Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

New Books: US Published Books - February 2012

2012-01-29T20:57:00.000Z

Ellen Potter - The Humming Room - Published by Feiwel & Friends - 28 February 2012

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room—a garden with a tragic secret.

Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write.

Kathryn Littlewood - Bliss - Published by Katherine Tegen - 14 February 2012

Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, nonmagical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun.So Rose and her siblings experi-ment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke.

A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?Kathryn Littlewood’s culinary caper blends rich emotional flavor with truly magical wit, yielding one heaping portion of hilarious family adventure.

Frederic S Durbin - The Star Shard - Published by Houghton Mifflin Books - 28 February 2012

This beautifully written fantasy tackles the issues of slavery and freedom.

Twelve-year-old Cymbril is a slave on Thunder Rake, a gigantic wagon city that rolls from town to town carrying goods to be sold by its resident merchants. The Rake’s master purchases a new slave, a mysterious boy named Loric who is one of the magical Fey. Because he can see in the dark, Loric’s duty is to guide the Rake through the treacherous wilderness at night.Cymbril and Loric secretly join forces to plan their escape—soon the two friends thread their way through a series of increasing dangers, encountering an enchanted market and deadly monsters as their one chance for freedom draws nearer.

Jenn - Reese - Above World - Published by Candlewick - 14 February 2012

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child - Book Review

2012-01-27T22:25:00.002Z

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Headline Review (1 Feb 2012)
Age - Teen
ISBN: 978-0755380527

When I received this book through the post, from the very lovely people at Headline, my first thought was whether this book really fitted into my area of interest. The synopsis sounded bleak, and yet the book cover suggested much more. The tactile title (impressed onto the brilliant blue cover) and the image of a girl and fox in a wood suggested that I should try this. Especially as I have already admitted to judging a book by its cover in an earlier book review.

The book was slow to start. In fact it was almost like peeling an onion - the more I read, the more layers of the story I uncovered. Set in the 1920's a middle-aged couple (Jack and Mabel) move to Alaska. They leave all of their family behind in order to make a fresh start for themselves. Interestingly, they choose the harshest of surroundings; the Alaskan wilderness. Written with such amazing detail, the Alaskan wilderness, is portrayed with crisp accuracy. At times I felt like I was really there; watching the snowflakes floating to the ground and smelling the icy cold rivers.

The story is about the seeking of happiness and belonging. Coping with the grief of a lost baby, Jack and Mabel try to make a fresh start in Alaska. However, The Snow Child (Faina) enters the story and changes their lonely, isolated existence into one of initial joy.

At first I turned the pages with trepidation, but then I wanted to know much more about this mysterious character. Initially I thought she was a figment of their imagination or perhaps a fanciful notion from a Russian myth. As a result, the suspense (for me) came from working out what was imaginary and what was real.

Faina was an absolute joy to read - following her life as it unfolded beneath the sky. Particularly when she met Garret, one of the Benson sons, who helped out on the homestead. This friendship soon turned into more and of course everything started to change - soon Faina and Garret began to embark on their own life. The beautiful and touching ending will have you feeling a number of emotions and a deep longing for it not to be so.

This is a fantastic story that has been written by a debut author. She has conjured up a magical adventure that I could not leave - the natural and savage beauty of Alaska was captivating. The book has left an everlasting impression on me; I loved every minute of it.

Aardman Animation’s: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! Movie Trailer

2012-01-26T19:20:00.000Z

This film looks like a winner to me from the brilliant people who brought you Wallace and Gromit and one my favourite films Chicken Run. Take a look on the Captain's Log Production Blog which is also great fun.
http://thepirates-movie.tumblr.com/

Book Trailer:Elizabeth Wein - Code Name Verity

2012-01-24T22:25:00.000Z

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Electric Monkey (6 Feb 2012)
Age - 11+
ISBN-10: 1405258217
ISBN-13: 978-1405258210

Two young women become unlikely best friends during WWII, until one is captured by the Gestapo. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted to each other. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors. Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they've ever believed in is put to the test...

Scottish Book Trust: Liz Lochhead - Free Live Author Event Celebrating Burns

2012-01-23T19:32:00.000Z

Scotland’s National Poet Liz Lochhead is to give a live broadcast to children across Scotland during a special Robert Burns celebration on Thursday 26 January at 11am. The Scottish Friendly Meet Our Authors Special Event, run by Scottish Book Trust, will be streamed live from BBC Scotland in Glasgow and available after to watch again for free from the Scottish Book Trust website. The broadcast will be most suited to children from P6 – S4 (9-16 year olds) and any fan of Scottish poetry.

Your readers can join over 10,000 pupils across the UK watching the event live by following this link:http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-with-liz-lochhead. Alternatively – I know I haven’t given you much notice – the event can be downloaded or streamed from next Thursday following the same link.

Liz will be celebrating the poetry of Burn’s as well as reading her own work. We’re sure this event is going to be really inspirational as no-one can make Burns come to life like Liz can.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Top Ten Books of 2011

2012-01-23T09:42:00.000Z

Erin Morgenstern - Night Circus - Published by Harvill Secker - Sep 2011
Ronsom Riggs - Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children - Published by Quirk - June 2011
Carloz Ruiz Zafon - The Midnight Palace - Published by Orion/Weidenfeld & Nicolson - June 2011
Brian Selznick - Wonderstruck - Published by Scholastic - Sep 2011
Will Hill - Department 19 - Published by HarperCollins - March 2011
Moria Young - Blood Red Road - Published by Marion Lloyd Books - June 2011
Robin Jarvis - Dancing Jax - Published by HarperCollins - Feb 2011
Patrick Carman - Floors - Published by Scholastic US - Sep 2011
Cliff McNish - The Hunting Ground - Published by Orion - May 2011
Patrick Ness & Siobhan Dowd - A Monster Calls - Published Walker - 5 May 2011

It's not always easy task to make a list like this. A great amount of reflection and thought has gone in to working out my favourite reads of 2011. Let me know what you think.

EXCLUSIVE EARLY PEEK: M.G Harris - The Joshua Files 5: APOCALYPSE MOON book trailer 2012

2012-01-20T17:12:00.004Z

We have a early sneak peek of the last book in the Joshua Files series. I'm very sad it's all coming to an end..... Thank you to M.G for letting us show you all this book trailer nice and early.

Something is very wrong with the 2012 Plan. Is it really on course to save the planet from the gigantic Electro-Magnetic Pulse that's due to shatter civilisation at the end of the year? After a narrow escape from US government agents Josh decides to risk his own life on a daring mission - a leap forward in time to discover the truth about 2012. He's jumped ahead far enough to glimpse a post-apocalyptic world in collapse. And to realise - it could be his destiny to stay.

New Books: Published February 2012 - UK Post Two of Two

2012-01-20T10:09:00.004Z

Victoria Barry - Darkmoor:The Darkness Discovered - Published by Matador - 1 February 2012
The old Victorian vicarage has stood empty for over a decade in the village of Filius. With rumours of its haunted past, everyone stays away...Well, almost everyone! Ten-year-old Catherine Rose has become obsessed with the rundown ruin and makes daily diary entries about its only surviving inhabitant, the clever crow. When twelve-year-old Matthew Khan and his dad move into the vicarage, Catherine's obsession increases. Before too long, the newfound friendship traps them both into a cruel world mastered by the clever crow himself. As their fight for survival starts, they must discover the secrets that are hidden deep within the darkness and uncover the truth behind Crow and his precious vicarage. The only question is...Will you dare to delve into the darkness with them? Darkmoor: The Darkness Discovered is the first of a 5 part series, aimed for children aged 8 and upwards. It is a mixture of fantasy, mystery and adventure which, as a child Victoria loved to read for herself.

Robin Jarvis - Dancing Jax: Freax and Rejex - Published by HarperCollins - 2 February 2012
The second novel in the extraordinary, ground-breaking, genre-busting new trilogy from master of fantasy Robin Jarvis

Five months have passed since the publication of the devilish book discovered in Dancing Jax. It is on its ninth reprint and tens of millions of copies have been sold in the UK. The entire country is now under its evil spell.

Yet a tiny percentage of the population have proven to be immune to the words of Austerly Fellows. The number of unaffected children between the ages of 7 and 15 is only 49. With the critical eyes of the rest of the world turned towards Britain, the Ismus decides to send the children for an intensive holiday camp, where they will study the sacred text and learn to embrace it.

But after the holiday is over, the children are told their stay has been extended. A barbed wire fence is put up around the site. And it soon becomes apparent that the place is not a camp and the children are not guests. They are prisoners of war.

Matt Haig - To Be A Cat - Published By Bodley Head - 2 February 2012 Barney Willow thinks life couldn't get any worse. He's weedy, with sticky-out ears. Horrible Gavin Needle loves tormenting him - Barney has no idea why. And headteacher-from-hell Miss Whipmire seems determined to make every second of Barney's existence a complete misery! Worst of all, Dad has been missing for almost a year, and there's no sign of him ever coming home.

Barney just wants to escape. To find another life... Being a cat, for example. A quiet, lazy cat. Things would be so much easier - right?

Barney's about to discover just how wrong he is. Because he's about to wake up as a cat - and not just any cat. Gavin Needle's cat...

Derek Keilty - Will Gallows and the Thunder Dragons Roar - Published by Andersen - 2 February 2012
The West Rock is crumbling. Land is fast becoming more precious than gold. Sky cowboy, Will Gallows, having fled his home, is soon caught up in a bitter land feud between the cowboy settlers of the eastern arm and the elf 'braves' of Gung-Choux village. With battle looming, Will sets out to save his uncle from the hangman's noose.

New Books: Published February 2012 - UK Post One of Two

2012-01-18T17:51:00.000Z

John & Carole Barrowman - Hollow Earth - Published by Buster Books - 2 February 2012

Lots of twins have a special connection - being able to finish each other's sentences; sensing what the other is thinking; perhaps even knowing when the other is in trouble or in pain - but for 12-year-old twins, Matt and Emily Calder, the connection is beyond special. Together, the twins have extraordinary powers. They are able to bring art to life, or enter paintings at will. Their abilities are sought by villains trying to access the terrors of Hollow Earth - a place where all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined lie trapped for eternity. The twins flee with their mother to the security of an island, off the west coast of Scotland, where their grandfather has certain protective powers of his own. But too much is at stake, and the twins aren't safe there either. The villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within...

