There are those who believe that the secrets of our past are hidden in the stars; those who believe we will find the answers we seek in the bones of our ancestors. I have long since learned that, no matter our beliefs, the truth is laid bare in the stories we tell: be they inspired by stardust, or uncovered bone, or a faith in the gods who built monoliths of whitestone.

For this reason, I have scoured the lands, from East to West, seeking the age old tales passed down from generation to generation, and have seen the hidden truths within the stories we tell. Stories which transcend ages and eras, tongues and traditions; which have survived the rise and fall of great empires. Stories from across the known world which, in one way or another, are in keeping with the entries found among the sacred writ. Those of an oral tradition I have had transcribed, and those already written, I have gathered; and I have put together a tale to twist the strings of fate and set the world free.

- The Collector

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Don’t miss the second spellbinding chapter in The Mu Chronicles trilogy…
An island lost to the ocean
A people lost to the desert
A love lost to the darkness

But a new sun is about to rise
And with every ray of light
Comes a robe of shadow

Across the Scorched Sea is a visionary YA fantasy about a newborn society torn apart by secrets and sedition – perfect for fans of Girls of Paper and Fire and Skin of the Sea.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

“Roll double six or double three, let’s learn about your history.”

Join Aniyah, EJ and Olivia as they play their Ludi board game and are transported to another action-packed adventure back in time, helping real people from history and solving exciting mysteries along the way.

Aniyah, EJ and Olivia have gone back in time! It’s London, 1879, and the circus is in town. The Royal Aquarium Theatre is the place to be to see tightrope walkers, acrobats and the amazing Miss La La. But can the children solve the mystery of the missing macaques before they return to their own time?

This exciting book in the Blue Mahoes mini-series is written and illustrated by Nadine Cowan.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

“Roll double six or double three, let’s learn about your history.”

Join Aniyah, EJ and Olivia as they play their Ludi board game and are transported to another action-packed adventure back in time, helping real people from history and solving exciting mysteries along the way.

EJ, Aniyah and Olivia have been transported back in time! It’s 1601 and they’re lost in a dense South American jungle, where they meet a group of escaped Maroons, and their leader, Benkos. Will the trio be able to use secret call signs and hidden maps to help their new friends find freedom?

This exciting book in the Blue Mahoes mini-series is written and illustrated by Nadine Cowan.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

“Roll double six or double three, let’s learn about your history.”

Join Aniyah, EJ and Olivia as they play their Ludi board game and are transported to another action-packed adventure back in time, helping real people from history and solving exciting mysteries along the way.

Aniyah, EJ and Olivia have been transported back in time! They meet Jacques Francis, a diver, who’s leading a team to salvage goods from King Henry VIII’s favourite ship the Mary Rose, which lies on the seabed 12 metres below. Can the trio survive the revolting Tudor cooking, save a girl accused of witchcraft, and solve a mystery?

This exciting book in the Blue Mahoes mini-series is written and illustrated by Nadine Cowan.

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A warm and witty celebration of the lives of amazing Black women.

What will Maya be when she grows up? A rocket scientist like Annie Easley? An Olympic athlete like Alice Coachman? A brain surgeon like Alexa Canady?

In this heart-warming and funny story, Maya discovers the achievements of some incredible Black women . . . but it's a brave Nigerian princess who really captures her imagination!

This uplifting and empowering picture book is the perfect gift for any young reader.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

“Roll double six or double three, let’s learn about your history.”

Join Aniyah, EJ and Olivia as they play their Ludi board game and are transported to another action-packed adventure back in time, helping real people from history and solving exciting mysteries along the way.

EJ, Aniyah and Olivia have been transported back in time! It’s 1978 and they’ve joined Professor Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. Can the trio track down who might be sabotaging the Movement and save the trees?

This exciting book in the Blue Mahoes mini-series is written and illustrated by Nadine Cowan.

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Simba, Princess Leo, Rhinoboy, Elie and Buff are the Big Five! These junior rangers have promised to explore, discover and protect the wild animals in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Now they're facing their biggest challenge yet. Can they find a runaway zebra foal and get her back to the herd in time for their migration?

Big Cat for Little Wandle Fluency has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It consists of a range of chapter books with increasing word counts across 10 fluency levels aimed at children in Year 2 and 3. Each book builds reading confidence, stamina and speed and nurtures a love for reading.

Fluency 8 books have a word count of 5280 words with an expected reading rate of 110 words per minute.

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An eye-opening story of Britain, focusing on a part of our past that has mostly been left out of the history books: the brilliant Black history of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

Did you know that the first Britons were Black? Or that some of the Roman soldiers who invaded and ruled Britain were Black, too? Join this fascinating journey through the ages to meet those first Britons, as well as the Black Tudors, Georgians, and Victorians who existed in every walk of life here. The incredible journey through time is brought to life through Atinuke's fascinating storytelling and illustrated scenes, detailed maps, and timelines created by illustrator Kingsley Nebechi.

From science and sport to literature and law, celebrate the brilliant Black people who have helped build Britain. Learn about key and complex historical topics such as the world wars, slavery, the industrial revolution, Windrush, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This fascinating book will change everything you thought you knew about our green-grey British Isles.

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Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds' KILEY REID, author of Such A Fun Age

The Marte women are preparing for a gathering that will change their lives forever

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides to host her own living wake - bringing together her family and community to celebrate her long life - her sisters Matilde, Pastora and Camila are concerned. What has she foreseen?

But Flor isn't the only one with a secret. Matilde has tried to hide the extent of her husband's infidelity for years, and now must confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora - always on a mission to solve her sisters' problems - needs to come to terms with her past. And Camila, the youngest sibling, has decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted. Alongside their struggles, the next generation of Marte women face their own tumult of family obligations, infertility, and heartache.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the intertwining stories of these sisters and cousins, mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, to ask the ultimate question: what does it take to live a good life, for yourself and those you love?

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What is home?

It's a question that has troubled Marchelle Farrell for her entire life. A longed-for career in psychiatry saw her leave behind the pristine beaches and emerald hills of Trinidad. Until, disillusioned, she uprooted again, this time for the peaceful English countryside.

The only Black woman in her village, Marchelle hopes to grow a new life. But when a worldwide pandemic and a global racial reckoning collide, the upheaval of colonialism that has led her to this place begins to be unearthed. Is this really home? And can she ever feel truly grounded here?

Drawn to her new garden, Marchelle begins to examine this complex and emotional question through the psychotherapeutic lens of her work. As her relationship with the garden deepens, she discovers that her two conflicting identities are far more intertwined than she had realised.

Full of hope and healing, Uprooting is a book about finding home where we least expect it, and which invites us to reconnect to the land - and ourselves.

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A vital and vibrant book answering real children's questions about racism, giving them the confidence and the tools to work towards a fairer society for all.

Illustrated by Aleesha Nandhra

Using questions canvassed from children around the UK as her framework, writer, engineer and broadcaster, Yassmin Abdel-Magied gives clear context to the racism that persists today and shows how to recognize, resist and disrupt racist conversations and attitudes. Yassmin creates a safe space for exploring an emotive and important topic. Her friendly, assured tone de-stigmatises any feelings young readers might have, while illustrations and infographics from Aleesha Nandhra provide a fresh way for readers to approach this complex issue. Ideal as a way to open the conversation with readers aged 9 and up, nurturing compassion, encouraging ways to create change and giving them the confidence to challenge inequality and strive towards racial justice for everyone.

For readers aged: 9+

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The stage is set and the witch-hunt is about to begin.

'I am no witch. I have not sold my soul to the devil for powers. What I am has never openly been whispered of, yet it is enough that people would hang for it.'

England, 1645.

After his half-brother dies, aspiring playwright Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession.

In a country torn apart by civil war, with escalating tensions between Catholics and Protestants, Royalists and Roundheads, and rumours of witchcraft, Nicholas hides a secret: the dead sing. He hears their secrets, but will he find the courage to speak up to save innocent lives, even if it means putting himself in great danger?

