Wishing For Wings

Opus the penguin makes a Christmas wish that he might fly.

They were outcasts, the forgotten boys of Trinidad and Tobago imprisoned for violent crimes including armed robbery and murder. They had nothing left but a wish for a better life, the feeling that they would need an education to achieve their goals, and a desperate desire to find an English teacher. In 2010 Debbie Jacob entered the gates of the Youth Training Centre (YTC), the remand centre for boys in the Caribbean island of Trinidad - it would be a move that would change her life and the lives of her young charges forever. Based on a true story, Wishing for Wings recounts Debbie's challenging journey of preparing seven young men for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) English Language exam. Heartbreaking but also encouraging, Debbie's story and those of her students, offer an unprecedented look into the lives of troubled teens and boys in prison. The realities of the education and justice systems are brought into sharp focus as are issues such as teaching (formal) English in a Creole speaking environment. It is a story of challenge and triumph; of rebellion and redemption; of loss and of learning, but most of all it is about the Power of Love. Debbie Jacob took a chance with her students, and they took a chance with her. In the end, both teacher and students would discover just how much they had come to need each other. Impossible to put down, Wishing for Wings captures both the fear and the pleasure of one teacher in unchartered territory; and the hope and trust sustaining her students. The story of their journey together will make you cry and make you smile, but most of all, it will remind you of the enduring power of faith and love.

Sisters Addie and Clara have just moved to a new house in the country, where they discover that their backyard is a gateway to the enchanted realm of magical butterflies called Wishing Wings. These special butterflies have the power to make wishes come true! When a group of just-emerged butterflies -- New Blooms -- are in danger of losing their magic, Addie and Clara must team up with a pair of butterfly princesses to save them, making new friends and helping others along the way.

'I'LL FLY,' JENNA WHISPERED TO HERSELF. 'I'LL FLY, WHATEVER NED SAYS. WHATEVER ANYBODY SAYS...' Jenna is thirteen - and has suddenly realized what she wants to do with her life. She wants to fly. Like Grandad's heroine, Amy Johnson... But Jenna's wish for wings has to be put on hold when something awful happens: Grandad's souvenir of his wartime service - a loaded gun - goes missing. And Jenna is almost certain that her brother Ned has taken it...

Wishing for Wings is the culmination of an extraordinary legacy from a very gifted man of letters. The poems in this final collection were written over a short year--from the time of his lover's death in late March of 1993 through March 1994 when his own physical strength was severely diminished. Written during a time of great hardship, these poems bear witness to the tragic and yet fully realized life of a gay, HIV-positive artist. --Walter Holland.

When Ord the dragon blows out the candles on his birthday cake, his wish comes true, but the experience may not be as wonderful as he expects.

Nine-year-old Andrea orders wings—guaranteed to fly!—through an ad in her comic book. Incredibly, they work. This is the beginning of her exciting and disturbing adventures with the wings, culminating in a long flight and a difficult decision. “A fast-paced story with a spirited heroine and enough buoyancy to keep anyone who fancies flight.” —Booklist