Oaks Park LRC

  Did you know that... Stealing someone's thunder is based on a real event; the original freelances were knights for hire ('free' + 'lance'); Nelson was the first to turn a blind eye (putting a telescope to his missing eye to ignore orders); Gordon Bennett was a real (very badly behaved) person; as was Jack the lad; pulling someone's leg was an 18th century robber's trick; and buttering up came from the Indian custom of throwing balls of ghee at statues of gods to ask for favours? This is just the tiniest taste of the many fascinating tales and histories behind our everyday words and phrases. In  Interesting Stories about Curious Words , Susie Dent, Britain's cleverest lexicographer, linguistic expert and much-loved national treasure, explores all the very best red herrings, cock and bull stories, white elephants and nine-day wonders in the English language. There are enough stories to furnish a hundred conversations in a wonderful collection for everyon

  A beautiful gift for anyone interested in the night sky. Follow the progress of constellations throughout the seasons with this beautiful companion to the night sky from Astronomy experts Collins. With the aid of easy-to-understand monthly calendars and maps, you will chart the rhythm of the lunar phases, discover events that light up the sky for brief periods, and explore the rich tapestry of characters that adorn the starry canvas overhead. never miss a night sky event wherever you are in the world with this month-by-month guidego meteor spotting, track the phases of the moon and explore the constellationsworldwide coverage - with details for both the Northern and Southern hemispheresdiscover fascinating celestial facts and notable astronomical anniversaries Written and illustrated by astronomical experts, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion, and approved by the astronomers of Royal Observatory Greenwich. Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers ISBN:  9780008604295 Number of pages:  272

    Learn chess from International Master and YouTube's top chess teacher Levy Rozman (aka GothamChess) in this refreshing and fun guide for beginner and intermediate players. How to Win at Chess  teaches you everything you need to know about the game, including all the important moves and strategies to start off strong and keep you thinking several steps ahead. Full of Levy Rozman's signature charm and humour that have made him beloved by millions of fans, the first half of this unique guide introduces rising players (0-800 Elo rating) to the four key areas to consider when playing chess-openings, endings, tactics, and strategy-and the second half builds upon these core skills for more experienced players (800-1300 Elo rating). Brimming with practical and easy-to-follow tips for improving your game,  How to Win at Chess  includes over 500 instructional gameplay illustrations to help you better visualize the board, as well as chapter-specific QR codes for exclusive bonus conten

  Benjamin Zephaniah , who has travelled the world for his art and his humanitarianism, now tells the one story that encompasses it all: the story of his life. In the early 1980s when punks and Rastas were on the streets protesting about unemployment, homelessness and the National Front, Benjamin's poetry could be heard at demonstrations, outside police stations and on the dance floor. His mission was to take poetry everywhere, and to popularise it by reaching people who didn't read books. His poetry was political, musical, radical and relevant. By the early 1990s, Benjamin had performed on every continent in the world (a feat which he achieved in only one year) and he hasn't stopped performing and touring since.  Nelson Mandela , after hearing Benjamin's tribute to him while he was in prison, requested an introduction to the poet that grew into a lifelong relationship, inspiring Benjamin's work with children in South Africa. Benjamin would also go on to be the firs

  Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father – until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path... Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing PLC ISBN:  9781408894996 Number of pages:  304

  Enter the crazy world of rap poet Benjamin Zephaniah! A reissue of the wonderfully irreverent collection of poetry for young people, touching on anything from vegetables to the Queen and from sewage to the sun. There's plenty of humour as well as poems on racism, pollution and the murder of a cat. Publisher:  Penguin Random House Children's UK ISBN:  9780241354568 Number of pages:  96

  Plots, spies and inventors abound in an epic adventure set between London and Paris ... Mischief is afoot, and Queen Victoria is not amused. Her stalker must be stopped. Forget the cavalry – this is a job for Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies! The League’s newest recruit is Winifred Weatherby, a feisty girl-genius and gadget-maker. Winnie’s creations are remarkable, but is she clever enough to protect the Queen – and achieve her own dream of winning the top prize in Paris for young inventors . . . ?  Combines fact and fiction: the novel draws on real-life historical inventions and events Publisher:  Chicken House Ltd ISBN:  9781915026095 Number of pages:  368

  For as long as Signa Farrow has been alive, the people in her life have fallen like stars... Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being - and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer. Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life

  Against changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners' lives ... A needy kitten rescued from the recycling bin teaches a new father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night; and an elderly cat, Kota, hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever. Bursting with empathy and love,  The Goodbye Cat  explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them. Includes seven beautiful cat-drawings. Publisher:  Transworld Publishers Ltd ISBN:  9780857529138 Number of pages:  256