Matt Dickinson - Mortal Chaos - Published by OUP Oxford - 2 February 2012

The Butterfly Effect ': the scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. When a butterfly startles a young rabbit, and the rabbit makes a horse rear, it starts a chain of events, over the course of one day, that will change people's lives . . . and end people's lives. From a climber on Everest to a boy in Malawi . . . from a commercial pilot to an American psycho . . . the chaos knows no bounds. This heart-stopping adventure by writer, film maker and climber Matt Dickinson will leave readers breathless. It's the book Jack Bauer would have read as a teenager!

Michael Grant - BZRK - Published by Electric Monkey - 28 February 2012

The most breathtaking and exhilarating ride you will take this year, this is the first in an incredible new action thriller series from Michael Grant, author of "Gone". These are no ordinary soldiers. This is no ordinary war. Welcome to the nano, where the only battle is for sanity. Losing is not an option when a world of madness is at stake. Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don't know who the good guys really are? Noah and Sadie: newly initiated to an underground cell so covert that they don't even know each other's names. Here they will learn what it means to fight on a nano level. Soon they will become the deadliest warriors the world has ever seen. Vincent: feels nothing, cares for no one; fighting his own personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive. The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, and fanatical. Are they the saviours of mankind or authors of the darkest conspiracy the world has ever seen? The nano is uncharted territory. A terrifying world of discovery. And everything is to play for...

Marcus Alexander - Keeper of the Realms:Crow's Revenge - Published by Puffin - 2 February 2012 ( Was Privately Published Under the name Who Is Charlie Keeper?) Not sure how much of the story has changed.
Book one in this new fantasy adventure series, Keeper of the Realms.

'I've just had a flesh-eating giant tearing around my house and now I'm in this strange land I don't know anything about!'

CHARLIE KEEPER has been forced from her home by a bloodthirsty and terrifying stranger.But in escaping she discovers her house holds the gateway to the REALM OF BELLANIA - a place of myth, magic . . . and an evil Lord with a very bad attitude.

NOW its fate rests squarely upon Charlie's shoulders. But before she can untangle the mystery that will save Bellania, she needs the answer to a life-changing secret her guardian, the dastardly Mr Crow, has been keeping from her . . . Just who is Charlie Keeper?

J. D. Sharpe and Charles Dickens - Oliver Twisted - Book Review

2012-01-18T11:10:00.000Z

Paperback: 288 Pages
Publisher: Electric Monkey (6 Feb 2012)
ISBN- 978-1405258173
Age Range: Teen

It's a great start to the New Year when you get a book like this to read - a debut book by a new talented author. Although this author does also have another book that has been published under a slightly different name, but I'm not sure why?

Oliver Twisted kicks off a new imprint from Egmont known as Electric Monkey. This is an exciting new imprint and if this book is a measure of the quality to expect then we are all in for a treat.

"Flesh," the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black. "Flesh" came another moan, and he turned to see two more behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot. The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless, orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods and if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you forever. On the advice of a corpse, Oliver flees his ghastly orphan life to seek his destiny in the dark streets of old London Town, despite the perils of the woe-begotten zombie-infested journey. There he meets the shadowy Dodger, the evil old soul-stealer Fagin, and the menacing Bill Sikes, who is more beast than man. But will Oliver Twisted be the world's salvation, or its downfall?!

This book is an absolute joy to read. When writing about a famous character like Oliver Twist, the author could have easily made the mistake of changing the history, character and flavour of the original book. However, in this case, the author really develops the story creating a fantastic reading experience for all who read it. There have been some slight subtle changes made to the character and some creative changes to the story. However, most of the facts have been kept intact - well, nearly most.

Set in the authentic Dickensian time, the main characters Dodger, Fagin, Bill Sikes and good-old Bullseye are all featured in the story, but not as we know them. The book is an interesting slice of Victorian gore. Zombie woe-begotten corpses lurk around every corner waiting to feed on any scrumptious carcass of human flesh. With Vampires feeding on blood and orphans being sacrificed to the hungry gods - there are many dangers lurking within the pages, but these are only the start . . . . .

I really enjoyed reading this book; it's definitely my kind of read. Set in Victorian London (my all time favourite period) with fast paced action and lots of dark monsters - there's nothing that's really not to be enjoyed! The twisted version of events, whilst still relatively in-keeping with the classic tale, will keep you gripped. Please Sir, can I have some more?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books will be taking part in the above blog tour, so why not follow and find out more - if you dare........

Book Plug#4 - Astrid Lindgren Illustrated by Marit TŲrnqvist; - In the Land of Twilight

2012-01-18T10:06:00.001Z

Goran has an injured leg and he gets bored spending so much time in bed. But when his mother turns out the light at dusk, Mr Lilyvale knocks on the window and takes him to the Land of Twilight. Goran and Mr Lilyvale walk and fly around Stockholm when people from the daytime world are sleeping.

Goran drives a tram and a bus. It doesnít matter that he has a bad leg in the Land of Twilight. They eat candy that grows on trees in the park, play with bear cubs and meet a moose. They even visit the King and Queen in the royal palace. At the end of their journey each night, Mr Lilyvale takes Goran home just before his mother comes in and turns on the light.

This delightful story about the power of the imagination is set in a magical version of Stockholm, and painted in beautiful twilight tones.

Subject:Picture Book
Age Range: From 5 to 8
Pages:44
Published by:Floris Books
Publication Date:19 Jan 2012

About the Author(s)

Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002) was born on a homestead in SmŚland, Sweden. Her most famous book, Pippi Longstocking, was published in 1945. She is also well known for Carlsen on the Roof, her books about The Bullerby Children and The Tomten. Her books have sold around 145 million copies worldwide, and she has won many awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the International Book Award from UNESCO. Her books A Calf for Christmas and Goran's Great Escape, also illustrated by Marit Tornqvist, are published in English by Floris Books.

Marit TŲrnqvist was born in 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden and divides her time between the Netherlands and Sweden. She studied illustration at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2011 she was awarded a Golden Plaque from the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, one of the most prestigious children's illustration awards. She has illustrated several of Astrid Lindgren's picture books, including A Calf for Christmas and Goran's Great Escape, both published by Floris Books.

THE MAGIC OF ROALD DAHL CELEBRATED ON ROYAL MAIL'S STAMPS

2012-01-12T09:29:00.000Z

Royal Mail is celebrating one of the nation’s best-loved children’s authors, Roald Dahl, with its first stamp issue of 2012.

The presentation pack of six stamps celebrates six of Dahl’s most famous books that children and adults alike came to know and love, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Twits and Matilda.

The stamps themselves recreate the magic of the Dahl books, using the beautiful illustrations of Quentin Blake.

For the launch, Royal Mail Stamps is running a competition on its Facebook page, facebook.com/royalmailstamps, to win Roald Dahl's Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection featuring seven of his best-loved books, a pop-up book of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a Roald Dahl presentation pack.

The stamps are also available via the link here: www.royalmail.com/roalddahl, and also on the Royal Mail eBay store: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Mail-Stamp-Collections.

Fact: Roald Dahl would write most of his books in a dingy little hut at the bottom of his garden.

Sophie Dahl asks for help to restore Roald's writing hut.

Sophie Dahl is leading a fund-raising campaign to restore and relocate the famous hut in which her grandfather Roald Dahl penned some of his best-loved children's classics. See More.

Coming Up - Simon Mayo - Itch - Preview

2012-01-10T21:19:00.000Z

We're very pleased to be publishing Simon Mayo's debut novel in March. Simon is best known as the broadcaster and host of Radio 2's award winning Drivetime show. ITCH is a fast-paced thriller filled with effervescent action starring an accidental school boy hero. Itch is 14 and loves science, especially chemistry. His hobby of collecting all the elements in the periodic table gets him into some highly explosive situations.

First he singes his eyebrows when an experiment with phosphorous in his bedroom goes wrong, then he gives his classmates arsenic poisoning. When Itch makes a discovery of a new element that's never been seen before which is potentially very valuable he has to use all his wits and scientific knowledge to stop others getting hold of it. As he's pursued from Cornwall to London and beyond he realises that this element could cause untold havoc across the world.

ITCH is published on 1st March, just before National Science and Engineering Week, and we'll have special periodic table posters, reading notes and a fabulous video trailer available.

Press Release: HarperCollins Signs Chris Columbus For New Book Series

2012-01-06T13:04:00.003Z

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS SIGNS DIRECTOR CHRIS COLUMBUS FOR NEW BOOK SERIES

DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER TO PEN MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES WITH BESTSELLING

TEEN AUTHOR NED VIZZINI

New York, NY/ London (January 5, 2012)—HarperCollins Publishers announced today that it has preempted rights to a three-book middle-grade series, House of Secrets by iconic Hollywood director and producer Chris Columbus, co-authored by acclaimed young adult novelist Ned Vizzini. This is Columbus’s debut series for young readers with the first book slated for global publication in Spring 2013.

Master storytellers Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini have created a high-stakes fantasy,” said Balzer. “From the very first page I knew we had to publish this series. It’s an incredibly imaginative adventure with clever plot twists and nonstop action—not to mention a family that readers will immediately fall in love with. House of Secrets has all the hallmarks of a new classic."

Denwood added, “Combining classic adventure with sublime offbeat humor, and with three brilliant siblings at its heart, this has the potential to be the next big series. It's going to be epic.”

“The opportunity to write this novel is a dream come true," said Columbus. "I have lived with the characters of this novel and their world for many years, and was saving them for something very special. Working on House of Secrets with Ned has been a thrill.”

The Pagett kids had it all: loving parents, a big house in San Francisco, all the latest video games . . . But everything changed when their father lost his job as a result of an inexplicable transgression. Now the family is moving into Kristoff House, a mysterious place built nearly acentury earlier by a troubled fantasy writer with a penchant for the occult. Suddenly the siblings find themselves launched on an epic journey into a mash-up world born of Kristoff's dangerous imagination, to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Pagett family's secret history and save their parents . . . and maybe even the world.

