Showing results by narrator "Ben Bailey-Smith" in All Categories

A splendiferous new anthology of Christmas stories inspired by the world of Roald Dahl with six new stories by six all-star authors! A perfect gift for the holiday season! Experience the wonder that is Willy Wonka's factory at Christmastime, make Santa grow ten times his size with a fresh batch...

In the moving and compelling debut novel from Benjamin Zephaniah, a young man's life is completely changed when his face is badly scarred in a car accident. Martin seems to have it all. He's cool, funny and he's the undisputed leader of the Gang of Three, who roam their East London estate during the holidays looking for fun. But one night after the Gang leave a late-night rap club, Martin accepts a ride from Pete, a Raider's Posse gang member. Too late, he realises that the car is stolen and that the police are after them.

On 28th September 1985, Lee Lawrence's mother, Cherry Groce, was wrongly shot by police during a raid on her Brixton home. The bullet shattered her spine, and she never walked again. In the chaos that followed, 11-year-old Lee watched in horror as the news falsely pronounced his mother dead. In Brixton, already a powder keg because of the deep racism that the community was experiencing, it was the spark needed to trigger two days of rioting that saw buildings brought down by petrol bombs, cars torched and shops looted.

For 13-year-old Carmichael Taylor, life is one big joke - in a good way. He just can’t understand why no one else seems to find everything as funny as he does. When Car is filmed stumbling into performing a piece of hilarious stand-up at the school talent show - targeting his family, school and friends - the footage ends up creating international infamy. But with the promise of fame and fortune comes trouble, and it’s up to Car to decide what or who he’s willing to risk to chase his comedy dream.

Ray has trouble at home, and he has trouble at school - until he’s permanently excluded and ends up sleeping on the floor of a record shop. What happens to a boy like Ray? If he’s lucky, maybe he gets a chance to shine. The story of three boys who aren’t easy. They don’t fit in. They seem to attract trouble. But they know what they want, and they’ve got the talent to back it up.

A teacher is dead, murdered by two of his students in front of the whole school. Right in front of Jackson Jones. But Mr. Joseph was a good man - people liked him, respected him. How could those boys stab him and jog away like nothing had happened? Unable to process what he has seen, Jackson begins his own investigation: everyone knows who did it, but as Jackson uncovers more about the boys, he becomes convinced that people need to understand why.

Runaway Robot is a funny and heartwarming adventure about two best friends helping put themselves back together. From the award-winning author and UK Children's Laureate 2024–2026, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton. 'A funny, charming, life-affirming book' – Richard Osman...

Kidnapped as a child into slavery, Equiano spent the rest of his life fighting for his freedom. After years of slavery, working on ships that carried him across empire and into battle during the Seven Years War, he eventually managed to purchase his own freedom, and went on to become a leading figure in the early abolition movement. Published to coincide with the first attempt to abolish the slave trade in 1789, Equiano's remarkable autobiography became a sensation and turned its author into the most famous Black person in Georgian Britain.