Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Book Picks UK - May 2023


Zohra Nabi (Author), Tom Clohosy Cole (Illustrated) - The Kingdom Over the Sea - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (2 May 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398517707 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

My own Yara, if you are reading this, then something terrible has happened, and you are on your own. To return to the city of Zehaira, you must read out the words on the back of this letter . . . Good luck, my brave girl. 

When Yara’s mother passes away, she leaves behind a letter and a strange set of instructions. Yara must travel from the home she has always known to a place that is not on any map – Zehaira, a world of sorcerers, alchemists and simmering magic. But Zehaira is not the land it used to be. The practice of magic has been outlawed, the Sultan’s alchemists are plotting a sinister scheme – and the answers Yara is searching for seem to be out of reach.
Yara must summon all of her courage to discover the truth about her mother’s past and her own identity . . . and to find her place in this magical new world.


Ross Montgomery - SPELLSTONE - Published by Walker Books (4 May 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529501933 Paperback - Age: 8+ 

The greatest magic is hidden in plain sight...

Evie is used to not being noticed. But when she meets the mysterious Wainwright, she discovers that going unnoticed might just be what makes her unique. Recruited into a secret magical organization, Evie finds herself at the heart of an ancient and magical battle. Evil is returning to the land, and Evie is the only person who can stop it. But how can she defeat the most dangerous magician in the world, when she doesn’t even know her own powers? 

Skye Melki-Wegner - The Deadlands: Hunted - Published by Walker Books (4 May 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529504736 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Before there were dragons, there were dinosaurs...

Imagine a world in which the dinosaurs weren't killed by a meteor hitting the earth. A world in which dinosaurs have learned to speak. To dream. To wage war.


Eleri is an oryctodromeus, a small dinosaur raised in an underground warren. He dreams of becoming his herd’s storyteller but when he saves an enemy soldier from a pterosaur attack, he is exiled to the Deadlands. To survive this scorched desert full of carnivores, he joins a herd of other young exiles, including a peppy stegosaur, a stoic sauropod, an irritable triceratops … and a mysterious spy. Can five young misfits save their warring kingdoms?

Includes bonus content: a map and extra dinosaur facts.

Ravena Guron - The Thief of Farrowfell - Published by Faber & Faber; Main edition (4 May 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571371174 - Paperback - Age: 8+

Welcome to a fantasy world where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or - in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell - those who can steal it! 

Twelve-year-old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she's just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists.

Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town . . .

But Jude's stolen prize was protected by a curse which threatens to wreak havoc on the family business.

While attempting to untangle the mess she's made (and wondering why anyone would want to curse an honest thief trying to earn a living), Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world.

Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn't straightforward any more... 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Andy Ruffell - Lilly Grim and The City of Undone - READ HERE


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