Ivan Brett - Casper Candlewacks in the Claws of Crime - Happy Publication Day

2012-01-05T18:22:00.001Z

I’m just leaving a school event in early December when a boisterous chap who’d been in my event sticks his head out of his classroom window.

“Oy, Ivan!” he shouts. “You’re an idiot!”

Most authors would be insulted by this, but not me. “Why thank you,” I reply, give him a wave and make to leave.

But he’s not disappeared back behind his window. He wants a proper response, and I’m not going to deny him. “But compared to you, I’m nothing.”

He grins, says “Yssssss”, and then his friend’s head pops up.

“What about me? Am I an idiot?”

“Yup,” I say. Even more than your mate.”

The second boy high-fives the first and they slip back into their classroom, satisfied.

My full-time job involves calling children idiots, and I love it. How did it come to this?

The Casper Candlewacks series, my first foray into publishing, is all about glorifying the idiot. And I don’t mean stupid people – I mean all of us. I want to celebrate everything that’s wrong with us, our clumsiness, our bad decisions, the ugly bits that we usually try to tuck away and hide. When I go into schools the first thing I do is prove to the kids that I’m an idiot. Then I let them prove they’re idiots, then we sing the idiots’ national anthem (‘How Much Is That Doggy In The Window, but backwards, if you’re asking. I’ll sing it for you if you ask nicely.) and happy in our shared idiocy we get on with the rest of the session.

Once you’ve got someone to be proud of their bad bits, what is there to be scared of? Nothing, is the answer. Nothing at all. How brilliant is that?

And that’s what I try to do in Casper Candlewacks. In the village of Corne-on-the-Kobb, idiots rule. But it makes for a whole lot more fun, and lets the crazy stuff that goes on seem absolutely normal. In Casper Candlewacks in The Claws of Crime, which is out today, we’ve got French cat burglars, huge bejewelled swords, an egg-boiling lie-detector, multiple defenestration and quite a few clobs round the head with a cricket bat. Where else but in a village of idiots?

Today (5th January) sees many books being published. The question is, which book do you pick to read? Sounds easier than it is as there's so much choice to select from. However, let me make it easier for you - if you need a pick me up, perhaps with a hobnob and a cup of laughter, then this is definitely the book to seek out. As every good idiot knows (myself included, so I'm told) then you'd be idiot not to read this book. Funny, zany and totally off the wall with mad ideas, it will have you feeling much better about the dark and dreary January we find ourselves in. By the way, did I tell you that I was an Idiot too... ?

Thank you Ivan for sharing some information about your new book. I hope the 'Claws of Crime' finds itself doing time on many bookshelves, both young and old. Anyway, out today, you should be able to locate a copy in your local bookshop - so what are you waiting for? Go and grab a copy.

Che Golden - The Feral Child - Book Review

2012-01-05T09:50:00.000Z

They take human children and leave changelings in their place... stolen children go into the mound and we can't follow.'

Her parents dead, Maddy is sick of living in Ireland, sick of Blarney and sick of her cousin Danny, one of the nastiest people you could meet this side of an Asbo. Mad as hell one evening, she crawls inside the grounds of the castle, the one place she has always been forbidden to go. Once inside, she is chased by a strange feral boy, who she suspects is one of the faerie: cruel, fantastical people who live among humans and exchange local children for their own.

When the boy returns to steal her neighbour Stephen into his world, Maddy and her cousins set off on a terrifying journey into a magical wilderness, determined to bring him back home. To do so, they must face an evil as old as the earth itself...

After having a hectic end of year it's now great to finally have a bit of time to read once more. Especially as the howling winds and battering rain beat rhythmically against my window pane! Anyway, I'd like to start with a New Year confession . . . . . at times I do judge a book by its cover and in fact I did so with this book. I depicted intriguing characters, mystical elements and an ethereal fairy realm - of which even more lurked within the pages.

Set in modern day Ireland, three children (Maddy and her cousins) find themselves entering the fairy realm on a quest to retrieve a stolen boy Stephen. Enchanted and captured by the evil fairy, he was replaced with a changeling and then taken to the fairy realm. As a result, the children have a number of dangerous encounters with evil characters, all based on traditional Celtic folklore, in their quest to return Stephen to his home in Blarney.

Initially the book starts sedately, but soon picks up pace when the children enter the fairy realm. This is maintained throughout the book until the unexpected ending. Interestingly, this does not follow the traditional Irish folklore mould and instead delivers an unexpected and original punch.

A number of interesting creatures enter the pages of this book, but my favourite character is Fachtna (meaning 'hostile' in Irish). Fachtna lives, eats, sleeps and breathes war. In fact she is never happier than when she has a knife in her hand and is ready to kill. However, even bearing all of this information in mind, I hope that we will be able to uncover more of her personality and motives within the next book ' '.

This is a strong and accomplished debut novel which, in my eyes, competes with books written by more established authors. It will both capture and captivate all ages. However, this cannot be mistaken as being a 'nice' traditional fairytale as it is steeped in darkness and elements of horror - both of which can make the read very unsettling. Nevertheless this seedling grows into a blossoming bloom.

Published by Quercus Publishing - 5 January 2012 - Fiction Age 9+

New:Moira Young - Blood Red Road - Costa Children's Book Award Winner 2011

2012-01-04T09:55:00.000Z

WINNER OF THE 2011 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

BLOOD RED ROAD

By Moira Young

Marion Lloyd Books is delighted to announce that Blood Red Road, the debut novel by Moira Young, has won the 2011 Costa Children’s Book Award.

The judges called Blood Red Road: “An astonishing debut novel which had us all hooked from the beginning to the unpredictable end.”

The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK’s most prestigious and popular literary prizes. It is unique for having five categories: First Novel, Novel, Poetry, Biography and Children’s Book. The Costa Book Awards started life in 1971 as the Whitbread Literary Awards and Costa Coffee took over ownership of the awards in 2006. The award ceremony presentation evening will be held on Tuesday 24th January 2012.

Moira Young says: “To be shortlisted with such experienced and acclaimed writers and their excellent books was wonderful. To win the Costa Children's Book Award is amazing. I am immensely gratified that the story and characters I’ve lived with and cared about for so long, seem to speak not only to young people but readers of all ages.”

Marion Lloyd, adds: “I am very proud to be the publisher of Blood Red Road. Reading the first manuscript pages made my heart race. I wanted to aim Saba’s steely crossbow at anyone who might stop me from acquiring the publishing rights in this super-charged story of a girl’s search for her brother in a dangerous future world. Moira Young is a new writer of phenomenally powerful skills. To have the Costa judges crown her first novel as the winner of the children’s book award is simply fabulous.”

Blood Red Road is a fast-paced thriller written in fresh, pared-down language. Set in a lawless future land where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba’s twin brother is stolen by mysterious, black-robed riders. She pursues his captors on a desperate journey full of violence and treachery where she will need a spirit as tough as her crossbow to survive. But among her companions are the cleverest bird that ever flew, and a handsome thief with eyes the colour of moonlight...

Moira Young’s searing, soaring survival story is arresting from the very first line. It is written in a compelling but very accessible dialect with an extremely distinctive authorial voice. The scope of the plot is epic and the pace is fierce, with unexpected twists throughout. The combination of a startlingly original voice, unforgettably vivid characters and a compelling teen love story sets this novel apart as one of the most sensational books for young adults in recent years.

New Book Plug:Matt Wingett - Turn The Tides Gently

2012-01-04T09:34:00.005Z

Turn The Tides Gently is a new e-book from Matt Wingett that's all about madness, mermaids, hallucinations and time distortion.

Set on the island city of Portsmouth, this tale unwinds just as the central character's grip on reality begins to unwind. Filled with glimpses of the past and smells of the future, it is written with a poetic flow that draws you through from beginning to the end, making it pretty much unputdownable.

The first of a series of stories about Portsmouth, this e-book is written to novella length - making it a short fast read for a journey - and it is priced to match.

Matt Wingett was previously a screenwriter from Thames TV's "The Bill", and is a trained hypnotist and expert in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, the mind management system made famous by life-style expert Paul McKenna.

The opening sequence below gives a real sense of the flow and style of the piece - but beware, before you start... unlike the swimmer below, you might well find that you are hooked!

Turn The Tides Gently is available for Kindle from Amazon at http://amzn.to/YouCanTurnTheTide it's also free to download from the 6-8 Jan from Amazon. Why not have a read and let us know what you think?

"...Turn The Tides Gently..."

At first the hallucinations come to him in silence, as they always do. Carriages from a different era moving beneath starlight, then the sound of wheels clattering along the cobbles, and finally the pungent smell of horses, their dung on the floor, the acrid reek of piss - a rich, rancid perfume, overloading the senses.

It's as if he's looking through the surface of a soap bubble: figures walking the nightbound streets – uniforms of old soldiers not old any more, the police officer on the corner in a cape and high helmet. From across the Common, where the Royal Marines sleep in rows of tents before embarkation, a long-dead trumpet call from the older city briefly drowning the newly-wakened birds of the present.

Through the Pompey night, he heads along the island's streets to the shore. The spring sky is mottled with occasional clouds, and in the cold air he smells the smoke of a coal fire lit by a maid to warm a copper in a scullery. He even imagines he can hear the sleepy voices of her children, waking to a lightless pre-dawn.

As he steps onto the shingle beach, all shimmered upon and sparkling in the moonlight, a deep silence breaks out, as if an unseen attendant has closed a door behind him. The stillness holds for a few seconds, until he hears the sea again, and confirms the presence of the modern world: shimmering across the Solent, a ferry with its stacked decks lit up and looking like a wedding cake, all sparkling and iced.

I have visions, he says to himself. They always seem so real – realer than the world I really live in. He looks down at his hands, as if they might help him grasp things more tightly. Doctor Cassell tells me to ignore them. But I always know I'll get another one.

Sure enough, a new vision comes. But what he is seeing now is not like any previous hallucination. This is not a phantasm of buckets and spades – look daddy, see how the water splashes on the castle – not little constructions of remembrance that come from peering over the edge of the spiral of time, or half-memories drawn from tv costume dramas. This is different. He squints across the sea towards -

A woman. There's a woman in the sea! - with lank, long wet hair – there, in the moonlight!