A spellbinding debut novel perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Laura Purcell and Bridget Collins.

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New boyfriend. His kids. That’s a tough crowd.

Aspiring comedian, Abi, has always been told that she’s too much but never felt like enough. That is until she meets Will, who changes everything she’s been made to believe by men, the media and her mum. He loves her just the way she is.

But Will is a package deal and comes with two daughters from a previous relationship. Abi is used to playing to difficult audiences but winning over the girls and step-parenting is going to be her toughest gig yet.

A fun and feel-good romantic comedy about love, friendship and family for anyone who’s struggled to feel like enough and find their place. Fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O’Leary will love this warm and witty page-turner.

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From award-winning journalist and bestselling co-author of Slay in Your Lane, Yomi Adegoke, comes The List, a sensational, page-turning debut novel about secrets, lies and our lives online.

Ola Olajide, a high-profile journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is marrying the love of her life in one month's time. Young, beautiful, successful – she and her fiancé Michael are the ‘couple goals’ of their social networks and seem to have it all.

That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message:

‘Oh my god, have you seen The List?’

It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list―she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.

Compulsively page-turning, wildly entertaining and piercing with fearless insight, The List is perfect for fans of Such A Fun Age, My Dark Vanessa and Magpie. The List by Yomi Adegoke is set to be the most hotly debated debut novel of 2023.

Making changes that help make the world a fairer place can feel overwhelming.
Where do you even start? Well . . .

Small actions really can make a big difference!

In this inspiring guide, changemakers, sisters and founders of Everyday Racism, Natalie and Naomi Evans, give readers empowering advice for dealing with the issues we see, hear about and face every day, from racism and sexism to homophobia and ableism, providing you with achievable everyday actions to create change!

Tips for practising positive everyday mindsets and self-care before things get stressful make this a go-to book for feeling informed, positive and motivated too.

Join us on our journey to creating sustainable change, one small step at a time.

Natalie and Naomi

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In an intimate and unflinching collection, A J Akoto tracks the complex bind of mother-daughter relationships. Through separation and attempts to mend, longing, and the fluidity of myth/story-telling in defining histories and identities, she collapses the elision between womanhood and motherhood/daughterhood, bringing to the forefront that which usually remains unspoken.

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In a complex world, who is allowed to be complicated? Who is entitled to a messy life full of triumphs, mistakes and tedium?

Until recently, not Black women.

When stories about Black women are limited, there’s a tendency to platform the inspirational. Yet when it comes to finding kaleidoscopic stories for – and by – black women, they are few and far between.

Through Kimberly’s personal stories, the essays in black girl, no magic explore race, class, the meritocracy myth, sex, desire, dating, friendship, the modern family and drugs. Perfect for fans of Slay In Your Lane, Trick Mirror, and Bad Feminist, this book scrutinizes why the world is shaped the way it is, and how we navigate it.

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Taking on the pervasive issue of racism within education Badu offers a practical, no-nonsense guide on building an antiracist classroom. This book takes the reader on a journey from examining their own bias and racial literacy, to developing a diverse curriculum and improving the culture, to effecting wider changes across the school. Whether as an ally or recipient of bias in our society; this book will offer educators a guide to all the things we can do in the classroom to effect profound social change. If you seek to disrupt the cycles of systemic inequality that have existed in society and education for decades, this is the book for you.

Orlene Badu is a Leadership & Education Consultant.      

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Unleash your magic. Save your home. A spectacular magical adventure steeped in Arthurian legend…

Fablehouse is a children’s home like no other. Housed in a crumbling mansion that perches on a cliff and backs on to ancient mysterious woodland, this is the home for many of Britain’s Brown Babies, children born to African-American GIs and white British women following the Second World War. Heather has already been through several children’s homes and is wary of Fablehouse and its unusual head teacher, Miss Isolde. But when children start acting strangely, Heather discovers a plot from a fae realm to infiltrate and overthrow the human world. With the help of Palamedes – the Black Knight from King Arthur’s Round Table who has been guarding the magical doorway to the fae world – and three friends, Heather sets off on a quest to rescue the children who have been replaced by changelings. No child will be forgotten or discarded on her watch. Discovering extraordinary powers and a fire inside herself, Heather will battle to save the first place that has felt like home for years...

