National Network for Equitable Library Service

In her brand new series 'Thrown Away Children', Louise Allen shares the harrowing stories she is exposed to as a foster mother. The first in the series, Stella's Story, tells the astonishing true story of a young girl scarred by an abusive past. 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.

In September 1919 Gabriele D'Annunzio, successful poet and occasional politician, declared himself Commandante of the city of Fiume in modern day Croatia. His intention-to establish a utopia based on his fascist and artistic ideals. It was the dramatic pinnacle to an outrageous career. In The Pike Lucy Hughes-Hallett charts the controversial life of D'Annunzio, the debauched artist who became a national hero whilst addressing the cult of nationalism and the origins of political extremism.

Beneath the surface we are all connected . . . This is a meditation on the power of creative connection. Drawing on twenty years' experience as a writer and performer, Kae Tempest explores how and why creativity - however we choose to practise it - can cultivate greater self-awareness and help us establish a deeper relationship to ourselves and the world. Honest, tender and written with piercing clarity, On Connection is a call to arms that speaks to a universal yet intimate truth. "Powerful and merciful." Ali Smith "[Kae's] language hits like lightning.

When Ben Aitken learnt that his gran had enjoyed a four-night holiday including four three-course dinners, four cooked breakfasts, four games of bingo, a pair of excursions, sixteen pints of lager and luxury return coach travel, all for a hundred pounds, he thought, that's the life, and signed himself up. Six times over. Good value aside, what Ben was really after was the company of his elders - those with more chapters under their belt, with the wisdom granted by experience, the candour gifted by time, and the hard-earned ability to live each day like it's nearly their last.

"I am the last nomad. My ancestors traveled the East African desert in search of grazing land for their livestock, and the most precious resource of all-water. When they exhausted the land and the clouds disappeared from the horizon, their accumulated ancestral knowledge told them where to move next to find greener pastures. They loaded their huts and belongings onto their most obedient camels and herded their livestock to a new home." When Shugri Said Salh was six years old, she was sent to live with her nomadic grandmother in the desert, away from the city of Mogadishu.

Clang! Ernst Chladni's Sound Experiments by Darcy Pattison 2019 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book What if your science experiments were so interesting that even an Emperor wanted to know more? In 1806, scientist Ernst Chladni (Klod-nee) left Germany for a three-year road trip, entertaining Europeans with his science. He made wires, columns of air, and solids vibrate. He wrote about this in his native German language, but his French scientist friends wanted to read about it in French. How could he get the cash he needed to write his new book?

Tina is a proud Yupungthai and Gangalilda woman; descended from ancestors who have walked this earth for 65,000 years. They are Tina's strength, and they have given her the resilience to fight through her darkest moments. Tina has had many setbacks in her life. Growing up poor, she didn't understand why this world was so hard to live in. She grew up in a home with parents who were dealing with their own pain, so she had no choice but to grow up at a very young age. Early on in life, she knew that she had to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma.

A Publishers Weekly Notable Book 49th Shelf Recommended Read. A modern gay memoir exploring love, death, pain, and community that will resonate long after the last page.

Bestselling memoir Fatty Legs for younger readers. Olemaun is eight and knows a lot of things. But she does not know how to read. Ignoring her father's warnings, she travels far from her Arctic home to the outsiders' school to learn. The nuns at the school call her Margaret. They cut off her long hair and force her to do menial chores, but she remains undaunted. Her tenacity draws the attention of a black-cloaked nun who tries to break her spirit at every turn. But the young girl is more determined than ever to learn how to read.

Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn't "look" autistic. But, as he's quick to point out in this memoir, autism "looks" different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Diagnosed with ASD at age five, McCreary got hit with the performance bug not much later. During a difficult time in junior high, he started journaling, eventually turning his pain e into something empowering-and funny. He scored his first stand-up gig at age 14, and hasn't looked back.