The Best Children's Book Picks JUNE 2023 - US Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Author: Dave Eggers (Picture Book Hardback)

Book Title: Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story

Illustrator: Júlia Sardà 

Author Dave Eggers and artist Júlia Sardà spin a quirky historical event into a whimsical and tall-ish true tale of American ingenuity.

Make way for history as only Dave Eggers could stage it. It all started when John “Minnie” Moore built a mine in Idaho and sold it to Englishman Henry Miller. Then Henry married a local lass named Annie and built her a mansion, hence the “Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion.” After Henry died and Annie was hoodwinked—losing all but the mansion—she and her son took to raising pigs in the yard, as some are wont to do. But the town wanted those pigs out. Who could have guessed that Annie and her crew would remove the whole mansion instead—rolling it away slowly on logs—while she and her son were still living in it? Narrated with metafictional flair, this delightfully illustrated picture book is proof positive that nonfiction can be as lively and artful as any storybook.

Published by Candlewick (June 6, 2023)

Author: Shakirah Bourne

Book Title: Nightmare Island (Hardback)

From rising star Shakirah Bourne, author of Josephine Against the Sea, comes a mysterious adventure that explores one of the most chilling tales in Caribbean mythology: the faceless douen children.

Twelve-year-old Serenity Noah has never told anyone about her recurring nightmares -- the haunting images of silver butterflies whose flapping wings drive away all sound, leaving only suffocating silence in their wake. Her parents already favor her "perfect" younger brother, Peace, and she doesn't want to be seen as the "problem" child.

Instead, Serenity's found a productive way to channel her fears: creating a horror movie as scary as her nightmares.

When Peace suddenly becomes afraid of the dark and refuses to sleep alone, their parents take him away for "treatment" on Duppy Island. Serenity has a very bad feeling about the mysterious island and the facility's creepy leader, Dr. Whisper. And when she sees a silver butterfly from her nightmares in the forbidden forest she realizes that something is seriously, dangerously awry.

But nothing could've prepared Serenity for the truth: the island is home to douens -- faceless children with backward feet who are trapped in limbo between the world of the living and the land of the dead. And unless Serenity acts soon, her brother is going to join their ranks...

Published by Scholastic Press (June 6, 2023)

Author: Malia Maunakea 

Book Title: Lei and the Fire Goddess (Hardback)

"Lei and the Fire Goddess blends preteen angst and beloved Hawaiian moʻolelo in a way that hasn't been done before." —Auliʻi Cravalho, actress and voice of Disney's Princess Moana

Curses aren't real.

At least, that's what twelve-year-old, part-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kamaʻehu thinks when she listens to her grandmother's folktales about sacred flowers and family guardians. Anna's friends back home in Colorado don't believe in legends, either. They're more interested in science and sports—real, tangible things that stand in total contrast to Anna’s family’s embarrassing stories.

So when Anna goes back to Hawaiʻi to visit her Tūtū, she has no interest in becoming the heir to her family’s history; she’s set on having a touristy, fun vacation. But when Anna accidentally insults Pele the fire goddess by destroying her lehua blossom, a giant hawk swoops in and kidnaps her best friend, and she quickly learns just how real these moʻolelo are. In order to save her friends and family, Anna must now battle mythical creatures, team up with demigods and talking bats, and evade the traps Pele hurls her way.

For if Anna hopes to undo the curse, she will have to dig deep into her Hawaiian roots and learn to embrace all of who she is.

Published by Penguin Workshop (June 6, 2023)

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

 

Kereen Getten (Author), Lea Jacobs-Gordon (Illustrator) - The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder - Published by Pushkin Children's Books (1 Jun. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1782693901 - Paperback - Age: 8+

Uncover the secrets of the island in The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder the gripping first book in Kereen Getten’s thrilling new mystery series, Di Island Crew Investigates!

Fayson's dream of becoming a detective finally comes true when her cousins recruit her to their top-secret gang. But the Greatest Gang of All Time isn't exactly living up to their name, constantly side-tracked by food, sleep and squabbles. Determined to set things right, Fayson takes charge and dives into the mystery surrounding a mysterious shadow haunting the island's lighthouse.

With tensions rising within the gang, Fayson relies on her sharp smarts and inspiration from her favourite mystery novels to crack the case. Can she unravel the secrets, confront the shadow, and unite her friends?

