the sunlit world above the mine a distant memory. Reward will come in the next life with the benevolence of the Mayker. New accepts everything - that is, until the mysterious Devlin arrives. Suddenly, Newt starts to look at Bearmouth with a fresh perspective, questioning the system, and setting in motion a chain of events that could destroy their entire world. In this powerful and brilliantly original debut novel, friendship creates strength, courage is hard-won and hope is the path to freedom.

The Girls  meets  The Little Stranger  in this dark and captivating debut about sisterhood, family secrets, and a dangerous game that becomes all too real.  The girls heard it first, the knocking inside the walls . . .  1976. Loo and her sister Bee live in a run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere, with their artistic parents and wild siblings. Their mother, Cathy, had hoped to escape to a simpler life; instead the family find themselves isolated and shunned by their neighbours. At the height of the stifling summer, unexplained noises and occurrences in the house begin to disturb the family, until they intrude on every waking moment . . . Loo, now Lucy, is called back to her childhood home. A group of strangers are looking to discover the truth about the house and the people who lived there. But is Lucy ready to confront what really happened all those years ago?

The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us.' Robert Louis Stevenson.  Nick hates it when people call him a genius. Sure, he's going to Cambridge University aged 15, but he says that's just because he works hard. And, secretly, he only works hard to get some kind of attention from his workaholic father. Not that his strategy is working.  When he arrives at Cambridge, he finds the work hard and socialising even harder. Until, that is, he starts to cox for the college rowing crew..................

Thrilling historical adventure from Terry Deary.  This brand new, exciting adventure from bestselling Horrible Histories author Terry Deary brings the Second World War to life. Perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and John Boyne.  World War II has begun. Brigit has been evacuated to Wales from her home near the aeroplane factories of Coventry. But when it's revealed that her father is German, Brigit runs away to join her mother in a very special training camp, where Churchill is building a secret army of spies and saboteurs known as the Special Operations Executive.  Brigit and her mother soon find themselves on the front line in Nazi-occupied France, where they search for double agents and meet with danger at every turn in their efforts to support the French resistance. But no-one will suspect Brigit is a spy, will they? After all, who would suspect a child?  Featuring characters from The Silver Hand, this page-turning adventure sheds new light on the Second W

     Book Description 50 easy-to-grow plant types for time-poor, space-poor gardeners.      About the Author Jamie Butterworth  is an RHS Ambassador who has had a passion for gardening since the age of nine, when he converted his grandparents back garden in Wakefield into his own allotment. He was a finalist in BBC 3's Young Gardener of the Year in 2011 and went on to study for two years at RHS Wisley Gardens. Leaving with a distinction in 2015, Jamie become Show Plant Manager for leading plant nursery Hortus Loci, where he was responsible for growing plants for all major RHS shows, including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Jamie's work as an ambassador for the RHS sees him travel across the UK, visiting schools and colleges where he shows young people what a fun, exciting and rewarding career horticulture really is, and how horticulture really can save the world. Jamie is also BBC Radio London's gardening expert, joining Robert Elms live in the studio on Saturday

They call me Yanka the Bear. Not because of where I was found - only a few people know about that. They call me Yanka the Bear because I am so big and strong. Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins: from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way. Interwoven with traditional stories of bears, princesses and dragons, Yanka's journey is a gorgeously lyrical adventure from the best-selling author of The House With Chicken Legs.

What happens to our brain at night? Are we really fully asleep and if so how is it that some individuals end up doing what they do? Or can it be the case that perhaps the brain never fully goes to sleep and that in some individuals there is a disconnect between the sleeping part of their brain and the active part of their brain so that the two become confused? Does this happen to all of us in varying degrees and can the reverse be the case too - so that some individuals are actually asleep during the day while appearing to be awake?! In this ground-breaking book, Dr Guy Leschziner takes us on a fascinating journey through the nocturnal brain to illustrate the neuroscience behind nightmares, night terrors and sleep walking.

The magical new novel from the bestselling author of The Night Circus. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a strange book hidden in the library stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues - a bee, a key and a sword - that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to a subterranean library, hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians - it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinqu