Tuesday, 8 August 2023

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Best Book Picks August 2023

 

Alice Roberts (Author), Keith Robinson (Illustrator) - Wolf Road - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (3 Aug. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398521339 - Hardback - Age: 9+

Discover the history of our lifetime through one girl's adventure, in the epic new children's novel from bestselling author and broadcaster, Professor Alice Roberts.

Tuuli is a prehistoric girl, travelling with her tribe through the seasons – making camp, hunting for food and protecting themselves against the many hazards that the climate throws at them. Tuuli knows there’s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises that he might hold the adventure she is looking for.  

He is from another tribe, sent to find safer ground and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will impact the rest of human history.  

A vast adventure with a very human heart, full of wild animals, huge scenery and heart-stopping danger and inspired by real anthropological discoveries. The stunning debut novel from Digging for Britain presenter, Professor Alice Roberts, for fans of His Dark Materials, Wolf Brother and The Last Bear.



Carrie Hope Fletcher (Author), Davide Ortu (Illustrator) - The Double Trouble Society - Published by Puffin (3 Aug. 2023) - Paperback - Age: 9+


What do you get if you mix together two best friends, a witch's curse and a haunted house? A spell-binding mystery for fans of The Worst Witch and The Danger Gang from acclaimed performer and bestselling author Carrie Hope Fletcher!

Ivy and Maggie have been best friends ever since they were born at exactly the same minute on Friday 13th - twelve years ago. They're always on the lookout for their next adventure, and, when strange and mysterious things start to happen in Crowood Peak, it's up to them to work out what's going on.

All the evidence points to the old house next door with 
purple smoke coming out of the chimney, and a new owner who looks suspiciously like a witch!

Can Ivy and Maggie solve the mystery of Hokum House, or will this adventure spell more mischief than even the Double Trouble Society can manage?

With gorgeous chapter illustrations from Davide Ortu, this is a witchy mystery you don't want to miss this Halloween!



Tania Unsworth -  Nowhere Island - Published by 
Zephyr (3 Aug. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1804540084 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 


Hidden at the intersection of several busy highways behind the trees and scrubby undergrowth is an island, full of secrets...

Pez has lived there for a while now, enjoying the solitude. She has a vegetable patch, a routine, her own way of doing things and a condor, who may be outstaying his welcome.

Runaway brothers, Riley and Grayson call the island home too. They keep their distance from Pez and spend precarious days trying to survive, still relying on the man-made world which speeds around them.

Then Gil arrives, with his hagstone and a dream of happy families, and everything changes. The four of them find a way of living and believe they might stay on the island forever. But all too soon they witness something they should never have seen and they're in deadly danger...

Tania Unsworth constantly raises the stakes to write about trust, friendship, resilience and what really makes a home in this original, tense and action-packed survival adventure.



Jenny McLachlan (Author), Chloe Dominique (Illustrator) - Dead God Detectives: Ghost Rescue - Published by 
Farshore (3 Aug. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0755503353 - Paperback - Age: 7+


An epic and exciting adventure for readers 8+ by the author of the bestselling Land of Roarseries. Perfect for fans of BBC’s Ghosts!

Sid Jones has always known she is different,
but after accidentally freeing a 300-year-old
pirate ghost (using a gel pen and a chocolate bar),
Sid realises that she has actual MAGIC!

Sid starts to use her magic to free more ghosts,
who have all been trapped by the sinister innkeeper.
But then a mysterious sickness strikes the people
of Fathom. Can Sid and best friend Zen solve the
mystery, save the town and free the ghosts?

A truly epic conclusion to this dynamite duology from the 

bestselling author of the Land of Roar series. 



Thursday, 3 August 2023

Angela Kecojevic - SCAREGROUND - Guest Post (Neem Tree Press) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Roll up, roll up, the Scareground is in town!

Twelve-year-old Nancy Crumpet lives above a bakery and her life is a delightful mix of flour, salt, and love. Yether mind is brimming with questions no one can answer: 
Why did her birth parents disappear? 
Why can she speak with the sky?
And why must she keep her mysterious birthmark hidden?
Everything is about to change when the Scareground returns to Greenwich. Nancy is convinced it holds theanswers to her parents’ disappearance. Nancy and her best friend Arthur Green meet the fair’s spooky owner,Skelter, and discover a world full of dark magic and mystery. Nancy must confront her greatest fears to get tothe truth. But is she ready for all the secrets the Scareground will reveal?
Scareground introduces young readers to the lives of children in Victorian England. It covers themes of friendship, identity and belonging, courage and overcoming fear. Scareground will be published on September 7th by Neem Tree Press.  Angela has always been a huge fan of spooky stories and has spent a lot of time studying the art of creating suspense. One of her favourite masterclasses was by Alfred Hitchcock. He discussed how the increasing number of birds in a major scene (The Birds) helped create the right amount of tension. Angela has written several books for the Oxford Reading Tree programme and she is also a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work.  

Are you brave enough to accept the invitation and enter the #Scareground? I'm not sure... You can pre-order it HERE!



Angela Kecojevic

Angela is a senior librarian and a creative writing tutor and has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme. She is also the author behind the multi-award-winning adventure park Hobbledown. Her characters can be seen walking around the park, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work. Scareground, her debut spine-tingling middle-grade novel will be published in 2023. She lives in Oxford with her family. 


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Stéphane Servant - MONSTERS - Translated by Sarah Ardizzone Illustrated by Nicolas Zouliamis - Book Preview - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

  It all starts when a travelling circus arrives in a small village... Everyone is intrigued and excited to see the show, which is said to f...