You never know what moments will be pivotal. An existential crisis, or a change in your soda-drinking habits. An unfathomable loss, or a moment of uncertainty about whether you’re looking at a possum or not. For Jack and Jill, it’s all of the above, as moments across time (and sometimes, between realities) converge into a poignant collage rendering of their relationship. Dramedy/Comedy One-act. 25-35 minutes. 4-20+ actors (suggested casting: 2F, 2M, 4 any)

Everybody knows that Jack and Jill went up the hill together, but have you ever wondered how Jack and Jill came to meet in the first place? When Jack Meets Jill presents a prequel to the nursery rhyme that many of us grew up with. Jack and Jill live in opposite neighbourhoods in their hometown of Happyville, the happiest place in the world. Their backgrounds are very different. Jack, a skinny, quiet eleven-year-old, is the son of a penniless farm labourer. Jill, one year younger, is a spirited girl who feels like she is a captive in the home of her father, the mayor, whose greed and cruelty are well known. When the two of them meet, their lives change forever. Their friendship grows, and the bond between them strengthens. It isn't long, however, before that friendship is put to the test. When Jack Meets Jill conveys a clear message to young readers that the feeling of kinship knows no bounds. Through empathy and devotion, you can develop the strength to seek out right from wrong.

From the author of Little Women: An American classic of young best friends in a rustic New England town. In post–Civil War New England, thirteen-year-old Jack Minot and Janey Pecq are inseparable best friends who live next door to each other in the town of Harmony Village. The pair does everything together—so much so that Janey is nicknamed “Jill” to fit the old children’s rhyme. One winter day, the friends share a sled down a treacherous hill and both end up injured and bedridden. Unable to go out and have fun, Jack, Jill, and their circle of friends begin to learn about more than the fun and games of their youth and discover what it means to grow up—exploring their town, their hearts, and the big, wide world beyond for the first time. This charming, wistful coming-of-age tale, written twelve years after Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, examines the strange, tempestuous changes of adolescence with homespun heart and worldly wisdom.

The third novel in the bestselling Alex Cross series ____________________________________ 'No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades. The Alex Cross series proves it.' LEE CHILD, international bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series ____________________________________ Washington DC is under siege and Detective Alex Cross has work to do. A controversial Senator is found murdered in his bed and a young girl is savagely killed. Alex Cross is under pressure from both sides and faced with an impossible choice. Alex must do the impossible but the people of Washington aren't safe, and the clock is ticking before the killer sets their sights on their ultimate target. Can he catch the killer behind these nefarious crimes in time?

If you're intrigued by the fact that Jack the Ripper was left-handed, or that Heinz ketchup flows at 0.7 miles per day - and, more importantly, intrigued by why you're intrigued - then this book is required reading. Convinced that our love of trivia must reveal something truly important about us, Mark Mason sets out to discover what that something is. And, in the process, he asks the fundamental questions that keep all trivialists awake at night: Why is it so difficult to forget that Keith Richards was a choirboy at the Queen's coronation when it's so hard to remember what we did last Thursday? Are men more obsessed with trivia than women? Can it be proved that house flies hum in the key of F? Can anything ever really be proved? And the biggest question of them all: is there a perfect fact, and if so what is it?

Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke's moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother—Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole—and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards. Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful, secret, and sealed. While she wondered about her biological parents, she kept her curiosity in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children's lives and her own. Though Spence-Chapin Family Service, the agency that handled her adoption, could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it was able to provide details that lead to a shocking truth. Caroline's birth mother and her family were related to a friend. The woman who gave her life was none other than Carole "Cookie" Cole, the daughter of iconic crooner and pianist Nat King Cole. Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through e-mail, phone calls, and post cards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet poignant messages squeezed onto three-inch open-faced squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, sharing secrets, taking risks, and ultimately building a bond like no other. A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline's adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.

Jack and Jill meet on Freshers Big Party Night at university and for both of them it's love at first sight. Despite their backgrounds, personalities and interests being poles apart, the relationship flourishes during their university years. It's not quite as comfortable when their studies are over and they start work. Way back when they'd first met, they shared the joke that their names were those of the nursery rhyme. Down the line, they fail to recognise that their lives are matching the plot. Jack falls down, Jill comes tumbling after, and their relationship is on the rocks. Can it survive?'I loved this book! Tender, witty, funny, with characters you can totally relate to.' 'I laughed from the beginning and didn't stop until the end and I couldn't put it down in between.' 'A story about trust, resilience, forgiveness and fresh starts, narrated with humour and insight. It kept my interest hooked and made me smile all the way through. A great read!''R J Gould is a sharp, perceptive observer of human relationships, demonstrating both their fragility and their absurdity.'