Melvin Burgess je britský autor, ktorý sa preslávil svojimi provokatívnymi a realistickými príbehmi pre deti a mládež. Jeho diela často skúmajú kontroverzné témy, ako je užívanie drog a sexuálne dospievanie, čím si získal uznanie aj istú mieru nevôle. Burgess sa nebojí nazerať na temnejšie stránky života mladých ľudí a spracováva ich s úprimnosťou a štylistickou vynaliezavosťou. V niektorých svojich dielach sa venuje aj menej realistickým a fantastickým témam, vždy však s charakteristickým a nezameniteľným autorským hlasom.
Strhujúci príbeh tínedžerov, ktorí po úteku z domu prepadnú drogám a postupne sa od nich stanú absolútne závislí. Podarí sa im nájsť cestu späť? Kniha bola vo Veľkej Británii ocenená ako Najlepšia kniha roka a autor za ňu získal prestížnu Carnegieho medailu.
V roce 1613 bylo v anglickém Lancaster upáleno osm lidí. To bylo jen několik ze statisíců nebožáků, kteří zemřeli ze stejného důvodu po celé Evropě. Byli shledáni vinnými z čarodějnictví. Mnozí ze zabitých byli docela chytří nebo oškliví nebo chudí nebo oběti náboženské bigotnosti a vyděšených sousedů. Nebyli ani mocní ani bohatí, neuměli číst ani psát a nezanechali po sobě žádné zprávy. Toto je pozoruhodný a poutavý příběh o takových lidech. O tom, jak tehdy mohl život vypadat, jak ho oni viděli a jak mu věřili. Vraťte se tedy o staletí zpět a sledujte osud nebohého nalezence, dvanáctileté dívky Issy a těch, s nimiž onu dobu žila.
Sandře Francové je sedmnáct let a života si užívá plnými doušky. Všichni se jí snaží zklidnit, ale problém je, že jí se způsob života, jaký vede, líbí. Když se záhadně promění v psa, je nejdříve zděšená, ale pak začíná pochybovat, jestli vlastně stojí za to, být člověkem. Její snaha chovat se i v psí kůži jako člověk je neuskutečnitelná a často hodně komická. Ale na druhou stranu jí život psa přináší radosti, o kterých ani nevěděla. A tak se snaží si najít další psí přátele. Když nějaké najde, zjistí, že i oni jsou proměněni a bývali kdysi lidmi. Někdy zatouží stát se zpátky člověkěm, ale postupně zjišťuje, že být psem je mnohem lepší...
Dino reallyfancies fit, sexy Jackie, but she just won't give him what he wants . . . Jonathan likes Deborah, but she's a bit fat- what will his mates say? Ben's been secretly shagging his teacher for ages. He used to loveit, but what if he wants it to stop? Three lads discovering sex for the first time. But do any of them reallyknow what they're doing?
Tam is unhappy at home and often takes refuge in the ruins of Thowt It Farm. But then one day he is transported back to the Second World War. Alone and afraid, he makes friends with May, who has been rescued from a bombed-out house. She tries to persuade him to stay at the farm, but Tam is afraid of being trapped in the past forever.
A Carnegie Medal NomineeTwelve-year-old David lives with his dad in a big London apartment building called Mahogany Villas, where he climbs through the building's old ventilation system to play tricks on the other tenants. But David's nasty pranks disturb more than just his elderly neighbor. One day, he comes face-to-face with a ghost, at first friendly but eventually terrifying. Soon the old man and David are in great danger.(AR) For ages 9-12Available only in Young Adul Standing Order.
Fifteen-year-old Sigurd, son of King Sigmund, is the last surviving member of the Volson clan. His father's kingdom - the former city of London - is gone. And his father's knife, a gift from the gods, has been shattered to dust.
Billy Elliot's tough, funny and heart-warming story is given new depth by best-selling author, Melvin Burgess. Billy's mother is dead, and his father and brother are fiercely involved in a bitter miners' fight that has split the local community. Billy's father wants his son to learn boxing, like he did and his father before him. But Billy is fascinated by the grace and magic of ballet and is determined to dance his way to a different future. Told from the differing viewpoints of Billy, his father and brother and his friend Michael, Melvin Burgess has captured the spirit of the original film screenplay while demonstrating the skill and inspiration he showed in his award-winning novel, Junk.
When Nick's mother dies suddenly, the fourteen-year-old is sent straight into a boys' home, where he finds institutional intimidation and violence keep order. After countless fights and punishments, Nick thinks life can't get any worse - but the professionally respected deputy head, Mr Creal, who has been grooming him with sweets and solace, has something much more sinister in mind. The scarring, shaming experience he suffers at the hands of Mr Creal can never quite be suppressed, and when the old hatred surfaces, bloody murder and revenge lead to an unforgettable climax.
Set in northern England during the 1984 miner's strike, "Billy Elliot" tells the story of a young working class boy who chooses not to follow his widowed father's instructions to train to be a boxer. Instead, fascinated by the ballet class sharing the same building as his gym, Billy hangs up his gloves to pursue dreams of being a dancer. But even as he discovers his virtuoso gift for ballet he must hide his triumph from his father and brother -- both miners on strike struggling to keep food on the table. A hit at last years Cannes Film Festival and a smash success in the UK just one week into its premiere, "Billy Elliot" is being hailed as one of the best films of the year.
