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

Nicola Davies (Author), Jackie Morris (Illustrator) - Skrimsli - Published by Firefly Press (14 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913102807 - Hardback 

“ Immersive, breathtaking visionary and an illustrated delight ” – Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Who are you if you’ve never seen another face like yours? Where do you belong if you don’t know where your home is? What do you call yourself when others call you ‘freak'...? Skrimsli is a second fantasy adventure from author Nicola Davies, set in a world where animals and humans can sometimes share their thoughts. It traces the early life of Skrimsli, the tiger sea captain who stole readers’ hearts in The Song that Sings Us. He and his friends, Owl and Kal, must first escape the clutches of tyrannical circus owner Kobret Majak and his twin assassin-acrobats, then stop a war and save an ancient forest! Skrimsli and his friends are helped by desert princess the Palatine and her eagle, a chihuahua who thinks she’s a wolf, a horse with heart of gold and the crew of a very unusual ship. This is a story full of excitement and danger, that explores themes of friendship, loyalty, identity and love, in the context of some of humanity’s toughest problems.

Sarah Todd Taylor - Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!: A Sprinkling of Danger - Published by Nosy Crow Ltd (14 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839948855 - Paperback 

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire will whisk you away on a fabulous adventure, full of daring action and delicious cakes!

Baker by day, spy by night - Alice Éclair leads an exciting double life!

On a glamorous movie set at the Palace of Versailles, someone is leaking national secrets. Is it the American director with the shady past, or the flamboyant lead actress whose Renaissance wig is full of secrets? Or is it someone so devious, Alice hasn't even noticed them? Whoever it is, this person has a deadly plan...
Armed with a light sponge mix and an airy disregard for danger, Alice Éclair is on the case! And she'll need to use every trick in her recipe book to survive this mission...
A Sprinkling of Danger is Alice's third adventure and can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire series. Look out for Alice's other missions, A Recipe for Trouble and A Spoonful of Spying!

Hannah Gold (Author), Levi Pinfold (Illustrator) - Finding Bear - Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books (28 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008582012 - Hardback 

The unmissable follow-up to the phenomenal bestselling and award-winning The Last Bear. Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold and perfect for readers 8+

April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But, over a year later, she can’t stop thinking about Bear.

When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.

But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for – a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.

Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and a heartwarming tale of love that shows us how hope is born from the smallest of beginnings.

Claire Fayers - Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine -  Published by Firefly Press (7 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915444158 - Paperback 

Tapper Watson is just an ordinary Erisean boy who loves adventure stories. But when one of his sixty-seven cousins sends him away on a smugglers’ submarine through the River Lethe to other worlds, he just wants to go home again. On an unscheduled visit to Earth he meets Fern Shakespeare, and a talking plant called Morse, and their adventures begin. And when he finds himself being chased through worlds by a pair of trigger-happy lobster mobsters in search of the mysterious Nemo Machine, Tapper begins to realise that he might not be so ordinary after all…

Lucy Ann Unwin - The Octopus, Dadu and Me - Author Interview (Q&A) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Hello and welcome everybody. This week it's time to get acquainted with the debut book written by Lucy Ann Unwin called The Octopus, Dadu and Me. Firstly, what a great book title! The book was published in Jan 2023 by UCLan Publishing. This is the first in a series of interviews introducing a number of new fantastic children's authors and their debut books. Look out for the other interviews in this series and give the authors your support. In the meantime, let's get stuck into another fantastic read of the year. You can purchase a copy of the book HERE! 

1. As a bookseller, how would you describe your debut book to potential new readers?

Well, I have a lot to learn in the ways of bookselling as I’m only just starting out, but it’s about a girl who forms a special bond with an octopus. She becomes convinced she has to set him free from the aquarium so she enlists her lovely friends’ help in a heist mission to rescue him. In the background she’s dealing with a lot of confusion and grief as her beloved dadu — her grandparent — has dementia, and has stopped recognising her. I hope the fun and friendship of the octopus heist balances out her emotional journey with her dadu, which is inevitably a bit sad.

So, if I knew a kid who craved big emotions from their reading…maybe a little cry… I would definitely lead them to The Octopus Dadu and Me. Anyone who enjoyed The Night Animals, Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts, or The Storm Swimmer for example, or a Jaqueline Wilson fan maybe.

I also tried to make the writing quite simple and accessible, and Lucy Mulligan’s wonderful comic strips add space in the narrative. I think there are plenty of kids who are emotionally mature and want to engage with big feelings, but also want a pacy, accessible read.