Pari Thomson (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator) - Greenwild: The World Behind The Door - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (1 Jun. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1035015733 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

Open the door to a spellbinding world where the wilderness is alive and a deep magic rises from the earth itself. Greenwild: The World Behind the Door is the first book in Pari Thomson's extraordinary fantasy series.

'An eco-thriller novel every child should read' - The Telegraph

Daisy Thistledown has escaped from boarding school and has a mystery to solve. Her search for her missing mother will lead her across London and through a hidden doorway to another world, filled with plants and bursting with magic: the Greenwild.

But all is not well in this astonishing land. Before long Daisy finds herself confronting a dangerous presence that threatens green magic on both sides of the door. Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk to animals, and a cat with an attitude, to channel the power that can revive the Greenwild and find her missing mother - and save her own world too.

Prepare to embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Greenwild, beautifully illustrated by Elisa Paganelli.

S. J. Wills - Bite Risk - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (8 Jun. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398520943 - Paperback - Age: 11+ 

When everyone's a vicious beast, it's hard to spot the monsters . . . 
The first book in S. J. Wills' blockbuster teen horror series, perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Fear Street and Skulduggery Pleasant.

Sel Archer lives in a normal town with normal residents, except for one night a month . . . When the full moon comes out, almost all of the adults turn into werewolves, and it's up to the young people to protect themselves from danger.

But, as this quiet life begins to unravel, and the Turned start to escape, can Sel and his friends uncover exactly who – or what – is watching their every move, before it's too late?

Lizzie Huxley-Jones - Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend - Published by Knights Of (1 Jun. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913311421 - Paperback - Age: 7+ 

“The problem with growing up listening to bedtime stories about monsters, magic and myth is that you don’t really question it when a lake summons you…”

The lake has been calling to twelve-year-old Vivi Conway. On the day she and her Mams will move from Wales to London, she sneaks out to investigate what is calling her there. Instead of a quiet swim, she finds Excalibur (much smaller than she expected), a ferocious monster (much scarier in real life than in her mythology books), a new friend (which she doesn’t want at all) called Dara and a ghostly dog named Gelert (who can talk). Gelert insists that Vivi is part of a magical group of children who share the souls of witches from legend and must protect the world from being taken over by the evil King Arawn of the Otherworld. Oh, and now she can magically control water.

With a little extra help from spiky Stevie and sweet-hearted Chia, can Vivi be brave enough to embrace true friendship and her magical destiny to help protect the world from evil?

The first book in a fantastical series that combines a quest for magic and friendship with Welsh mythology and a pinch of science, all within a contemporary setting.

Christopher Mackie - CLOUDLANDERS - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Hello everybody. We hope you are ready for summer and are looking forward to some great new children's adventure stories. The first book we recommend is the debut book by author Christopher Mackie. This story was written in lockdown and shares the feeling at this time in an ingenious plot. The book will be published on the 17th of August 2023 with Scottish indie publisher Floris Books. I would also like to name-check the fabulous illustrator of the book cover who is Vietnamese-born illustrator Houang Giang. She has done a fabulous job of representing the characters of the book and the story. 

How do you save an unusual island floating in the sky?  Like this brilliant story, you need a bucket full of imagination and some help from great characters who come together to save the last county on EARTH. Bastion is the last island and is in need of saving from deadly enemies the WAVEWRECKER and the tricksy little TIDEKIN. The author introduces us to a wonderful pallet of great characters and an amazing setting to produce an adventure like no other. The characters in this book are cleverly crafted and made out of pure fantasy dreaming. There’s Lycan a shapeshifter, Flicker a gemstone faerie, One-zero the outsider, Kurt the Shroomling and finally Aliana & Garrett the wood nymph twins. They all have the potential to be heroes of this story providing they can work together to bring a happy and peaceful ending. However, other characters might just have other ideas!

Each character has a fantastic role to play in this fast-paced, rollercoaster dystopian read that will be a brilliant and memorable hit. You will skip through danger whilst also understanding the meaning of friendship and hope in a nostalgic way.  I wish more stories would embrace this concept. For me, reading for pleasure should be exciting and so different from our very own lives. It’s a chance to be transported from your armchair to a magical and amazing place - just like this one REALLY does.  

If you are ready for a madcap adventure that is thrilling and gloriously different then it’s time to wave your TENTACLES in the air. Join the brave gang of misfits in mayhem and madness as part of a thrilling and unpredictable new fantasy world just above the CLOUDS. I think we can look forward to the next instalment as there will be another book I feel sure.