Showing results by narrator " Katy Sobey" in All Categories

The Cambridge Fens, 1938. Little Rosanna is part of a close-knit Fenland family and the youngest of three cousins. In a time of childhood abandon and adventures on the water, life couldn't be more perfect. But things are not always as they seem. When Rosanna's new baby brother is born, tragedy strikes the family. And with the outbreak of World War II just around the corner and a move to the Norfolk countryside, Rosanna's life is changed forever.

As the storm clouds gather over Europe, life at Easterleigh Hall is about to change again. 1937. Evie and her family have struggled to keep Easterleigh Hall, now a hotel, running during the depression, and with war looming, she worries for the children, who have to find their way in a changing world. Bridie is learning her trade at her mother Evie’s side, and is becoming a talented chef. Her cousin James has run away to fight in Spain, leaving the family devastated.

Clover Quinn was a surprise. She used to imagine she was the good kind, now she's not sure. She'd like to ask Dad about it, but growing up in the saddest chapter of someone else's story is difficult. She tries not to skate on the thin ice of his memories. Darren has done his best. He's studied his daughter like a seismologist on the lookout for waves and surrounded her with everything she might want - everything he can think of, at least - to be happy. What Clover wants is answers.

Ellie Taber's final year at university is hurtling to a close at alarming speed. Defeated by her philosophy dissertation and uncertain as to why she can't quite commit to her faultlessly supportive boyfriend, she is disenchanted with university life. Charlie, on the other hand, is determined to use his final year to become the man he was always meant to be. He plans to play the field, do just enough work to secure his degree, finally develop his brilliant business idea and basically have an awesome time. They are both in for a surprise.

Across the room, through the fog of tobacco smoke, Betty notices him. His teacup is empty, his eyes are low and he doesn't speak. She wants him to notice her. She wants to impress. Fifteen-year-old Betty Broadbent helps her erratic and beautiful mother run the Hotel Eden, a boardinghouse now besieged by reporters, keen for juicy gossip and eye-catching headlines. They are there because the Cornish seaside town has recently witnessed a string of murders, young girls stabbed to death.

A boy. A girl. A bump. Trouble. A smart, touching and funny contemporary young adult book from an extraordinary new talent. Hannah's smart and funny.... She's also 15 and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn't want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah's unborn baby? Growing up can be trouble, but that’s how you find out what really matters.

When 15-year-old Becs meets Bracken, she is convinced she's found her soul mate. So what if he's much older? He understands her, she feels free with him and when he holds her she feels safe. But is she?Some young women in the area have been sexually assaulted. It's the talk of the school. And when Bec's best friend, Mary-Jane, becomes his latest victim, the true dangers hit home: just as Rebecca is starting to wonder about her future with Bracken, poor M-J rapidly shrinks away from life....

From much-loved author Shirley Hughes comes a thrilling World War II novel for children aged 10 and up. It is 1944, and Florence, Italy, is occupied by Nazi German forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though - and neither have Paolo and his sister, Constanza. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings do against a whole army with only a bicycle to help them? In extraordinary circumstances, people are capable of extraordinary things.

The only way to survive her dynasty is to rule it. Abandoned by her beloved older sister, Cleopatra, and an indifferent father, Arsinoe, a young Egyptian princess must fight for survival in the bloodthirsty royal court after her half-sister Berenice seizes power. But despite using her quick wits to win Berenice's favour, Arsinoe struggles to establish herself in an uncertain new world, one that carries her from the conspiratorial dangers of the palace to the streets of war-torn Alexandria.

There's a new girl in class at Knights Haddon, and she isn't like anyone the other girls have ever met before. Janet is cool and confident, so Edie is thrilled when they become friends, and when her friendship with Anastasia becomes rocky, Janet is there for her. But when mischief begins to unfold, Edie begins to think Janet may not be all she seems, and suddenly events take a dangerous turn.

