Showing results by narrator "Theo Solomon" in All Categories

Tim and Abi have always been different from their peers. Precociously bright, they spend their evenings in their parents' attic discussing the macabre and unexplained, zealously re-reading books on folklore, hauntings and the supernatural. In particular, they are obsessed with photographs of ghostly apparitions and the mix of terror and delight they provoke in their otherwise boring and safe childhoods. But when Tim and Abi decide to fake a photo of a ghost to frighten an unpopular school friend, they set in motion a deadly and terrifying chain of events.

Stand Up Straight applies 10 simple but transformative lessons that every officer is taught during their time at the world-famous military academy. Modern and counterintuitive, with its lessons ranging from making your bed and ironing your shirt to achieving discipline, emotional intelligence, resilience and fast decision-making under pressure, the book draws on firsthand experiences from war as well as the leadership lessons taught at Sandhurst.

With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door. Touring Soho’s music halls by night, pacing the streets as a postman by day, Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home - and it’s alive with possibility. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery.

A dinner party is held in the penthouse of a multimillion-pound development. All the guests are strangers - even to their host, the billionaire owner of the building. None of them know why they were selected to receive his invitation. Besides a postcode, they share only one thing in common - they've all experienced an unsettling occurrence within the building's walls. By the end of the night, their host is dead, and none of the guests will say what happened. His death remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries - until now.

Frantz Fanon's urgent, dynamic critique of the effects of racism on the psyche is a landmark study of the Black experience in a white world. Drawing on his own life and his work as a psychoanalyst to explore how colonialism's subjects internalize its prejudices, eventually emulating the 'white masks' of their oppressors, it established Fanon as a revolutionary anti-colonialist thinker.

Twenty years after living there as a child, Alexis Keir returns to the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. He is keen to uncover lost memories and rediscover old connections. But he also carries with him the childhood scars of being separated from his parents and put into uncaring hands.

Lucky is incredibly unlucky. Locked away and imprisoned for a crime he cannot remember committing, Lucky is now more comfortable with the four walls of his prison than the sky outside. That is, until he's ripped free from his prison and swept out into the ocean. . . and rescued by The Dreamer. The Dreamer is no ordinary ship; it's a vessel filled with outcasts, each with their own mysterious past and unique abilities. Soon Lucky discovers a hidden world of magic, treachery, and destiny. Bound by fate, Lucky finds himself inexplicably linked to Gabe, the kind-hearted son of the captain.

What will the future hold for those who are left? Koli has come a long way since being exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood. In his search for the fabled tech of the Old Times, he knew he'd be battling shunned men, strange beasts and trees that move as fast as whips. But he has already encountered so much more than he bargained for. Now that Koli and his companions have found the source of the signal they've been following - the mysterious "Sword of Albion" - there is hope that their perilous journey will finally be worth something.

Isaiah and his dad have recently moved to a new flat, but now his dad is struggling to pay rent due to illness. Soon, the landlord threatens eviction. In history class, Isaiah is intrigued to discover that in the Victorian period, his school used to be a hospital and his flat block was once a workhouse. In the basement of the flats, Isaiah discovers an old fireplace. When he lights it, a boy called Jacob appears. He tells Isaiah he's been sent to the workhouse after his dad disappeared. But he wants to escape.

Kai lives in a mixed-race family on a rural council estate in Somerset, where he and his three older sisters have three different dads and his mum is being led into crack addiction by his petty-thief father. He idolises his dad, adores his friend, Saffie, and the school rabbit, Flopsy, and is full of ambition to be the fastest runner in Middledown Primary. He and Saffie build a secret world of friendship in the school garden.

This incredible volume educates and inspires as it relates true stories of Black men in history. This illuminating text brings to life both iconic and lesser-known figures. Among these biographies, listeners will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop culture icons. The men featured include writer James Baldwin, artist Aaron Douglas, photographer Gordon Parks, diplomat Kofi Annan, comic book author Dwayne McDuffie and musician Prince.