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No matter how quiet it is, you've got a voice, Storm. You should use it to speak up for yourself.

Storm has never liked to stand out from the crowd, but ever since she started Year 7, her life has been full of people telling her she needs to speak up, make friends and be more like her popular big brother.

Then Storm breaks a school record, and finds herself the new star of the athletics team. But as she's thrust into the spotlight, her home life and friendships start spiralling out of control, and it's time for Quiet Storm to show that she has something to say.

A tender, empowering novel about family, friendship and finding confidence in who you are.

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What have you got to lose when you fall in love?

When Jess first meets Josh at their Ivy League college she dislikes him immediately: an entitled guy in chinos, ready to take over the world. Meanwhile Jess is almost always the only Black woman in their class. And Josh can’t accept that life might be easier for him because he’s white.

After graduating, Jess and Josh end up working together in the same investment bank. As they lunch, spar and pick each other’s brains, Jess begins to see Josh in a different light, and it seems their connection might be deeper than Jess could ever have imagined.

As their tempestuous friendship turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both, Jess begins to question who she is and what she’s really willing to compromise for love.

Everything's Fine is an utterly original and deeply moving take on an age-old question from a dazzling new voice: what have you got to lose when you fall in love?

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REVENGE IS BEST STREAMED LIVE

Charlotte Goodwin reveals a chilling truth to the thousands watching her Instagram Live broadcast. She has killed her ex-boyfriend's new partner in cold blood. But she is not finished yet. The viewers must now vote to decide whether he should live or die.

The public display sends shockwaves rippling through the online community and the numbers of viewers skyrockets. But as Lincoln's past is revealed, how will he be judged?

Would you vote live or vote die?

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A rhyming celebration of Afro hair, barbershops and father-son relationships, from hair care coach and author Tọlá Okogwu and rising star illustrator, Chanté Timothy.

Nana’s getting married, and today is the big day!
I’m her little page boy; Daddy’s giving her away.
“Deji and Daddy, just look at your hair!”
Uh-oh, we’re in trouble. Nana shoots us a glare.
“You better find a barber. You both need a cut.
Now hurry along,” she adds with a tut.

It’s the morning of Nana’s wedding, and Deji and Daddy need haircuts – right away! Join them on a race against the clock to make sure they look slick just in time to walk Nana down the aisle. This story features a fun and heart-warming portrayal of the quality time spent between parent and child.

This is the second book in the Daddy Do My Hair series, with joyful rhyming text paired with bold and beautiful illustrations from Chanté Timothy (Hey You! by Dapo Adeola).

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WHERE IS ADA?

In a small village in West Africa, in what will one day become Ghana, Ada gives birth again, and again the baby does not live. As she grieves the loss of her child, Portuguese traders become the first white men to arrive in the village, an event that will bear terrible repercussions for Ada and her kin.

WHEN IS ADA?

Centuries later, Ada will become the mathematical genius Ada Lovelace; Ada, a prisoner forced into prostitution in a Nazi concentration camp; and Ada, a young, pregnant Ghanaian woman with a new British passport who arrives in Berlin in 2019 for a fresh start.

WHO IS ADA?

Ada is not one woman, but many, and she is all women – she revolves in orbits, looping from one century and from one place to the next. And so, she experiences the hardship but also the joy of womanhood: she is a victim, she offers resistance, and she fights for her independence.

This long-awaited debut from Sharon Dodua Otoo paints an astonishing picture of femininity, resilience and struggle with deep empathy and humour, with vivid language and infinite imagination.

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How strong is the bond of blood that ties us together down the generations?
A white artic fox. A raven. A Scottish Castle.
What links these three things together?

