Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 Hilariously touching and outrageously unforgettable: Mark Haddon's Christopher Boone meets Holden Caulfield on one *#@! of a journey. . . Dylan Mint has Tourette's. Being sixteen is hard enough, but Dylan's life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed... But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March. So he grants himself three parting wishes or 'Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It'. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing – and no-one – is quite as he had previously supposed.

All Dylan Mint has ever wanted is to keep his Tourette's in check and live life as a “normal” teenager. The swearing, the tics, the howling “dog” that escapes when things are at their worst-nothing about Tourette's makes it easy to meet cute girls or have normal friends (or many friends at all). But a routine hospital visit changes everything-Dylan overhears that he's going to die. In an attempt to claim the life he's always wanted, he decides to grant himself parting wishes, or “Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It”. In an intimate portrayal of life with Tourette's, Dylan's journey to come to terms with the disorder that has defined his life and his preconceptions about the world around him is hilarious, painful and, ultimately, utterly masterful.

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Law has lived in Little Town, on the border with Old Country, all his life. He knows the rules: no going out after dark; no drinking; no litter; no fighting. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the people who run Little Town. When he meets Pavel Duda, a refugee from Old Country, the rules start to get broken. Then the bombs come, and the soldiers from Old Country, and Little Town changes forever. Sometimes, to keep the people you love safe, you have to do bad things. As Little Town's rules crumble, Charlie is sucked into a dangerous game. There's a gun, and a bad man, and his closest friend, and his dearest enemy. Charlie Law wants to keep everyone happy, even if it kills him. And maybe it will . . . But he's got to kill someone else first.

From the acclaimed author of When Mr. Dog Bites and The Bombs That Brought Us Together comes a compelling, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and timely story that asks: how far would you go for family? As the person who cares for his terminally-ill mother, Bobby Seed has a lot on his plate. Add to that a responsibility to watch over his little brother (with his endless question about why their mother is in so much pain), keeping up at school, and navigating a relationship with a girl friend who wants to be a girlfriend, and he's barely keeping his head above the water. Something's got to give. But then Bobby's mother makes a request, one that seems impossible. If he agrees, he won't just be soothing her pain. He'll be helping her end it -- and end everything. Angry, stirring, and tender, this bold novel tells a story of choice and compassion, exploring the lengths to which we'll go for the people we love.

YA rising stars Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan join forces to break readers' hearts in this contemporary story of star-cross'd lovers. Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn't left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes and ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they're picking up litter in the park for community service. He's so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She's got a lot to hide. Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brought Nicu and his mum here for a better life, but now all they talk about is going back home to find Nicu a wife. The last thing Nicu wants is to get married. He wants to get educated, do better, stay here in England. But his dad's fists are the most powerful force in Nicu's life, and in the end, he'll have to do what his dad wants. As Nicu and Jess get closer, their secrets come to the surface like bruises. The only safe place they have is with each other. But they can't be together, forever, and stay safe – can they? An extraordinary, high-impact, high-emotion collaboration between two Carnegie honoured rising stars of YA. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, Rainbow Rowell and John Green. Sarah Crossan received the 2016 CILIP Carnegie Medal for her astonishing novel One, which also won the YA Book Prize,CBI Book of the Year Award and the CliPPA Poetry Award. Brian Conaghan's powerful debut, When Mr Dog Bites, was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, Peters Book of the Year and CBI Book of the Year Award.

The reading of a story is interrupted by a crocodile falling into the book.

#1 New York Times Bestseller In this pathbreaking guide, two of the world's most popular and trusted pet care advocates reveal new science to teach us how to delay aging and provide a long, happy, healthy life for our canine companions. Like their human counterparts, dogs have been getting sicker and dying prematurely over the past few decades. Why? Scientists are beginning to understand that the chronic diseases afflicting humans--cancer, obesity, diabetes, organ degeneration, and autoimmune disorders--also beset canines. As a result, our beloved companions are vexed with preventable health problems throughout much of their lives and suffer shorter life spans. Because our pets can't make health and lifestyle decisions for themselves, it's up to pet parents to make smart, science-backed choices for lasting vitality and health. The Forever Dog gives us the practical, proven tools to protect our loyal four-legged companions. Rodney Habib and Karen Becker, DVM, globetrotted (pre-pandemic) to galvanize the best wisdom from top geneticists, microbiologists, and longevity researchers; they also interviewed people whose dogs have lived into their 20s and even 30s. The result is this unprecedented and comprehensive guide, filled with surprising information, invaluable advice, and inspiring stories about dogs and the people who love them. The Forever Dog prescriptive plan focuses on diet and nutrition, movement, environmental exposures, and stress reduction, and can be tailored to the genetic predisposition of particular breeds or mixes. The authors discuss various types of food--including what the commercial manufacturers don't want us to know--and offer recipes, easy solutions, and tips for making sure our dogs obtain the nutrients they need. Habib and Dr. Becker also explore how external factors we often don't think about can greatly affect a dog's overall health and wellbeing, from everyday insults to the body and its physiology, to the role our own lifestyles and our vets' choices play. Indeed, the health equation works both ways and can travel "up the leash." Medical breakthroughs have expanded our choices for canine health--if you know what they are. This definitive dog-care guide empowers us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices, and to keep our dogs healthy and happy for years to come.

When her best friend Eden doesn't turn up for school one morning, Jess's world is turned upside down. The police say Eden's missing, and her boyfriend Liam is the prime suspect. So Jess starts retracing her steps. She looks back over the summer they spent together. She starts to notice new things. She questions everything she thought Eden's summer had been about. And as the truth is revealed, she realises she needs to find Eden before the unthinkable happens . . .A thrilling journey through friendship, loss, betrayal and self-discovery.

Moya. The M Word. Whisper it. Conceal it. But, please, never mention it ... Maggie Yates tells her best mate Moya everything. She tells her about Mum losing her job – how Mum's taken to crying in secret. She even tells her about her foolproof plan to cheer Mum up: find her a fella with cash to splash. Moya's with her every step of the way. I'll help, she smiles. Though you're surfing a rainbow if you think someone like that exists round here. But at the back of her mind Maggie knows that Mum's crying is more than sadness. That there are no easy fixes. And that she shouldn't be speaking to Moya any more. Because Moya died months ago. An unforgettable novel about grief and healing from Costa Children's and Irish Book Award-winner Brian Conaghan

Imagine a dog who listens to you, comes to you, follows you, and looks to you for guidance. This ideal relationship is possible with the techniques of veteran trainer Paul Loeb. His revolutionary philosophy is simple: your dog can learn more -- and more quickly -- if information is delivered properly. Loeb's groundbreaking theories and humane, holistic teaching style will get visible results in approximately three hours. Not only will you find step-by-step methods to teach housebreaking, paper training, and the basic commands, but you'll also discover: Why one-word commands, including "No," are ineffective Why food rewards and choke chains are not good training tools Why teaching your dog to come to you is essential -- and teaching your dog to sit is not How to adapt your dog's behavior to your lifestyle -- whether you need your dog to walk without a leash, ride politely in a car, remain on your property...or do just about anything else you can imagine! Now you can have the well-behaved dog you've always wanted -- and your dog will have an owner who understands his or her language. With Smarter Than You Think, you and your dog can share the special bond of true understanding.