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September 2019 Book of the Month | The Cloud Horse Chronicles is the new fantasy by the Costa award-winning and Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell. The first book in the series, Guardians of Magic follows the adventures of three ordinary children who have extraordinary gifts, and come together to defeat the enemies who threaten to use the power from the Forever Tree for their own dark magical agendas. Highly illustrated throughout in Chris’s unique style, you will feel like you can step into the world he’s imaginatively built with his page.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month September 2019 | | Award winning Elizabeth Laird brilliantly brings to life thirteen year old Safiya’s new world as a refugee after her family flee from their comfortable home in Damascus because of the war in Syria. Safiya, her brother and father arrive in Jordan with nothing and must turn to relatives for help. Safiya has to adjust to living in a tent without running water. Suddenly, she is cleaning and washing and finding clever ways of making do on very little rather than going to school. But resourceful Safiya never gives up hope of going back to a better way for life or of finding her missing twin sister. A House without Walls is a vivid picture of a family facing an extreme experience with courage and imagination.
A powerful, poignant, darkly comic and deeply moving story about friendship at its most extraordinary.
Courageous Captain Caledonia has lost pretty much everything. Her family have been killed by atrocious Aric Athair and his brutal Bullet crew and she’s now set on avenging their deaths. With vibrant world-building and crisply compelling characterisation from the off, Caledonia is soon confronted by a crippling choice: should she offer to help to the Bullet boy who saves her best friend, or would that put her entire crew in jeopardy? “She didn’t think she’d done a good thing. Keeping a Bullet on board was the most foolish thing she could think of...Maybe they’d all end up dead.” The boy’s behaviour confuses Caledonia - it’s impossible to tell whether his “attempt to appear small and non-threatening...was genuine or deceitful”, and then he claims he can help her... Swirling with sisterly solidarity, buzzing with intrigue and action, and tingling with tension, this is great for readers who love female-fronted fantasy, such as the novels of Melinda Salisbury, Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare.
The third book in Cressida Cowell’s new Wizards of Once series is full of magic – magical adventures and magical creatures, and it overflows with the magic of great storytelling. Our heroes, Wish the young Warrior girl and Xar the boy wizard, are continuing their dangerous quest to defeat the witches they accidentally freed in book one and which threaten both their worlds. They travel on a magic flying door, accompanied by their friends – sprites, a giant, snowcats, a werewolf and Bodkin, Wish’s young bodyguard – and come up against some awesome enemies. In hot pursuit are their parents, Xar’s father King Encanzo the enchanter and Wish’s mother, Warrior Queen Sychorax, both terrifying, both determined their children will do as they are told. Who will succeed? Can Wish and Xar change the course of history and write their own happy ending? We don’t know yet, but readers of all ages will be wishing with all their hearts that they can. Cressida Cowell’s invention and ambition for her characters is boundless, and this unputdownable story is as full of ideas and intelligence as it is of excitement.
Roger Paxton is an ordinary kind of boy and a very reluctant hero – which is unfortunate as he’s tasked with saving the world from a massive goblin invasion. At least he’s got a good team on his side, including the marvellous and utterly fearless dwarf captain Mossbelly Macfearsome. This is a wonderfully raucous bit of fantasy adventure full of thrilling scenes, some irresistible characters, and very entertaining details (I love the fact that the goblins smell of burnt toast and fart into bottles to make their drinks fizzy). The story is set at Hallowe’en and this would make a terrific October read, but it would be fun to share at any time of the year. You could go on from this to Terry Pratchett, it’s that much fun.
September 2019 Book of the Month | Amara knows exactly what she wants for her 12th birthday: to visit her father’s family in New York. She understands it will be very different to Beavertown, Oregon, the small town she’s grown up in, but can’t wait to explore the big city and get to know her family properly. The trip is eye-opening in lots of ways as she learns more about her father and his childhood, about her family, and even her own history. Renée Watson shows us that families are complicated, that it’s never too late to change or make amends, and that we can all carry on learning even as we grow up. Quiet, though full of drama, and skilfully told, this is a touching and thought-provoking story with well-drawn, engaging characters; a book that will make a real impact on its reader.
Book Band: Turquoise Ideal for ages 6+ | There’s a warm-hearted, creative, independent little girl at the centre of this story and beginner readers will really enjoy following her adventure. Cavegirl Aggie wants to get a special present for her mum’s birthday and when she hears that a villager has found a piece of amber, she knows it will make the perfect gift. She carefully works out how to make something to trade for the amber, and everything goes to plan until a surprise encounter with a wild boar. There are two more twists in the plot before the happy ending, one of them told entirely through the pictures. Short chapters, a lively storyline plus lots of bright, attractive pictures make this an excellent book for children ready to read on their own. Part of Bloomsbury’s Young Readers series, specially designed with this audience in mind, it also features useful tips and discussion points for adults sharing the book with children.
