Reproduction of the original: Two Strangers by Mrs. Oliphant

An intelligent, slum-dwelling teenage girl takes drastic measures to survive when her father throws her out of her home, in this spellbinding historical saga Poplar, London, 1920. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Keats is horrified when her father demands that she go to work for wealthy Mr Preston – everyone knows why he takes young girls into his house. But her violent father, who’s never let her forget she’s not the son he wanted, won’t listen to her concerns – and when she stands up for herself, he throws her out of their dingy little house in the slums. Intelligent, book-loving Vicki vows to make her father regret this day; but she is all alone in the world. Despite her courage and quick wits, it seems likely she will starve – until two men, both complete strangers, provide her with no-strings-attached help. As Vicki’s life improves beyond all recognition, she can’t help but fixate on the mystery of these two good Samaritans: who were they? And why did they help her? She determines to find the men and thank them, but tracking them down may be harder – and more life-changing – than she thinks . . .

The book recounts the awakening and journey of the Narrator who seeks to make sense of the questions and enigmas, which perplex us and cause more and more anxieties.The Narrator comes across a chance acquaintance. Compelled by what he hears, he embarks on discussions, which make up the fears, hopes, and aspirations of us all. These conversations are interspersed with dream sequences with another Stranger. The dreams often reinforce a conversation, with an alternative perspective. Each conversation/chapter focuses on a value, which is central to human living, some of which we all get wrong most of the time. These values are crucial to rebuilding human life post 2012.There is a mounting sense of new discovery as one Stranger, Jonathan, peels back the inner layers of the Narrator's hidden self to reveal the greatest adventure of all. In the future, we shall live according to renewed values, not based on greed, power and destruction, but based on love, understanding and co-existence. The diverse aspects of these three values form the storyline and subject matter of this book.

The international-bestselling Russian fantasy author continues the adventures of Sir Max, the lazy gumshoe of the enchanted city of Echo. The tales of Sir Max, who was a daydreaming loser before he discovered the parallel world of Echo, have become an international literary sensation. In the second novel of the Labyrinths of Echoes series, Max is still a hardened smoker, glutton, and all-around loafer. But once again, he finds himself travelling to an alternate universe where he must root out illegal magic as an agent of the Secret Investigative Force. This time, Sir Max is called upon to handle a peculiar political dispute, investigate strange happenings in the cemetery, and when Echo’s police captain is poisoned, he must lead a team of magicians in pursuit of magical outlaws. “Echo is a world of all sorts of plots, a sort of Krypton with tobacco and the counter-universe’s equivalent of vodka.” —Kirkus Reviews

Reading level: 4 [red].