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Blog Tour: There Is No Big Bad Wolf In This Story – Lou Carter
There Is No Big Bad Wolf In This Story arrived last week and Spike read it all by herself, proclaiming its brilliance. This was cemented by the fact she wanted me to read it again that night for bedtime. It is a brilliant story and I’m very glad to have Lou Carter on the blog today answering a few questions about writing for kids. What is your favourite part of writing for children? For me, the very best part of being a children’s author is when the artwork arrives in my inbox. I’ve been extremely privileged to work with amazing illustrators, Deborah Allwright (Pictured Left), Nikki Dyson, who use my…
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Birdy – Jess Vallance
Frances Bird has been a loner for so long that she’s given up on ever finding real friendship. But then she’s asked to show a new girl around school, and she begins to think her luck could finally be changing. Eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it’s not long before they are inseparable. Frances could not be happier. As the weeks go on, Frances finds out more about her new best friend – her past, her secrets, her plans for the future – and she starts to examine…
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The Sad Ghost Club – Lize Meddings
Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don’t belong anywhere? Like you’re almost… invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club.This is the story of one of those days – a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, lost and alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything. Because that night they start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society…
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What Beauty There Is – Cory Anderson
Winter. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones. Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d do anything for. Even die for. Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money. Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. Trust no one. Now Victor Bardem is stalking the same money as Jack. When he picks up…
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They Both Die At The End – Adam Silvera
On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but for different reasosn, they’re both looking for a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day. This was assigned as my book club book this month, and I was so glad when it was. I love YA fiction and I didn’t expect…
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Non-Fiction Round Up – Happy Fat by Sofie Hagan, 100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell and Because I Am A Girl by Various Authors
Last year I decided I wasn’t reading enough non-fiction. I’ve never been a great fan of non-fiction and I released it takes me longer to read than fiction so I rarely picked it up. I decided that there were certain topics that did interest me and the best way to read more non-fiction about these topics would be to set myself a challenge. I set a challenge of one non-fiction book a month. Seventeen months on, I’m glad to report Im pretty much keeping up with that challenge. I may have missed a month or so, but I have read lots more non-fiction than ever before. Now comes the next…
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The Nightsilver Promise – Annaliese Avery
London, the Empire of Albion. The Great Dragons of old are long-gone. Now the world is governed by the science of Celestial Physicists, and everyone’s life is foretold by the track on their wrist.When thirteen-year-old Paisley discovers from her track that she is destined to die, the race is on to protect her dragon-touched brother and find her missing mother. But an ancient power stalks the sewers of London, and the Dark Dragon is rising, intent on restoring the Great Dragons and destroying Paisley’s family and her world forever.In a world where science rules and dragons fear to tread, Paisley must trust her instincts and forge new friends, as she…
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The Lie Tree – Frances Hardinge
The leaves were cold and slightly clammy. There was no mistaking them. She had seen their likeness painstakingly sketched in her father’s journal. This was his greatest secret, his treasure and his undoing. The Tree of Lies. Now it was hers, and the journey he had never finished stretched out before her.When Faith’s father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues, she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears fruit that reveals hidden secrets.But as Faith’s untruths spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter……
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Out of the Blue – Sophie Cameron
When angels start falling from the sky, it seems like the world is ending. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived.As the world goes wild for angels, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand this obsession and, still reeling from her mother’s recent death and the sudden disappearance of her ex-girlfriend, she’s determined to stay out of it.Then something incredible happens: an angel lands right at Jaya’s feet – and it’s alive… *** Its taken me a while to write this book review. I don’t really know where to begin. I…
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Space Detectives – Mark Powers and Dapo Adeola
Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world’s first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES!Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom? *** Such a funny and brilliant story, Space Detectives is like an…