Her breasts catch moonbeams and shimmer in the light – and then she is gone, vanished beneath the moon's silver path.

He glares an accusation at his trembling hands, bites his lower lip and shakes his head. Then he rubs his eyes and looks again, just to be sure. Nothing there, of course. Nothing. Except for an ever-widening circle spreading outwards, reaching towards him. He holds his breath and rubs his eyes once more. No. I imagined it.

The night's sounds intensify, and the moon's light brightens. Something's not right, he thinks. With minute accuracy, he can hear the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore, a restless sound, as if every bubble is speaking its own secret: Shush. Shush. Something hidden. She-ush.

A wavering glance across the sea is enough to satisfy him it's empty. Just water, he tells himself, only half-believing. But as he considers the long-diagnosed madness that conjured that image, she surfaces again.

Her head is up now, out of the water, her mouth in the soft ecstasy of what he thinks a woman drowning must look like: her arms raised out of the water seemingly helpless. He sees her like this for a second or so, frozen in time. Then down she goes again.

He is riveted to the spot in disbelief. After maybe two minutes under the water she surfaces a third time. It's impossible! But no, perhaps not. A scenario flashes before his mind's eye. A clubber, maybe, a little high on drugs; she took a playful dive in the water, and here she is – drowning in front of my eyes! She's real!

He shouts – breaking across the night's sounds with a voice sounding strangely thin and flat over the sea, as if he is shouting in a padded room.

“It's okay. Don't worry! I'll help...”

He doubles backwards and forwards in helpless panic at the Solent's edge looking about him with big wide eyes, not sure what to do next. In response she suddenly stops, stock still in the water and fixes him with a curious gaze. Her movements are reminiscent of how a woman looks if a stranger walks into her boudoir and interrupts her while combing her hair. For a moment, their eyes meet, and then, as she realises the situation, she suddenly throws her arms up and, with an almost ironic gesture, disappears beneath the surface, gasping and spluttering, the brine closing over her head.

He steps into the water, but the cold shock sinking through his trainers makes his neck hairs stand in reflex, and he remembers he cannot swim. It also shocks him back to reason. She surfaces again, spitting a spluttering arc of brine and he turns tail and scuffs up the beach to where the life-ring stands in a plastic box by the ice-cream kiosk. Drowning. I can't have her drowning.

He lifts it quickly and champ-champ-champs down the shingle to the shoreline, where, with a mighty throw he hurls it to her.

It's a bad throw: over-eager, and panicky, and he curses as it appears to collide with her, so that, suddenly disoriented, her body flattens on the water. Dazed, she grips the ring, and in this way he pulls her in – netting a helpless woman from the sea, her shining skin pale in the moonlight.

When he draws her closer still, he wades in to land her.

“It's okay. It's okay,” he says, reaching down to her icy body, only half able to see her through the darkness and the mesmeric moonlight, but nevertheless feeling a supernatural sense that something is not quite right.

He hooks her under her arms and pulls her up from the water. Now she really starts to struggle. A violent crazy thrashing in the water, that makes him gasp at her power.

“Don't panic, I've got you,” he says - but no he really hasn't. She is as slippery as a fish, and utterly set on drowning. They lock into a battle of wills, and her thrashing in the water scatters the moonlight like spilled jewels, while the dark sea noises all around them are filled by the sounds of other voices calling in the night. A strange language hisses and gurgles around him, and he looks away from her to see the heads of others in the water, shouting to her and glaring at him.

He stops a moment, absolutely frozen, lost in surprise and utter confusion at these unexpected apparitions. She seizes her moment - slipping from his arms, and splashing back into the sea. And he is sure, utterly convinced, that as she goes, he sees something - something he cannot quite explain that will haunt him in his dreams. For as she dives into the deeper water, the crossed fins of a tail rise high into the air behind her.

He stands, staring at the scatter of widening circles where all the heads that were glaring at him disappeared, and at the spot where she thrashed and foamed. Then he sits down, soaking, suddenly cold and afraid, and not sure what to do next.

News:Veronica Roth - Insurgent - Book Cover Reveal

2012-01-03T17:45:00.000Z

Set for release on the 1^st May this year, the explosive sequel to the Goodreads 2011 Choice Awards winner DIVERGENT, is set to be one of the most anticipated books of the year. We can now exclusively reveal to bloggers and readers the fabulous cover look for INSURGENT: Very Nice!

This fantastic new cover will tie in with the new look for the paperback of Divergent, due for release on the 2^nd February 2012

That's something to look forward to reading in 2012..........

Adam Christopher - Empire State - Mr Ripley's Older Read Book Choice For January 2012

2012-01-03T11:59:00.000Z

“’Rad’ is my kind of name, is what,” said Rad. He didn’t bother looking up at his assailants. The masks and hats were a great disguise. Kooky. Instead he stared ahead and dabbed at his bottom lip with a bloody handkerchief.

The first goon’s shoes moved into Rad’s field of vision, black wingtips shining wetly in the cast-off from the streetlamp just around the lip of the alley. The rain had collected in the punch pattern on the shoes and each step threw a fine spray, some of which collected in the man’s pinstripe turn-ups. Rad figured it was all part of the disguise, the unfashionable shoes, the unfashionable suits, the unfashionable gas masks. The name of some annual affair near the end of the year that was all about ghosts and candy and weird costumes itched at the back of Rad’s mind, but he couldn’t remember what it was and the thought slipped away as he tried to grasp it.

The goon bent down and the gas mask came into view. Two circular goggles in a rubber face, single soup-can canister bobbing over where the mouth would be. The goon’s voice was clear as a whistle despite the business that sat between his lips and Rad’s ears, but echoed in the soup-can like it was coming out of a radio set.

“What do you know about nineteen fifty?”

Rad pulled the handkerchief away and looked at it, then moved his jaw like he was chewing toffee. His teeth were all there, so he was happy. A fat lip he could live with. What he really wanted was a drink, something strong that you couldn’t buy, not legally anyway. He tongued the gash inside his mouth and the pepper-copper taste of blood filled his mouth again. That wasn’t what he had in mind.

“That’s the second time you’ve asked me that, pal,” said Rad. “And for the second time I’m gonna say I don’t know about nineteen fifty. If you’re looking for street directions then there are nicer ways of going about it.”

The gas mask disappeared upwards and Rad shook his head. He felt his own fedora shift against the brick wall behind him. At least he’d kept that on during the fight.

Not that it was much of a fight. One minute he was walking down Fifth, next an arm pulled him out of the light and into the alley, and after just one question a one-two landed with some success on his face, and he was sitting on the floor with a bruised tailbone and a wet backside and a cheekbone that alternated between needle-pain and numbness.

They weren’t after money. Once on the ground, the first goon – a tall, wide, no-neck, who seemed to be doing everything for the entertainment of his friend who just stood and watched behind his black goggles – grabbed his wallet, and together the four glass eyes stared at his ID for a while before the card and wallet were returned to Rad’s inside coat pocket. This was no mugging. It was planned, calculated. They were professionals. The fist responsible for Rad’s aching face was on the end of a trained arm. The crazy get-up wasn’t something you could pick up downtown. They’d collared Rad for nineteen hundred and fifty somethings. Nineteen fifty what? His office was five-A, thirty-four, Fourth Street. His home was five-B. Rad ran through addresses, locations, places that people in unfashionable suits and strange masks might have an interest in. No dice.

Published by Angry Robot - 5 Jan 2012

New Children's Books Published January 2012 U.K

2012-01-03T10:53:00.010Z

Jonathan Auxier - Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes - Published by Scholastic - 2 Jan 2012

This is the story of the greatest thief that ever lived. Forced into a life of thievery, ten-year-old blind orphan Peter Nimble longs for escape. One fateful afternoon he steals a box from a mysterious traveller - a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. Little does Peter know that these eyes will lead him on an unforgettable adventure...

Curtis Jobling - Wereworld:Shadow of the Hawk - Published by Puffin - 5 Jan 2012

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords. With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free - but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords. Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy's net is closing in. Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is . . .

Janet Foxley - Muncle Trogg and the flying Donkey - Published by Chicken House - 5 Jan 2012

Muncle Trogg, the tiny giant, is worried. His home on Mount Grumble is about to erupt, and all the bigger giants can think about is celebrating the departure of the Smallings from down the mountain! Luckily for Muncle, his friend Emily hasn't abandoned him \- and she has an idea. The giants might not listen to Muncle but they will listen to the wisest, most wondrous animal of all \- a flying donkey!

E J Newman - 20 Years later - Published by Dystopia Press - 22 Jan 2012

London, 2012: It arrives and with that the world is changed into an unending graveyard littered with the bones, wreckage, and memories of a dead past, gone forever. London, 2032: Twenty years later, out of the ashes, a new world begins to rise, a place ruled by both loyalty and fear, and where the quest to be the first to regain lost knowledge is an ongoing battle for power. This is a place where laws are made and enforced by roving gangs - the Bloomsbury Boys, the Gardners, the Red Lady's Gang - who rule the streets and will do anything to protect their own. The Four: Zane, Titus, Erin, and Eve. Living in this new world, they discover that they have abilities never before seen. And little do they know that as they search post-apocalyptic London for Titus' kidnapped sister that they will uncover the secret of It, and bring about a reckoning with the forces that almost destroyed all of humanity.

Mark Griffiths - Space Lizards Stole My Brain! - Published by Simon & Schuster - 5 Jan 2012

When Admiral Skink, an alien-lizard warlord from the planet Swerdlix, is attacked by The Hideous and Unimaginably Vast Comet Creature of Poppledock he faces a certain death...but luckily his underlings have installed the BrainTwizzler 360 Mind Migration SystemTM. This nifty invention safely transfers Skink's mind on to a memory wafer and jettisons it through space to find a suitable temporary "home" until he can be rescued by his fellow Swerdlixians. Unluckily for eleven-year-old Lance Spratley it just so happens that the temporary home for Admiral Skink's mind is his body! And while Skink deals with being trapped in Lance's useless body - it can't even breathe fire! -- Lance is transferred to a virtual waiting room surrounded by the lizard race who seem intent on destroying Earth when they have successfully retrieved Skink. Will Lance ever get his body back? And even if he does will he be able to thwart Admiral Skink and the Swerdlixians plans to invade Earth...

