Kasia's Surprise

by Stella Gurney

Published 1 September 2010

A heartwarming story about a feisty young Polish girl determined to be unhappy in her new life in England – but who finds herself settling in despite herself.

Kasia wishes that she and her mum hadn't moved to the UK – she misses Poland and all her old friends, and most of all she misses her grandparents. As the long school holidays stretch out in front of her, Kasia wonders how she'll fill them: her mum has promised to take her out for some day trips, but the rest of the time she'll be at work. Then Babcia and Dzadek arrive for a surprise visit, and Kasia is delighted! As she proudly shows her grandparents round her new town, Kasia realizes that maybe she's happier here than she thought.


My Dad, the Hero

by Stella Gurney

Published 2 June 2008

A touching yet amusing story about a boy's admiration for his dad - and his acceptance of his limitations.

T is part of a happy family, and he loves everything about them - especially his clever dad, who drives a taxi and can make anything you like out of wood. When T's teacher arranges for his dad to come into school to talk about what he does for a job, T should be as proud as proud. But there's one problem: his dad doesn't speak English. T worries and worries about what to do - does his teacher realize? Will everyone laugh at him because his dad can only speak Bengali? But T's dad is cleverer than T thinks. When he comes in to school anyway and does an amazing puppet show, T realizes that being the same as other people is not everything. His dad really is a hero!