Book Band: Purple Ideal for ages 6+ | Saviour Pirotta mixes bored young pirates with ballerinas desperate for a change of scene in a story that fizzes with fun and adventure, and any book that introduces the words glamorous, clambered, doomed and cutlass is well worth recommending. Short but action packed, this will have all readers smiling, whether they naturally fall into the pirate or ballerina camp, and it comes to a nicely exciting climax too. In the new Bloomsbury Young Readers series this is divided into manageable chapters, with large type and attractive full colour illustrations and is carefully designed to get children reading on their own. A useful Tips for Grown Ups will be a real help to adults sharing this with youngsters while a Fun Time section at the end suggests follow up activities.
At once fierce and otherworldly, this impeccably produced full-colour reinvention of Moby Dick sees multi-award-winning Patrick Ness display a talent for writing that transcends age barriers. It reimagines Moby Dick from the viewpoint of a pod of whales led by Bathsheba who, “like all whales, [I] hated men, and with good reason: their bloody killings, their sloppy, wasteful harvesting proving that they killed as much for sport as for need”. And so fulfilling her grandmother’s prophecy, Bathsheba and her pod live for the hunt. Led by Captain Alexandra they find themselves in pursuit of the notorious Toby Wick, whom no one has seen, but who’s reputed to be “a devil.” As fierce battles are fought and blood is shed, questions are raised about the dangers of power and rumour to create a strange and elemental allegory that’s exquisitely enhanced by Rovina Cai’s arresting full-page illustrations.
Sara’s fantastical journey begins during a school trip to the Beijing Palace Museum when she’s shot back in time from present-day Beijing and finds herself inside the thousand-year-old Qingming scroll. In this time zone Sara meets an old man who warns her that the Gang of the White Fawn will kill them both if she doesn’t do as he says, namely deliver his saddlebag to a silk merchant called Wan Yi. While encountering famous fortune-tellers, storytellers and Imperial doctors, Sara draws on the wisdom of her grandmother’s stories to navigate her way through the gathering forces of ancient magic as she’s tasked by the Immortals to find the second and third hares to add to the first they present her with. The evocation of the ancient world is vibrant throughout, with a cinematic depiction of natural landscape and legend, and a strong sense of tension and peril intensifying as the novel progresses. The authors’ passion for ancient Chinese culture and love of fantasy is abundantly apparent.
Sara’s fantastical journey begins during a school trip to the Beijing Palace Museum when she’s shot back in time from present-day Beijing and finds herself inside the thousand-year-old Qingming scroll. In this time zone Sara meets an old man who warns her that the Gang of the White Fawn will kill them both if she doesn’t do as he says, namely deliver his saddlebag to a silk merchant called Wan Yi. While encountering famous fortune-tellers, storytellers and Imperial doctors, Sara draws on the wisdom of her grandmother’s stories to navigate her way through the gathering forces of ancient magic as she’s tasked by the Immortals to find the second and third hares to add to the first they present her with. The evocation of the ancient world is vibrant throughout, with a cinematic depiction of natural landscape and legend, and a strong sense of tension and peril intensifying as the novel progresses. The authors’ passion for ancient Chinese culture and love of fantasy is abundantly apparent.
Matilda is BRAVE and BRILLIANT - and you can be too! Packed with GAMES, JOKES AND QUIZZES and much more, this marvellous book has all the tips and tricks you need to become a REAL HERO and even stand up to THE TERRIBLE TRUNCHBULL.
The story follows little Turtus as he hatches and makes his way towards the sea along with the other little turtles. However, he does not feel that he is like his brothers and sisters and this is confirmed as his journey continues. Eventually, he encounters his mother who explains that his father was in fact a giant land tortoise and assures him that he will meet him one day. This is a charming picture book using an effective, fairly natural and simple rhyme format which tends to appeal to young children. The illustrations are varied and appealing and match the text extremely well. Intrigue draws us in at the onset with the mystery of what is a 'Turtus' and reappears at the end of the tale when the reader is left with the expectation of eventually meeting Turtus' father in the next book. The story is also effective on other levels with its educational value and as an introduction to the fact that we are all different and can have a variety of different family situations. My granddaughter is 7 and really enjoyed this story and wants to know what happens next! Val Rowe, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | September 2019 Book of the Month | Short and, in Barrington Stoke style, accessible to all readers, Tin Boy is a powerful and inspiring story, and one that will get children thinking about the world and their place in it. The hero Tono lives in the Indonesian province of Bangka Belitung and, though he’s only a boy, goes to work to each day, swimming down to mine tin by hand from deep under sea. It’s dangerous work and caught in an accident, he’s lucky to survive. That luck, together with something he finds on the seabed, changes his life. It’s a gripping story, that both vividly describes Tono’s life and plays with the idea of superheroes in a way that will resonate with all readers. Readers who enjoy Tono’s story should also look out for Kick by Mitch Johnson.
