Nina Ivanovna’s world is in turmoil. Her only hope is to travel to St Petersburg, to escape the past and find a future.

Stefan Kolodin is a medical student – young and idealistic, he wants change for Russia and its people.

Amidst the chaos of a city in revolt, their lives collide. And a stormy relationship develops . . . full of passion and politics.

But soon Nina is drawn in to the glamorous, lavish lives of the Russian royal family – where she begins to fall under the spell of their mysterious monk, Grigory Rasputin. The ruby-studded dagger he carries – beautiful and deadly – could save her and Stefan from a cursed life
… or condemn them to it.

Publication date Thursday 10th August 2017

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Jenny, close friend and companion to Mary, Queen of Scots, has grown up at the French court – a place of ruthless ambition, intrigue and deceit. When Jenny overhears a whispered plot, and several mysterious deaths take place, she turns spy for Mary.

Then Mary returns to Scotland to claim her throne, and the girls face even greater peril. There are many who would slit Mary’s throat to steal her crown, and Jenny must protect her mistress – while aso fighting her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander.

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Zarita, only daughter of the town magistrate, lives a life of wealth and privilege. Indulged by her parents, she is free to spend her days as she pleases, enjoying herself in the company of an eligible young nobleman, horse riding, or leisurely studying the arts.

Saulo, son of a family reduced by circumstances to begging, witnesses his father wrongfully arrested and dealt with in the most horrifying way. Hauled off to be a slave at sea and pursued by pirates he encounters the ambitious mariner explorer, Christopher Columbus. Throughout his hardships Saulo is determined to survive – for he has sworn vengeance on the magistrate and his family.

As Zarita’s life also undergoes harsh changes the formidable and frightening Inquisition arrives in the area, bringing menacing shadows of suspicion with acts of cruel brutality – and ultimately, amid the intrigues of the court of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in the splendid Moorish city of Granada, betrayal and revenge…

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When Nostradamus, wild-eyed and trembling, proclaims to the French Court his prophecy of a great massacre, the young King Charles only laughs. His mother, Catherine de Medici, pays more heed to the soothsayer’s words – she believes he can truly see the future.

But Nostradamus’s prophecies are not only for those who rule; he also has a message for Melisande, the minstrel’s daughter. For he is certain that Fate links him and Melisande together. And as the Angel of Death approaches, the soothsayer gives into her safekeeping some very special parchments – parchments that the titled heads of France would do anything to see.

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Features

• A violent, shocking incident opens the story, instantly engaging the reader
• A fast-paced, often humorous narrative explores sensitive issues
• Glaswegian setting offers language work on accent and dialect
• Supports cross-curricular work in Citizenship, RE and History

The post Divided City – Reading Guide appeared first on Theresa Breslin.

But Leonardo is employed by Cesare Borgia, head of one of Italy’s leading families. Cruel and ruthless, the Borgia punishes without mercy those who oppose him or who threaten him in any way. And as Da Vinci and Matteo travel across Italy on the Borgia’s business, murder, deceit and revenge follow in their trail. For Matteo carries with him a secret – a secret that both the Borgia and Medici families would kill to obtain.

A gloriously rich and authentic story of the Renaissance, “The Medici Seal” is also both the personal story of Matteo, a boy becoming a man, and a fascinating glimpse into the world of Da Vinci.

Shortlisted for the Royal Mail Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2007

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‘Blast!’

Brad stopped halfway down the outside stairs of the Genetic Clone Unit where he worked. He’d just glanced at his wrist to check the time and saw that his watch was missing.

‘Blast!’ he said again. ‘I must have left my watch in the locker room.’

Now he would have to go back inside and through the research labs to get it. He ran quickly up the steps and keyed in his security number.

His workmates, Jade and Mark, had already gone home. He’d better hurry. Rob, the security officer, would soon lock up the whole building and set the alarms for the night.

Brad made his way between the experiment tables. He didn’t bother to switch on the main lights. There was enough light coming through the windows from the streetlamps for him to see where he was going.

He went past the Mutant Human Parts Section. This was where they kept the deformed organs locked in special tanks. Professor Mace, the head of the Genetic Clone Unit, had shown these to Brad when he first joined the research team. Brad rubbed the back of his neck. He knew that the Mutants could never get out of the containers, but he always felt uneasy when he was near this section. Scientists had created some mega-weird things in the late twentieth century before they’d cracked the secrets of genetic cloning!

Brad hurried on.

On the wall behind him a shadow followed.

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A young man lies bleeding in the street
It could be any street in any city
But it’s not.

It’s Glasgow, and it’s May – the marching season.
The Orange Walks have begun.

Graham doesn’t want to get involved, he just wants to play football with his new mate, Joe.
But when he witnesses a shocking moment of violence suddenly he and Joe are involved.
With a young Muslim Asylum seeker and his girlfriend.
With Catholics, and with Protestants.

With all the old rivalries… and fears.

The post Divided City appeared first on Theresa Breslin.

Food, clothing, shelter and medical attention.

Anything else you get is a privilege.

No-one gets out of Alcatraz. And now, by a terrible twist of fate, Marty has ended up there. Inside the harshest prison in America. Marty’s there for life. Or is he? Some of his fellow inmates have an escape plan. Will it work? Can they manage to break out of Alcatraz?

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Saskia Granton is intrigued by an invitation to visit her reclusive great-aunt Alessandra, who lives on the Scottish coast. It’s a chance to rediscover her lifelong love of the sea – and to forget, if only for a few weeks, the boring career her parents have mapped out for her

Swept immediately into the rhythm of life in a fishing community, Saskia slowly begins to realize how little she really knows about her roots. Somehow, she needs to understand the past if she is to find the direction she needs for her future – a future that may or may not include her new friend Ben.

Just as the sea gives up its bounty, so too her great-aunt must reveal the secrets of the past – the terrible toll of lives lost, and the very personal tragedy that left Alessandra herself so isolated.

Only then can Saskia break free…

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