Don't miss the latest gripping, high-stakes thriller from Wattpad sensation Natasha Preston, author of the runaway hit The Cellar. Of course the dress was white. This is what I'm supposed to die in, I thought. Not many people knew what their last outfit would be. I pulled it over my head. It fit me perfectly. It had long, loose-fitting sleeves, a modest neckline, and waves of material on the skirt. I hated it. There were no shoes, and I was afraid I'd have to run through the forest barefoot, but there weren't a lot of options.

Liverpool, 1940: 13 year old Joan's home is under threat from the Nazi's terrifying nightly air-raids. It is not an easy time to be a teenager, especially with the sweet rationing, strict curfews and blackouts. Joan and best friend Doreen love going to the cinema until the bombings intensify and then even that becomes too dangerous, especially when an army deserter is found lurking near their home. Who is he and why does he think Joan can help him?

The second novel in a compelling new series set in County Durham just before and during the First World War. Margaret Graham is a best-selling author and has been writing for thirty years. Her first novel was published in 1986, and since then she has written a further twelve novels and is now working on her fourteenth. As a best-selling author, her novels have been published in the UK, Europe, and the USA.

A compelling new series set in County Durham just before the First World War. Perfect for fans of Longbourn and Downton Abbey. When Evie Forbes starts as an assistant cook at Easterleigh Hall, she goes against her family’s wishes. For ruthless Lord Brampton also owns the mine where Evie’s father and brothers work, and there is animosity between the two families. But Evie is determined to better herself. And her training at the hall offers her a way out of a life below stairs.

Some friendships are meant to be.... A story about family, friendship, and belonging from best-selling author Sarah Lean. Hope lives with her artist mum in the Pyrenees. It's always been just the two of them...until Frank - a free-spirited traveller - arrives with his donkey, Harry. Hope and Frank form a close bond, so it's hard for both of them when Frank decides it's time to move on. Hope questions what she is to Frank. He's not her dad, but he was more than just her mum's boyfriend. Except there's no name for that kind of pair....

Ever since Alice was adopted, everything has been perfect, but when she finds out her Mum is going to have a baby, Alice's world turns upside down. Alice doesn't speak at all. She stays silent until six months have passed.... Zack has everything. His dad's a stuntman, and he’s popular at school. Everything's perfect. Until Zack's dad is killed on set, and his mum is forced to move. Then he meets Alice, the girl who doesn't speak....

Two refugee brothers from Mongolia are determined to fit in with their Liverpool schoolmates, but bring so much of Mongolia to Bootle that their new friend and guide, Julie, is hard-pressed to know truth from fantasy as she recollects a wonderful friendship that was abruptly ended when Chingis and his family were forced to return to Mongolia. Told with the humour, warmth, and brilliance of detail which characterises Frank Cottrell Boyce's writing, The Unforgotten Coat is a magical and compelling story.

A shared story can last forever. Hannah's grandad loves telling stories from his past, but there's one that he can't remember…one that Hannah knows is important. When a whale appears off the coast, clues to Grandad's secret begin to surface. Hannah is determined to solve the mystery but, as she gets closer to the truth, Grandad's story is more extraordinary than she imagined.

Angie Smith lives in Greenway, Chelmsford, with her elder sister, Doreen, their struggling mother and their drunk, violent father. Bored of her job and of her dull, ordinary boyfriend, Angie dreams of bigger and better things. But then she meets boutique owner Gene Battini. He is older, handsome, charming - and married. She is completely swept off her feet. But little does she know that Doreen is falling for Gene, too, and that their affair will have disastrous consequences.

Mia thinks she has escaped her controlling ex-husband, Rob. She's found herself a new home, a new boyfriend and a new life. But when the police arrive to tell her that Rob has been found dead on his boat, things quickly fall apart. Mia is terrified she'll be suspected, however the police are keeping all options open. They know Mia had reason to hate her ex-husband, but she's not the only one. Plenty of people wanted Rob Creavy dead, not least his new wife, Rachel.