'If Finn Maison shouts jump you jump or you are dead.' Twelve-year-old Willem has two main aims in life: to fly and to make at least two friends of his own age. But all the other boys from the Beckham Estate do is make him jump off things. First his desk - and now the wall. As his toes teeter on the edge, Sasha Bradley gives him a tiny little wink. Might she become his friend? Bullied by Finn and his gang the Beckham Estate Boyz, Willem has no choice but to jump. As he flies through the air he flaps his arms, wishing he could fly and escape into the clouds. Instead he comes crashing down and breaks his ankle. Sasha, angry with herself for not stopping Finn and his Boyz, is determined to put things right. And soon, while the gangs riot on their estate, Willem and Sasha form an unlikely friendship. Because they share a secret. Sasha longs to fly too. And when Magic Man Archie arrives with stories of war-flying spitfires, he will change the lives of the kids on the Beckham Estate for ever. And perhaps find a way for Willem and Sasha to fly ... Touching on themes such as friendship and bullying, this is a charming tale about overcoming obstacles and finding friendship in unlikely places. 'heart-rending, heartbreaking and heartening' The Best New Children's Books Guardian Supplement

We live in a world of broken people burdened by the pain of unresolved conflicts, mourning unrealized dreams. It matters not if you're African American, Hispanic, a person of color from the Caribbean or elsewhere in the world, Asian, White, single, married, affluent, whether you live on a fixed income, reside in an upscale hamlet or community plagued by social and economic neglect. It matters not if you were raised by a single mother or father, or achieved academic success or failed to complete the tenth grade. So many brothers and sisters are among the walking wounded. Men and women tortured, traumatized by past and present events in their lives that have cast a dark shadow over their sense of internal security and healthy perspective on who they are as human beings. My thesis is this: every person, regardless of the circumstances of his or her life, has value and worth. Simply stated, you are somebody because of your uniqueness. Every human being has talents, special abilities, and temperament that benefit a community, family, or society. This book is not aimed specifically at faith communities, whether Christian, Jewish, or disciples of Islam, though on a visceral level, I hope my words touch brothers and sisters trying to fit into a group to lift their self-image, brothers and sisters who heard negativity in the voices of their childhood repeated ad nauseam: "You are nothing. You're not as smart as your brother or sister."

Carrie Bailee fled Canada and came to Australia when she was twenty. Once here she was assisted by a number of Australian women, and was ultimately encouraged to apply for refugee status in order to stay in this country. So began her battle to be granted asylum in Australia. Carrie stood before the Refugee Review Tribunal and revealed the dark underbelly of child sexual abuse and organised crime rings in our privileged, first-world neighbourhoods. This is the story of one young woman’s heroic journey to survive, escape and soar above her shocking childhood experiences, and her powerful struggle for freedom and a beautiful life in Australia.

“Such a visual piece . . . readers young and old will return to the story to look more deeply; they won’t be disappointed.” — Booklist (starred review) In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. Wistful and uplifting in true Bob Graham fashion, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.

Abandoned by her mother at birth, visually impaired Cammie Deveau hopes to start a brand new life at a school for the blind in Halifax, but she must convince her bootlegging aunt to let her go.

An African American teen living in Memphis faces the possibility of being pregnant and HIV positive.

After surviving a mid-flight engine explosion in 1988, a flight attendant is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but uncovers even more health hazards in the airline industry as she struggles to reclaim her job.