Showing results by narrator "Imogen Wilde" in All Categories

Sanuk is a Thai concept that can loosely be translated as meaning ‘fun’. Though sanuk is in fact much more than that; it’s about achieving pleasure and joy in all aspects of life. For Thai people, if it’s not sanuk, it’s not worth doing. Thai people believe that it’s the little things that add up to a joyful life. Whether it’s raising happy kids, enjoying a quick chat with your neighbour or having a laugh with friends, they try to bring a sense of joy into their daily routines. This easygoing, fun-loving way of life is why Thailand is often called The Land of Smiles.

Sasha North has gone missing. Everyone says she's run away, but I know better. We've been best friends since we were teenagers, since Sasha swept into the neighbourhood and brought colour to my life. Until a brutal attack changed both our lives forever.

Bridie works hard to feed her family, selling matches on the streets of Victorian London. After an incident leaves her with only three matches left, the magical strike of each one sees her tumble into visions of a brighter future. Realizing she has the power to change her own fortune, Bridie leads the match factory workers out on strike, achieving the remarkable through their unity and courage.

Long ago, the little prince of Cloudburst was stolen from the seashore by a Water Sprite. Now, 10 years later, the prince has found his way home. The king and queen are planning the biggest party in their kingdom's history to welcome him. Meanwhile, on the other side of the kingdoms and empires, Esther Mettlestone-Staranise is looking forward to another year at Katherine Valley Boarding School. But she arrives to find a number of strange and unsettling changes.

Ten years after graduating, the class of 2014 are back at Tisdale Comprehensive for the reunion, packed into a school gym full of familiar faces - and plenty of new secrets. With an evening of power cuts, fire alarms, sneaking off to explore classrooms in the dark, stolen kisses and heated fights - it's like they never left at all.

Paris, 1941: as Coco Chanel’s assistant, Adèle lives side by side with German officers in the splendour of The Ritz hotel. But Adèle has a secret. She is working for the resistance, right under the German’s noses. As occupied Paris becomes more and more dangerous, Adèle will have to decide if she can risk everything to save innocent lives and protect the man she loves. Present day: Chloé’s grandmother has never spoken about the war and avoids questions about the legendary designer she once worked for. Now Chloé has come to Paris, to uncover the truth about Adèle’s life.

Nora's mum has good days and bad days, but the bad days are getting worse. It's been just the two of them for always, and they don't need anyone else. When the rainbow-shimmering ghost animals Nora used to see when she was small start to reappear, she's convinced that they hold all the answers. Along with new friend Kwame, Nora follows a glittering ghostly fox, hare, raven and otter on the adventure of a lifetime, helping her to find the strength she needs to help her family.

Iris’s grandmother, Mimi, has started to put jam on her scrambled eggs and tie blue ribbons around her fingers to remind her of stuff. Her house, always full of things, is becoming harder and harder to navigate and when Iris goes to stay, she feels as if a whole life is becoming muddled up. As her grandmother’s memory fades, a mystery is uncovered. Who is Coral, and what happened to her?

Immi thought she had found the perfect new home in Central London: a shared warehouse with luxury accommodation, a rooftop terrace and daily yoga, all with a surprisingly affordable price tag. The Dye Factory is a 'co-living' community, designed to combat the loneliness of big city life. But soon after she moves into her new haven, Immi realises that it's not quite as idyllic as it appears. No one seems to know who is behind this multi-million pound urban experiment. And her housemates may be hiding a dangerous secret.

When old friends return, sparks ignite this Christmas in Springhollow... Tomboy Scarlett thought Devon would be her best friend forever. He was the only person in Springhollow who supported her ambitious artist dreams. But then one winter, Devon and his parents disappear without warning to start a new life in NYC and a devastated Scarlett is left alone to face her high-school bullies and overbearing mother. Fast-forward ten years: Scarlett is playing it safe in her childhood village with a dull PA job and a wardrobe that passes her mother's old-fashioned standards

Rupert's 30th is a black tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald's - catered with cocaine and Veuve Clicquot. His girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath. All the party-goers have alibis. Naturally. This investigation is going to be about Classics degrees and aristocrats, Instagram influencers and who knows who. Or is it whom? Detective Caius Beauchamp isn't sure.

