New Releases by Rachel Anderson

Hamish is sensible, conscientious, and respectable, friends with the good boys, stays away from the bad ones. When his father is murdered in an act of random violence, Hamish''s world turns upside down. Angry and alienated, Hamish begins to lose his tolerant beliefs and is drawn towards racist reactions. A move to France promises a much needed new beginning, but only builds Hamish''s new attitudes as he becomes embroiled in the narrow-minded views of the locals. But then a boat of north-african refugees founders on the coast and Hamish encounters the sole survivor. Now his world is turned upside down again, caught between the violence of his past experiences and new realities unfolding in front of him.

15-year-old Sunday wanted was a country that was democratic and respectful of human life, but all Rosa wants is somewhere safe, away from the bad things of the past. Through the eyes of these two young asylum seekers, this story explores ideas of Britain and belonging.

The Community Connections preschool program (herein referred to as Community Connections) was developed to help prepare children in home-based child care for success in school and in life. It has three goals: (1) to make state prekindergarten classroom experiences available to children in home-based care, (2) to extend classroom learning experiences in the home-based care setting, and (3) to support infant and toddler development in participating providers'' homes. Illinois Action for Children (herein referred to as IAFC) created the Community Connections program model in 2005 as Illinois was rapidly expanding its state prekindergarten program, which would ultimately change from serving exclusively at-risk children to become "Preschool for All." The Illinois State Board of Education has requested evidence that the Community Connections mixed model works before making funding available for it statewide. Education agencies in other states are expected to ask the same question. In Phase 1 of a two phase evaluation, IAFC asked Child Trends and the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) to conduct a study to examine model clarity, fidelity, and the implementation of Community Connections. Phase 2, to take place after implementation issues are identified and addressed, will be an outcomes study. This report describes the methodology and presents the findings of Phase 1 of the evaluation of the Community Connections model, the implementation study. A key conclusion from this implementation evaluation is that many components of the Community Connections Model are being well implemented. They are reported on consistently and perceived favorably across groups of respondents. Yet there are a few areas in which it would be beneficial for further work to be undertaken to document elements of the program model. There are also specific elements that are proving challenging to implement and where work by program developers to provide additional training and supports would be beneficial. Appended are: (1) IAFC Coordinator Interview Protocol; (2) Center Director Interview Protocol; (3) Center Teacher/Assistant Teacher Interview Protocol; (4) Home-Based Provider Interview Protocol; (5) Parent Interview Protocol; (6) CCAT-R Results:Caregiver and Child Language and Engagement; (7) CCAT-R Results:Health and Safety; (8) CCAT-R Results:Materials; (9) Home-Based Provider Visit Record; and (10) Center Visit Form. (Contains 12 footnotes.).

This is the final story in the ''Moving Times'' trilogy. After the hardships of the 50s, how will any of Ruth''s family experience the new freedoms of the swinging 60s?

Dozens of ethnic groups work determinedly to achieve specific policy goals in Washington, but to what degree do they actually wield power? Which groups are the most influential, and why? David Paul considers the relative impact of 38 ethnic lobbies to determine whether?and if so, how?they affect the course of US foreign policy. Paul systematically examines the impact of ethnic-group influence in six policy areas: aid, immigration, human rights, security, trade, and energy. He also compares the influence of ethnic lobbies to that of other actors, including business groups, the media, and foreign lobbyists. Challenging the conventional wisdom, he effectively draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods to shed needed light on this often heatedly contentious subject.

This is a moving story about Matthew, whose adored older brother Ben has Downs Syndrome. Matthew is horrified when Ben turns 16 and has to go off to a special school - he will miss him very much. Gradually Matthew comes to realise that it is best for Ben and that he will need to find his own friends. When Matthew''s teacher decides to focus on Ben for a class project on ''Interesting People in the Community'' the class comes to recognise what an amazing person Ben is. An entertaining and amusing story about an area rarely tackled.