Book Plug#3 - Chris Van Allsburg - The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

2011-12-22T21:57:00.003Z

For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we've asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won't soon forget.

This inspired collection of short stories features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M. T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg

himself.

For more details:http://www.hmhbooks.com/features/harrisburdick/

Book Plug #2 Louis L. Buitendag - The Bloomswell Diaries

2011-12-14T16:09:00.000Z

Benjamin Bloomswell is pleased to be staying with his uncle in America while his parents are off on another business trip. It’s like a vacation. But when a series of newspaper articles, telephone calls and mysterious disappearances result in his being sent to – and having to escape from – a sinister orphanage and the criminals who run it, he knows he’s somehow got to find a way back to Europe. He has to get to his sister’s boarding school before anyone else does. And
somehow, he has to find his parents, who are also in trouble. But how...

To read the first few chapters click here: http://www.myubam.com/pdf/Chapters/TheBloomswellDiaries.pdf

Book published by Kane/Miller Publishers US March 2011

++++Julie Cross - Tempest - Book Review+++

2011-12-13T21:52:00.001Z

Pages 415
Publisher - Macmillan Children's Books
Publication Date - 6 January 2012
Age - Teen
Isbn: 978 0 230 7526 7 H/back

Jackson Meyer is hiding a secret. He can time-travel. But he doesn't know how he does it, how to control it or what it means. When Jackson, and his girlfriend Holly, find themselves in fatal danger, Jackson panics and catapaults himself two years into his past, further than he's ever managed before, and this time he can't find a way back to the future. All the rules of time-travel he's experienced so far have been broken and Jackson has no choice but to pretend to be his younger self whilst he figures out a solution. Jackson is tearing himself apart with guilt and frustration, wondering if Holly survived. He's also become the target of an unknown enemy force and it seems even his dad is lying to him. Jackson is racing against time to save the girl he loves, but to do that he must first discover the truth about his family and himself.

And stay alive.

Today - Jackson and Holly are in love
Tomorrow - She will lie dying in his arm
Yesterday - Jackson must undo it all

I was totally sold on this book from the synopsis - the time travelling theme is a concept that I really enjoy engaging with. However, within this book, the time travelling aspect is somewhat different to most for two main reasons:

Firstly, the main character (Jackson Meyer) is able to step back in time due to a genetic gene - no machine is required
Secondly, Jackson can only go back as far as he was born which turns out to be around a twenty year span

This is not necessarily a book that I would have picked up. However, I'm really pleased that I now have and to be honest at various stages, I found it really difficult to put down. You may be thinking (or perhaps you're not!) why I would not have automatically read this book? The reason why is that it's a teenage romantic love story with a mysterious theme. This is generally an area that I would normally steer away from - the paranormal-type romance which is a word that you certainly won't see very often on this blog! However, the secret agent part injects the story with both a male theme and perspective which, at times, helps to play down the romantic side.

I found the whole series of events to be rather well plotted. The nice Sci-Fi feel punched through at the end of the book which, whilst out of character, was well worth it. As a result, I feel that the author created a particularly well written debut book - two more books are due to be published within this series.

This book is fast paced and portrays a realistic teenage college-life. It features interesting science elements and some great characters. One such character is Adam, otherwise known as a computer geek and Holly, who will probably epitomise most teenage boys dream of an ideal girlfriend!

All in all this book was very enjoyable to read - it didn't feel like a book aimed at teenage girls. The sad, fresh and cool amalgamation of genres made this such a fantastic read, which I feel will be loved by all who can get their hands on a copy to read. I certainly hope that we get more of these successful ingredients within the next book.

Check out http://juliecross.blogspot.com/ for a bonus prequel short story which is available for free......

Many thanks to Sally for sending a copy of this book to me.

+++ Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars Final 2011 Winners Post +++

2011-12-07T20:54:00.000Z

Finally Mr Ripley's book cover wars has now come to an end. After nearly two months of gruelling battles a final worthy winner can be announced.

As usual I would like to thank the many people who got behind this little idea of mine. Although this idea is now in its third year, I still find the whole process tremendously exciting and interesting. Therefore, I hope you all had as much fun as I did - either as an observer or a contender.

Battling in the final were Curtis Jobling with the book cover for 'Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated/designed by Andrew Farley (published in January 2012) and Conrad Mason with the book cover for 'The Demon's Watch' illustrated/designed by David Wyatt (published in March 2012).

This year over 698 votes were in the final alone. However, over two months around 3,000 votes hit the site, which just highlights the passion that this competition generates. Anyway, without further ado I'd like to award the title of 'Mr Ripleys Book Cover Wars 2011 book cover of the year' to . . . . . . . CURTIS JOBLIN for the UK book cover - 'Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' published by Puffin January 2012.

Curtis now finds himself in the Ripley Hall of Fame where he accompanies the following two past winners:
2009 Jon Mayhew 'Mortlock'
2010 Darren Shan 'Birth of a Killer' illustrated by David Wyatt
2012 Curtis Joblin ''Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated by Andrew Farley

The winner of the competition will be picked either later today or tomorrow - thank you again, one and all for your support and enthusiasm over the last two months.

Book Plug #1 - C . J . Busby - Frogspell Book One - Illustrated by David Wyatt

2011-12-07T13:24:00.000Z

Max Pendragon is probably the worst squire in King Arthur's kingdom – he'd much rather train to be a wizard instead. So when he accidentally invents a spell that turns people into frogs, it seems his wish might come true.

But events take an unexpected turn when Max enters the Novices' Spell-Making Competition and finds himself helping Merlin fight an evil sorceress. There's no way Max's unpredictable frogspell could be of any use.

Or is there...?

Published by Templar 1st Sep 2011
To find out more take a look at http://www.frogspell.co.uk/books

About The Author
C. J. Busby was brought up on boats and in caravans in the southeast of England and north Wales. She lived in south India for a year for her PhD, and then taught Social Anthropology at universities in Edinburgh, London and Kent. She lives in Devon and has three children and currently works on environmental issues with schools, and is a copyeditor for an academic press. Her first picture book text, The Thing, was shortlisted for the Nickelodeon Jr national Write a Bedtime Story competition. Frogspell is her first full-length book for children.

Book Picks: HarperCollins US Books January 2012

2011-12-05T11:54:00.000Z

Sarah Prineas - Winterling - Published by HarperCollins - January 3 2012

“We live here, my girl, because it is close to the Way, and echoes of its magic are felt in our world. The Way is a path leading to another place, where the people are governed by different rules. Magic runs through them and their land.”

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the MÓr rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Anne Nesbet - The Cabinet of Earth - Published by HarperCollins - January 3 2012

To protect her baby brother James, 12-year-old Maya has to take on the magical underworld of Paris, in which houses have bronze salamanders for door handles, the most beautiful people are all hooked on the sweet-smelling “anbar,” and a shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths has chosen Maya to be its next keeper.

". . . All at once the world went very still. She was floating; she was underwater: all the room’s sound was replaced by a throbbing hum, light streaking slowly away from everything it touched. She stretched one hand out (the air was as thick as syrup; her arm moved with the slow grace of an aquatic plant) and tried to say something, but her voice was gone, too.
......Maya......
The cabinet itself was calling to her . . ."

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars Grand Final 2011 - Nick Lake - In Darkness Book Competition

2011-11-29T09:03:00.000Z

This is the big final for the book cover wars for 2011 - are you ready to vote?

Over the last four weeks, different author's have battled for their book covers to be voted into the grand final. As a result, we now have four worthy winners who have the chance to be crowned with the title 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted book cover of the year'. So without any further waiting, let the final battle commence . . . .

A big thanks to all the authors who have got behind their own book cover and the enjoyable banter we have had with you all. Thanks to everyone for all your votes - over 2500 votes (over the four heats) have been cast! Amazing,with the last heat been a real battle.

As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your final favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win the new proof by Nick Lake - In Darkness a heart warming tale set in Haiti. Not out till next year.

All you need to do is:

Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top right of the page)
Leave a comment through this post
Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed)

So here are the four final winners:

Book One - Conrad Mason - The Demon's Watch - Published by David
Fickling - March 2012 - Votes 189

Book Two - Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for the Peculiar - Published by Quirk - June 2011 - Votes 104

Book Three - Barry Hutchison - The 13th Horseman - Published by HarperCollins - March 2012 - Votes 136

Book Four - Curtis Jobling - Wereworld:Shadow of the Hawk - Published by Puffin - Jan 2012 - Votes 418

Make this the best one yet. May the best book cover win and don't forget to leave a comment to win that brilliant proof.

News:Egmont launches Electric Monkey Imprint 2012

2011-11-28T11:15:00.000Z

High Voltage Reading
August 2011:Egmont Press has announced the launch of it's new YA imprint,Electric Monkey,creating a recognisable identity for its rapidly growing range of teen/YA fiction.

The imprint will launch in February 2012 with three books for teenagers:BZRK the brand new series from Michael Grant,author of the bestselling GONE series;OLIVER TWISTED by JD Sharpe and CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein.

Approximately two books a month will be added to the imprint through out the year and appropriate backlist titles will be incorporated at reprint.

The core readership for Electric Monkey will range from 12-15 although with the current interest in YA fiction by adult readers and bloggers,some will inevitably extend to older audience. The list is intentionally broad in focus,and isn't led by one particular genre or gender.

First two books are to be published 6 February 2012 are:

Elizabeth Wein - Code Name Verity - P/B 978 1 4052 5821 0

J D Sharpe - Oliver Twisted (and Charles Dickens) - P/B 978 1 4052 5817 3
"Flesh," the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black. "Flesh" came another moan, and he turned to see two more behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot. The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless, orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods and if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you forever. On the advice of a corpse, Oliver flees his ghastly orphan life to seek his destiny in the dark streets of old London Town, despite the perils of the woe-begotten zombie-infested journey. There he meets the shadowy Dodger, the evil old soul-stealer Fagin, and the menacing Bill Sikes, who is more beast than man. But will Oliver Twisted be the world's salvation, or its downfall?!

