Listen free for 30 days
-
Billy's Story
- Thrown Away Children, Book 6
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $15.12
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
From the bestselling author of the Thrown Away Children series comes another heartbreaking story of life in foster care.
Louise has trouble on her hands from the first moment that 5-year-old Billy Blackthorn comes to stay. He is one of more than 20 children taken into care from a single family, and erupts into the Allen household with a volatility that is frightening and disturbing in equal measure. It is only as Louise begins to uncover the secrets of Billy's dark past that she begins to understand what made his family 'untouchable'.
You may also enjoy...
-
Stella's Story
- Thrown Away Children, Book 1
- Written by: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.
-
-
Heartbreaking, yet, heartwarming
- By Laura R. on 2023-05-04
Written by: Louise Allen
-
Thrown Away Child
- Written by: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Sarah Moule
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thrown Away Child is a memoir covering Louise Allen’s abusive childhood in a foster home, how she survived - using her love of art as a sanctuary - and how she hopes to right old wrongs now by fostering children herself and campaigning for the improvement of foster care services. It is a compelling and inspirational story. This book gives a voice to the many children who grew up unhappily in care.
-
-
Poignant
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-12
Written by: Louise Allen
-
Sold to Be a Wife
- Written by: Maggie Hartley
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Shazia has been taken into care after a conversation at school leads her teacher to suspect that the teenager's family are planning to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. To her family's fury, Shazia is sent to live with foster carer Maggie Hartley whilst social services investigate. But with Shazia denying everything and social services unable to find any evidence to support the teacher's fears, Shazia is allowed to return home.
-
-
Very basic writing
- By Angela Wallace on 2023-04-23
Written by: Maggie Hartley
-
Unsafe
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: DeNica Fairman
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Damian is just seven when he is taken in by foster carer Cathy Glass. His mother, Rachel, loves her three young children dearly, but she is vulnerable, naïve and unable to cope on her own. Cathy sets about helping Damian overcome his eating issues, with the hope that he will eventually return home. But when Rachel’s new boyfriend, Troy, arrives on the scene, Cathy becomes deeply concerned. She soon realises that Damian and his siblings are in great danger.
-
-
Cathy winding down
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-01-26
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Broken
- The Most Shocking Childhood Story Ever Told. An Inspirational Author Who Survived It.
- Written by: Shy Keenan
- Narrated by: Judy Mason
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I was born and broken in Birkenhead, abused from infancy by a network of every kind of pervert from ‘thinks it’s love’ to ‘show it hurts’. I was unwanted, beaten, sold, swapped, photographed, filmed, left for dead, corrupted, blamed, betrayed, ignored and orphaned. But I was also born with a fire inside me. I call it my Phoenix Fire. I am no victim—that word only describes what happened to me. Nor am I a survivor because that implies I am over it. I am a Phoenix—a work in progress. This is my story....
-
-
This isn't a true story.
- By Trevor on 2024-04-23
Written by: Shy Keenan
-
The Throwaway Children
- Written by: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage, not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them - without their family's consent or knowledge - are Rita and Rosie.
-
-
What stopped me from rating story as 5
- By Alison Anderson on 2019-04-28
Written by: Diney Costeloe
-
Stella's Story
- Thrown Away Children, Book 1
- Written by: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.
-
-
Heartbreaking, yet, heartwarming
- By Laura R. on 2023-05-04
Written by: Louise Allen
-
Thrown Away Child
- Written by: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Sarah Moule
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thrown Away Child is a memoir covering Louise Allen’s abusive childhood in a foster home, how she survived - using her love of art as a sanctuary - and how she hopes to right old wrongs now by fostering children herself and campaigning for the improvement of foster care services. It is a compelling and inspirational story. This book gives a voice to the many children who grew up unhappily in care.
-
-
Poignant
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-12
Written by: Louise Allen
-
Sold to Be a Wife
- Written by: Maggie Hartley
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Shazia has been taken into care after a conversation at school leads her teacher to suspect that the teenager's family are planning to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. To her family's fury, Shazia is sent to live with foster carer Maggie Hartley whilst social services investigate. But with Shazia denying everything and social services unable to find any evidence to support the teacher's fears, Shazia is allowed to return home.
