New Releases by Michelle Magorian

Super sporty tale with a strong message of self-belief and a lovely inter-generational friendship at its heart, from the award-winning author of Goodnight Mister Tom. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+ Ben knows he''s taking on a lot, offering to do the first hundred lengths of the swimathon himself, but he''s desperate to impress Jack and Harry. But as he swims - and swims - Jack realises that his ''friends'' aren''t going to show. Now he either has to forfeit or swim another hundred lengths! But support and encouragement come from an unlikely quarter and Ben pushes his way to victory. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+

The holiday was supposed to give them a break, a chance to get away and heal after the loss of the baby. But Hannah''s parents are still listless and distracted, and her toddler brother doesn''t understand what''s going on. And worst of all, something feels wrong in Hannah''s room. Her mum and dad don''t understand what she''s trying to tell them, so one stormy night Hannah sneaks out to find someone who can tell her the truth about the Front Room ...

A rich and dramatic story of a young girl who manages to overcome many obstacles in her attempts to lead a normal life after World War II The war is over, but Elsie is still fighting her own battles. She''s bullied because she''s the only scholarship pupil at the grammar school, and she has an awkward relationship with her father as he struggles to assume a normal life after fighting in the war. But when she begins working at the local theater, Elsie discovers she can escape . . . A Spoonful of Jam is the second of The Hollis Family books, following Cuckoo in the Nest.

Charming story of a boy trying to get to grips with his new sibling and all the changes to the family.

The Second World War has ended, but Henry is fighting his own battles. He misses his father, who died a war hero, and his only distraction is the cinema. But everything is about to change. When Henry develops an old camera film he uncovers a mystery and events spiral until his life resembles the drama of the big screen. Like a bomb waiting to explode, Henry''s discovery will shatter his world

Seventeen-year-old Rose is looking forward to a summer of freedom with her sister Diana. But the war has turned everything upside down and she finds herself battling with first love, prejudice and duty. Uncovering an extraordinary love story from another war, Rose discovers a secret that will change everything.

What would you rather, parents whose dreams are bigger than yours, or parents who have no dreams for you at all? How would you cope in a small boat with eight angry people giving you a bellyful of flack? Who''d you prefer to have as a friend, an old wrinkly who''s there for you or a couple of mates who make you feel small? Ages 10+.

A battered child learns to embrace life when he is adopted by an elderly man in the English countryside during World War II.

The classic story of a young boy evacuated to the country in the second world war and the old gentlemen who becomes is guardian and friend.

Ralph was evacuated from his working-class home during the war and has been educated by the rector with whom he was staying. After the war, his father resents Ralph''s education and his ambition to be an actor, and is furious when he is sacked from the paper mill.

This is a children''s picture book about a boy who wants to learn to dance, but whose mother wants him to play basketball. Michelle Magorian won the Guardian Fiction Award for Goodnight, Mr Tom (1981) and Jan Ormerod won the 1982 Mother Goose Award for Sunshine.

Rose og søsteren hennes må under andre verdenskrig reise fra London til en liten by ved havet. Her må de akseptere det nye livet og hverandre og bli voksne i et land i krig.

A seventeen-year-old girl in 1940''s England spends an unchaperoned summer at a cottage in a seaside village, where a series of diaries by the cottage''s most recent inhabitant, together with some intense personal experiences, open up her life to reveal her true wants and priorities.

Having attended day care with his sister, Eric wonders who will look after him there, now that his sister is old enough to go to school.

London is poised on the brink of World War 11. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech -- the abused child of a single mother -- is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son.

Sent to America from England at age seven to escape war-torn England, Rusty returns five years later to go to a strict English boarding school and renew her relationship with her family, who now seem like strangers to her.