Secrets, spies or maybe even a monster... What lies in the heart of the wood? Charlie, Dizzy and Johnny are determined to discover the truth, but when night falls without warning they find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Lost in the woods, strange dangers and impossible puzzles lurk in the shadows. As time plays tricks, can Charlie solve this mystery and find a way out of the woods? But what if this night never ends? A timeless novel for anyone who’s ever felt lost.

Sixteen-year-old Mehreen Miah's anxiety and depression, or 'Chaos', as she calls it, has taken over her life, to the point where she can't bear it any more. So she joins MementoMori, a website that matches people with partners and allocates them a date and method of death, 'the pact'. Mehreen is paired with Cara Saunders and Olivia Castleton, two strangers dealing with their own serious issues.

Hannah is 28 when the worst happens. Her first instinct? To call her mum. The problem is, her mum having an accident, being rushed to hospital and never waking up was the worst thing. Realising that she is now the woman of the family, Hannah has to be the rock for her emotionally repressed father and chaotic younger sister, all while trying to muddle her way through the crucial life lessons her mother never taught her.

Mukesh has just moved from Kenya to the drizzly northern town of Keighley. He was expecting fame, fortune, the Rolling Stones and a nice girl, not poverty, loneliness and racism. Still, he might not have found Keith Richards, but he did find the girl. Neha is dying. Lung cancer, a genetic gift from her mother and an invocation to forge a better relationship with her brother and her widowed father before it's too late. The problem is, her brother is an unfunny comedian and her idiot father is a first-generation immigrant who moved to Keighley, of all places.

Following a scandal at the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent to the woods to live with her reclusive godmother and her strange daughter, Lucy. Cast out from polite society, she must learn to live by her godmother’s strict rules. Camille has never met anyone quite like Lucy before, and as they grow closer and cross forbidden boundaries, strange things begin to happen. Mysterious deaths, claw marks raking the doors, and the nights are pierced by the howls of a creature that sounds almost . . . otherworldly.

It's 1939, and war has broken out. Everything has changed at Highbury House school. There are no servants, for one thing, and the pupils have to help with domestic tasks. Then a boys' school is evacuated to the Romney Marsh, billeted in the same building although, of course, contact with the boys is strictly forbidden. Despite this, Justice soon strikes up a friendship with Henry, a boy who shares her dislike of games lessons. Then Justice's father suddenly goes missing.... Could he be a real-life spy?

When you don't know The Rules it's hard to stay safe. After a traumatic incident, Aster finds that her blood work comes back with some unusual readings. Unsurprising, as she's the last of an alien race called the Kibsu. But Aster doesn't know this. Immediately, Aster finds herself the focus of a hunt, with her mortal enemies, the Trackers, on one side, and the American government on the other. There seems to be nowhere she can run. But help often comes from the most unexpected quarter.

Annie is starting college. It's the start of a new adventure, and Annie's not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that. She has cerebral palsy, and she's had to fight hard to get the world to see her for who she truly is. Then she meets Fab. He's six foot two, Polish and wildly drawn to her. As things go deeply wrong, Annie sets out to win his heart with a romantic gesture of truly epic proportions!

It all began for Alexandra Reinwarth when she said 'F*ck you!' to a friend. Realising this person was making her life a misery, she ditched her. This one small act of rebellion sparked a huge change in the way Alexandra forever dealt with social guilt about everything. The Good Girl's Guide to Being a D*ck will teach you how to embrace your inner d*ck, guiding you through who and what to get rid from your life, to stop worrying about what others think and how the seemingly small things in life can have a huge impact on the quality of your everyday living.