Looking Back...at Secom

Welcome to Asia! Discover the incredible history and diversity of Asia in all its splendour, with this stunningly illustrated and fact-filled encyclopaedia. Dive deep into this vast and epic continent, looking at its incredible past, its fascinating present, and its exciting future. Amazing Asia celebrates the five geographic regions – East, West, North and Central, South and South East.Each regional section includes:Highly illustrated regional map: Understand the geography and get to know the region's countries and fascinating facts about each of them. Historical timeline and history spotlight: Time-travel back to explore Asia's magnificent empires and dynasties, rulers, leaders, protests and conflicts. People and culture: Learn about the important regional foods, ways of life, industry, arts and crafts, music and dance.Wildlife and landscapes: Explore breathtaking vistas, animal and plant life, such as the Bengal tiger, banyan trees, the Chocolate Hills, and the Mekong river. Spectac

Am I a murderer? You tell me . . .Lucy Chase can’t remember anything about the night her best friend was murdered.Lucky her, you’re probably thinking. Who would want that to be their last memory of someone they love?But for Lucy, it’s become an issue.Because everyone thinks she did it.But that was five years ago, and Lucy has put it all behind her. Or at least, she thought she had, until an interfering yet not bad-looking podcaster offers her the opportunity to join his investigation into the night she forgot.On the one hand, if she’s a murderer, it's probably better to know – right? On the other, if she didn’t do it, she’ll be putting herself back in the sights of the person who did.And either way, if you’ve already killed once, what’s to stop you from doing it again?Perfect for fans of None of This is True by Lisa Jewell and Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter.

The next enchanting instalment of the sensational #1 SUNDAY TIMES bestselling HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN fantasy series takes us back to the reign of Henry VIII and the origins of Her Majesty's Royal Coven under the beautiful, the bewitching, Anne Boleyn.‘There''s revenge, high stakes and an impassioned heroine… a brilliant re-imagining of an iconic historical moment.' GlamourBOW DOWN WITCHES It's 1536 and the Queen has been beheaded.Lady Grace Fairfax, witch, knows that something foul is at play – that someone had betrayed Anne Boleyn and her coven.Wild with the loss of their leader – and her lover, a secret that if spilled could spell Grace's own end – she will do anything in her power to track down the traitor.But there's more at stake than revenge: it was one of their own, a witch, that betrayed them, and Grace isn't the only one looking for her. King Henry VIII has sent witchfinders after them, and they're organized like they've never been before under his new advisor, the impassio

Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize1896. Tirzah, Sophia and Polly are best friends who’ve left boarding school and gone back to very different lives. Polly is teaching in an orphanage.Sophia is looking for a rich husband at the London Season. And Tirzah is stuck acting as an unpaid companion to her grandmother. In a series of letters, they share their hopes, their frustrations, their dramas ...and their romances. Can these three very different young women find happiness?'An addictive, romantic epistolary novel' Guardian'This immersive, uplifting book is an absolute delight' Irish Times'Thrilling and cleverly constructed' Daily Mail'A gorgeous, immersive book' Observer'An unputdownable friendship story' Hilary McKay

A beautiful and urgent exploration of the experience of child poverty from Tom Percival, creator of the bestselling Big Bright Feelings series, for fans of Boy at the Back of the Class. Working in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, £1 from the sale of a hardback copy in the UK will go towards supporting children in poverty.'Powerful and moving with the potential to change lives' Hannah Gold'Full of empathy and most importantly, heart' Phil EarleThere's a bunch of kids in there and suddenly they're all looking at me like someone who can actually do something, not just some weirdo with the wrong shoes and a rubbish coat . . .Will has the wrong shoes – he's always known it but doesn't know how to change it. Navigating the difficulties of home and school when you feel you stick out is tough, but finding confidence with the help and empathy of friends can be all you need to see the way.Praise for The Wrong Shoes:‘An extraordinary, powerful and moving book that has

A story for all ages from the author of the #1 bestselling Born a Crime“But sooner or later your mother will find us,” Walter said, looking back at the house. “She always does.”The boy’s eyes lit up again. He had an idea.“Then this time we need to go where we’ve never gone before,” he said. “Into the uncut grass!”In the tradition of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse comes a gorgeously illustrated fable about a young child’s journey into the world beyond the shadow of home, a magical landscape where he discovers the secrets of sharing, connection, and finding peace with the people we love. Infused with the author’s signature wit and imagination, in collaboration with masterful artist Sabina Hahn, it’s a tale for readers of all ages—to be read aloud or read alone.