2. Are octopuses really psychic? If so, what is the most exciting prediction they have made?

Ah, if only! I guess there’s still a lot we don’t know about octopuses, so I still hold out hope they have abilities that are, as yet, unproven — even if there’s no evidence at the moment that they're psychic.

That said… I was always utterly intrigued by Paul, potentially the world’s most famous octopus? At the time of the 2010 World Cup Paul was said to be able to predict the outcome of matches. His owners would give him boxes with food in, each labelled with the flag of a team in an upcoming match, and Paul would have to choose which box to eat from. He got 8 out of 8 match predictions right — so you can draw your own conclusions!!! Paul gets a namecheck in The Octopus, Dadu and Me, of course.

3. Apparently, octopuses have three hearts. What three important pieces of advice/support have you had that helped you to write this book?

Writing wise, I take most of my advice from the internet…Twitter can be a great teacher! (As well as the opposite, of course.) I had a couple of quotes from authors on Post-It notes attached to my monitor to see me through.

One is a classic Kurt Vonnegut: “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.”

The other is a quote from The Minaturist author Jessie Burton about first drafts: “If the layering and nuance isn’t there, why would it be? You’ve only written it once.”

The first really helped me bring every character to life, and the second kept me going through each edit.

And then another piece of advice that I continue to find incredibly helpful came from the brilliant children’s author Sally Nicholls. She was talking on Twitter about getting in the habit of “Filling Your Cup” creatively, suggesting that you have to go out and experience life and art as part of your creative process. This was so helpful, not just because it's a great idea, but also because it gave me permission to step away from the laptop and know it was helping my writing. I still find that hard, but I’m working on it.

4. How did you visualise your fantasy aquarium in the story?

The aquarium in the book is actually pretty closely modelled on my local Sea Life centre in Brighton, which is the world’s oldest aquarium! It has the most beautiful Victorian Arcade when you first walk in, with soaring arches all lit up in rainbow colours and the tanks set in the side of the walls. The opening scene of the book pretty much describes the moment in real life when the book was conceived. I was sat at the same little table my main character Sashi is sat at in Chapter 1, looking at the same octopus, when the idea for the story started to take hold. So, I didn’t have to draw very deeply on my visualisation skills!

A lot of details beyond that are different though. For one thing, the characters have to try and work out how to break in to the aquarium, as well as how to access the tanks, and I wasn’t particularly keen on giving ideas about how to break into a real building! So, the rest is all made up to fit what was needed for the plot.

5. One of the characters in the book has dementia, at what point did you decide to include this illness in the story and why?

I’ve thought a lot about this since The Octopus, Dadu and Me was published, and I genuinely don’t know the answer. Dadu had dementia all along, it wasn’t something I introduced. Although in the first draft his relationship with Sashi was much less developed. It was only when I started to edit during the Covid lockdown — when children being separated from their grandparents was on my mind — that I started adding in the flashbacks and really trying to deepen and share their bond a bit more. But as to why he had dementia, I don’t have a good answer. My own Nan, who I was very devoted to as a child, developed Alzheimers when I was in my teens, so I’m sure that must have subconsciously filtered into it somewhere along the line.

6. Having been a music journalist, does this book have a music playlist? If so, what would it feature?

I find it so hard to listen to music while I write! Certainly nothing with words. I have a Spotify playlist of lots of non-vocal tracks that powered me through the writing and editing process… some Bicep and The Comet is Coming and lots of old trip-hop and dubstep.

But when we had the book launch my family tried to put together a little playlist that represented the book. My daughter chose Head Up by The Score to represent Sashi’s emotional struggle, my husband went with the classic link and picked The Beatles' Octopus's Garden, I personally think Radiohead’s Weird Fishes is perfect. The lyrics really connect with Sashi and Ian’s relationship and eye-to-eye connection. (I’ll skip over the getting “picked over by the worms” bit!!)

Here are some of the lyrics:
In the deepest ocean
The bottom of the sea
Your eyes
They turn me
Why should I stay here?
Why should I stay?

I'd be crazy not to follow
Follow where you lead.
…
Everybody leaves
If they get the chance
And this is my chance

So if I had to sum up the book in a song, it would be that one. Also, it’s my favourite song so any excuse!

On a side note, I picked Harry Styles Music for a Sushi Restaurant for an “unboxing video” I made when my author copies arrived in the post — because it’s an EPIC song — but it only occurred to me writing this how dark that is!!! Eek.

7. Who and what are the key influences of this story?

I think, like all writers, I’m influenced by everything! The weather, an article in the paper, a snatch of overheard conversation, a million subconscious currents…. I mentioned earlier that the Covid lockdown was a big influence, and it really was. It was heartbreaking to see close, tactile grandparent relationships being moved online or worse. There’s a lot of my mum in there. And, writing-wise, I think I’m influenced by every book I’ve ever read, but also by movies. I went through a phase of re-watching a lot of the films of my childhood, so there’s more than a little Free Willy in there!

