Diversity and inclusion

It’s 1942 and Nisha has travelled a long way. Her first journey takes her from a privileged and happy childhood in Malaya to the stark, grey, frightening home of her grandmother on England’s Barrow Island. Her other journey is from a child refugee suffering from PTSD, barely able to speak, to a blossoming young girl who has found courage, hope, and honesty. Both journeys are cleverly and intricately woven together.

Kisses for Jet is a graphic novel set in the Netherlands in 1999. Jet, sixteen, is sent to live in a boarding house when their parents move abroad to (mysteriously) take care of the Millennium Bug.

This poignant and moving tale from author Jenny Pearson shows us the importance of family relationships and the virtue of perseverance. When Frank Davenport learns he is the sole beneficiary of his Grandma Nora’s vast inheritance, his mind is filled with the possibilities the cash might provide him with. However, upon learning that he must use this money to look after his estranged grandad (Frank Davenport Senior Senior) who lives in a nursing home, he quickly decides to carry out his Grandma Nora’s wish.

If you are a lover of history and adventure, this is a fantastic read, the finale of a trilogy set in the late Tudor era of the 16th Century that has taken the reader on a thrilling ride from the sweep of the Ottoman Empire to Syria, Jerusalem, and Elizabethan England.

The Dick, Kerr girls are back and ready for another round! This time, we follow the life of Martha, younger sister to Hettie and Freddie. When Martha is invited to join the Dick, Kerr Ladies Football team for training, she can hardly believe her luck. But soon the pressure of living up to their expectations creeps up on her, and she questions herself and her abilities. The local boys are treating her differently, and life at home is becoming more complicated. Growing up is proving to be more difficult than she could have ever imagined.

This is an empowering account of how to embrace life and learn from your mistakes. The book is written by Leon Rolle, a member of the band Rudimental, and the award-winning author and poet Derek Owusu. Throughout, Rolle uses stories from his experiences growing up in Hackney to take his readers on a journey through his childhood in the hopes of passing on lessons he has earned from his life. He is clearly striving to inspire young people who are looking for the motivation to succeed.

The fourth instalment in Agent Zaiba’s illustrious case history, The Smuggler’s Secret sees the observant and deductive Zaiba, fashion enthusiast best friend Poppy, cousin and ex-rival Mariam, and little brother Ali, all give the adults a hand with another mystery that arises on a History Club excursion to the seaside. Plotty and dynamically paced, their adventure picks up threads from the previous volumes, while remaining an engaging story in its own right, littered with credible suspects, motivations, and red herrings crucial to any good mystery.

Bess has left the city of London for the workhouse following the death of her mother. Orphaned and alone, Bess is forced to leave all she knows behind for a life as an indentured worker with other children in a cotton mill. Her life at the workhouse is cruel and demanding with very little joy, the hours and work are physically demanding, and the adults in charge are awful. Rumors start to spread about a vicious creature that lurks in the millpond. Bess is sure it is all tall tales, until she sees a strange silhouette in the water.