Books by Dan Hughes

It has been over a year since Jack and his sister Jule were abducted by pirates from their home island of Barros. Jack had been brought to Indo Island to be trained as a knight with other abducted boys. The expectation was, after a few years of training, they would all be shipped north to fight in the great war between the two large kingdoms of Bandellon and Taradoon. After several months of rigorous training to become knights, all under the watchful eyes and supervision of Lord Subus and the Masters, Jack and a small group of friends decided to escape their captivity. Bri, the daughter of Lord Subus, discovered the boys plan. Facing an arranged marriage her father was forcing her into that she wanted no part of, Bri decided to join the boys and help them with their escape. Jule had been forced to remain on board the pirate ship when her brother Jack was dropped off on Indo Island. She was being sent to the Kingdom of Bandellon with several other abducted girls, all of them to be sold on the auction block with nothing to look forward to but a life of misery and servitude. While aboard the pirate ship, Jule and the other kidnapped girls spent their days locked up in a cage or up on deck scrubbing and cleaning under the watchful eyes of Captain Hammerjaw. It would prove to be a journey none of them anticipated.

Jack is a young teenage boy living a normal life on his home island of Barros. While growing up, he had heard many stories of the world surrounding his island home. He listened to tales about pirates who abducted children, ships that sailed The Demon Sea and beyond The Outer Void, and knights who fought for a thousand years in the Warriors' Pass. All of these stories now become a reality to him, when suddenly, he and his sister are kidnapped along with other children from different islands. Jack and the other boys are brought to the island of Indo in order to be trained in combat and eventually be sent to The Great War. His sister, Jule, and the other girls who were kidnapped, are sent to an unknown destination. Torn from their homes, Jack and the other kidnapped boys discover that they will be facing a life of servitude and fodder for the battlefield. While being trained on Indo Island to become soldiers, the boys unite with one common goal -- escape their island imprisonment and return home. For Jack, his goal also means finding his sister. He has no idea where she is, only frightening possibilities of what may have become of her.Bri, the daughter of the Lord Master of Indo Island, also wants to leave the island because of the unimaginable future her father has planned for her. She discovers the boys' plan to leave the island. Bri must decide to join them or turn them in before they escape.

This practical handbook explores traumatic experiences and their effects on children at different stages of development. The first half of the book examines what constitutes trauma in childhood, including its symptoms, prognosis and treatment. It outlines specific parenting tasks, addresses educational and social issues and answers a range of frequently asked questions. In the second half, single adopter Matthew Blythe describes his experience of parenting twin boys who have experienced significant trauma.