一場懷舊校園日，竟變成鼠災現場？列尼、山姆和新同學潔西卡展開一場抓鼠大作戰，代價是一切——名聲、衛生、還可能是校長的震怒！笑料不斷的情節與黑白插圖交織，讓讀者彷彿跟著三人一同在教室裡上演一場超展開冒險。Hilarious school-based comedy for 7+ with black and white illustrations throughout. A modern day Just William!Lenny Lemmon is looking forward to Olden Days Day at school. It's a chance to break the routine and try school as it was years ago.It explains the blackboard in the corner, his teacher's bad temper and why his friend Sam looks like Oliver Twist. And Lenny's pleased with his own contribution, too. It's in a cardboard box at the back of the class at the moment because it's not yet time to shine.Except it escapes and ends up in the bowl of sick, sorry, gruel, that Amelia Kelly has brought up, sorry, in. Soon there are small, gruelly footprints all over the classroom and also a lot of screaming because the rat that Lenny found by the back of the chip shop is FREE. It takes the arrival of cool new girl, Jessica Conrad, to distract everyone.Jessica has a plan to catch the rat but it'l

E. B. White Read-Aloud winner Mac Barnett celebrates individuality in a story told with tenderness and subtlety.It’s John’s big day at school today – a performance for Sharing Gifts time. His bag is carefully packed and prepared, his classmates are ready, and the curtain is waiting to open. John is nervous, looking out at all the other children staring back at him. But he takes a big breath and begins. Mac Barnett’s compassionate text and Kate Berube’s understated and expressive art tell the story of a kid who finds the courage to show others his talent for dancing.

The extraordinary YA TikTok sensation about learning to survive unthinkable trauma from bestselling author, Amber Smith'After finishing this book, my heart was pounding and I couldn’t find words big enough to describe how brilliant, beautiful, and powerful it is.' L.E. Flynn, author of All Eyes On HerAll Eden wants is to rewind the clock. To live that day again. She would do everything differently.Not laugh at his jokes or ignore the way he was looking at her that night. And she would definitely lock her bedroom door. But Eden can’t turn back time.So she buries the truth, along with the girl she used to be. She pretends she doesn’t need friends, doesn’t need love, doesn’t need justice. But as her world unravels, one thing becomes clear: the only person who can save Eden… is Eden.‘A courageous, necessary, and beautiful book.' Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces'A raw novel that’ll stay with you long after you finish.' Buzzfeed

A razor-sharp contemporary debut about two teens who can’t sleep spending the night uncovering the secrets of their neighborhoodIngrid can’t sleep. She can’t remember, either.A competitive diver, seventeen-year-old Ingrid is haunted by what she saw at the pool at a routine meet, before falling off the high dive and waking up concussed. The only thing she remembers about the moment before her dive is locking eyes with Van―her neighbor, former best friend, and forever crush―kissing his girlfriend on the sidelines. But that can’t be all.Then one sleepless night, she sees Van out her window looking right back at her. They begin not sleeping together by night, still ignoring each other at school by day.Ingrid tells herself this is just temporary, but soon, she and Van are up every night piecing her memory back together. As Van works through his own reasons for not being able to sleep, they’re both pulled into a mystery that threatens to turn their quiet neighborhood into a darker place than

John Irving, one of the world’s greatest novelists, returns with his first novel in seven years―a ghost story, a love story, and a lifetime of sexual politics.In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor.Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift, they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees.John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time―among them, The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules. A visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance, Irving is a bard of alternative families. In The Last Chairlift,

In this book from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of modern times.Little Elizabeth loved dogs and horses and dreamt of living on a farm. But, one day, she heard chants on the streets. Her uncle Edward had renounced the crown, which meant her father would be the next king, and she heiress to the throne. From that day on, she had to learn how to one day be the queen.When she was only 13, World War Two broke out across the globe. Elizabeth bravely served as an ambulance driver, and after the war ended, she fell in love with and married the charming Prince Philip. In 1952, she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, and for the next 70 years she would serve as a beacon of continuity, looking after her subjects and serving the country she reigned over.This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos

In this book from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of modern times.Little Elizabeth loved dogs and horses and dreamt of living on a farm. But, one day, she heard chants on the streets. Her uncle Edward had renounced the crown, which meant her father would be the next king, and she heiress to the throne. From that day on, she had to learn how to one day be the queen.When she was only 13, World War Two broke out across the globe. Elizabeth bravely served as an ambulance driver, and after the war ended, she fell in love with and married the charming Prince Philip. In 1952, she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, and for the next 70 years she would serve as a beacon of continuity, looking after her subjects and serving the country she reigned over.This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos

A beautiful, sweeping, multigenerational narrative that spans from nineteenth century south China to modern day Singapore.I would learn that when families tell stories, what they leave out re-defines what they keep in. With my family, these were not secrets intentionally withheld. Just truths too painful to confront.In the last years of her life, Teresa Lim's mother, Violet Chang, had copies of a cherished family photograph made for those in the portrait who were still alive. The photo is mounted on cream card with the name of the studio stamped at the bottom in Chinese characters.The place and date on the back: Hong Kong, 1935.Teresa would often look at this photograph, enticed by the fierceness and beauty of her great-aunt Fanny looking back at her. But Fanny never seemed to feature in the family stories that were always being told and retold. Why? she wondered.This photograph set Teresa on a journey to uncover her family's remarkable history. Through detective work, serendipity, and

The deep sea is the last, vast wilderness on the planet. For centuries, myth-makers and storytellers have concocted imaginary monsters of the deep, and now scientists are looking there to find bizarre, unknown species, chemicals to make new medicines, and to gain a greater understanding of how this world of ours works. With an average depth of 12,000 feet and chasms that plunge much deeper, it forms a frontier for new discoveries.The Brilliant Abyss tells the story of our relationship with the deep sea - how we imagine, explore and exploit it. It captures the golden age of discovery we are currently in and looks back at the history of how we got here, while also looking forward to the unfolding new environmental disasters that are taking place miles beneath the waves, far beyond the public gaze. Throughout history, there have been two distinct groups of deep-sea explorers.Both have sought knowledge but with different and often conflicting ambitions in mind. Some people want to quench t

A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant ';beach read to end all beach reads' (Entertainment Weekly) about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through all of life's ups and downsfrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good in Bed and Best Friends Forever.Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn't spoken one word to Drue in all this timeshe doesn't even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social mediaso when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless. Drue was always the one who had everythingexcept the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne's no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She's built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a

我們終究沒能重返那個純淨又躁動的夏日青春。 Growing up, it was always the three of them: Miller and Olly and Ash. They stuck together, like they were keeping a secret. They needed each other. As teenagers, they drove to LA, lived in a ramshackle place on the beach in Malibu, set up a record label. They were successful, best friends and Olly and Miller fell in love. Before it fell apart, it was beautiful.Then Olly stopped looking at Miller the way he used to. Miller spent a night with Ash, which turned into a marriage. And Miller and Ash came back to Wonderland, the tidal island of sugary painted houses they'd run away from. Now Miller's forty and she feels like she's disappearing. She wears her tinted sunglasses so often sometimes she forgets the world isn't green. Ash is having an affair with a helmet-haired tv presenter and Olly's career is over. Olly doesn't want to think about what he was going to owe, what any of them owed, to each other. But after everything that has happened, Wonderland is the only p

A collection of conservation stories looking at rewilding―the process of returning animals and plants to habitats where they once thrived.Discover inspiring stories of wildlife brought back from the b

Celebrate the beauty and diversity of life in the Arab diaspora throughout the year.Wrapping grape leaves, playing doumbek, drawing henna tattoos,we’re Arab, Arab, Arab, the whole year through!Yallah! From January to December, join some busy kids as they partake in traditions old and new. There’s so much to do, whether it’s learning to write Arabic or looking at hijab fashion sites while planning costumes for a local comic convention. With details as vivid as the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle perfume (made to remind Mom of Morocco), children bond with friends, honor tradition, and spend loving time with family. Accompanied by buoyant and charming illustrations, this portrait of Arab life and childhood zeal is sure to bring joy all year round. Back matter includes an extensive glossary and notes to enrich the experience for readers of any culture.

