Raven Black

Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series – now a major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall. A remote community with a killer in their midst . . . On New Year’s Day, Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance . . . The body is found close to the home of a lonely outcast and local suspicion falls firmly on him. But when Inspector Jimmy Perez insists on broadening the search for suspects, a veil of distrust and fear is thrown over the entire community. As the case develops, Perez finds himself peering deeper into the past of the Shetland Islands than anyone wants to go. The case files of Jimmy Perez continue in White Nights, the thrilling second Shetland novel.

In this gloriously illustrated companion to her novels, Ann Cleeves takes readers through a year on Shetland, learning about its past, meeting its people, celebrating its festivals and seeing how the flora and fauna of the islands changes with the seasons. An archipelago of more than a hundred islands, it is the one of the most remote places in the United Kingdom. Its fifteen hundred miles of shore mean that wherever one stands, there is a view of the sea. It has sheltered voes and beaches and dramatically exposed cliffs, lush meadows full of wild flowers in the summer and bleak hilltops where only the hardiest of plants will grow. It is a place where traditions are valued and celebrated, but new technologies and ways of working are also embraced. Whether it is the drama of the Viking fire festival of Up Helly Aa in winter, or the piercing blue and hot pink of spring flowers on the clifftops, the long, white nights of midsummer or the fierce gales and high tides of autumn, Shetland is vividly captured in all its bleak and special beauty.

From the beloved and acclaimed Elizabeth Wein comes a searing new novel about friendship, flying, and war. Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird brought down the plane their mothers were piloting. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes--among his own people in Ethiopia. Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict. Will their love for their country and each other be their downfall . . . or their salvation?

Winner of the 2022 ThrillerFest Award for Best Original Paperback Novel "[An] impressive historical thriller." —Publishers Weekly Ellis Island, 1920. New York Harbor's immigration and public health authorities are slowly recovering from the war years when a young, pregnant Irish woman disappears from the Isolation Hospital on Ellis Island. Stephen Robbins, a specialist in finding missing persons, is assigned the case. Yet when he arrives at the isolation hospital, he discovers an inexplicable string of deaths and disappearances among immigrant patients...and a staff that seems to be hiding a chilling secret. Stephen finds an ally in Lucy Paul, an undercover nurse who is also investigating the mysterious incidents. Together, they begin to unearth a horrifying conspiracy masked beneath the hospital's charitable exterior. As Stephen and Lucy get closer to the truth and each other, they are swept directly into the danger haunting Ellis Island and become the next targets. Amidst growing racial tensions in the wake of World War I, My Mistress’ Eyes are Raven Black explores the disturbing lengths to which people will go to protect racial purity and condemn those they fear.

The story is about a black princess who has a black father who realizes he is lonely when he sees other couples so happy. His daughter, Raven Black, suggests he search for a wife. Perhaps they could have a ball and eligible ladies could be presented for him to choose. The ball is over and everyone has gone when the trumpeters announce the arrival of Carlotta, a white, blond, beautiful woman. She was accompanied by Elizabeth, her duenna; Joseph, who does anything she wants; and a very rotund fortune-teller called Madam Karma. When Madam Karma tells her that the kings daughter will inherit everything, the fun begins. Carlotta is as evil as she is beautiful.

There are too many stories about Indigenous women who go missing or are murdered, and it doesn’t seem as though official sources such as government, police or the courts respond in a way that works toward finding justice or even solutions. At least that is the way Wren StrongEagle sees it. Wren is devastated when her twin sister, Raven, mysteriously disappears after the two spend an evening visiting at a local pub. When Wren files a missing persons report with the local police, she is dismissed and becomes convinced the case will not be properly investigated. As she follows media reports, Wren realizes that the same heartbreak she’s feeling is the same for too many families, indeed for whole Nations. Something within Wren snaps and she decides to take justice into her own hands. She soon disappears into a darkness, struggling to come to terms with the type of justice she delivers. Throughout her choices, and every step along the way, Wren feels as though she is being guided. But, by what?

A set of leveled readers with a First Nations focus. Strong Readers are chock full of science, numeracy, social responsibility, health and career education, language arts and oral language teachings. The books are rich with text features, connect easily to reading comprehension strategies and have beautiful illustrations and photographs. The majority of titles are interconnected which provide many teaching opportunities.