-
-
Very basic writing
- By Angela Wallace on 2023-04-23
Written by: Maggie Hartley
-
Unsafe
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: DeNica Fairman
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Damian is just seven when he is taken in by foster carer Cathy Glass. His mother, Rachel, loves her three young children dearly, but she is vulnerable, naïve and unable to cope on her own. Cathy sets about helping Damian overcome his eating issues, with the hope that he will eventually return home. But when Rachel’s new boyfriend, Troy, arrives on the scene, Cathy becomes deeply concerned. She soon realises that Damian and his siblings are in great danger.
-
-
Cathy winding down
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-01-26
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Broken
- The Most Shocking Childhood Story Ever Told. An Inspirational Author Who Survived It.
- Written by: Shy Keenan
- Narrated by: Judy Mason
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I was born and broken in Birkenhead, abused from infancy by a network of every kind of pervert from ‘thinks it’s love’ to ‘show it hurts’. I was unwanted, beaten, sold, swapped, photographed, filmed, left for dead, corrupted, blamed, betrayed, ignored and orphaned. But I was also born with a fire inside me. I call it my Phoenix Fire. I am no victim—that word only describes what happened to me. Nor am I a survivor because that implies I am over it. I am a Phoenix—a work in progress. This is my story....
-
-
This isn't a true story.
- By Trevor on 2024-04-23
Written by: Shy Keenan
-
The Throwaway Children
- Written by: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage, not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them - without their family's consent or knowledge - are Rita and Rosie.
-
-
What stopped me from rating story as 5
- By Alison Anderson on 2019-04-28
Written by: Diney Costeloe
-
An Innocent Baby
- Why would anyone abandon little Darcy-May?
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: Denieca Fairman
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When foster carer Cathy Glass is asked to foster Darcy-May, a two-day-old baby, she is very concerned. The baby is coming to her straight from the hospital and will have no contact with her teenage mother, Haylea. Even more worrying, she will be brought to Cathy with a police escort, as it’s vital her extended family don't know where she is.
-
-
Interesting foster care account
- By Hanna on 2023-05-31
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Helpless
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: DeNica Fairman
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Struggling to cope with three young children, Janie turns to experienced foster carer Cathy Glass. Helping the family each morning, Cathy soon uncovers how dangerous their situation has truly become. Riley and his two little siblings, Jayden and Lola, are not safe at home. With all three children in her care, will Cathy be able to rebuild their lives – and Janie’s?
-
-
A solid entry in Cathy’s post-fostering career
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-09-06
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Unwanted
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: DeNica Fairman
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lara was seven when her birth mother died from a drug overdose. With no extended family to look after her, she was put into foster care. The care system failed Lara and now she is failing her son. Lara and her one-year-old son, Arthur, are brought to experienced foster carer, Cathy Glass, by their social worker. Lara has fled an abusive relationship and Arthur has suspected non-accidental injuries. Cathy must monitor Lara whenever she is with her son, day and night. She cannot let them out of her sight for a minute.
-
-
Love them all
- By Melski on 2023-08-06
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Enslaved
- My True Story of Survival
- Written by: Emily Vaughn
- Narrated by: Janine Cooper Marshall
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emily has always felt like an outsider, so when a family friend takes her under his wing she is delighted. But soon it becomes clear that his motives are not all they seem. At the age of 11, Emily is groomed into being a ‘county lines’ drug trafficker. It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that sees her become prey to one abuser after another, involving a huge child-sex-trafficking gang. The scale of the abuse—at the hands of hundreds of men—is sickening, and at times it feels like there will never be an escape. But then, in the darkest of moments, a ray of light shines....
-
-
Harrowing Story
- By Victoria on 2022-03-19
Written by: Emily Vaughn
-
Silent Child
- Written by: Toni Maguire
- Narrated by: Katy Sobey
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emily Smith was held in a prison of fear for 10 years. When she was four, her father left and a new man was brought into her life. He loved her, he kept telling her so, but the emotional and physical abuse she suffered at his hands were a daily nightmare. Until one day, after he crept into her bedroom, her life became unbearable. Emily found she was different in another way as her autism became more noticeable and punishments for her 'abnormal' behaviour more severe. Astonishingly, she managed to escape her home of hell, where she was abused right in front of her mother.
