New Children's Book - Picks For The Month Of May 2010 - Post Two

D I Toft - Wolven: The Twilight Circus - Published by Chicken House -  3 May 2010
Book Synopsis: 
Having spent the summer dodging mutant werewolves and barking-mad scientists, Nat Carver and Woody, his shape-shifting friend, have joined the Twilight Circus of Illusion before going in search of Woody s long-lost clan. But instead the boys are caught up in a thrilling new adventure, this time against the forces of evil in the guise of a black widow vampire and her terrifying hive.


Craig Simpson - Special Operations:Wolf Squadron - Published by Corgi Children's - 27 May 2010
Book Synopsis:
Finn Gunnersen and his friends Loki and Freya are behind enemy lines once more and at the heart of a dangerous Special Ops mission. A mole has struck at the heart of HQ and is jeopardizing the entire resistance network in Holland. Meanwhile Finn's charged with providing a escort for a British Double agent in possession of critical Nazi invasion plans but with his father missing in action, he has a personal score to settle with the enemy.. 


Joanne Owen - The Alchemist and the Angel - Published by Orion - 27 May 2010
Book Synopsis: 
Everything changes for orphaned Jan when his beloved uncle, Gustav - anatomist, natural scientist and aspiring alchemist - enlists his help in a quest to create a life-generating serum. To test the serum, they must follow a set of ancient instructions and play a dangerous game of bringing the inanimate to life... When Gustav dies suddenly, it's up to Jan to continue his work - little does he know that his beautiful, calculating aunt dreams of using the serum for her own purposes - eternal life. Under the facade of her grief, she convinces Jan they must move from Vienna to Prague, and when she mysteriously disappears, Jan searches for her. In the plague-ridden ghettos and the court of the mad Emperor Rudolf, he must pit his wits against an extraordinary cast of characters and events. His only ally is Zuzana, a girl with secrets of her own. Set against the vivid backdrop of 16th century Prague and the equally breathtaking Vienna, a magical, historical adventure from a talented author.


David Calcutt - The Map of Marvels - Published by Oxford - 1 May 2010
Book Synopsis:
When Connor starts creating a map of an imaginary world for his school project he has no idea where it will lead. As he draws the outlines of the islands and the mountains, the map begins to take shape. And then there's the tower-ominous and threatening - but so necessary that without it the map would not be complete. Perhaps without the tower, the map might not even exist. But the map does exist, and so does the tower. As Connor enters the world he's created he meets others there who all have their own tale to tell. Together they travel between many worlds, on many adventures and through many stories. On their journey they encounter places and creatures beyond Connor's imagination. But he has imagined them, hasn't he? Surely this world can't be real, because if it is, his life at home must just be another story . . .


Nicola Morgan - Wasted - Walker Books - 3 May 2010
Book Synopsis:
Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: life or death.

Comments

Elise said…
I am so swayed by covers and my particular favourites are Wolven: The Twilight Circus (although doesn't sound like something I would rush to read) and The Alchemist and the Angel and it does sound rather cool as well.