And then three more book published 5 March 2012

Jo Schreiber - Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick - P/B 9781 4052 5943 9
Michael Grant - BZRK - H/B 978 1 4052 5993 4
Laura Jarratt - Skin Deep - P/B 978 1 4052 5672 8

Some electrifying reading ahead for 2012.

+++Andy Briggs - Tarzan:The Greystoke Legacy - Book Review+++

2011-11-27T20:38:00.002Z

What lies in the depths of the jungle? Escaping a dark secret, Robbie Canler joins an illegal logging team in the Congo jungle. Now they're under siege from a sinister force. When the daughter of the camp's boss, Jane Porter, goes missing, they assume bloodthirsty rebel soldiers have kidnapped her. Robbie sets out on a rescue mission - unaware he is being watched . . . Are the rumours of a feral man raised by wild apes true? If so, can the mysterious untamed savage be trusted to help them? Tarzan: a Legend Reborn

Tarzan first went to print around a hundred years ago, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first came to life in a magazine publication (October 1912) through 'The All - Story'. Two years later this was made into a book format - since then there have been 25 sequels, and well over 50 films.

Andy Briggs has had the big task of writing a new series bringing the legendary character back to life, but through a modern day setting and aimed at a younger audience. So how has he done?

Well, Andy has kept most of the key details true to the original story which I was pleased to see. He has not messed around with the classic elements that readers have historically fallen in love with. However, what he has done is placed the characters within a modern day setting. Obviously many aspects have changed dramatically within the last 100 years and therefore, Andy has done a great deal of research which shows through the detail of the setting. The Congo has been intertwined expertly into the story - it deposits you deep down within the jungle of Central Africa. Whilst Tarzan's re-vamped character has an Eco-warrior approach to saving the jungle from being cut down and running out the evil characters.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the new series - it is a great classic action adventure which I soon became engrossed in. The detail and the story are most plausible as they are not overly exaggerated but instead bring serious issues to light. This is a great jungle adventure, which in my opinion, both boys and girls should really love reading. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book 'Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior' which is out in July 2012. Tarzan is back and that's a good thing.....

New: Buzz Book 2012 - Novel by R J Palacio - Wonder

2011-11-17T09:40:00.001Z

WONDER by R J Palacio is the book everyone will be talking about in 2012 - it is the debut novel that has provoked the most incredible response within Random House Children's Books. It tells the story of ten-year-old August Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face, and the way he changes the lives and the perspectives of everyone around him. We think he might change yours too.

WONDER is funny, frank, powerful and poignant. It will touch you to the core. It is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on urgently to others, and remember long after the final page.

we have found that everyone who reads this book immediately wants to talk about it. Please join in on Twitter: #thewonderofwonder

Published By Bodley Head March 2012

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars 2011 - Heat 4 of 4 Plus Competition - Barry Hutchison's - The 13th Horseman Proof Copy

2011-11-13T19:15:00.001Z

You are now in Mr Ripley's Book Cover War Zone....

Heat three has just come to an end. The winner was Barry Hutchison, who galloped to victory with his up and coming book cover for 'The 13th Horseman'. This cover received 136 votes which makes it another fine winner and therefore, finds itself in the final.

Heat One - Ransom Rigg's - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - 104 Votes
Heat Two - Conrad Mason's - The Demon's Watch - 189 Votes
Heat Three - Barry Hutchison's - The 13th Horseman - 136 Votes

For any new or existing follower of this site this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week (for the next 1 week) I am going to select four book covers for you to vote from. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2011'.

As a voter not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week.

The book competition winner from last week has been picked and has won a signed copy of David Walliams - Mr Stink. The lucky winner is Jo Ann at bkfaerie - the book is on its way to you. Hope you enjoy reading it.

In order to kick off the competition this week we have yet another amazing book prize. This week is a book everyone is after - a proof copy of The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison. A great prize that will enable you the chance to read this book nice and early.

If you are interested in voting for a book cover and being in with a chance to win the above book then all you need to do is:

Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top of the page)
Leave a comment through this post
Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide.

So here are the four book covers to vote for:

Book One - William Hussey - Witchfinder: The Last Nightfall - Published by OUP - Sep 2011

Book Two - Curtis Jobling - Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk - Published by Puffin - Jan 2012

Book Three - Lari Don - Storm Singing and other Tangled Tasks - Published by Floris - June 2011

Book Four - Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams - Spiral - Published by Chicken House - Sep 2011

Happy voting and let the best book cover win.

Book Choice November: Alette J Willis - How to Make a Golem (and Terrify People)

2011-11-09T08:14:00.001Z

How to Make a Golem (and Terrify People)

“You think you’re a fairy godmother or something?” I asked.
“Or something,” Michael agreed.

Edda is tired of her nickname, “Mouse”, and wants to be braver. But when her house is burgled on her twelfth birthday, Edda is more afraid than ever. That is until new boy Michael Scot starts school.
There’s something peculiar — and very annoying — about know-it-all Michael. He claims to be a great alchemist who can help Edda overcome her fears by teaching her to build a golem. But surely they can’t bring a giant mud monster to life? Can they?

Winner of the Kelpies Prize 2011.

Author: Alette J.Willis

Paperback | ISBN : 9780863158407 | 240 Pages

Paperback £5.99 Floris Book - 17 Nov 2011

http://www.alettejwillis.com/

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus - Book Review

2011-11-07T10:58:00.000Z

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

When I started to read this book it was so intriguing that I had to turn the pages slowly in order to take it all in. As a result, the book took me over a week to read which is definitely not normal for me ....... to say the very least.

This book was actually quite slow to start. However, I soon realised that this pace actually suited the story as it does seem to run at its own tempo. This could be an issue if you tried to rush the narrative by reading it in one sitting. Although, as this book is told in short chapters (giving little tastes of the Circus and its atmosphere) this soon enchants and entices you into the magical world that the author has created. Nevertheless, I did feel that some additional grounding was required in order to establish the time period in which it was set, as this was not always obvious.

I was totally hooked by the story, the characters and the setting alike. The more that I read, the more enchanting and dream-like the atmosphere became. I found myself wandering through the magical and mystical tents like the "Reveurs" in the book - a group of ardent circus followers who live and breath "The Night Circus". It's such a fantastical place to find yourself that it attacks your senses on every level and is a true testament to the author.

The book felt very original, fresh and full of imagination. The slow romanticism within the book did not bother me, as it crept up on me rather than being too full in the face.

The mix bag of characters are either vaguely written or have a leading role which actually helps to bring them all together. Especially as the main characters are not always the ones that you always follow through the story. Instead, the circus is the main character for me - giving all of the other characters life and meaning which made it the star of the show.

From the very start I never knew where this story was going to take me - it left me guessing most of the time. Unfortunately, the ending did not live up to the fairytale start, but it has made for an exciting new beginning to a future story.

This is a great older read that will leave a lasting impression until the next adventure is published. Whilst it is a super read; the hype surrounding this book did suggest more.

Red House Children’s Book Award 2012 - Chosen and voted for  entirely by children.

2011-11-05T21:41:00.001Z

Some of the biggest names in children’s fiction are joined by exciting new authors and illustrators on the shortlist for this year’s Red House Children’s Book Award, the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children themselves. What could be a better indicator of the books that will tempt children away from computer games and DVDs than a list drawn up by young people across the country, which pits literary heavyweights like Morris Gleitzman and Patrick Ness against outstanding debut authors such as Annabel Pitcher?

Who will win? It’s up to children everywhere to decide. Voting is now open and the Red House Children’s Book Award would like to encourage every child in Britain to check out the shortlisted titles and vote for their favourite!

The Red House Children’s Book Award is highly respected by teachers, parents and librarians and has brought acclaim and strong sales to past winners such as J.K. Rowling, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman and Anthony Horowitz. The award has often been the first to recognise the future stars of children’s fiction and has the ability to turn popular authors into bestsellers.

Children nationwide are now invited to vote for their favourite of the ten shortlisted books. The category winners and the author of the best children’s book published in the 2011 nomination period will be announced – for the first time ever – at a glittering awards ceremony which takes place in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in London on Saturday 18^th February 2012.

A dedicated website www.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk showcases all the shortlisted titles and featured authors. Any child can vote here for their favourite book until 20^th January 2012.

The full shortlist for the Red House Children’s Book Award 2012 is as follows:

Books for Younger Children

Rollo and Ruff and the Little Fluffy Bird by Mick Inkpen, published by Hodder

Don't Worry Douglas! by David Melling, published by Hodder

Peely Wally by Kali Stileman, published by Red Fox

Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice by Chris Wormell, published by Jonathan Cape

Books for Younger Readers

One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson, published by Marion Lloyd Books

Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis, published by Oxford University Press

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon, published by Scholastic

Books for Older Readers

Grace by Morris Gleitzman, published by Puffin

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, published by Walker

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, published by Orion

The Red House Children’s Book Award, now in its 32nd year, was founded in 1980 by author and librarian Pat Thompson and is owned and run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. The overall winner is awarded the Red House Children’s Book Award Silver Tree, of which they are the custodian for a year, and an engraved silver acorn which is theirs to keep. Each of the shortlisted authors and illustrators also receives a silver bookmark and an incredible portfolio of writing and artwork created by children inspired by their book. The ten titles on the shortlist for the Books for Younger Children, Books for Younger Readers and Books for Older Readers categories, as well as 40 highly recommended titles, were chosen by children who read and voted for the books at lively events organised nationwide by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.

The Federation of Children’s Book Groups was set up as a charity by Anne Wood, the originator of the Teletubbies. It acts as an umbrella organisation for local Children’s Book Groups all over the UK. The groups organise a variety of activities including author events and other activities that promote the enjoyment of children’s books. The Federation also produces numerous specialist book lists, organises National Share-a-Story Month each May, National Non-Fiction Day each November and holds an annual conference each spring. "http://www.fcbg.org.uk"

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars 2012 - Heat 3 of 4 Plus Competition - Signed David Walliams - Mr Stink

2011-10-31T09:15:00.001Z

You are now in Mr Ripley's Book Cover War Zone....