8. What do you think the different illustrations bring to the book and story? 

Ah, I love the illustrations so much! The last one makes me cry every time I see it. Lucy Mulligan really did an excellent job. And they’re so crucial to the story! I was very nervous before I saw them, because they don’t just illustrate what is described in the narrative, the comic strips contain key plot points. Without the illustrations, the story wouldn’t make any sense.

The comic panels were always in the book from the first draft. Sashi is a comic artist, and she processes all her emotions through drawing, so when she’s convinced she’s communicating with the octopus Ian, it’s through her drawing that the communications happen.

I also really hope they provide a light touch. There are some big emotions in The Octopus Dadu and Me and I think the graphic sections give the reader a chance to slow down a bit as they take in all the visual information. Hopefully that change of pace allows them a little breather to process their own emotions too.

9. What would Ian say about you (as the writer) and did he predict any part of the story?

Well, Ian always knew the ending, but that’s his own little secret and to share that would be a bit of a spoiler! I love Lucy Mulligan’s first comic strip in the book where Sashi tries to imagine what’s going on in Ian’s head and the final panel says “You have NO IDEA what I’m thinking!” So I’m just going to project, and say Ian would be very happy that we’ve shared so many fascinating facts about this amazing species!

10. What is your favourite place you have visited recently?

I don’t leave my dark little writing room very frequently, but we went camping for a few days in Norfolk last summer and spent some time stomping along the tidal flats… the landscape was so fascinating. They’d apparently had a very high tide recently and the footpaths were encrusted with thousands of tiny crabs. There were swallows darting everywhere and you could see for miles. I absolutely loved it, it felt like the perfect setting for a story… and then I recently read Wilder by Penny Chrimes set on marshland and it brought it all to life perfectly!

New Children's Book Picks October 2022 - UK Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Natasha Hastings (Author), Alex T. Smith (Illustrator) - The Miraculous Sweetmakers: Frost Fair - Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books (27 Oct. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008496050 - Hardback - Age: 9+ 

 An amazing and captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about a magical frost fair and the lasting power of friendship.

It’s a cold winter during the Great Frost of 1683. Thomasina and Anne are the best of friends, one running her father’s sweet shop and the other the apprentice at the family apothecary – together they sell their goods on the frozen River Thames. When a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair.

But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear. Will they be able to solve the magical mysteries that surround them . . . ?

Lucy Hope - Wren - Published by Nosy Crow (6 Oct. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839947230 - Paperback - Age; 8+ 

A dark, gothic adventure set on the island of Anglesey in North Wales and featuring a very fantastical beast…

Wren lives in an ancient castle in the mountains near the sea. The wind whistles through it and the walls sing to her. Wren is busy inventing things, and her father is busy disapproving.

But the castle contains a mystery and as Wren is drawn further into it, she realises the answer lies in the very foundations of her home, foundations that are being shaken to their core…

The next fantastic novel from Lucy Hope, author of Fledgling!

M. G Leonard & Sam Sedgman - The Arctic Railway Assassin (Adventure on Trains 6) Published by Macmillan Children's Books (13 Oct. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529072761 - Paperback - Age: 7+ - Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli 

The bestselling, prize-winning Adventures on Trains series embarks on a thrilling sixth adventure as Harrison Beck and Uncle Nat climb aboard the night train to Narvik, travelling to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights for Christmas.

But as their train leaves Stockholm, Hal and Uncle Nat realize they’re being followed by a sinister figure, and Hal’s powers of observation are tested when Uncle Nat’s past comes back to haunt him. Journeying into the never-ending night of the arctic winter, our railway detectives must outsmart an assassin in their most chilling adventure yet, in which nothing is as it seems.

The Arctic Railway Assassin can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the award-winning Adventures on Trains series written by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. Join Hal and Uncle Nat on more stops in this thrilling series with: Murder on the Safari Star, Danger at Dead Man's Pass and Sabotage on the Solar Express.

SF Said (Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator) - Published by David Fickling Books (6 Oct. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788452830 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

There are three doors that I may show you. You will find a different kind of power behind each one ...' 

 Adam has found something incredible in a rubbish dump in London. A mysterious, mythical, magical animal. A TYGER.

 And the tyger is in danger.

 Adam and his friend Zadie are determined to help, but it isn't just the tyger's life at stake. Their whole world is on the verge of destruction. Can they learn to use their powers before it's too late?