Marina lives in Merlington, a fish-obsessed seaside town. Unfortunately, she doesn’t care for fish; she loves to tell stories. Marina finds her best story yet when she explores the ruined, haunted pier - a boy called William, with a head of tentacles and crab claws for hands. He has lived on the pier all his life, cared for by a fisherman who has since disappeared and who warned him always to remain hidden. Together, the pair resolve to unravel the mystery of his past - but danger lurks among the fishmongers.

An immersive anthology of stories examining home and belonging, with an introduction from former Waterstones Children’s Book Prize category winner Sharna Jackson, Happy Here features stories and poems by 10 Black British authors exploring themes of family, friendship, laughter, magic and peril - in different genres and styles, but all about joy.

It's been 10 years since Pretty Boy left the big city - today he's back. No one knows why, but it's clear that revenge is on his mind: he is determined to make the person responsible for his exile from the London scene finally pay. But his plans seem derailed when he takes possession of a bracelet, unaware that its original owner has set a high price for its safe return. Suddenly, the hunter becomes the hunted and Pretty Boy will have to find out if it is indeed a 'good day to die'.

In a quiet Surrey village sits Leventree, an architectural practice set up by idealistic couple Florence and Arthur Mayhood, offering apprenticeships to young offenders after their release. Motivated by his own memories of Borstal, Arthur aims to mentor young adults with a troubled upbringing and give them opportunities to succeed. Their first protégées are siblings, Joyce and Charlie Savigear, who quickly settle in; but when a dangerous figure from Joyce's past comes knocking, the Mayhoods' earnest hopes of doing good turn tragic.

Harry and Ava are space cadets living aboard Vantia1, a massive space station that was created after a black hole swallowed their home planet. The black hole was the work of an evil scientist, Vellis, who is holding Harry's parents hostage – and now he's invented a new and terrifying Beast, a three-headed droid dog that can dig up the precious element Vellis needs to power his deadly superweapons. Only Harry and Ava can defeat Vellis and rescue everyone from certain doom.

When Kyan finds a battered old racing-car game in the loft, he doesn't believe the big claims written on the box. I mean, what kind of 'Infinite Race' only has seven pieces of track? So it comes as a shock when the game really does take him on the journey of a lifetime – through multiple universes! Whether he’s a space pilot on the trail of underwater aliens or an unwitting robber in a stolen police car, every adventure is more thrilling than the last. When he lands in a universe as a stunt driver racing for a million-pound prize, he thinks he’s found the way to save his family and their home.

In 1919, Mohammed el Adl, the young Egyptian lover of British author E. M. Forster, spent six months in a jail cell. A century later, Kip Starling has locked himself in his Brooklyn basement study with a pistol and twenty-one gallons of Poland Spring to write Mohammed’s story. Kip has only three weeks until his publisher’s deadline to immerse himself in the mind of Mohammed who, like Kip, is Black, queer, an Other. The similarities don't end there.

Follow Peter and all his friends through beautiful night-time scenes and exciting woodland adventures before cosying-up for bedtime. Help Peter find a lost toy ladybird, camp by the lake, and even set out on a night-time raid of Mr. McGregor's vegetable patch! Featuring 24 stories, inspired by Beatrix Potter's original tales, and activities to help little ones create a healthy bedtime routine, this beautiful book makes the perfect gift to listen to every night and will become an evening tradition for Peter Rabbit fans young and old.

Harry and Ava are two ordinary kids doing their best to survive life on a massive space station, Vantia1, after their home planet was swallowed by a mysterious black hole known as the Void. Ava is training to be a fighter pilot, while Harry uses his talent for engineering to invent amazing gadgets that help him solve any problem standing in his way. And now Vantia1 is facing a crisis. When they intercept a secret message and discover that a mysterious and unidentified object is about to attack their home, Harry and Ava realise that only they can tackle the evil mastermind responsible.