Heartsick unpacks the destruction of love by following the true stories of three lives altered by a major heartbreak.I wrote this book for the person who doesn’t want to be told that this too shall pass. Not yet. Who wants to sit with it. And see it for what it is. Who wants to know they’re not alone. That their pain is at once unique and universal. Belonging to them and everyone.When we’re thrown into the chaos of heartsickness, we focus so much on the end. The fact we are now unloved seems so much more important than the reality that we once were.This book was born in the hours I’ve waited for men to message me back and who never did. In the years full of almost-relationships, where I thought I cannot handle another rejection and then found myself turned down by someone I wasn’t even sure I liked. I wrote this book because I know what it is to feel fundamentally unlovable. I knew when I was looking for Ana, Patrick and Claire that their stories had to be true, because within them wou

Awaken the dormant dreams in your heart and start paving a path toward freedom and healing.Sometimes life smacks us upside the head while we are looking the other way. We get knocked down and struggle to get back up. But your past struggles do not determine your future.Using the pain of her past, Nicole Crank walks you through the hurdles meant to keep you down, which will, in turn, bring you closer to God. I Will Thrive gives you the courage to look at your past and be able to declare freedom from fear--allowing a daring spirit to rise up in those who have forgotten how to be brave. This freedom awakens the fight that's inside of you to stand up to the enemy and dream again.Regardless of what happened to you or even because of you, God's plan for you always has a hope and a future, and it never changes. You'll learn to find healing and happiness in every day.

First man on the Moon Neil Armstrong reveals the adventure of the first Moon landing, and how the Earth and the Moon came to be, in this unique non-fiction picture book.A young boy sits up in bed and gazes at the distant Moon through his window. He wonders if, one day, a human will stand on its surface and look back at the Earth. But Earth is already being studied from the Moon. An all-seeing Moon rock of almost impossible age, called Bok, has been looking down at our blue and green planet for millennia.

A gentle introduction to horses will draw both committed horse lovers and those who need a little reassurance before jumping into the saddle.I have a friend named Catherine, and she has a horse named Shannon. “Come and meet her,” Catherine says.A little boy isn’t sure if he likes horses, but his friend Catherine assures him that her horse will like him. Shannon is very big, but she’s beautiful, throwing her head up and looking at him with her dark eyes as if she knows everything there is to know. Catherine patiently teaches the boy how to talk to a horse quietly, how to feed her carrots, how to lead her across a field, even how to blow at her softly to show that he likes her. But is he really ready to climb up on Shannon’s back and take a ride? Facts about horses are sprinkled throughout to satisfy inquisitive readers.

A tender, beautifully illustrated story about a girl in America and her grandmother in India, whose love stretches between languages and cultures―and across the world.When Jyoti visits her grandmother halfway around the world, she is overwhelmed by the differences between India and home. At first she feels lonely and out of place, but soon, despite a language barrier, she and Sita Pati are able to understand each other. They form a bond―looking at books together, making designs with colored sand, shopping at the market, playing games, eating chapatis, and sipping warm milk with saffron to bring sweet dreams. When it’s time to part, Jyoti doesn’t want to leave, but then she remembers that in Tamil, people don’t say goodbye, they say “I’ll go and come back.” Sure enough, the two reunite the next summer when Pati visits Jyoti in America, and it’s Jyoti’s turn to make her grandmother feel welcome. Can they create some special memories that will last until the next time they see each other?

E. B. White Read-Aloud winner Mac Barnett celebrates individuality in a story told with tenderness and subtlety.It’s John’s big day at school today―a performance for Sharing Gifts time. His bag is carefully packed and prepared, his classmates are ready, and the curtain is waiting to open. John is nervous, looking out at all the other children staring back at him. But he takes a big breath and begins. Mac Barnett’s compassionate text and Kate Berube’s understated and expressive art tell the story of a kid who finds the courage to show others his talent for dancing.

