Showing results by narrator "Nneka Okoye" in All Categories

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them. But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality tv show.

Anuri's stepmother, Ophelia, is the ultimate 'mumfluencer'. Throughout Anuri's childhood, she catalogued every minute, milestone and carefully curated family outing on social media, cultivating a devoted—and sizable—following. Now twenty-five years old, life looks pretty perfect on the outside. Ophelia's fans could be forgiven for wondering why Anuri spends much of her time insulting men online for money, battling the call of alcohol, running from a PhD application, and reminding herself that she is now allowed to choose her own outfits.

Paris, 1938: Runaway heiress Juliette Willoughby perishes, with her married lover, in an accidental studio fire alongside her Surrealist masterpiece, Self Portrait as Sphinx. Cambridge, 1991: Two art history students stumble across proof something sinister was at play in Juliette's death, threatening to expose the long-buried secrets of the artist's aristocratic family. Dubai, Now: An art dealer is accused of the brutal murder of his oldest friend – the last surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty.

Jasmine’s dad is a farmer, and her mum is a large-animal vet, so Jasmine spends a lot of time caring for animals and keeping them out of trouble. Unfortunately, this often means she gets into hot water herself. When Jasmine and Tom rescue an abandoned kitten, Jasmine is desperate to keep her. But her parents decide to sell Holly - and Jasmine is NOT happy with her new owner! Can Jasmine and Tom give Holly the best-ever Christmas present - a good home?

A sick puppy abandoned on Jasmine’s farm urgently needs her help to survive. And though he adores her, Jasmine doesn’t know if Sky will ever trust people again. But it’s not until she gets into terrible danger that she finds out....

When a nesting duck is killed in a terrible accident, Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, rescue the eggs and try to hatch them in an incubator. It’s a risky business, but soon Button is running around, getting into scrapes. Until the day he gets into a scrape with no escape.

It’s lambing time on the farm, and Jasmine has her hands full. She has two orphaned baby birds to care for, as well as a tiny motherless lamb who needs her attention. She’s determined to look after little Lucky and keep him safe. But there are bigger dangers facing the flock, ones that come in the dead of night.

1907: Twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of his time locked in an attic room of a large house by the sea. Taken from his homeland and treated as an unpaid servant, he dreams of his family in Africa even if, as the years pass, he struggles to remember his mother’s face, and sometimes his real name. Decades later, Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege, will find herself banished to the same attic.

Sisters Cheta and Zam couldn’t be more different. Cheta, sharp-tongued and stubborn, never shies away from conflict—either at school or at home, where her mother fires abuse at her. Timid Zam escapes most of her mother’s anger, skating under the radar and avoiding her sister whenever possible. In a lucky turn, Zam is invited to live in her aunt’s luxurious home. Jealous, Cheta also leaves home, but to a hard existence that will drive her to terrible decisions. When the sisters are reunited, Zam alone sees just how far Cheta has fallen—and Cheta’s fate is in Zam’s hands.

Ruth dares to dream of another life—far away from the horrors within the walls of Bethnal Green’s infamous orphanage. Luckily she has her friends, Amy and Ellen—but she can’t keep them safe, and the suffering is only getting worse. Surely there must be a way out of here? But when Ruth breaks free from the shackles of confinement and sets out into East London, hoping to make a new life for herself, she finds that, for a girl with nowhere to turn, life can be just as tough on the outside.

Culture will keep you fit and healthy. Culture will bring communities together. Culture will improve your education. This is the message from governments and arts organisations across the country; however, this book explains why we need to be cautious about culture. Offering a powerful call to transform the cultural and creative industries, Culture Is Bad for You examines the intersections between race, class, and gender in the mechanisms of exclusion in cultural occupations.

When Jasmine learns that Mr. Hobson has grown too old to take care of his pet donkey, Mistletoe, she is determined that they won’t be parted. Of course, this means Mistletoe will have to come and live with her. With Christmas coming, how can she convince her parents to give her this most unusual present?

Jasmine has secretly rescued a baby goat. She’s gorgeous, but she’s really naughty! Will her amazing antics persuade Jasmine’s parents to let her stay, or will Jasmine have to say goodbye to Willow forever?

Jasmine’s dad is a farmer and her mum is a large-animal vet, so Jasmine spends a lot of time caring for animals and keeping them out of trouble. Unfortunately, this often means she gets into hot water herself. When Jasmine sees a tiny, unloved piglet left to fend for itself, she knows it will die without her help. So she smuggles it home to her farm to nurse it back to health. But she can’t keep Truffle forever, and then, one stormy night, disaster strikes.

What is it like to be spring cleaned? Find out in this tragicomic tale about a self-absorbed Hair Spider, an anxious Fluff Ball and a friendly Dust Bunny. The perilous journey of these three friends is sure to suck you in.

Anna Robinson has it all. A loving husband. A son she adores. A close circle of friends. When Anna disappears overnight, everyone is desperate to uncover what happened. Why would Anna leave her perfect life behind? Is she the victim of something more sinister? At the playground gates, it's not long before rumours start to circulate. Someone must know the truth. And as the pressure mounts, it won't be long before they crack.

When young James Dixon, a local jack-of-all-trades recently returned from the Battle of Waterloo, meets Dorothy Wordsworth, he quickly realizes he’s never met another woman anything like her. In her early 30s, Dorothy has already lived a wildly unconventional life. And as her famous brother William Wordsworth’s confidante and creative collaborator - considered by some in their circle to be the secret to his success as a poet - she has carved a seemingly idyllic existence for herself, alongside William and his wife, in England’s Lake District.

No magician has ever escaped Coldwater Prison. But that is exactly where Amanda Coleman, heist artist and Abra-killer, must go. Somewhere in London, a mysterious blackmailer has enough evidence to put Amanda’s head in a noose and ensure her only remaining daughter, Michaela, is right alongside her when it happens. To save Michaela, Amanda must assassinate one of Coldwater’s most infamous residents. But the only way in is as an inmate. But a notorious Abra-killer like Amanda can expect a few old enemies in a prison full of mages, and they have their own plans.

Morgan is a young orphan who lives off scavenging - until he finds a cosy home at a famous London publishing house. Over time, he learns a trade - and soon becomes the very best book cat in the business. Then the Blitz begins. Morgan finds himself training up 20 odd kittens to be book cats, and then there is the small matter of secretly evacuating them out of London. Happily, Morgan has a plan.

It is the 1990s, and Gloria is living in a London psychiatric ward. She is unapologetically loud, audacious and eternally on the brink of bursting into song. After several months of uninterrupted routine, she is joined by another young Black woman - Merle - who is full of silences and fear. Unable to confide in their doctors, they agree to journal their pasts. Whispered into tape recorders and scrawled ferociously at night, the remarkable stories of their lives are revealed.