Cherub No.9: An airliner explodes over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they’re getting nowhere. Time for the Cherub agents to get under the skin of the perpetrators. It’s not essential to read these thrillers in order as they are stand alone novels in their own right, however once you’ve read one you’ll want to read them all anyway.
Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2013, the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013 & the Costa Children's Book Awards 2012 | An amazing adventure follows when a boy takes what he thinks will be a short ride in a boat with a boy. But the ride is not a short one… Soon, the boat is in the middle of an empty sea and the bear is struggling with a map and searching the horizon with a telescope. Luckily the boy has brought some food with him as together, the boy and the bear deal with impenetrable mist, a terrifying sea monster and even the remains of a disgusting sandwich in this humorous and gentle journey of survival and self-discovery.
In a Nutshell: Intrigue and artisanal invention in an Alice in Wonderland world An endlessly inventive adventure through the twisting tunnels of a subterranean city that’s sent reeling by the arrival of a girl like no other. Caverna is like no place ever imagined. It has passages so twisty they make a person go mad. Wines that make you forget. Perfumes that provoke trust. And there are dark cheese tunnels in which expert artisans create incredible delicacies, none more committed to the craft than Master Grandible: “the cheeses were Grandible’s only friends and family, their scents and textures taking the place of conversation.” Then the unexpected arrival of a girl shifts Grandible’s life onto a different path, and sends Caverna into a spiral of fear and danger, for Neverfell is not like other girls. She’s certainly not like others in Caverna, whose faces bear no expression until the Facesmiths teach them how to express anything. Neverfell is issued with a mask to hide her face, for it reveals emotions with terrifying transparency, and that way madness and murder lies…And so an utterly compelling tale of political intrigue, revolution and truths unfolds, with as many unexpected, complex twists as the tunnels of Caverna itself. Hardinge is a truly distinctive writer, from the mind-bogglingly unique concepts and worlds she conjures, to her pithily elegant language, and this is a jewel that defies convention, and sparkles at every turn. ~ Joanne Owen
In a nutshell: two lonely children, an enchanted house and a magical world The real world and the magical are cleverly mixed in this exciting story. Angel and Bavar are both orphans, both lonely. She is fascinated by him, the towering boy with a knack for making himself invisible in class. Following him home, she is amazed to see that he lives in a huge mansion, but what she finds inside is even more extraordinary: Bavar’s home and family are magic and the spirits of his ancestors still inhabit their portraits, shouting their opinions from the walls. What’s more, Bavar is responsible for keeping monsters out of this world, monsters who might have had something to do with Angel’s parents’ deaths. As much a story of an unusual and touching friendship as it is a tale of monsters and magic this is thoroughly original and full of charm. ~ Andrea Reece
This is a spirit-soaring tale of adventure, friendship and belonging that will appeal to all lovers of books by Michael Morpurgo and Roald Dahl.
Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books are a must read (by children and adults), and the second novel in the series is an absolute delight. When Tiffany steps out of her body to check her outfit (as there’s no mirror to hand), something deeply dark and deadly notices and decides to take her place. Tiffany is fascinating, clever, brave and as well as first thoughts, she has second and most importantly third thoughts as she pits her wits against the hiver. The Wee Free Men run wild through the story, stamping on propriety and giving spelling a good kicking. As I chuckled, I also wondered, and stretched my own thoughts out into the world. Terry Pratchett’s ability to write for any age, to make you roar with laughter and then in the next breath, consider and wonder, ensures he sits at the top of the author tree for me. A Hat Full of Sky cements Tiffany Aching’s place in The Discworld, what a wonderful series within a series this is. ~ Liz Robinson The Tiffany Aching Discworld books are in order: The Wee Free Men A Hat Full of Sky Wintersmith I Shall Wear Midnight The Shepherd’s Crown
A beautifully written, heart-rending story of the very special importance of a horse in the lives of two children during Second World War. Dodo and Wolfie are evacuated to Devon when their father, a war hero from the First World War with a Victoria Cross to show for his bravery, is charged with desertion during World War Two. In the country, Wolfie adopts an orphaned new born foal who becomes the centre of his life representing everything good he believes about his father. How the two children deal with the charges against their father and how he proves his innocence provides a dramatic and emotional story set against a background of both kindness and cruelty from among the villagers with whom they live.
