Special Collections

Tell Me Who I Am

Now an original Netflix documentary: the bestselling account of the love between brothers and the shocking legacy of a dangerous mother.

Imagine waking up one day to discover that you have forgotten everything about your life. Your only link with the past, your only hope for the future, is your identical twin.

Now imagine, years later, discovering that your twin had not told you the whole truth about your childhood, your family, and the forces that had shaped you. Why the secrets? Why the silences? You have no choice but to begin again.

This has been Alex's reality: a world where memories are just the stories people tell you, where fact and fiction are impossible to distinguish. With dogged courage he has spent years hunting for the truth about his hidden past and his remarkable family. His quest to understand his true identity has revealed shocking betrayals and a secret tragedy, extraordinary triumph over crippling adversity and, above all, redemption founded on brotherly love.

Marcus, his twin brother, has sometimes been a reluctant companion on this journey, but for him too it has led to staggering revelations and ultimately the shedding of impossible burdens.

Their story spans continents and eras, from 1950s debutantes and high society in the Home Counties to a remote island in the Pacific and 90s raves. Disturbing, funny, heart-breaking and affirming, Alex and Marcus's determination to rebuild their lives makes us look afresh at how we choose to tell our stories.(P) 2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Date Added: 05/09/2023

Kids of Appetite

KIDS OF APPETITE by David Arnold is a tragicomedy of first love and devastating loss for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jennifer Niven. In the Hackensack Police Department, Vic Benucci and his friend Mad are explaining how they found themselves wrapped up in a grisly murder. But in order to tell that story, they have to go way back... It all started when Vic's dad died. Vic's dad was his best friend, and even now, two years later, he can't bring himself to touch the Untouchable Urn of Oblivion that sits in his front hall. But one cold December day, Vic falls in with an alluring band of kids that wander his New Jersey neighbourhood, including Mad, the girl who changes everything. Along with his newfound friendships comes the courage to open his father's urn, the discovery of the message inside, and the epic journey it sparks.(P)2016 Random House Audio

Date Added: 03/30/2022

The Black Flamingo

Fiercely told, this is a powerful coming-of-age story told in verse, from one of the UK's leading poets, Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan and Poet X.A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen - then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers - to show ourselves to the world in bold colour. (P) 2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Only on the Weekends

Mack never thought he'd find love, but now two boys want to be with him. Will he choose Karim or Finlay? And can true love last for ever? A must-listen queer love story for fans of Sarah Crossan and Sex Education, written in verse by Dean Atta.

Fifteen-year-old Mack is a hopeless romantic—he blames the films he's grown up watching. He has liked Karim for as long as he can remember, and is ecstatic when Karim becomes his boyfriend—it feels like love. But when Mack's dad gets a job on a film in Scotland, Mack has to move, and soon he discovers how painful love can be. It's horrible being so far away from Karim, but the worst part is that Karim doesn't make the effort to visit. Love shouldn't be only on the weekends.

Then, when Mack meets actor Finlay on a film set, he experiences something powerful, a feeling like love at first sight. How long until he tells Karim—and when will his old life and new life collide?

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 05/11/2023

Jane Austen's Emma

A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's classic story.Emma Woodhouse is pretty, clever and rich, and sees no reason why she would ever need to get married. But she loves matchmaking for her neighbours, despite the advice of her friend Mr Knightley, who warns her against meddling. Her latest success - the wedding of her governess - makes her certain that she can find the right match for anyone. Can Emma's lucky streak continue? Or will best laid plans unravel... as they always seem to do? Katy Birchall is the author of the IT Girl and Secrets of a Teenage Heiress series. An Austen obsessive, she's incredibly excited to introduce Emma Woodhouse to a whole new raft of readers. Églantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations.Illustrated and retold editions are also available for: Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.

