Orphans Home

Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion.

Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy, but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish. Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of changing machinery and the stench of mackerel, and Uncle Ernie's obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan's beloved goldfish! Stan, however, has his own destiny, which leads him - via a hook-a-duck stall - to Pancho Pirelli, the blue-caped madman who swims with piranhas.

In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story - and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she'll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

Seventeen-year-old Liv Larson's world came crashing down around her six months before Solar Storm Icarus devastated the rest of the planet. Suddenly orphaned, and with all of her carefully constructed plans laid to ruin, Liv must now make a decision that could change everything. Will she give in to her grief, or will she fight for what is left of her family, her friendships, and a future that once existed... Before the Sky Fell?

It's 1944. World War II is raging. Jayna's big brother, Rob, is her only family. When Rob is called to duty on a destroyer, Jayna is left in their small town in upstate New York with their cranky landlady. But right before he leaves, Rob tells Jayna a secret: they may have a grandmother in Brooklyn. Rob found a little blue recipe book with her name and an address for a bakery. When Jayna learns that Rob is missing in action, she's devastated. Along with her turtle, Theresa; the recipe book; and an encouraging, ghostly voice as her guide, Jayna sets out for Brooklyn in hopes of finding the family she so desperately needs.

In 1881, 12-year-old Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski wishes she didn't have to board the orphan train in Chicago. But she has no home, no family, and no choice. Rodzina doesn't believe the orphans are on their way out West to be adopted by good families. She's sure they will become slaves to strangers. Anyway, who would ever adopt a large, tough, stubborn girl of Polish origin? As the train heads west, all Rodzina has is a small suitcase and her family memories from the past.

La madre de Gabriel, un chico de Costa Rica, acaba de morir, y él ha quedado al cuidado de Vicente y Beatriz, una pareja española. Pero el matrimonio tiene otro hijo, Adrián, un muchacho consentido que no para de meterse con Gabriel. Una noche, Adrián es secuestrado por la bruja Ulula, que captura a niños caprichosos para colgarlos como frutos en su bosque del No. Gabriel no duda en emprender una peligrosa búsqueda por lugares mágicos y enfrentarse a la bruja para recuperar a su hermano.

You have heard, no doubt, the tale of Master Oliver Twist - that rags-to-riches boy; the parish orphan who became heir to the Brownlow fortune. But what few know is that there was a second Twist - a girl, brought into this world moments ahead of her brother. This is the story of Twill Twist - and her journey through the gambling dens and workhouses of London, as she attempts to make a life for herself, rescue her friends and uncover the mystery of her past - while meeting some familiar faces along the way....

I have loved Rosa since I met her in high-school English, even though the odds have always been stacked against us: She’s the child of criminals, resigned to a bleak future; I’m the heir to a successful construction company, unafraid to go after what I want. And I want Rosa. Always and forever.

Great horned owl Rufus is eight months old and still can’t hunt. When his mother is hit by a car, he discovers just how dangerous the forest can be. Reenie has given up on adults and learned how to care for herself - which is a good thing since she’s been sent to live with an aunt she’s never met. Yet this aunt has a wonderful secret: She’s a falconer who agrees to help Reenie catch an injured passage hawk in the wild and rehabilitate it. When Reenie traps bedraggled Rufus, his eyes lock onto her heart, and they form a powerful friendship.

Mallory Estate is the last place 12-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory - the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother - is a witch. But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself. The grand house and its garden hold many secrets - some of which may even save her father.

Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tale, with its engaging heroine and evocative description of the Prince Edward Island landscape, never fails to delight youngsters. When Matthew Cuthbert goes to the train station to pick up the orphan he and his sister Marilla plan to adopt, he expects to meet a boy who can help on the family farm. Instead it's Anne - a talkative, dreamy, red-haired, freckle-faced 11-year-old little girl who transforms the Cuthberts' life forever and fills it with love and joy.

De pequeña, todos la conocían por Bibi. Entraba y salía por las casas de la urbanización como si fueran suyas. Los vecinos se compadecían de ella por ser huérfana de madre y porque su padre, además de no trabajar, se pasaba gran parte del día borracho. El carácter alegre y abierto de la niña pone en el relato un fondo amable a un problema social duro, al que el autor ha sabido buscar solución sin provocar desgarros ni amarguras.

When 11-year-old Sol arrives at the Ash House, desperate for a cure for his complex pain syndrome, he finds a community of strange children long abandoned by their mysterious Headmaster. The children at the Ash House want the new boy to love their home as much as they do. They give him a name like theirs. But the new boy already has a name. Doesn’t he? At least he did before he walked through those gates....

Irréelle fears she’s not quite real. Only the finest magical thread tethers her to life - and to Miss Vesper. But for all her efforts to please her cruel creator, the thread is unraveling. Irréelle is forgetful as she gathers bone dust. She is slow returning from the dark passages beneath the cemetery. Worst of all, she is unmindful of her crooked bones. When Irréelle makes one final, unforgivable mistake by destroying a frightful creature just brought to life, Miss Vesper threatens to imagine her away once and for all.

Heidi is the story of a five-year-old orphan who goes to live with her grandfather in the mountains. Everyone in the village is afraid of him, but Heidi soon wins his heart. She loves her life and her friendship with the young goatherd, Peter. But one terrible day her aunt takes her to the city to help take care of a sickly child, Clara. Heidi can't bear to be away from her grandfather and finally, she brings Clara back to her Alpine home, where a miracle of healing occurs. Retold from the original by Sally Grindley.

When a ghostly figure is sighted in the murky tunnels beneath Edinburgh, Zinnie and her sisters suddenly find their underground home filled with curious visitors. Among them is the owner of a new museum - the House of Wonders - who seems to know more about the ‘ghost’ than he should.

Pablo is homesick. He's only 12 years old, but he's lived in more countries than he can count. After his parents divorced, he and his mother have moved from place to place for years, never settling anywhere long enough to call it home. And along the way, Pablo has collected more and more fears: of dirt, of germs, and most of all, of the ocean. Now they're living in the Philippines, and his mother, a zoologist who works at a local wildlife refuge, is too busy saving animals to notice that Pablo might need saving, too.

On her 10th birthday, Leah receives a surprise gift from glamorous Aunt Olivia, Mama's only sister, who lives in Los Angeles. It is a red rose box. Not many people in 1958 Louisiana have seen such a beautiful traveling case, covered with red roses, filled with jewelry, silk bedclothes, expensive soaps...and train tickets to California.

Inspired by the much-loved classic Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, Into the Spotlight is a magical new story from best-selling author and acclaimed performer Carrie Hope Fletcher. Brilliant Aunt Maude visits seasides the world over and has become quite the pebble collector. Pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours and even one that looked a bit like Elvis Presley if you squinted a bit. Her favourite pebbles, however, are Marigold, Mabel and Morris.