Showing results by narrator "Charlie Sanderson" in All Categories

Widow Dilly Carey has struggled out of poverty to make a life for herself. Dilly should be content, but she is troubled by the one secret she must never share: the true parentage of her daughter, Olivia, whom Dilly gave away at birth. It's time for Dilly to make her peace with the choice that she was forced to make, but will she also find a way to a new happiness - and a new love?

1885. Ruby Carter works hard in her parents' bakery. Whilst life isn't easy, she's happy enough - her gentle mother protects young Ruby from her cruel father and loves her unconditionally. So, when her mother falls ill, Ruby is heartbroken, and when from her deathbed her mother reveals that Ruby was adopted, the young girl is distraught. Stricken by grief and alone with the violent man she called her father, Ruby feels she has no choice but to flee.

Growing up in extreme poverty in London, Pearl thinks life can get no worse. But when her parents discover there's yet another baby on the way, they have to tighten the belt even further. Pearl's mother decides to send her and her younger sister, Eliza, to the workhouse, where they are forced into a new life of hardship and struggle.

It's 1884, and 14-year-old Sunday Small has been in the Nuneaton workhouse since she was abandoned at birth. The regime is cruel, and if it were not for her dear little friend Daisy, Sunday's life would barely be worth living. And now she's attracted the unwelcome attention of the seedy workhouse master, who will stop at nothing to get her alone. It's time for Sunday to strike out alone in the world, but the brutal world of the workhouse will not let her go without a fight....

Excitement is blooming in Welford as the village prepares for its annual garden contest. But Amelia and Sam are more interested in helping their new friend, Blossom! The cockapoo puppy seems happy in the daytime, so why is she keeping everyone up with her barking at night?

When Amelia and Sam's friend Caleb adopts a new llama, they hope she will become friends with the other two llamas at the petting farm. But the new llama's arrival causes lots of problems as Llarry and LLiam are spitting mad about having to share their pasture with the newcomer! Can Amelia and Sam help sort out the llama drama?

Amelia and Sam are on a new animal adventure! There's something wrong with their friend Izzy's bunny rabbit. She seems very sad and she keeps escaping from her hutch. Can Amelia and Sam work out what's wrong with her? Or will the little bunny get into big trouble?

From the Waterstones Book Prize shortlisted author of A Boy Called Hope and The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair. Mabel has a suitcase full of worries - it turned up just after her dad disappeared and before her mum started dating Gavin. She worries about big things and little things and shoves them into her suitcase until it’s so full it might explode....

Every year on the same day, on the anniversary, I receive a single black rose. Thirteen years of dark petals, jagged thorns, dredging up memories I’ve tried to forget. I’ve packed up my life. All my belongings are carefully sealed, my suitcases ready for my big move. I’m just days away from a new life abroad with my boyfriend, Ben. No one knows the real reason I’m desperate to leave. My best friend, Lena, is throwing me a leaving party. A celebration, to say goodbye. Champagne to toast my farewell. Speeches, full of fond memories. No one knows what I’m running from.

Young reporter-in-training Kate and her mouse-accomplice Rupert are on board a train, to visit Kate's mum in the Arctic. But as soon as the train departs, mysterious things start happening. A packet of ginger nuts goes missing. A collection of gymnastics trophies are stolen. And some ancient scrolls disappear. Fellow passenger Madame Maude seems the most likely culprit, until a surprising—and delicious—twist turns the whole investigation on its head.

For fans of ME ME ME, this is the next chapter in Charlotte Crosby's life - Celebrity Big Brother winner, MTV presenter, fitness DVD and book best seller and one of the UK's best loved and funniest reality stars.

Nell is 26 and has never been to Paris. She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type. But when her boyfriend doesn't turn up for their romantic mini-break, Nell has the chance to prove everyone wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped-riding Fabien. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?

The first snow is falling over Primrose Farm, the mince pies are warming and Rachel Swinton is looking forward to a well-earned break over the holidays. It’s time to settle down with family and cosy up with her gorgeous new flame, Tom, from the farm next door. If only it was all comfort and joy. The arrival of Tom’s ex brings an unwelcome chill to the farm. And with Rachel feeling the absence of her late dad, she feels unsettled when her mum starts to get close to someone new.

Primrose Farm is Rachel’s very own slice of heaven. Come rain or shine there’s always a pot of tea brewing by the Aga, the delicious aroma of freshly baked puddings, and a chorus of happy memories drifting through the kitchen. But the farm is in a spot of trouble. As the daffodils spring, Rachel must plant the seeds of change if she wants to keep the farm afloat, and it’s all resting on a crazy plan. She’ll need one family cook book, her Mum Jill’s baking magic - and a reason to avoid her distractingly gorgeous neighbour, Tom.

London's most glamorous glossy magazine is in trouble. Advertising revenues are nonexistent, and if editor Laura Lake can't pick them up, she's out of a job. According to those in the know, Scotland is having a fashion moment. Haggis tempura is on Michelin-starred menus, smart spas are offering porridge facials and a chain of eco-hotels is offering celebrity bagpipe lessons. 

'My name is Ruby. I live with Barbara and Mick. They're not my real parents, but they tell me what to do and what to say. I'm supposed to say that my bruises and black eye came from falling down the stairs. But there are things I won't say. I won't tell them I'm going to hunt for my real parents. I'm going to be with my real family. And I'm not going to let Mick stop me.'

‘Fascinating and moving.' - Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt A BBC Radio 4 A Good Read choice This is a story about the cutting-edge medicine that has saved a generation of babies. It's about the love and fear a parent feels for a child they haven’t yet met. It's about doctors...

Warwickshire, 1910. Pious young Grace Kettle escapes the world of her unsavoury and bullying father to train to be a nun. But when she meets the dashing and devout Father Luke her world is turned upside down. Her faith is tested, and she is driven to make a scandalous and life-changing choice - one she may well spend the rest of her days seeking forgiveness for.

Life is tough for Ella Bancroft. After her father, Thomas, is wheelchair-bound by an accident at the tube works, the responsibility for keeping a roof over their head falls to Ella. Ella’s mother died when she was 10, and her sister, Sally, lives with her no-good, work-shy husband Eddy, so is no help at all. If she and her father are to keep the bailiffs from the door, then Ella must earn a living. But Ella is resourceful as well as creative and soon discovers she has a gift for millinery.

Penny seizes the chance of a new life for her family when her husband is offered a job in Europe. At the airport, they meet charming Sophie, fluent in French and looking for work as an au pair. Soon, she becomes an important part of the family’s life. But Sophie is definitely hiding something. Then Penny’s toddler son is abducted. The police beg Penny and her husband to take part in a television appeal, but, unknown to the police, Penny and Seth are determined to protect their identities. Are their true identities linked to the abduction? And who has been watching them?