September 2017 Debut of the Month | In a Nutshell: Circus girl searches for roots amidst real-world cruelties A dazzlingly powerful kaleidoscope of magic realism, folklore and the brutalities of people-trafficking in which a fourteen-year-old circus girl seeks to uncover her identity. As a baby, Sante was washed up with a chest containing a bamboo flute and a leopard skin drum, and welcomed into Mama Rose’s travelling circus. Fourteen years later, still haunted by dreams of the sinking ship, and of those who furnished her with special objects to see her through life, Sante recognises two people from her dreams during a performance. “It's her all right. She plays just like Mamadou used to”, one of them remarks. But how do these people know her? Why does she dream of them? And who is Mamadou? Reluctant at first, Mama Rose reveals that Sante’s trunk also contained other treasures, including a note from her mother. With the strangers set on claiming Sante’s riches, she and snake charmer Cobra decide to discover the truth for themselves. Throughout, Sante’s story sings with the hauntingly potent voice of the human spirit as it combines timely, poignant truths about refugees with timeless storytelling. This really is a triumphant, thought-provoking treasure trove of a novel. ~ Joanne Owen
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | In a Nutshell: Circus girl searches for roots amidst real-world cruelties A dazzlingly powerful kaleidoscope of magic realism, folklore and the brutalities of people-trafficking in which a fourteen-year-old circus girl seeks to uncover her identity. As a baby, Sante was washed up with a chest containing a bamboo flute and a leopard skin drum, and welcomed into Mama Rose’s travelling circus. Fourteen years later, still haunted by dreams of the sinking ship, and of those who furnished her with special objects to see her through life, Sante recognises two people from her dreams during a performance. “It's her all right. She plays just like Mamadou used to”, one of them remarks. But how do these people know her? Why does she dream of them? And who is Mamadou? Reluctant at first, Mama Rose reveals that Sante’s trunk also contained other treasures, including a note from her mother. With the strangers set on claiming Sante’s riches, she and snake charmer Cobra decide to discover the truth for themselves. Throughout, Sante’s story sings with the hauntingly potent voice of the human spirit as it combines timely, poignant truths about refugees with timeless storytelling. This really is a triumphant, thought-provoking treasure trove of a novel. ~ Joanne Owen The Branford Boase Judges said : ‘packed with memorable scenes and an extraordinarily vivid sense of place’; ‘language and story are equally interesting’; ‘things don’t come more original than this’.
A special collector's edition of Patrick Ness's original prize-winning illustrated novel and the remarkable story behind the book and film. Patrick Ness displays brilliant new skills of sensitivity in this hauntingly touching story of how a boy deals with the looming threat of his mother’s death from cancer. Haunted by a monster in his dreams, denied much information by his family and treated as a weirdo by his class mates and a ‘special case’ by his teachers, Conor struggles to get to grips with the devastating emotions which threaten to overwhelm him. How he finds the courage and strength to face the end when it happens is both utterly shattering and deeply satisfying. Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Winner of the 2012 Carnegie Medal Rachel Levy chair of the 2012 CILIP Carnegie judging panel said: "A Monster Calls" is an exquisite piece of writing. It is a beautifully economical, structurally brilliant and lyrically descriptive account of a challenging episode in one child's life." Click here to view the paperback movie tie-in edition of A Monster Calls.
Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. The youngest member of a collective of pick pockets and con-artists in 18 Century London, Cato Hopkins appears at risk of paying penance with his life...
The story of 14 year old Donny and his new found friends that began in The Salt-Stained Book continues in this gripping sequel. Donny's long lost great Aunt has arrived from China on a boat and rescued him and his mother from the care system. Her gorgeous boat Strong Winds (a Chinese junk) becomes their home but it's not long before Donny and his friends and family are caught up in yet more dark, intense and suspense-filled action and adventure that is cleverly interspersed with Chinese tales from great aunt Ellen's life and a good dose of wit as well. It's a great read. Volume three Ghosting Home was released in Jun 2012. The Strong Winds Trilogy consists of: The Salt-Stained Book A Ravelled Flag Ghosting Home CLICK HERE to read an article by Julia Jones, which was inspired in part by Arthur Ransome’s sailing adventures and in particular by Peter Duck, the boat which she was brought up on and which had previously been owned by Arthur Ransome.
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