Blood's thicker than water, right? That's what Ally's always been told, and it's true she wouldn't change a thing about her exasperating but adorable family. Then Dad's long-lost brother Joe comes to stay... How could any member of the Love family be so deeply, determinedly un-lovable?

This new edition combines Pamela Cleaver's bestselling Writing a Children's Book with her Ideas for Children's Writers. In it you will learn about plotting and planning, beginnings, middles and endings, how to research and how to revise and how to find a publisher. There are: * Lists of attributes to help you create interesting and believable characters * Lists of plots and themes * Genres - what's hot and what's not * Locations and how much description to use * List of do's and don'ts regarding submitting manuscripts * Symbols for correcting your proofs * Tips on how to publicise your book. There is no one right way to write a children's book but if you are armed with a knowledge of certain techniques that have worked for other writers you will be more likely to succeed. Contents: Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Limbering Up; 2. Plotting; 3. Story People: the Characters in Your Book; 4. Genres; 5. Where and When?; 6. Starting the Story; 7. Telling the Tale; 8. Writing for the Younger Set; 9. Happy Ever After?; 10. Research and Revision; 11. Writing a Non-Fiction Book; 12. Getting Published; 13. If Your Book is Accepted; 14. If Your Book is Rejected; Useful Information for Writing Children's Book; Index.

Ally and her mates are most chuffed when a bunch of French boys turn up at Palace Gates school because of a French exchange. Only Jen seems a bit distracted, but Ally doesn't have time to get to the bottom of it before it's too late - Jen's pulled a vanishing act

My Antonia is a novel by an American writer Willa Cather. It is the final book of the "prairie trilogy" of novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark. The novel tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and Antonia Shimerda, the daughter of Bohemian immigrants. They are both became pioneers and settled in Nebraska in the end of the 19th century. The first year in the very new place leaves strong impressions in both children, affecting them lifelong. The narrator and the main character of the novel My Antonia, Jim grows up in Black Hawk, Nebraska from age 10 Eventually, he becomes a successful lawyer and moves to New York City.

In the late 19th century, orphaned Jim Burden is sent to the wilderness in Nebraska to live with his grandparents. He arrives at the same time as the Shimerda family, including the eldest daughter Ántonia, who becomes his closest neighbors. Life in the American West is tough, especially for the impoverished Shimerda family, and pioneers must struggle for survival. A friendship blossoms between Jim and Ántonia as they explore nature and have adventures together, a friendship that will last a lifetime. My Ántonia became an immediate success when first published and is today considered Willa Cather's first masterpiece. It is praised for its depiction of the American West and its ability to highlight the aspirations of ordinary, poor people in a time when it was customary to write about the elite. WILLA CATHER [1873-1947] was an American author. After studying at the University of Nebraska, she worked as a teacher and journalist. Cather's novels often focus on settlers in the USA with a particular emphasis on female pioneers. In 1923, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the novel One of Ours, and in 1943, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ally's feeling inadequate. Her only romantic experience amounts to a burping-in-mouth scenario with Keith Brownlow, but Kyra's only been in Crouch End two seconds and she's got herself a boyfriend! Even Ally's dad seems to be 'dating' - has he forgotten all about her mum? Still, Ally's not sure what's more worrying: not having a boyfriend, or being invited on a double date with Kyra, Ricardo and Ricardo's mystery mate...