An innocent girl exposes racial bias
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Boldly perceptive, eight-year-old Jean Louise Finch, aka Scout, reveals the shameful racism of a small town in Alabama in the early ’30s.
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An improbable quest
A Very Private Grave by Donna Fletcher Crow Why did Father Dominic give Felicity a wrapped-up journal just before he got himself murdered? And what was so significant about that cryptic notebook, which recorded his travels in the footsteps of the medieval Saint Cuthbert? Somebody – could it be a fellow member of the monastery,…
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Rescuing exploited girls
Before the night comes, by Matt Roper Our Western eyes can hardly believe what Matt Roper and his Canadian friend Dean Brody discover, as they drive along the longest highway in Brazil. An 11-year-old girl is offering her body to the passing lorry drivers for a few Reals.
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Emotional hangups
Just Benny by Alex Banwell Setting Benny’s dad, Ola Welander, rejects him. Janet, his mum, pampers him. His sister, Emma, loves her little ‘Pestie’ but finds him exasperating at times. Other kids mock ‘Weedy Welander’, all because he suffers from frequent epileptic seizures. As a result, Benny withdraws to the only place where he feels…
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Football, fun and furry friends
Two Old Fools – Olé by Victoria Twead This is the second of many in Victoria Twead’s Old Fools series. Having sold up everything in the UK, Vicky and Joe have relocated to a tiny village in the Spanish mountains. We hear of their adventures with colourful residents and furry friends.
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Peek below the surface
The Victor by Patricia St John Philo, the son of a fisherman in first century Tyre, is traumatised by his sister’s sinister illness. When his father drowns, the family is thrown into poverty. Only little Ione provides a ray of sunshine.
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The rise and fall of a unique Christian shrine
Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England by Donna Fletcher Crow Donna Fletcher Crow’s epic historical masterpiece brings to life the mystical Glass Isle of Glastonbury with its imposing Tor. In each era, the ruling monarch and a key spiritual leader are highlighted. As conflicts rage, we follow the wavering spark of faith in Jesus Christ…
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Will their stars bring them to Eden?
Find me in the Stars, by Jules Larimore Another fascinating tale set among the tensions between the Catholic authorities and the Huguenot recluses in southern France during the seventeenth century reign of the Sun King Louis XIV. This second book in the The Huguenot Trilogy introduces new aspects: romance and the dangers and vicissitudes of…
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Ich musste weinen
Der gefrorene Himmel, von Richard Wagamese Verlassen von seinen alkoholkranken Eltern und allein mit seiner Grossmutter in der unerbittlichen Winterlandschaft Kanadas aufgewachsen, erlebt der Ojibwe Junge, Saul Indian Horse, eine Kindheit voller Leid.
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History through the eyes of New World settlers
“Call of Freedom” by Paul C. Monk continues the saga of the Huguenot family Delpech. Having fled the oppressive dragonnade in France to find refuge in Ireland, in 1699 the family decides to brave a dangerous sea crossing and seek a new life in New York.
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Secrets in the Cevennes
The Muse of Freedom by Jules Larimore Larimore leads us to clandestine religious gatherings in the remote Cevennes hills of the south of France at the tail end of the seventeenth century. Jean BonDurant, a rich aristocrat who is training as an apothecary, joins open-spirited Amelia and her wolf-dog Romulus in ministering to the medical needs…
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Female tenacity facing injustice
Wheel of Fortune, by C F Dunn As a child, Isobel looks on in horror as the Earl, Lord Langton, executes his father’s murderer in the yard of her father’s manor. At least, he reluctantly spares the traitor’s nephew, Thomas Lacey, whom Isobel recognises as her friend and intended husband. In fifteenth century Yorkshire, landed…
