It is 1937 and tensions are high. A spectacular air race around Europe seeks to promote unity among a group of young pilots, but distrust and animosity are rife. The British and sole female contestant, Stella North, is determined to prove not only her skill, but also her identity as her Nansen passport declares her 'stateless'. However, barely a few hours in, Stella is witness to a horrifying attack when a contestant's plane is forced out of the air and crashes. Was this the work of another competitor desperate to win? Was the attack random or premeditated and, most importantly, will it happen again? With the competition heating up and the death ruled an accident, Stella is left to form her own investigation. Can she find allies among her fellow competitors or will suspicion and deceit bring them all down? An exhilarating rush of a novel, with all the twists and turns we've come to expect from the award-winning Elizabeth Wein.

Mrs. Bird thought, as the Christmas music floated in upon her gentle sleep, that she had slipped into heaven with her new baby, and that angels were bidding them welcome. But the tiny bundle by her side stirred a little, though it was scarcely more than the ruffling of a feather; and she awoke, drew the baby closer, and listened to the voices outside brimming with joy:

"Carol, brothers, carol,
Carol joyfully,
Carol the good tidings,
Carol merrily "

"Why, my baby," whispered Mrs. Bird in soft surprise, "I had forgotten what day it was. You are a little Christmas child, and we will name you 'Carol' -- mother's little Christmas Carol "

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923), author of such works as "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, " "Penelope's English Experiences, " and "A Village Stradivarius," was one of America's most popular writers of books for young people.

From a master storyteller and former Children's Laureate comes a moving story of a group of musicians who survived the Holocaust using the only weapon they had.

The author of the international phenomenon War Horse brings us a moving tale of secrets and survival bound together by the power of music. When Lesley is sent to Venice to interview world-renowned violinist Paulo Levi on his fiftieth birthday, she cannot believe her luck. She is told that she can ask him anything at all – except the Mozart question. But it is Paulo himself who decides that the time has come for the truth to be told. And so follows the story of his parents in a Jewish concentration camp, forced to play Mozart violin concerti for the enemy; how they watched fellow Jews being led off to their deaths and knew that they were playing for their lives. As the story unfolds, the journalist begins to understand the full horror of war – and how one group of musicians survived using the only weapon they had.

The third book in the personal and moving coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the First World War. Winter, 1916. Ellie is determined to leave tiny Endstone village and follow her dream of becoming a nurse. But leaving home and starting work in the city hospital also means leaving behind her first-love and childhood friend, Jack. They promise to make it work, but with Ellie's time swallowed up by the chaos of a wartime hospital, and with the charms of an exciting young foreign soldier to keep her company, do Ellie and Jack stand any chance of staying together as their lives move ever further apart?

The Black Stallion meets Tamora Pierce in this adventure-filled middle grade novel about a young stable girl who discovers a secret that endangers her beloved horse and threatens her future.Sonnia loves horses more than anything. She works at her family's struggling pony ride business but dreams of the beautiful steeds in the royal stables, especially Ricochet, who she's been slowly saving money to buy--even though she knows people from her impoverished neighborhood are rarely so lucky. Then Ricochet is moved to the racetrack across town, and Sonnia lands a job there. Now, she can see Ricochet every day and earn enough money to buy him in no time--all while helping her family with her new wages! She even joins the junior racing cadre to train to become a jockey. But then she uncovers their secret pastime: competing in the Night Ride, a dangerous and highly illegal race in the darkest hours before dawn. Every race puts the horses at risk. Sonnia wants to protect the horses she's grown to care for, but she's only a kid from the poor side of town--considered expendable, just like the horses. If she just keeps her head down, soon she can buy Ricochet and get him out of there--and keep supporting her family. But would she be able to live with herself?

Dido is the only girl ever to have raced to victory at the Circus Maximus, Rome's greatest sporting arena. Now she and her beloved horse, Porcellus, are in hiding, and Emperor Caligula has put a price on their heads. Can she outwit the emperor and his bounty hunters? And will a shocking family secret stop her in her tracks, or spur her on to make a daring return, helped by a one-eyed mare with a heart as brave as her own? Horses, history, mystery, thrilling entertainment and sensational storytelling race neck and neck through the second pulse-pounding adventure in Annelise Gray's 9 + series set in Ancient Rome. 'I loved this adventure - full of brilliant horses, and a determined heroine following her dreams against all the odds. Looking forward to discovering what's in store for them next' Pippa Funnell, MBE, three-time Equestrian Olympic medalist

September 1939.

When Jimmy is evacuated to a small village in Wales, it couldn't be more different from London. Green, quiet and full of strangers, he instantly feels out of place.

But then he finds a skull hidden in a tree, and suddenly the valley is more frightening than the war. Who can Jimmy trust? His brother is too little; his best friend has changed.

Finding an ally in someone he never expects, they set out together to uncover the secrets that lie with the skull. What they discover will change Jimmy – and the village – forever.

A mesmerising mystery about bravery and brotherhood from an outstanding new voice.

This second book in the continuing story of Parthian brother and sister Larius and Kyra takes the reader to a place called Seres. Larius is once again caught up in court intrigue, and Kyra falls in love at last and marries. They are in another culture and must learn another language and ways that are strange and different from their own. Just when they think they are safe, their past comes back to haunt them. Will Larius and Kyra ever find peace? Will they be able to remain happily ever after in Seres? Or will their sanctuary be denied and their hopes and dreams destroyed? Read this captivating story set in first century AD ancient China and follow Larius and Kyra in their quest for sanctuary.

Master James, a Missouri farmer during the 1850s, wants to make sure his slaves had a better life upon his death. So when he passes away, fourteen-year-old Joe, his pap, and the rest of the family are set free.

Stepping in to help, the master's brother, Doc, travels with the freed family to Iowa and lets them work on land that he owns, with the promise that one day it will be their own. But it's not long before the family learns that even though they have gained their freedom, they have not earned respect. They are taunted, harassed, and threatened.

As his family struggles to maintain dignity, young Joe learns from Doc about a plan for an Underground Railroad, which would help enslaved blacks make their way north to the free states. Joe knows that he must help others fight for the freedom, however imperfect, that he's had the privilege of experiencing firsthand. But in doing so, he also knows he risks his very life.

As Joe comes of age, he teams up with abolitionist preacher John Brown and others to organize the Underground Railroad in Iowa, which eventually helps hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of slaves on their way to freedom.