Each Warlands Class Pack contains 15 copies of the Rollercoasters edition of Warlands by Rachel Anderson and 15 Warlands Reading Guides to support the student in their study of the novel. No one really knew the true story of Uncle Ho''s early life before he came to Amy''s family. All they knew was that he was a Vietnamese orphan, born among the bombings and terrors of war. But the warland nightmares in Uncle Ho''s head won''t go away. Themes: long term effects of war, disability, loss ofcultural identity, adapting to new environments, extended families, storytelling Teaching Focus: * Multiple narrative perspectives * The development of powerful themes and ideas * Media representation of war * Cross-curricular work with Citizenship and History Recommended for lower ability students in Years 8 and 9 The Rollercoasters series is a set of imaginative and exciting books that your students will not want to put down. All books are supported by extensive teacher resources online, in print and on CD-ROM, and contain themes that will appeal to girls, boys and mixed ability classes. Each book is also accompanied by Reading Guides to provide essential background material for students on the novel of the same title, and include a letter to the student from the author of the novel, thematic activities, wider reading references and short reviews. They can be used as a ''way in'' to aspects of the novel and throughout the study of the novel.

Johnnie''s brothers have always been her heroes. Big, brave and brilliant, they are out making their way in the world while she is still stuck at home, the little girl of the family.So when they both crawl back, too ill to fend for themselves, everything changes. How will Johnnie cope with these frail, demanding brothers? What strange ventures are going on inside their heads? And what is Johnnie''s place in this bizarre new family?From feet as cold as ice to the mysteries of tulips, and from angels with dreadlocks to maggots in the brain, this is a powerful, moving, and ultimately hopeful story about chronic fatigue syndrome, growing up, being a family, life, the universe - and everything.

Hugo''s life is pretty good. There''s only one thing spoiling it, smug Uncle Harold, who lives with Hugo''s family. Then Hugo breaks his arm, and things go from bad to worse. But maybe his mum''s invention can start to improve the situation. Suggested level: primary.

Sassy bundles her six "collected" children into an old camper van and sets off to be at one with nature. This means while Sassy creates bizarre artworks the children practice DD (domestic democracy) and I for I (independence for infants). Although Jewells does her best to learn how to light a fire, chop wood and cook with nothing but swedes and potatoes, it is not long before things start to fall apart. Suggested level: secondary.

A little girl asks about the status about the baby inside her mum until the baby is born.

No one really knew the true story of Uncle Ho''s early life before he came to Amy''s family. All they knew was that he was a Vietnamese orphan, born among the bombings and terrors of war. Amy''s grandmother told her the same stories that she told Uncle Ho because as Granny said, ''everyone needsto know the story of their life, even if it has to be invented.'' But the warland nightmares in Uncle Ho''s head won''t go away. * A companion to ''War Orphan''. * Rachel Anderson has previously won the Guardian Fiction Award for her book "Paper Faces". * Her recent young adult titles for Oxford ("Scavenger''s Tale") and Hodder ("Sweet Bird of Youth") have been much acclaimed. * Rachel Anderson''s own adoption of a Vietnamese war orphan gives her writing a unique insight into the history of this troubled country. * Rachel Anderson lives in Norfolk.

This book is suitable for reluctant readers of 13-16 with a reading age of eight years. It is printed on cream paper, which is proven to be more restful on the eye. The font is specially designed to encourage a smooth and easy read. There are frequent page breaks, short, headed chapters and illustrations on almost every page. A wide range of specialists, including children themselves, have read and commented on the book prior to publication.

It is 2015, after the Great Conflagration, and London has become a tourist sight for people from all over the world, coming to visit the historic Heritage Centres. These are out of bounds to people like Bedford and his sister who live in an Unapproved Temporary Dwelling and have to scavengefrom skips and bins just to stay alive. Bedford begins to notice something odd about the tourists: when they arrive in the city, they are desperately ill, but when they leave they seem to have been miraculously cured. And then the Dysfuncs start disappearing. It is only when a stranger appears,terribly injured, that Bedford begins to put two and two together . . . Rachel Anderson is a previous winner of the Guardian Children''s Fiction Award.

It''s the late 1950s and teenagers have barely begun to be invented. When Ruth and Mary''s father dies, their mother is eager to marry them off. Instead, Mary finds life at art school, and Ruth finds that she also has other plans. This book is part of a trilogy tracing the lives of three generations.

MOVING TIMES traces the lives and adventures of three generations through childhood and adolescence. This volume begins on the day the Second World War ends, and is seen through the eyes of the bewildered young Ruth, who clings to the familiar world of her grandmother when her mother makes other plans for the family.

Bea, a girl who suffers from Down syndrome, loves her baby sister very much. One day, however, Bea feels excluded and angry when Ana, her sister, returns from school with her best friendbut then Bea makes friends with the boy who has just moved next door.