Books with author Bernard Ashely

The school holiday should be fun for Leonard, but he is stuck at home in his hometown of Accra, far away from where his friends from school live. His Nana is not much fun and his father is almost always away at work, leaving Leonard feeling lonely and bored. Looking to eke some fun out of the holiday, Leonard hops a tro-tro bus to Elmina, a historic European fort built to imprison slaves before they were shipped off to the Americas. Not only does Elmina attract many tourists, it also attracts street children and gangs. Before Leonard knows what is happening, he's kidnapped by the toughest gang of all, who plans to use his angelic face to fleece tourists. How will he escape from this living nightmare? Bernard Ashley’s thought-provoking Ghanaian story, set in the poverty-driven underworld of gangs, leads young readers to a taut, thrilling climax.

A powerful and important novel that ponders the depths of hate from London's street gangs to Africa's tribal wars through the eyes of a young boy.Kaninda is left for dead when his family is gunned down by the warring tribe's army in their village of Lasai, Africa. He is "saved" by the Red Cross and brought to the UK to be adopted by a family there, but it is not by his choice. He would have rather stayed in Lasai to fight his war and to defend the honor of his people and the memory of his family.So Kaninda stays silent, as a good soldier is trained to do, and plans his escape. In the meantime, however, a gang war and the arrival of a boy from the rebel tribe will force Kaninda to reconsider his ideas about revenge, loyalty, and the consuming power of hate.

In London during the blitz, Johnnie just wants to survive and keep from being sent back to reform school, until he takes responsibility for Shirley Mae Lewis, a lost toddler, and must travel through the countryside, where the two are persecuted as Gypsies, to return her to her family.During the blitz, Johnnie just wants to survive and avoid reform school, until he takes on a lost toddler, and the two are mistaken for Gypsies as he returns her to her family.

Across Europe, the horror of war is destroying lives and separating families. Yield or fight? When tragedy strikes Freddie's family, he and his soldier brother must go on the run, battling for their survival. Jump or burn? Without a parachute, that's the choice Ernst knows he will face if his Zeppelin is shot down. Bravery takes different forms. How far would you go to stand up for what's right?

It is 1940, and Ronnie Warren is a street-smart 11-year-old living with his mum in south London while his father is away fighting with the army. Ronnie's story starts during the Blitz, when he climbs bravely through bomb rubble to rescue his mother and his aunt. Evacuated to Lancashire, he stands up to a sadistic teacher and embarks on a pre-teen romance. Back in London, his mum hears that her husband is missing, presumed killed. Ronnie believes she has fallen for a GI and makes a fool of himself - but patches things up. VE Day brings joy mixed with grief for Ronnie, knowing that his dad is dead - but a surprise telegram brings unbelievable news.