Showing results by narrator "Alex Wingfield" in All Categories

Ten-year-old Solo just wants to be normal. He wants a name that doesn't stand out. He wishes he had a proper school uniform that fitted him. He dreams about a mum who doesn't get the Big Bad Reds. But most of all he longs to stop crashing funerals for the free food. But when Solo and Morag crash the funeral of a celebrity and get caught, the press are there to witness their humiliation. The next day it's splashed across the papers. Before Solo knows it, he becomes a viral sensation, and life may never be normal again.

Becky Brown has selected extracts from the Mass Observation Archives to anthologise the voices of everyday people as they deal individually and collectively with the crisis of the Second World War. The diarists themselves have been selected from every level of society - from warehousemen to widows, soldiers to farmhands, WRENs to architects. The extracts have been chosen to both uplift and to ground, to remind listeners that nothing is new, that everything can be weathered and perhaps even made better. After all, World War II saw the birth of the NHS.

In February 2019, award-winning writer Alex Roddie left his online life behind when he set out to walk 300 miles through the Scottish Highlands, seeking solitude and answers. In leaving the chaos of the internet behind for a month, he hoped to learn how it was truly affecting him - or if he should look elsewhere for the causes of his anxiety. The Farthest Shore is the story of Alex’s solo trek along the remote Cape Wrath Trail.

Despite the many films and television programmes over the decades since the end of the Second World War that portrays our allied heroes as grown-up men and women, the Battle of Britain was in the main actually fought and won by teenagers. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot was just 20 years old. Many of the men and women who designed and built their planes were even younger.

Sigi lived upstairs from Sara at Friedrichstrasse 19, yet before they met, Sara had no idea that Berlin could be so thrillingly irreverent or that sex could be so intoxicatingly wonderful. But then came the war and hunger, loneliness and barbed wire. It was just as a young girl, a protegee of the Academy of Magical Arts situated in Friedrichstrasse at the start of the century, had predicted. Battered and divided, Berlin, like its people, endured.

The Illinir may be over, but the race for Enderlain’s future has just begun. The hunt for the old king’s lost heir is on, and the first to find them will win the throne. But a darker force is festering in Enderlain’s underbelly, and Mikira, Ari, Damien, and Reid will need to find a way back to each other—and themselves—before the kingdom is torn apart. Hearts will be broken and new bonds will be forged in this explosive finale to This Dark Descent, where spellbinding fantasy meets Jewish mythology in a cut-throat race for the throne—and humanity's survival.

Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like his dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, he’s good at his job, good at making things and good at following the rules, and he’s learning how to do lots of things by himself. Joe’s mother knows there are a million things in life he isn’t prepared for. While she helps guide him every day, she’s also writing notebooks full of advice about the things she hasn’t told Joe yet, things he might forget and answers to questions he hasn’t yet asked.

Something’s out of control in the classroom! Jake and his class are going to the opening of Wilf’s Wild Adventure Theme Park. Things get a bit too wild, though, when Jake’s teacher - Mr Hyde - ends up turning into Creature and causing chaos! Jake and his friends will have to find Creature and get him to turn back into Mr Hyde before the truth about their teacher gets out. It’s going to be a rollercoaster of an adventure!

Jake's class finally has the best teacher in the whole world, Mr Hyde. He doesn't make them clean toilet bowls with toothbrushes, and his lessons are always fun. There is just one teeny, tiny HUGE problem. Mr Hyde transforms into a naughty little creature whenever he becomes upset. It has some amazing abilities, but being well behaved isn't one of them! Jake's class have to use all their ingenuity to hide the creature, so they can keep their brilliant teacher.

Jake's classes are competing in the Whizz Bang Science Fair, and nothing can stop them! Well, maybe one thing can: their teacher, Mr Hyde, who has turned into a creature and is more interested in eating the exhibits than talking about them!

Stewart's breasts speak to him every single day. They make fun of him and tell him he's not good enough. And although they are always there, Stewart feels very alone. But everything changes the day he sees Sylvie sitting on a bench behind the school. Sylvie with the red hair and the many freckles.