This book argues that core concepts in EU citizenship law are riddled with latent fissures traceable back to the earliest case law on free movement of persons, and that later developments simply compounded such defects. By looking at these defects, not only could Brexit have been predicted, but it could also have been foreseen that unchecked problems with EU citizenship would potentially lead to its eventual dismantling during an era of widespread populism and considerable challenges to further integration. Using a critical constructivist approach, the author painstakingly outlines the 'temple' of citizenship from its foundations upwards, and offers a deconstruction of concepts such as 'worker', the role of non-economic actors, the principle of equal treatment, and utterances of citizenship. In identifying inherent fissures in the concept of solidarity and post national identification, this book poses critical questions and argues that we need to reconstruct EU citizenship from the bot

In this memorable story, a young boy finds solace flying his kite from the rooftop after soldiers take his father and brother away. Without his father and brother, the young boy's life is turned upside down. He and his family have to stay inside, along with everyone else in town. At suppertime, he can't stop looking at the two empty places at the table and his sister can't stop crying. The boy looks out the window and is chilled to see a tank's spotlight searching the park where he plays with his friends. He hears shouts and gunshots and catches sight of someone running in the street - if only they could fly away, he thinks. Each day the curfew is lifted briefly, and the boy goes to the park to see his friends. One day, inspired by the wind in the trees, he has an idea. Back at home he makes a kite, and that night he flies it from his rooftop, imagining what it can see. In this moving story from Anne Laurel Carter, with haunting illustrations by Akin Duzakin, a young boy finds strength

Piloting is an important form of policy experimentation and a promising tool for policymakers to innovate, formulate and test alternative policy designs for the future. While this is recognized in theory, there are several challenges in realizing a pilot's potential to do so in practice. Addressing these challenges ask for a deeper understanding of the design of policy pilots and their outcomes in terms of how they mainstream into routine policymaking. Looking back at selected national piloting initiatives in Indian agriculture over a period of twenty-five years, this book draws insights for policy theory and practice. Design features of pilots that are found to influence their scaling-up and translation into formal policies (or not) are distilled from literature and compared across the selected cases. Theoretical insights from the book can be extended and adapted to agricultural policymaking in other Asian countries as well as to policy formulation in other sectors.

Perfect for children of all ages, this heartfelt story opens the curtains on the story of how we can all feel together even when we are far apart.Out the window, I can seea new world looking back at m

Every baby's paper bracelet held a mother's secret... 'Utterly moving and compelling. That first line...wow! I was hooked' Patricia Scanlan'Fantastic storytelling looking back at Ireland's dark pas

Sixteen-year-old Nina isn't made of sugar and spice and everything nice. She is flesh and blood and desire, but she longs to know real love. Unconditional love. The kind her mother told her doesn't exist.National Book Award FinalistReeling from a shameful breakup with a boy she unabashedly worshipped, Nina drifts between school and her days volunteering at a dog shelter. But she's looking for something more. A way to fix her mistakes. Unsure of how to move on, Nina peels back the moments that have shaped her and given her a view of girlhood distorted by violence and sacrifice. One that led her to do something unspeakable to a fellow student.As Nina grapples with regret, strange memories of a trip to Italy with her mother start to surface. Layer by layer, Elana K. Arnold reveals their painful effect, and questions what love really means.Raw, emotional writing and a frank portrayal of the world teen girls live in set this award-winning book apart as a stunning chronicle of self-acceptanc

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our histor

"Sophie cautiously picked her way across the rutted yard, noticing that the dog was looking back at her to make sure she was following. She carefully climbed the steps and crossed the rustic porch....

“If only someone had told me…” is a thought that has crossed every horse person’s mind at one time or another: when faced with some mistake; when looking back on a scenario that could have played out

One day, a sloth accidentally gets delivered to the Zoom! She was supposed to be dropped off at the Zzzzzoo, a much more laid-back, slow-paced place. She had been looking forward to long, languorous naps while the sun gently warmed her belly. But at the Zoom, the zebras gallop so fast they leave their stripes in puddles. The monkeys climb so fast they forget to stop at the treetops. And the parrots fly so fast their tails draw rainbows across the sky. When the sloth tries to make friends, nobody has any time—until the sloth meets a creature who’s a little more her speed, and everyone stops to notice. This is a surprising, delightful, and funny picture book about slowing down to enjoy the little things and making time for what matters.

Looking back at her lengthy career just four years before her death, modernist painter Nell Blaine said, "Art is central to my life. Not being able to make or see art would be a major deprivation." Th

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fe

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fe