"Alex loves his family, and yet he struggles to connect with his eight-year-old autistic son, Sam. The strain has pushed his marriage to the breaking point. So Alex moves in with his merrily irresponsible best friend on the world's most uncomfortable blow-up bed. As Alex navigates single life, long-buried family secrets, and part-time fatherhood, his son begins playing Minecraft. Sam's imagination blossoms and the game opens up a whole new world for father and son to share. Together, they discover that sometimes life must fall apart before you can build a better one. Inspired by Keith Stuart's own relationship with his autistic son, A Boy Made of Blocks is a tear-jerking, funny, and, most of all, true-to-life novel about the power of difference and one very special little boy"--
Vivir al margen ofrece una perspectiva única. Pero siempre llega un momento en la vida en que es necesario dar un primer paso, entrar en escena y ver el mundo desde dentro. Charlie es un chico de quince años realmente especial: es un lector voraz y apasionado, no sale con amigos ni con chicas y siempre anda reflexionando sobre el mundo desde un punto de vista muy particular. Tanto su carácter ingenuo como su incapacidad para relacionarse con normalidad y su extrema sinceridad le crean más de un problema, especialmente ahora que su único amigo ha muerto. Acaba de empezar el instituto, y la cosa no pinta demasiado bien para Charlie, pues no puede quitarse de encima el sambenito de bicho raro y sólo consigue establecer una suerte de relación con un profesor de Literatura interesado en despertar en él su genio creativo. Sin embargo, cuando conoce a Patrick y Sam, dos de los chicos más populares del instituto y con unas terribles ganas de exprimir la vida al máximo, Charlie empieza a comprender qué es crecer y hacerse adulto. Junto a la preciosa extrovertida Sam y al excéntrico Patrick, recorrerá los caminos inexplorados de la adolescencia: descubrirá música nueva, saldrá de fiesta... e incluso se enamorará por primera vez.
An unforgettable journey into the underworld of modern-day slavery, A Walk Across the Sun begins on December 26, 2004, as seventeen-year-old Ahalya Ghai and her younger sister, Sita, are walking on the beach outside their home in Chennai, India. Suddenly, the unimaginable happens: a devastating tsunami hits the shore, tearing their family apart instantly and leaving them orphaned and alone. As they attempt to travel toward safety inland, they are kidnapped and delivered to a Mumbai brothel, to begin new lives as captive prostitutes. In Washington, DC, a young lawyer, Thomas Clarke, is forced to take a sabbatical from his prestigious law firm. He chooses to serve his time with a non-profit group working in the red-light areas of Mumbai, where his wife, Priya, has returned to live with her family following the tragic loss of their child. Little does he know that his reluctant penance will soon turn into an international quest for the woman he has lost and a child he has never met. Though separated by half a world, the destinies of Thomas and the Ghai sisters become intertwined as Sita is trafficked to Paris and then New York. Before long, Thomas is navigating the brutal system of international human trafficking in an effort to reunite the sisters and save Sita's life. Unflinchingly gritty yet ultimately hopeful, A Walk Across the Sun is an eye-opening tale of family and survival.
En esta premiada novela de Hillary Jordan los prejuicios adquieren muchas formas, tanto sutiles como brutales. Es 1946, y Laura McAllan, una mujer de ciudad, trata de criar a sus hijos en la granja del Delta del Misisipi de su marido, lugar que encuentra extraño y aterrador, cuando dos jóvenes regresan de la guerra para trabajar la tierra. El primero, Jamie McAllan, cuñado de Laura, es todo lo que su marido no es; encantador, guapo y atormentado por sus recuerdos de combate. Por su parte, Ronsel Jackson, el hijo mayor de los aparceros negros que viven en la granja McAllan, ha vuelto a casa con el brillo de un héroe de guerra. Pero nada cuenta la valentía demostrada en defensa de su país: es considerado menos que un ser humano en el Sur. Es la improbable amistad de estos compañeros de armas la que conduce esta poderosa historia hasta su inexorable conclusión. Los hombres y mujeres de ambas familias protagonizarán una tragedia en su escala más épica. Mudbound es un libro memorable, conmovedor como pocos. Como afirma Barbara Kingsolver, "sus personajes caminaron directamente desde el Misisipi de 1940 hacia la zona de mi cerebro donde residen la simpatía, la ira y el amor, dejando mi corazón palpitante. Todavía están conmigo» «Una magistral historia sobre el pasado dividido de América» Puntuación: ***** (sobre 5) Jordan Hoffman: The Guardian «Mudbound es un himno a lo que todos compartimos �el esfuerzo humano, el deseo mutuo de tener éxito y crear un mundo mejor para nuestros hijos— y una crítica a quienes obstaculizan ese progreso.» Peter Debruge: Variety «La ganadora del Premio Bellwether a la mejor novela en promover la responsabilidad socialy᾽, Hillary Jordan, es felizmente una escritora que antepone asimismo su deber de entretener.» Emma Hagestadt: The Independent
A mystical story of Maori culture The birth of a daughter - Kahu - breaks the lineage of a Maori tribe. Rejected by her grandfather, Kahu develops the ability to communicate with whales, echoing those of the ancient Whale Rider after whom she was named. This magical and mythical novel tells of the conflict between tradition and heritage, from the perspective of Kahu's grandfather, and Kahu's destiny to secure the tribe's future. Age 11+ Ideal for studying multi-cultural texts, gender and environmental issues. The beautifully poetic style and twin narrative lends itself to the analysis of language.
Smithson Ide's life so far has led him nowhere. He's 43 years old, weighs 279 pounds, and keeps himself numb with food and alcohol. His only emotional ties are to his parents and to the memory of his older sister, Bethany, who has been missing for 20 years. Then his parents die in a car crash and he learns of Bethany's death in LA County. Suddenly there isn't enough beer in the world to keep Smithy from his feelings. Drunk and bereft, he takes his old Raleigh bicycle and starts cycling. Once he starts, he can't stop and then he's riding across America to recover his sister. Along the way he meets all sorts of people who help or hinder him. He hears the confession of a priest, he rescues a boy from a snow storm, he has a gun pointed in his face, he's hit by a truck and helps a man dying of AIDS. Smithy's ride is an extraordinary quest, to rediscover the past and memories of Bethany, but it's also his journey back to life.