Since the first ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ issue in 1983, Granta has championed the work of authors who have changed the landscape of British literature. In 1983, featured writers included Kazuo Ishiguro, Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes, Martin Amis and Pat Barker, among many others. Subsequent editions have highlighted the work of Zadie Smith, Nicola Barker, Ben Okri, Jeanette Winterson and others. In 2023, they will introduce listeners around the world to a cohort of outstanding new British voices.

Welcome to Villains Academy—the most prestigious villain school in the ENTIRE land. You will either leave here as a fully formed villain...or in tatters. It's werewolf Bram’s first day at Villains Academy. He really doesn’t feel like a villain at all, but the coveted Villain of the Week trophy is up for grabs, and Bram knows he’ll have to dig deep. With the help of new friends Mona the elf-witch, Bryan the lion, Shelia the ghost and Tony the skeleton, can Bram find his inner badness and become the villain he's always dreamed of being?

Two boys, one struggle. A new family, an uncovered secret. Tommy and Ryan are as different as they come. Tommy is a young offender, he’s tough and he’s cool. Ryan is a good student, well-behaved, and definitely not cool. Forced to become a family, the two discover their shared dyslexia and develop an unlikely friendship. As Ryan helps Tommy to read, a secret is revealed that will change their lives forever. Prize-winning Malcolm Duffy's third novel explores the joys and challenges of dyslexia in a story full of his hallmark heart and humour.

It’s the start of the winter term and there’s a new teacher in town at Villains Academy – the notorious dragon-rider Felix Frostbite. Class Z are in awe of him and his lessons on venomous beasts and mythical creatures, but werewolf Bram is suspicious. Soon Bram and his friends the Cereal Killers uncover Felix Frostbite’s evil plan to steal all the dragons from the Wicked Woods and leave Villains Academy undefended. Have the gang learnt enough to outsmart their troublesome teacher, or will Felix Frostbite’s heist go down in villain history?

Tales of the Bringer of Urrinan had been told for generations, but never had the prophecy felt so near to so many. Elan wasn’t sure if she even believed one man could cause the sort of upheaval that would change the world. And yet, just as the prophecy foretold, dark forces were on the rise—including the many Spali warbands raiding across the borderlands. It was in pursuit of one such warband when Elan’s host discovered the hidden compound of the Outcast.

Joe, Tom and Pip are excited about spending the Easter holidays at Granny's in Muddlemoor village. They plan to climb trees, eat chocolate and loll around on Granny's sofa. But wait! They’ve forgotten that Muddlemoor is an absolute hotspot for crime. When a sign appears in Mr Draper's cow field, announcing plans for a horrible battery chicken farm, the children are outraged. They join a protest group to try to stop the farm and save the chickens. But they soon notice that Mr Draper's enemies keep getting sick. Oh no! Is Mr Draper poisoning them? And, if so, is Granny in danger?

Hen dreams of becoming a spell tailor, stitching magic into clothing like his beloved Nana. But thanks to new factories, spell tailors are struggling. His Uncle Bertie’s fancy shop has shut down, and when he, Aunt Lucia and stuck-up cousin Connie move in, it’s a disaster for all the family. Then Hen stumbles upon a new kind of stitch—one which causes Nana and Bertie to ban him from sewing. What is the power of the stitch that can sew memories into clothes—and could it be the very thing to save them all?

Jamie Lee just wants to be normal. But ADHD doesn't make that easy. If only he could control his butterfly mind then he'd be able to have friends, keep out of trouble—and not be sent away to stay with his dad. Elin Watts just wants to be perfect. If she can be the best student and daughter possible, then maybe her dad will come back to live with her and her mum. When their families blend, these polar opposites collide. But as their lives spiral out of control, Jamie and Elin discover that they're actually more alike than different.

It's Leo's job as the Guardian's apprentice to protect the village from the monsters that lurk in the surrounding forest. Whenever a monster gets too close to the village walls, Leo must venture out, using his magical map to first find the monster and then do battle with it. This time, Leo must track down the ghostly Frightmare - a powerful monster that haunts the abandoned ruins, breathing deadly blue fire at any intruder!