Heat two has just recently come to an end. The close run winner was Conrad Mason's up and coming book cover for 'The Demon's Watch'. This cover received amazing 189 votes out of the 449 votes that were cast. Therefore, as a worthy winner it now finds itself in the final.

Heat one winner - Ransom Rigg's - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - 104 Votes
Heat two winner - Conrad Mason's - The Demon's Watch - 189 Votes

For any new or existing follower of this site this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week (for the next 2 weeks) I am going to select four book covers for you to vote from. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2011'.

As a voter not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week.

The book competition winner from last week has been picked and has won a copy of the new proof by Jonathan Maberry - "Dead of the Night". The lucky winner is Michelle at MuchLovedBooks - I will be in touch with you for your postal details. Hope you enjoy reading it.

In order to kick off the competition this week we have yet another amazing book prize. This week it's an first edition hardback "Mr Stink" which is signed by David Walliams and by the illustrator Quentin Blake. This is a rare opportunity to add this edition to your book collection.

If you are interested in voting for a book cover and being in with a chance to win the above book then all you need to do is:

Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top of the page)
Leave a comment through this post
Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide.

So here are the four book covers to vote for:

Book One - Barry Hutchison - The 13th Horseman - Published by HarperCollins - March 2012

Book Two - Andy Briggs - Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy - Published by Faber and Faber - June 2011

Book Three - Tommy Donbavand - Scream Street 13: Flame of the Dragon - Published by Walker Books - October 2011

Book Four - Rick Riordan - The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune - Published by Hyperion - October 2011 - US Book Cover

Get voting and may the best book cover win. Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to win a signed book. Open worldwide....

New Children's Books Published in the US - November 2011 Choice Picks

2011-10-23T19:50:00.000+01:00

Matthew Cody - The Dead Gentleman - Published By
Knopf Books for Young Readers (November 8, 2011) - Age 9-12

Featuring a kid hero, time travel, and otherworld portals in unexpected places (maybe there are monsters under your bed), The Dead Gentleman is a wild ride between parallel New York City timestreams—1901 and today. Eleven-year-old Tommy Learner is a street orphan and an unlikely protege to the Explorers, a secret group dedicated to exploring portals—the hidden doorways to other worlds. But while investigating an attercop (man-eating spider) in the basement of an old hotel, Tommy is betrayed—and trapped. And it's then that his world collides with that of modern-day Jezebel Lemon, who—until the day she decides to explore her building's basement—had no bigger worries than homework and boys. Now, Jezebel and Tommy must thwart the Dead Gentleman—a legendary villain whose last unconquered world is our own planet Earth, a realm where the dead stay dead. Until now. Can two kids put an end to this ancient evil and his legions of Gravewalkers?

Deva Fagan - Circus Galacticus - Published By

Harcourt Children's Books;(November 15, 2011) - Age 9-12

Trix can deal with being an orphan charity case at a snotty boarding school. She can hold her own when everyone else tells her not to dream big dreams. She can even fight back against the mysterious stranger in a silver mask who tries to steal the meteorite her parents trusted her to protect.

But her life is about to change forever. The Circus Galacticus has come to town, bringing acts to amaze, delight, and terrify. And now the dazzling but enigmatic young Ringmaster has offered Trix the chance to be a part of it.

Soon Trix discovers an entire universe full of deadly enemies and potential friends, not to mention space leeches, ancient alien artifacts, and exploding chocolate desserts. And she just might unravel the secrets of her own past if she can survive long enough.

Patrick Carman - Dark Eden - Published by

Katherine Tegen Books (November 1, 2011)

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Tommy Donbavand -Scream Street Blog Tour - The Final Frontier

2011-10-21T08:13:00.000+01:00

To celebrate the publication of Flame of the Dragon - the 13th and final book in the Scream Street series - Tommy Donbavand has written a brand newScream Street story! Shiver of the Phantom will be released in 13 separate parts on 13 separate blogs between 19th October and Halloween itself!

This is the third chapter from the exclusive story 'Scream Street'. The next part of the story will be posted on Barry Hutchison's web

Chapter Three

The Story

Resus blinked, unsure what to say for a second. “You’re writing a novel?”

Cleo nodded.

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m writing a novel,” said Cleo. “Can I have it back now, please?”

Resus released his grip on the notebook. “How long have you been writing a novel?”

Cleo shrugged. “A few weeks.”

Resus turned to Luke. “And you knew about it?”

“Yep,” said Luke. “Cleo wanted to speak to Samuel Skipstone and get some advice about writing, so she’s been coming here every day after school to chat with him.”

“So, what’s with the magic spell and those things attacking us?” Resus asked.

“Sorry about that,” Cleo mumbled. “Mr Skipstone said I had to find a way to bring my characters to life. I couldn’t find a way to do it by writing, so I bought a spell from Everwell’s. I didn’t realize it would work on all the characters in the room.”

Resus sat on Luke’s bed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were writing a book?” he asked.

Cleo blushed slightly beneath her bandages. “I wanted to,” she said. “I just thought you might laugh at me.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” said Resus. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course,” said Resus. “I couldn’t do anything like that, but you’re good at all that writing stuff at school.”

Cleo smiled as she smoothed out the pages of her notebook. “I am enjoying writing it,” she admitted.

“What’s it about?” Resus asked.

“Don’t look at me,” said Luke, sitting on the bed beside the vampire. “I get sent out of the room when she discusses it with Mr Skipstone.”

Cleo paused for a moment. “Promise you won’t laugh?”

Luke and Resus both nodded.

“OK,” said Cleo. She took a deep breath. “It’s about a girl called Balsa, who meets a boy at school. His name is Woodhead, and Balsa is convinced that there’s something unusual about him. His skin is really cold, he doesn’t have a pulse and when he goes out in the sunshine, maggots burst out of his skin and crawl all over him.”

“So he’s a zombie?” said Resus.

“He is, but Balsa doesn’t know that for certain at the start,” said Cleo. “It’s only when he sinks his teeth into her leg that she realizes the truth.”

“What’s the book called?” asked Luke.

Cleo opened her notebook to the first page to display the title. “Thigh Bite.”

Resus grinned and began to chuckle.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh at me.” Cleo scowled.

“I’m not laughing at you,” Resus insisted. “I’m laughing at the story. It’s really clever.”

“You mean it?” asked Cleo with a smile. “Thanks.”

Resus picked up the game controller and restarted his zombie attack. “It’s all right,” he said, eyes fixed on the advancing undead. “I always thought— Ow!”

The vampire cried out in pain as a model ship exploded against his head.

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars 2012 - Heat 2 of 4 Plus Competition - Jonathan Maberry Proof

2011-10-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

You have, yet again, entered Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars.......

Heat one has just recently come to an end. The runner-way winner was Ransom Rigg's book cover for 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. This cover received 104 votes out of the 217 votes that were cast. Therefore, as a worthy winner, it now finds itself in the final.

For any new or existing follower of this site this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week (for the next 3 weeks) I am going to select four book covers for you to vote from. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2011'.

As a voter not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week.

The book competition winner from last week was picked at random by Sarwat Chadda to win a copy of his new proof "The Ash Mistry Chronicles". The lucky winner is Pagecrawler - I will be in touch with you for your postal details. Hope you enjoy reading it.

In order to kick off the competition this week we have an amazing US book proof by Jonathan Maberry called Dead of the Night, which is a great read and is due out early November.

If you are interested in voting for a book cover and being in with a chance to win a book then all you need to do is:

Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top of the page)
Leave a comment through this post
Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide.

So here are the four book covers to vote for:

Book One - Jon Mayhew - The BoneHill Curse - Published by Bloomsbury - May 2012

Book Two - Derek Landy - Scepter of the Ancients - US book cover - Published by HarperCollins - 2012

Book Three - Che Golden - The Feral Child - Published by Quercus

Publishing - 5 Jan 2012

Book Four - Conrad Mason - The Demon's Watch - Published by David Fickling - March 2012

Happy Voting,may the best book cover win!

One to Watch: James Bartholomeusz - The White Fox

2011-10-17T12:49:00.000+01:00

James Bartholomeusz lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his parents and two brothers, but is currently studying English Literature at the University of Exeter. When not reading or writing, he enjoys films and British comedy. He’s also interested in politics. His first young-adult novel, The White Fox, is published in December 2011 by Medallion Press, with two more in the same series to follow.

By all accounts, Jack Lawson was a normal British teenager. He had few friends, no love life, and a horde of embittered teachers who seemed to be after his blood on a regular basis. In his Birchford home, a centuries old overflow prison–turned–orphanage, life was excruciatingly mundane.Then came the Cult of Dionysus, a sect of sorcerers at the head of an encroaching Darkness.Then an old friend back from the dead.

And then the white fox.

Suddenly life wasn’t so mundane anymore.

New Books: Published November 2011 - UK

2011-10-17T10:25:00.000+01:00

Christopher Paolini - Inheritance: Inheritance Cycle, Book 4 - Published by Doubleday - 8 Nov - 2011

Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

Featuring spectacular artwork by cult artist John Jude Palencar, this stunning book brings the bestselling Inheritance cycle to a breathtaking conclusion.

Joanne Harris - Runelight - Published by Doubleday - 3 Nov 2011

The squabbling Norse gods and goddesses of Runemarks are back! And there's a feisty new heroine on the scene: Maggie, a girl the same age as Maddy but brought up a world apart - literally, in World's End, the focus of the Order in which Maddy was raised. Now the Order is destroyed, Chaos is filling the vacuum left behind... and is breaching the everyday world.

A chilling prophecy from the Oracle. A conflict between two girls. And with just twelve days to stave off the Apocalypse, carnage is about to be unleashed . . .

Jasper Fforde - The Song of the Quarkbeast: A Last Dragonslayer Novel - Published by Hodder & Stoughton - 10 Nov 2011
A long time ago magic faded away, leaving behind only yo-yos, the extremely useful compass-pointing-to-North enchantment and the spell that keep bicycles from falling over.

Things are about to change. Magical power is on the rise and King Snodd IV of Hereford has realised that he who controls magic controls almost anything. One person stands between Snodd and his plans for power and riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice.

Meet Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam, the employment agency for sorcerers and soothsayers.

