Welcome to Nowhere is a powerful and beautifully written story about the life of one family caught up in civil war by the award-winning author Elizabeth Laird, shortlisted for the Scottish Teen Book Award and winner of the UKLA Book Award. Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . . Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home? '[Sings] with truth' - The Times 'A muscular, moving, thought-provoking book' - Guardian 'Humane and empathetic . . . an effective call to action' - The Sunday Times 'Powerful, heart-breaking and compelling' - Scotsman

“Reminiscent of Louis Sachar’s Holes with its quirky characters and unique desert setting, this is a middle-grade read that will easily transport readers somewhere special.” —School Library Journal (Starred review) When you come from Nowhere, can you ever really make it anywhere? Author Dusti Bowling (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus) returns to the desert to create a gripping story about friendship, hope, and finding the power we all have within ourselves.​ Welcome to Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the United States. For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere’s biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of the best racers in Nowhere, comes to his rescue—but in return she has to give Bo her prized dirt bike. Determined to buy it back, Gus agrees to go searching for gold in Dead Frenchman Mine, joined by his old friends Jessie Navarro and Matthew Dufort, and Rossi herself. As they hunt for treasure, narrowly surviving everything from cave-ins to mountain lions, they bond over shared stories of how hard life in Nowhere is—and they realize this adventure just may be their way out.

How to build a transportation system to provide mobility for all Road to Nowhere exposes the flaws in Silicon Valley’s vision of the future: ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft to take us anywhere; electric cars to make them ‘green’; and automation to ensure transport is cheap and ubiquitous. Such promises are implausible and potentially dangerous. As Paris Marx shows, these technological visions are a threat to our ideas of what a society should be. Electric cars are not a silver bullet for sustainability, and autonomous vehicles won’t guarantee road safety. There will not be underground tunnels to eliminate traffic congestion, and micromobility services will not replace car travel any sooner than we will see the arrival of the long-awaited flying car. In response, Marx offers a vision for a more collective way of organizing transportation systems that considers the needs of poor, marginalized, and vulnerable people. The book argues that rethinking mobility can be the first step in a broader reimagining of how we design and live in our future cities. We must create streets that allow for social interaction and conviviality. We need reasons to get out of our cars and to use public means of transit determined by community needs rather than algorithmic control. Such decisions should be guided by the search for quality of life rather than for profit.

Long past its heyday and deep in drought, the riverside hamlet of Nowhere River is slowly fading into a ghost town. It’s a place populated by those who are beholden to it, those who were born to it and those who took a wrong turn while trying to go somewhere else. City-born Carra married into Nowhere River, Lucie was brought to it by tragedy, Josie is root-bound and Florence knows nowhere else. All of them, though familiar with every inch of their tiny hometown, are as lost as the place itself. The town’s social cornerstone — St Margery’s Ladies’ Club — launches a rescue plan that turns everything around and upside down, then shakes it until all sorts of things come floating to the surface. And none of its inhabitants will ever be the same again. This is the highly original and heartfelt story of a place where everybody knows everything, but no one really knows anyone at all. Brimming with heart and humour, this is a delightful novel that celebrates the country people and towns of Australia. 'A small town in Tasmania given the warm spotlight it deserves. Funny, sad, relatable, full of people who continue to breathe well after the last page. A beautifully nuanced read from start to finish.' Marta Dusseldorp ‘Full of wit and wisdom, Welcome To Nowhere River is an uplifting page-turner, and the perfect weekend read. So why not pour yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up and visit the quirky town of Nowhere River. We promise you’ll love it there.’ Better Reading

Rachel Fletcher is eleven years old when she, her mother and sister are crammed on board the Exodus, a dilapidated vessel smuggling 4500 Jewish refugees risking their lives to reach Palestine, their biblical homeland. Despite all they had suffered during the Holocaust, Jewish refugees are still not wanted in many countries. Even a Canadian immigration officer famously said at the time "None is too many" when asked how many refugees Canada would take in. Nonetheless, Rachel and the other refugees refuse to give up hope when war ships surround them. Their fight, and the worldwide attention it brought, influenced the UN to vote for the creation of the state of Israel. Made famous by the Paul Newman film "Exodus", this is the first book for young people about the ship that helped make history.

