Helen McAlpine

In the burgeoning industrial city of Glasgow in 1817 Jean Campbell - a young, Deaf woman - is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde.

No evidence is yielded from the river. Unable to communicate with their silent prisoner, the High Court calls in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution, in the hope that he will interpret for them and determine if Jean is fit for trial. If found guilty she faces one of two fates; death by hanging or incarceration in an insane asylum.

Through a process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Robert gains her trust, Jean confides in him, and Robert begins to uncover the truth, moving uneasily from interpreter to investigator, determined to clear her name before it is too late.

Novelista is a friendly, straight-talking writing guide for people who want to write a novel but don't know how to begin. It asks all the important questions and gives a host of reassuring answers that demonstrate that anyone can write a novel - even you!

To begin with, what the hell is a novel?

It's basically a tiny world, where characters are born, live and (sometimes) die. To write one all you need is a notebook and a pen - but along the way you'll want to learn about good writing habits, planning, mastering descriptions and dialogue and how to pull it all together. This book will guide you through the process and orient you towards the goal of publication.

From absolute beginner to novelista, this book will change the way you write and think about writing.

It's Shyla's birthday and she receives an amazing pair of binoculars. When Shyla tries them out with the Woodland Explorers, they notice a luminous glow coming from Willow Wish Woods - mushrooms! They are growing in a circle, known as a pixie ring and are meant to bring good luck. At Forest School, the gang are learning about fungi and how they connect plants underground in a huge network known as the Wood Wide Web. That night, Shyla has a dream. Fairies dance on a sea of mushrooms, and she follows them deep into the forest. Inspired, the gang follow the pixie rings into Willow Wish Woods. There they discover the stream, the Tadpole Run, is full of rubbish. The Woodland Explorers realise the fairies in Shyla's dream are giving them a clue: to be like the Wood Wide Web and bring the Tadpole Run back to life.