With only one functioning wizard and her faithful assistant 'Tiger' Prawns, Jennifer must use every ounce of ingenuity to derail King Snodd's plans. It may involve a trip on a magic carpet at the speed of sound to the Troll Wall, the mysterious Transient Moose, and a powerless sorceress named Once Magnificent Boo.

But one thing is certain: Jennifer Strange will not relinquish the noble powers of magic to big business and commerce without a fight.

John Flanagan - Brotherband:The Outcasts - Published by Bodley Head - 3 Nov 201

There is only one way to become a warrior.

Boys are chosen for teams called Brotherbands and must endure months of gruelling battles in the treacherous sea.

Hal finds himself the unwilling leader of a band of outcasts, the boys that no one wants. They are small and wiry but what they lack in size, they make up with skill and courage. Now they must battle against the other bands in the ultimate race where there can only be one winner.

The icy waters make the sea a deadly playing field. Especially when - for some - this is anything but a game...

Ian Beck - The Haunting of Charity Delafield - Published by Bodley Head - 3 Nov 2011

A magical, enchanting tale, with stunning illustrations that will transport you into another world.

Flame-haired Charity Delafield has grown up in a vast, isolated house - most of which she is forbidden to explore - with her fiercely strict father. With only her kindly nurse, Rose, and her cat Mr Tompkins for company, she knows very little of the outside world - or of her own family's shadowy past. What she does know is that she is NEVER to go outside unsupervised. And she is NEVER to over-excite herself, because of the mysterious 'condition' that she has been told she suffers from.

But Charity has a secret. All her life, she has had the same strange dream - a dream of a dark corridor, hidden somewhere in the house. Then, one day, Charity stumbles across the corridor. It leads to a door . . . and suddenly she realises things are not quite what they seem.

The History Keepers by Damian Dibben - The Online Character Generator Game

2011-10-12T19:24:00.000+01:00

Time for a New Hero: As Harry Potter hangs up his wand, a new series looks set to take young readers by storm - The History Keepers

A debut novel - The History Keepers: The Storm Begins - has been caught in a rights frenzy ahead of its UK launch this autumn. Featuring Jake Djones, the unwitting young hero for a new generation, the book is the first in a series from screenwriter-turned-novelist Damian Dibben. With foreign rights snapped up in 22 languages and over 30 territories so far and a film optioned by Working Title (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Shaun Of The Dead), The History Keepers is set to be the next phenomenon in crossover fiction.

For your website, we have crafted a History Keepers online character generator game as a fun way for young readers to engage with this new fiction series. You can choose which era you travel back to and what type of hero you want to become before uploading an image of yourself. Share the results - a picture of yourself as a Roman soldier or Aztec princess - with friends. The online game is free and available at: http://thehistorykeepers.com/blog/?page_id=397

The History Keepers

When Jake is kidnapped by strangers on a stormy London night he discovers his loving parents have been leading a double life and are now missing, lost somewhere in history. He is plunged into a world of secret societies, dangerous double agents, and a terrifying countdown to oblivion. Transported by a Spanish galleon back to 19th century France, he finds himself in the headquarters of The History Keepers – a remarkable league of time-travelling special agents. The History Keepers preserve the true course of history against those who would change it for their own gain, such as the diabolical Prince Zeldt. Driven by a sense of adventure and a desire to reunite his family, Jake makes the most thrilling - and dangerous - decision of his life.

Damian Dibben has worked extensively as a screenwriter on projects as diverse as Phantom of the Opera and Puss in Boots. Dibben, who lives on the South Bank with his dog Dudley, has lived in London all his life. He was born in Eaton Square to a family of famous eccentrics from whom he inherited his sense of humour and a love of London and history. His passions include cosmology, archaeology and natural science, all of which have informed this remarkable debut.

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars 2012 - Heat 1 of 4 Plus Competition

2011-10-10T09:26:00.000+01:00

The Book Cover Wars is finally back for the third year and is looking for another worthy winner. Therefore, if you are returning to the site for the third year or are new to this competition, then I send you a very warm welcome and am pleased that you're joining the book cover war zone.

For any follower of this site, then this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week (for the next 4 weeks) I am going to select four book covers for you to vote for. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2011'.

As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week. Therefore, in order to kick off the competition this week, we have an amazing book proof by Sarwat Chadda which is bound in a special cloth and not published till March 2012,so you will get a chance to read this book super early. It's the start of an exciting new series featuring Ash Mistry, reluctant hero.

If you are interested then all you need to do is:

Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top of the page)
Leave a comment through this post
Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide.

So here is the four book covers to vote for:
Book One - Will Hill - Department 19 - The Rising - Published By HarperCollins - March 2012

Book Two - Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Published by Quirk Books - June 2011

Arthur Slade - Hunchback Assignments:Empire of Ruins - Published by
Wendy Lamb Books - September 2011

Book Four - Patrick Carman - Floors - Published by Chicken House - January 2012

Get voting and may the best cover win...............

News: Joseph Delaney - New Book Deal For Random House

2011-10-07T11:52:00.000+01:00

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!

Random House Children's Books is delighted to announce the acquisition of world rights in a four-book deal from Joseph Delaney. The first title Delaney will publish as part of the four-book deal is Slither, a terrifying stand-alone horror novel which will appeal to his existing fan base and lure in many new ones.

Delaney has decided that the twelfth book in the Wardstone Chronicles series, which will publish in 2013, will be the last.

I Am Grimalkin, the latest, brillilant instalment in Joseph Delaney's Wardstone Chronicles sequence. If you're not already a follower of the series then this book is also a great way in. It's a bit of a departure in that it's narrated by Grimalkin, the fearsome witch assassin herself, rather than Tom Ward the Spook's apprentice. But it picks up the story where book eight, The Spook's Destiny left off and all the things that make the Spook's books so fantastic are present and correct as usual; pace, tension, great characters and someseriously scary scenes. Joe loves writing Grimalkin as much as we love reading about her. This one is not for the faint-hearted, believe me, this kick-ass assassin does not suffer fools gladly and the body count is high!

Reading Now - Vernor Vinge - The Children of The Sky - Queng Ho Book 3

2011-10-07T10:21:00.000+01:00

Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them. While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them - and among the humans - who seek power...and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed. On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of "A Fire Upon the Deep". Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel is sure to become another great milestone in Vinge's already stellar career.

Published by Tor 14 Nov 2011 - Not for younger readers.

Marcus Sedgwick - Midwinterblood - Book Review

2011-10-07T09:20:00.089+01:00

Pages - 224
Date - 6 October 2011
Published by Indigo
Age 12+
ISBN: 978 17806 2000 1

White Crow was the last book that I read by Marcus and I really loved it. Therefore, I was very intrigued to see what he would come up with next. In the past, I've not always connected with his stories and I've not always felt the passion within his writing. However, if he carries on writing books like these last two, then I feel he will certainly be creeping up my author rankings for sure.

Marcus has a certain flair for constructing a world that not only has you, but keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Perhaps the best way that I can describe that particular feeling is that it's like dancing with the devil, only to find out that he is stalking you everywhere you go!

The story is told through the differing perspectives of Eric and Merle, who are bound by their love for each other, but in different forms. These two people, drawn together through the seven parts of the story are both influenced by the moon. They travel from 2073 back in time to the days of the Vikings and the start of their first life together. I'm not sure that I grasped the full meaning of all the shorter stories that made up the one big story, but I felt the important aspect was how they all connected with each other.

The shorter stories are written beautifully. The descriptive writing leaves a lasting impression as you follow the characters from life to life. The book has the writer's trademark gothic feel which is very powerful, but the ultimate drive is love and sacrifice - both of which leave many heart wrenching moments.

Compelling to read, dripping with emotion and truly enjoyable. This book is a supernatural thriller which is well worth reading. It did not disappoint me in any way, another big thumbs up!

I followed you............ Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars is on,your vote is much appreciated,if you leave a comment on the post as well you may get the chance to win Sarwat Chadda's new book proof which is out next year!

Chris Priestly - Mister Creecher - Book Review

2011-10-04T22:02:00.000+01:00

Pages - 400
Publisher - Bloomsbury Publishing
Date - 13 October 2011
Age 11+
Isbn: 9781408 811047

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mister Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target ...Victor Frankenstein. Friendship, trust and betrayal combine to form a dangerous liaison in this moving and frightening new book from Chris Priestley.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting to read once I had read this particular book synopsis. Especially having read all of Chris Priestley's imaginative Tales of Terror short stories, where I always felt like I was left wanting more. I was so easily sucked into these - they felt like a great master was telling the story, but for them to end so suddenly was always disappointing. Nevertheless I loved the insightful and twisted glimpses into the dark and abnormal story world. However, Mister Creecher proved to be something totally different again.

Playing on the classic concept of Frankenstein, it spun a whole new wonderful and thought provoking story which I loved from the very start. Set in Regency London (known as the underground of crime and poverty) Mister Creecher is an unimaginable seven foot monster who saves Billy from the clutches of death. Mysterious events carefully and enticingly unfold to hook you in before launching you back into the real world once more.

The main part of the book is inspired by Chris Priestley's love of the Classical novel, Frankenstein. He has paid homage to this by writing an account of two well-known literary characters. As a result, this has become a particularly cleverly written and compelling story that will be read and discussed for some time. Whilst it's written within the normal dark and Gothic constraints that we are all accustomed to reading from Chris, he does actually add a new level to this traditionally based plot. As a result, he brings it bang up to date whilst also incorporating a modern twist.

The relationship between the main characters is written seriously, but also portrays a poignant telling. It highlights the reality of loneliness and the need for friends. However, the book also shows a funny and uplifting side whilst also incorporating the dangerous and macabre side of this particular period.

Mister Creecher was a great book to read. I was not sure of the journey that I would take along the way and the ending was certainly not what I was expecting. In fact it leaves many more areas left still to unfold as we have only really just stared to scratch the surface with this tantalising start.

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For the launch, Royal Mail Stamps is running a competition on its Facebook page, facebook.com/royalmailstamps, to win Roald Dahl's Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection featuring seven of his best-loved books, a pop-up book of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a Roald Dahl presentation pack.

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Sophie Dahl is leading a fund-raising campaign to restore and relocate the famous hut in which her grandfather Roald Dahl penned some of his best-loved children's classics. See More.

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