A little revenge never hurt anybody... When a gambling debt puts him between a rock and a swim in the Hudson with concrete shoes, Smithy has no choice but to take the worst job imaginable. The gig - as prey in leprechaun hunt for a bunch of Wallstreet jerks - goes as badly as it sounds. He could leave it there and write it off as a harsh lesson learned, but fourteen months later when Smithy comes up with a plan to take his revenge on the man behind it all, it is too good to resist. What is it they say about best-laid plans? Instead of teaching his nemesis, Louis, a valuable lesson, Smithy ends up saving him from an assassin. From there, Smith and his friend Diller are dragged into his opponent's messed-up world. Louis is part of 'the Collectors' a group with way more money than sense dedicated to the competitive acquisition of truly one-of-a-kind items that define the secret history of the world. When one of the group's members loses his marbles, Smithy and Diller find themselves shanghaied to Nowhere. A well-named location in the middle of the desert, where a madman is trying to build an army from the worst of mankind. Welcome to Nowhere is a wild ride from the author renowned for the darkly comic thrills of The Dublin Trilogy series and the McGarry Stateside books. It is a standalone novel that is a perfect introduction to McDonnell's blend of comedy and compelling story that is earning him a growing legion of loyal fans.

Stranded at an inn during a blizzard, Matt enjoys the snow and the time off from school until he learns that the innkeeper and all the other guests are really aliens who have come to Earth to study human life.

A House Without Walls is a powerful story of family, hope and redemption amidst the refugee crisis in Syria from the award-winning Elizabeth Laird, illustrated by Lucy Eldridge. Thirteen-year-old Safiya and her family have been driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is – lucky not to be living in a refugee camp, lucky to be alive. But it's hard to feel grateful when she's forced to look after her father and brother rather than go back to school, and now that she's lost her home, she's lonelier than ever. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete and with her own future in the balance, it's time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried.

The sorceress of psychological suspense is back with the first book in her highly-anticipated new Nowhere, USA series. Ninie Hammon is at her career-best in Jabberwock — a tale that will keep you up all night turning pages. Nower County was never a hard place to leave. But now, leaving is impossible. When drunk teenagers add letters to the Welcome to Nower County sign, making it Welcome to NowHerE County, nobody repaints it. Why bother? Everyone knows they live in the middle of nowhere. Children’s book author Charlie McClintock and her three-year-old daughter, Merrie, return home to settle Charlie’s recently deceased mother’s affairs. It’s the first time since high school that she and childhood friends Sam Sheridan and Malachi Tackett have been reunited. A beat of happiness before Charlie experiences an unexplainable disaster. A bizarre storm blows through the Appalachian Mountains and literally wipes Nowhere County off the map. The outside world forgets the tiny town ever existed, and no one can leave. Anyone who tries wakes up in the Dollar General Store parking lot with blinding headaches, gushing nosebleeds, and no clue what happened to them. Locals name the shimmering mirage on the county line that imprisons them the Jabberwock. Abby Clayton thinks it's Charlie’s pet. Desperate to bring her baby home from the hospital across county lines, Abby is the only person who has dared to “ride the Jabberwock” more than once. She believes it spoke to her. Brain-damaged, barely able to walk from her injuries, Abby hatches a deranged plot to force Charlie to make the Jabberwock set them free. Will Malachi manage to stop her and save Charlie and Merrie in time? And can Abby survive one more ride on the Jabberwock? ★★★★★ "I am gob-smacked! I love this book and will probably read it again. The characters are all my friends now, and I can't wait to read the next book. It isn't a quick read, but I was done before I knew it, before I was ready. Thank you again, Ninie, keep them coming!!" -- mj ★★★★★ "Move over, Stephen King! Ninie has outdone herself with this thriller! Stay on the edge of your seat as characters just disappear and then reappear elsewhere. What’s causing this? The government? Aliens? Can help come or will they, too, be swept away to Nowhere?" -- Judy ★★★★★ "Wow, just WOW!! This one had me on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. I have read several of her books and I think this is the best by far but I probably would have said that about the others as I finished them. She is an author not to be missed if you like Stephen King. Do not miss out! Very highly recommended!!" -- Terrie Guin ★★★★★ "Ninie Hammon always delivers a story that has never been told before. Nowhere USA opens with a bang that promises a great series. I loved Jabberwock." -- Reader of the Pack Jabberwock is the first book of Ninie Hammon's new series, Nowhere USA, a riveting psychological thriller about the residents of a forgotten county that inexplicably sinks through reality to find itself in the middle of Nowhere. Fans of Justified, Under The Dome, and LOST will love settling down to spend some time in Nowhere USA.