Just Don T Make A Scene Mum

Parents – Aaaaargh! Jemma’s are out of date. They still think she should wear the hand-knitted jumper with little bears on it to school – and they call her petal in public! Laura’s are divorced. Gone is the lovely big house. Now it is a grotty little one. And her mum was seen kissing Melvyn outside Tesco . . . Sumitha’s want her to keep their cultural traditions – which don’t include boys, make-up or a trendy hair cut . . . Jon’s keep bragging about his academic brilliance – but in reality it’s not stellar, nor is it where his heart is . . . Chelsea’s mum is a writer of ghastly features for the local paper, an agony aunt and a wearer of mini-skirts . . . The five teenagers’ paths (and those of their mortifyingly embarrassing parents) cross and part throughout this hilarious book set in Leehampton.

Do your parents ever stop making you cringe?Chelsea’s father sells soup from a van, which is bad enough, but he doesn’t have to park it on street corners for all her friends to see! Jemma is determined to be an actress – so why can’t her parents be a bit more supportive? Sumitha delights her parents by turning into a total swot – if only they knew the reason behind it . . . Jon is sure he’s never going to impress Sumitha when his ghastly, keep-fit fanatic of a father keeps calling her the wrong name, and his born-again student mother spends all her time at demos! Laura’s mother, pregnant and seemingly set on destroying the planet, forbids her to go on demos with the buff Daniel. Even worse, her father, now living with the Bestial Betsy, seems to be getting a little too keen on whisky . . .

Will Laura get to know the who wrecked his bike at her curb? Find out in "Just Don't Make a Scene, Mum!." "Cool, diverting comedy."--"The London Times."

The aim of this book is to get you writing. It's full of inspiration, tips and writing exercises for anyone who wants to write children's fiction. Included are tips from other published writers, useful links and answers to questions you've always wanted to ask. Includes chapters on: Know-how: the difference between writing for children and writing for adults. How to get ideas for your stories from your family, your work and your life - and how to expand those ideas. Creating believable characters children will love reading about. Writing by the seat of your pants, or plotting? Basic things you need to know for either approach. Writing realistic dialogue. Writing the first draft How to create 'reel them in' beginnings, sustain the pace in the middle, and write satisfying endings. How to write page-turning chapter endings; keeping continuity when writing series. Writing for the educational market. Writing a synopsis and a proposal. Submitting your work to a publisher or agent. Dealing with rejects and rewrites. Publicity and marketing. Publishing your own work.

First published as Whatever Makes You Happy, the hilarious and moving novel about mothers and their adult sons, now a Netflix original movie starring Felicity Huffman, Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette which has now been viewed on over 27 million accounts worldwide Matt, Daniel and Paul were childhood friends. Now in their thirties, they've lost touch and have only one thing in common: their mothers. Little do they know that, having spent a cardless Mother's Day discussing how their emotionally dysfunctional offspring should be settling down, Carol, Gillian and Helen have decided to pay their wayward sons a visit. On the same day, they turn up on their sons' doorsteps, uninvited and unannounced. Their plan is to reestablish the mother-son bond by moving in for one week. Just a week. Surely that's not a lot to ask...

Gary doesnt understand why his parents separated, or what he can do to make things right for his family. But his dad has promised that theyll be spending special time together on his eleventh birthday, so maybe hell get to learn more. Even better, perhaps hell be able to forge the bond with his dad that he so craves. As their adventure unfolds we hear about Garys past, his flashbacks revealing why he is the person that he has become. We share the highs and the lows of his birthday weekend, and discover just what a profound impact the events have on their relationship. We learn what Gary must do to cope in his adolescent years, and how the forces of nature and nurture continue to shape his life. Along the way, we see just how complicated life can become for a child when parents leave their conflicts unresolved.

Get on Stage! is a photocopiable resource book with 21 original sketches and plays for young learners and teens. The book is divided into four sections: Short humorous sketches, Medium-length sketches, Medium-length plays based on traditional stories and teen dramas. The DVD contains video recordings of three sample plays. The Audio CD contains audio recordings of a further 11 plays, and photocopiable worksheets to check students' comprehension and practise key vocabulary, lexical chunks and grammar. It also shows co-author Matt Devitt, professional actor and theatre director, rehearsing a play with a group of students.