Date Added: 06/06/2022

Jane Austen's Persuasion

A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's classic story.When she was just 19, Anne Elliot followed the wishes of her father and turned down the proposal of the man she loved - a naval officer called Frederick Wentworth. Years later, Captain Wentworth returns from his time at sea, and Anne dares to hope that their paths might cross once more. But the course of true love is bumpy at best - will Anne and Frederick ever be reunited?Narinder Dhami is the author of The Sleepover Club and The Beautiful Game series. Jane Austen is her favourite author of all time and she can't wait to introduce a new audience to Austen's final novel. Églantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations.Illustrated and retold editions are also available for: Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.

Date Added: 06/06/2022

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's best-known story.Elizabeth Bennet is the second eldest in a family of five daughters. Although their mother is very keen to see them all married to wealthy men, Elizabeth is determined that she will only ever marry for love. At a ball, Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy, who at first she believes is proud and haughty. But perhaps there is more to him than first meets the eye...Katherine Woodfine is best known for her historical series, The Sinclair Mysteries, which includes The Clockwork Sparrow. A huge fan of Jane Austen from a young age, she's perfectly placed to bring the Bennet sisters to a new audience. Eglantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations.Illustrated and retold editions are also available for: Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.

Date Added: 06/06/2022

Blade Breaker

A divided world must rally, an unstoppable enemy must be defeated, and the fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.

Andry, a former squire, fights for hope amid blood and chaos.

Dom, a grieving immortal, strives to fulfill a broken oath.

Sorasa, an outcast assassin, faces her past when it returns with sharpened teeth.

Valtik, an old sorceress, summons a mighty power.

And Corayne, a pirate's daughter with an ancient magic in her blood, steps closer to becoming the hero she's destined to be.

Together they must assemble an army to face Queen Erida and Taristan's wicked forces. But something deadly waits in the shadows, something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

The follow-up to the instant #1 New York Times bestselling Realm Breaker features breathless action, deadly twists, and gripping magic, making it perfect for fans of Garth Nix and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Date Added: 05/11/2023

Broken Throne

Return once more to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in Broken Throne, a beautifully designed, must-have companion to the chart-topping series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard.The perfect addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, Broken Throne features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steel Scars and Queen Song - alongside never-before-seen maps, flags, family trees, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content._______________________AN UNSEATED KING searches for meaning in a world altered by war.ENEMY BROTHERS clash one final time.A DOOMED QUEEN pens words of hope to her future son.A SILVER PRINCESS trusts a Red captain with her life in the chaos of an unknown land.A YOUNG SCARLET GUARD captain finds a glimmer of hope that will light a rebellion.AND A HERO whose spark started a revolution discovers where she belongs in peace.This masterful collection offers an entirely new look into the beloved characters in the iconic Red Queen series, where no one is as they appear, and the only certainty is betrayal . . . _______________________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE RED QUEEN SERIES:'Crazy good' Tahlia'I couldn't put it down' Lagaona'This action packed rollercoaster of a book deserves nothing less than a 5* review!' Bee'I loved this book so much that anything I read after this is a drag to get through' ImaginationBird'Left me breathless, mesmerised' Elle(p) HarperAudio Ltd 2019

Date Added: 07/21/2022

War Storm

VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power . . . for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

Date Added: 04/14/2022

Trans Mission

I guess we should start at the beginning. I was born on 2 November 1995. The doctors in the hospital took one look at my genitals and slapped an F on my birth certificate. 'F' for female, not fail - though that would actually have been kind of appropriate given present circumstances.When I was 15, I realised I was a transgender man. That makes it sound like I suddenly had some kind of lightbulb moment. In reality, coming to grips with my identity has taken a long time. Over the last six years, I've come out to my family and friends, changed my name, battled the healthcare system, started taking male hormones and have had surgery on my chest. My quest to a beard is almost complete. This audiobook is my story.(P) 2017 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 04/21/2022

The Darkest Part of the Forest

Faeries. Knights. Princes. True love. Think you know how the story goes? Think again ... From the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a dark, dangerous and utterly beautiful faerie tale, guaranteed to steal your heart.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

In the forest of Fairfold, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He's the most fascinating thing Hazel and Ben have ever seen and they dream of waking him. But what happens when dreams come true?

