At the heart of Hayley Long’s Sophie Someone there is a superb story about discovering who you are and finding the good in people, even those who are flawed. It is a complex read but very satisfying for older readers who want to be challenged and who enjoy word games. Sophie is fourteen and lives…
Gaslight, the middle grade novel from Eloise Williams, is an absorbing fast paced story full of intrigue and adventure, set in Victorian Cardiff. “My mother disappeared on the sixth of September, 1894. I was found at the docks in Cardiff, lying like a gutted fish at the water’s edge.” I adore a great opening to a…
Murder in Midwinter, by Fleur Hitchcock, is a gripping page-turner, which hooks you in from the start. Described by The Times as a “hard-boiled crime novel for beginners”, it has action, suspense, danger and excitement on almost every page. Maya, a schoolgirl in London, gets tangled up in a violent and dangerous crime when a snapshot…
The Nowhere Emporium is the awarding winning novel from Ross Mackenzie, winning both the Blue Peter Best Story Award 2016 and the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2016 Running into the nearest shop to escape Spud and his gang, Daniel Holmes is thrown into a magical emporium where dreams can come true if a small price…
Anne Cassidy, Looking for JJ and Finding Jennifer Jones, is back with a new Young Adult novel – Moth Girls. Three friends dare each other to enter a ‘haunted’ house. While Mandy heads home, Petra and Tina break in – and are never seen again. Set five years later, the story is predominantly told from Mandy’s…
We Were Liars by E Lockhart is an intriguing, roller coaster of a novel. Aimed at the YA audience, adults are going to be talking about this one for quite sometime to come too. I refuse can’t give away too much detail here, it’s one of those books that should open with little knowledge of its…
Set in the mysterious Victorian London with fantastical glimpses in to the future, Twelve Minutes to Midnight is a fast moving mystery and adventure novel with plenty of twists and turns. Montgomery Flinch’s tales of the macabre and the grotesque have taken England by storm in the last 12 months. When the reclusive fellow finally makes an…
The Diamond Chase is the latest in the yummy and funny, Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam series. Delightfully illustrated by Steven Lenton with sparkles galore and the eye catching addition of Sydney Scarper, the bow tie wearing penguin thief! Whilst Shifty and Sam are busy creating a fabulous feast for Lady Kate, her diamond tiara…
If you enjoyed Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton’s picture book, Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam, you’ll love The Cat Burglar. From crime to cakes to … heroes — this pair just get more loveable! Another tasty treat of a rhyming read, served with top-secret buns filled with top-secret jam and a deliciously juicy bit of…
Anyone But Ivy Pocket, a mystery novel set in Victorian England, is refreshingly different to anything I’ve read before. Ivy Pocket is simply the best anti-hero you will ever meet. Completely delusional, able to miss what is right under her nose and blessed with an impossibly large ego … she’s actually really, really fun to read about.…
Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy is the new release from talented author Karen Foxlee. This latest novel is the perfect chapter book for readers aged 10+, who are looking for a great adventure. Karen Foxlee opens her novel with a lyrical, fairytale like chapter recounting a legend which has far reaching consequences on the present day ……
Book 7 in Derek Landy’s incredibly popular series marks the beginning of a third trilogy. Books 1-3 dealt with the Faceless Ones trilogy, Books 4-6 were the Necromancer trilogy. Kingdom of the Wicked kick starts the Darquesse trilogy in a dynamic manner. Australia is incredibly lucky being able to enjoy this book a whole THIRTY-SIX…
Inspired by the tunnels that do actually exist beneath Balmain, The Tunnels of Tarcoola is a wholesome, page turning, spine-tingling adventure novel. With echoes of the brilliance of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, minus the lashings of ginger beer and cucumber sandwiches, Jennifer Walsh has brought this genre bang up to date for a modern audience. Meet…
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