Written by: Toni Maguire
-
Where's My Mummy?
- Written by: Maggie Hartley
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a horrific car crash, two parents are left dead, and a young girl is fighting for her life in hospital. When 13-year-old Louisa wakes to find that her loving, happy family has been shattered overnight, she is forced to seek comfort in the arms of a stranger. But can Maggie find a way to bond with this teenager overwhelmed with anger and grief? And will she regret making a decision that will affect her and Louisa for the rest of their lives?
-
-
Overwhelming
- By Cheryl Harnum on 2023-02-20
Written by: Maggie Hartley
-
A Family Secret
- My Shocking True Story of Surviving a Childhood in Hell
- Written by: Maureen Wood
- Narrated by: Rachel Atkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abused from the age of eight by her older brother and then her step-father, Maureen Wood quickly became numb to the constant suffering. But Maureen’s world crumbled when her own mother started to abuse her too. A Family Secret is the harrowing true story of how one little girl survived sickening abuse by the people who should have loved her most and how an innocent baby finally saved her.
-
-
A Brave Story
- By Tamara F. on 2023-05-26
Written by: Maureen Wood
-
The Girl in the Mirror
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: Denica Fairman
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sunday Times and New York Times best-selling author Cathy Glass returns with her first novel. The Girl in the Mirror is a moving and gripping story of a young woman who tries to piece together her past and uncovers a dreadful family secret that has been buried and forgotten. When Mandy learns her much-loved Grandpa is dying, she is devastated and returns to the house where she spent so many wonderful summers as a child. But the childhood visits ended abruptly, and those happy days are now long gone.
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
Nobody Loves Me
- Bobby’s True Story of Neglect, Secrets and Abuse
- Written by: Maggie Hartley
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three siblings arrive at Maggie's door after being taken into care. Teachers of eight-year-old Bobby spotted bruises while he was getting changed for PE and his dad, Lee, and stepmother, Brianna, have been uncooperative and hostile to Social Services. While they investigate, Bobby, as well as Brianna's daughters, Melodie and Poppy, are all placed in Maggie's care. But as the children settle in, a thought won't let Maggie go. While Melodie and Poppy are clean, well-fed and immaculately dressed, Bobby is pale, severely underweight and crawling with lice.
Written by: Maggie Hartley
-
The Hospital
- Written by: Barbara O'Hare
- Narrated by: Charlie Sanderson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbara was 12 when she was admitted to the psychiatric hospital Aston Hall in 1971. From a troubled home, she'd hoped she would find sanctuary there. But during her stay, Barbara was systematically drugged and abused by its head physician, Dr Kenneth Milner. Somehow, eventually, she started to campaign for answers. This is a shocking account of how vulnerable children were preyed upon by the doctor entrusted with their care.
-
-
What a fighter
- By B.J Snider on 2020-06-19
Written by: Barbara O'Hare
-
Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
- The True Story of a Troubled Boy with a Dark Secret
- Written by: Cathy Glass
- Narrated by: Denica Fairman
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Reece arrives at Cathy's door aged 7 years old, he has already passed through the hands of four different carers in four weeks. As the details of his short life emerge, it becomes clear that to help him, Cathy will face her biggest challenge yet. The latest title from the author of Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Damaged. Reece is the last of six siblings to be fostered. Having been in care for four months his aggressive and disruptive behaviour has seen him passed from carer to carer.
-
-
A story of love and hope…
- By brenda shaw on 2023-01-24
Written by: Cathy Glass
-
My Mother, Munchausen's and Me
- A True Story of Betrayal and a Shocking Family Secret
- Written by: Helen Naylor
- Narrated by: Helen Naylor
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, Helen Naylor discovered her mother, Elinor, had been faking debilitating illnesses for 30 years. After Elinor’s self-induced death, Helen found her diaries, which Elinor wrote daily for more than 50 years. The diaries reveal not only the inner workings of Elinor’s twisted mind and self-delusion, but also shocking revelations about Helen’s childhood. Everything Helen knew about herself and her upbringing was founded on a lie.
-
-
Unique story
- By Roberta W on 2024-02-02
Written by: Helen Naylor
What listeners say about Billy's Story
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lisa
- 2024-10-10
no much
She talks more about herself and where she bought her stove.Blah blah than about the children
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!