In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for….

(P)2015 Hachette Audio

Date Added: 05/12/2023

All That's Left in the World

Jamie and Andrew are strangers, and two of the last people left alive. They don't know what they'll find on their perilous journey ... but they may just find each other. A queer romance about courage, hope and humanity—this is How I Live Now with the heart of Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

When the Superflu wipes out most of the population, Jamie finds himself completely alone in a cabin in the woods—until an injured stranger crosses his path.

Life is dangerous now and, armed with a gun, Jamie goes to pull the trigger. But there's something about Andrew ... something that stops Jamie in his tracks. Jamie takes him in, and as Andrew heals and they eventually step out into the strange new world, their relationship starts to feel like more than just friendship ...

But trouble isn't far behind. As the boys make a perilous journey south, they'll come face to face with a world torn apart and society in ruins. And who, or what, will they find waiting for them at the end of it all?

Date Added: 05/11/2023

Afterlove

THE LESBIAN LOVE STORY YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO READ. Ash Persaud is about to become a reaper in the afterlife, but she is determined to see her first love Poppy Morgan again, the only thing that separates them is death. Car headlights.The last thing Ash hears is the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen hits her and breaks into a million pieces like stars. But she made it, she's still here. Or is she?This New Year's Eve, Ash is gets an RSVP from the afterlife she can't decline: to join a clan of fierce girl reapers who take the souls of the city's dead to await their fate. But Ash can't forget her first love, Poppy, and she will do anything to see her again ... even if it means they only get a few more days together. Dead or alive ...NOT EVEN DEATH CAN TEAR THEM APART. 'Byrne is a talented writer with attitude, and a fresh, original voice' Daily Mail(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Graceling

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her Uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to carry out his dirty work, punnishing and torturing anyone who displeases him. Breaking arms and cutting off fingers are her stock-in-trade. Finding life under his rule increasingly unbearable Katsa forms an underground Council, whose purpose is to combat the destructive behaviour of the seven kings - after all, the Middluns is only one of the Seven Kingdoms, each of them ruled by their own king and his personal agenda for power.When the Council hears that the King of Liend's father has been kidnapped Katsa investigates . . . and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap him, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced fighter who challenged her fighting skills, for the first time, as she and the Council rushed the old man to saftey?Something dark and deadly is rising in the north and creeping across the continent, and behind it all lurks the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king . . .(p) 2012 Orion Publishing Group

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Entangled

Real, compulsive and intense: Cat Clarke is the queen of emotional suspense. For fans of E Lockhart, Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there. As Grace starts writing, pouring her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget: falling hopelessly in love with Nat, and the unravelling of her friendship with her best mate Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? A compulsive thriller of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction.(P) 2017 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Girlhood

Real, compulsive and intense: Cat Clarke is the queen of emotional suspense. For fans of E Lockhart, Lisa Williamson, Paula Hawkins and Gillian FlynnHarper has tried to forget the past and fit in at expensive boarding school Brodick Academy. But she can't escape guilt of her twin sister's Izzy's death, and her own part in it. But new girl Kirsty seems to understand Harper. She has lost a sister too. Harper finally feels secure. She finally feels...loved. As if she can grow beyond the person she was when Izzy died.Then Kirsty's behaviour becomes more erratic. Why is her life a perfect mirror of Harper's? And why is she so obsessed with Harper's dead sister?A darkly compulsive story about love, death, and growing up under the shadow of grief.(P) 2017 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 04/25/2022

The Lost and the Found

LOST. When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister. Faith's childhood was dominated by Laurel's disappearance - from her parents' broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever wanted to talk about her sister. FOUND. Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans' old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Laurel is home at last, safe and sound. Faith always dreamed of getting her sister back, without ever truly believing it would happen. But a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated and paranoid, and before long she begins to wonder if everything that's lost can be found again...(P)2015 WF Howes Ltd

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Torn

Real, compulsive and intense: Cat Clarke is the queen of emotional suspense. For fans of E Lockhart, Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn. They didn't mean to kill her...now the guilt will tear them apartAlice King isn't expecting the holiday of her dreams when she sets off on a trip to the wilderness with her mates. But when her best friend Cass decides to teach mean girl Tara a lesson, Alice finds herself in a nightmare she can't escape.Now Alice is the guardian of a secret too horrific to tell; and a secret too terrible to keep. A secret that will change all of their lives for ever...(P) 2017 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 04/25/2022

Midnight Sun

Discover a summer love story like no other: now a major motion picture starring Bella Thorne and Patrick Schwarzenegger, and perfect for fans of The Fault in our Stars and Everything, Everything.