Jeremy returns to London, shell-shocked after discovering the truth about the 300-year-old prophecy of the white fox of Ile-Ife.
However, he is still searching for clues about the Raven - to help lift the ancient curse placed on his family centuries ago.

Who is Ebony and what is her connection to a remote abandoned castle in Scotland?
Ebony is hiding a secret of her own. What is her connection to the deadly Raven?

Will they be brave enough to take off their masks and accept each other for who they really are? Or will they both have to walk away when they discover the truth?

If you enjoy sizzling sex scenes, raw emotions, African history, missing artifacts, mysteries, then this book is for you.

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A retelling of The Elves and the Shoemaker, set in an African kingdom many years ago.

Ayan is known as one of the best drum makers in the land. However, as the years pass, he struggles to make the beautiful instruments he’s famous for. When the queen holds a competition to find the finest drums for the harvest festival, Ayan is disappointed. He has the right tools, materials and skills, but his hands no longer work the way they used to. Just as he thinks he won’t be able to present his gift to the queen, Ayan receives some much-needed help from the Aziza …

Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction.

Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.

Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

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Agents of history. Partners in Mystery. Sisters in solving crime.

Twelve-year-olds Lizzie Sancho and Dido Belle are from different worlds – Lizzie lives in Westminster in her dad’s tea shop, while Belle is an heiress being brought up by her aunt and uncle at grand Kenwood House – but they both share a love of solving mysteries. And after saving Lizzie’s father from attempted murder surely there is no threat too challenging for this detective duo?

It’s the summer of 1777, the night of the grand unveiling of the Sancho-Mansfields family portrait – and a celebration of friendship, family, and freedom! But all too soon things take a dark turn – the painting has been stolen! Now it is time for Lizzie and Belle to put their sleuthing skills to the ultimate test, following a trail of thefts, kidnappings and even poisonings that haunts the twisting London streets.
With a grand conspiracy afoot, and a mysterious organisation threatening their closest friends and family, who can Lizzie and Belle trust?

Once again it is up to the two girls to unveil the truth and put an end to the villainy that plagues the city.

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A fun and fact-filled introduction to the dismissed Black art masters and models who shook up the world.

Elegant. Refined. Exclusionary. Interrupted. The foundations of the fine art world are shaking. Beyoncé and Jay-Z break the internet by blending modern Black culture with fine art in their iconic music video filmed in the Louvre. Kehinde Wiley powerfully subverts European masterworks. Calls resonate for diversity in museums and the resignations of leaders of the old guard. It’s clear that modern day museums can no longer exist without change—and without recognizing that Black people have been a part of the Western art world since its beginnings. Quietly held within museum and private collections around the world are hundreds of faces of Black men and women, many of their stories unknown. From paintings of majestic kings to a portrait of a young girl named Isabella in Amsterdam, these models lived diverse lives while helping shape the art world along the way. Then, after hundreds of years of Black faces cast as only the subject of the white gaze, a small group of trailblazing Black American painters and sculptors reached national and international fame, setting the stage for the flourishing of Black art in the 1920s and beyond. Captivating and informative, BLK ART is an essential work that elevates a globally dismissed legacy to its proper place in the mainstream art canon. From the hushed corridors of royal palaces to the bustling streets of 1920s Paris—this is Black history like never seen before.

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in Now I Am Here, we begin at the end. The armies of the National Defence Movement have been crushed and our unnamed narrator and his unit are surrounded. Prepared for defeat at the hands of the enemy and with only his sins for company, he turns to confession. As he recounts the events leading to his disastrous finale, we learn how this gentle man is gradually transformed into a war criminal, committing acts he wouldn’t have thought himself capable.

Chidi Ebere’s debut is a profound reflection on how good people can do terrible things – precipitated by circumstances and the violence of war. Unflinching, thought-provoking and devastating, Now I Am Here resonates far beyond the individual story of our narrator. Perfect for readers of Uzo Iweala’s Beasts of No Nation, Giles Foden’s The Last King of Scotland and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Afterlives.

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