Katie can't leave her house during the day: she has a rare disease that makes even the smallest amount of sunlight deadly.

But everything changes when one evening, singing her heart out on a deserted station platform, she meets Charlie.

Before the night is out, Katie is smitten. But she hasn't told Charlie her secret. She just wants to have her normal love story, before reality kicks in. Lost in her night-time summer romance, Katie knows that love will light the way.

A heartbreaking tale of love, loss and one nearly perfect summer.

Date Added: 04/25/2022

Clean

Fall into the lives of the city's filthy rich with Juno Dawson's deliciously dark and intoxicating London Collection. When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong.Because rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... It's a dirty business getting clean.Addiction, redemption, love and despair. Clean is Gossip Girl meets Girl, Interrupted, and it will have you hooked from the very first page.

Date Added: 05/23/2022

It's All In Your Head

It's All in Your Head is a comprehensive, positive and wise guide to mental health - a subject that directly affects 1 in 4 of us each year, and indirectly affects millions more. Non-reverential and darkly funny, the book aims to take mental health discussions out of the margin and make them mainstream and accessible. Rae Earl, author of My Mad Fat Diary, writes about her own experiences and speaks to teens and young people about theirs. Dr Radha, a GP, mental health expert and co-host of BBC Radio 1's The Surgery acts a consultant, ensuring all advice given is targeted, pitched correctly and medically sound. The result is a warm, readable book that will help teens cope and live with a mental health condition, rather than suffer from one.(P) Wren & Rook 2017

Date Added: 04/25/2022

Friends Don't Tell

Two best friends. A weekend to remember. But what happened to Jade? An exhilarating thriller for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girls Die First.

One year ago, Jade died at a music festival. Her body was found floating in a lake but everyone wrote it off as a tragic accident—with no evidence of murder.

Ever since, her best friend Lexi has been trying to piece her life back together, but she just can't get over that weekend. She's certain that somebody purposefully hurt Jade, she just has to work out who it was. Maybe it was one of the friends they made at the tent pitched next to theirs...Jade and Lexi went to a festival ... only one of them made it home alive.

Best friends-turned-authors, Nadz and Grace have been to loads of festivals together. When they're not dancing at the front of the crowd and singing along to their favourite bands, they are busy working on The Self Esteem Team—their company which delivers emotional and lifestyle education to students, parents and teachers throughout the UK and beyond. In 2020, Grace also launched I am Ally which provides anti-racist support for schools. (P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 05/11/2023

Cruel Illusions

Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother's death.

Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. But it's been ten years since anyone's seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she'll ever find one . . . until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she's hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can't explain. But they've been waiting for her.

The magicians reveal they're part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there's a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she's worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 05/11/2023

The Edge of Nowhere

Becca King and her mother are on the run from her stepfather who has used Becca's talent for hearing 'whispers' to make a large and illegal sum of money. Now their options for safety are running out. In the town of Langley on Whidbey Island, Becca finds refuge in the home of her mother's childhood friend while her mother continues on to Canada in search of safety.But on her first day in town Becca meets sixteen years old Derric Mathieson, a Ugandan orphan who was adopted as a ten-year-old by the town's Deputy Sheriff. Derric has a secret that no one on Whidbey Island knows. Derric and Becca form an un-severable bond. Becca is convinced that she's the only person who can truly help him, and just maybe Derric can convince Becca that life is too short to live on the run.(P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton

Date Added: 03/30/2022