Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Kids Books 2018

Here we are at the end of another year, so it's a great time to reflect on my favourite books of 2018. As always, I have not read as many books as I would have liked. Trying to find the time to read is always a daily challenge for me.

This year I've found it particularly difficult to come up with a definitive top ten list as so many brilliant books have been published this year. There's been another fantastic growth in children's books, but it is still difficult for these to get the media coverage they deserve. I hope that during 2019 people will sit up and become more active in promoting these amazing and special books.  

On reflection, the books I have selected are a particularly varied list of books this year. However, I would wholeheartedly recommend each and every one. They are all enjoyable and have stayed with me on a personal level throughout the year. It would be really interesting to hear your views and thoughts on this list? 

Also, please check my end of year award LIST.

I am delighted to unveil the following list:



  *Andrew Norriss - Mike - David Fickling Books (4 Jan. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Dave Shelton

*Paul Magrs - The Heart of Mars - Published by Firefly Press (15 Mar. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by TBC

*Sophie Anderson - The House with Chicken Legs - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (3 May 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Melissa Castrillón

*Mal Peet - Mr Godley's Phantom -  Published by David Fickling Books (2 Aug. 
2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Ian Beck

*Nick Cook - Fractured Light - Published by Voice from the Clouds (20 Aug. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Ryan Schwarz

* S. A Patrick - A Darkness of Dragons (Songs of Magic) - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (6 Sept. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by George Ermoyenous  

*Ross Mackenzie - The Elsewhere Emporium  - Published by Kelpies (13 Sept. 2018) - Book Illustration Cover by TBC

*Linda Newbery - The Key to Flambards - Published by David Fickling Books (4 Oct. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Katie Harnett   


*Liz Flanagan - Dragon Daughter - Published by David Fickling Books (4 Oct. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Angelo Rinaldi

*P. G Bell - The Train to Impossible Places - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (4 Oct. 2018) - Book Cover Illustration by Flavia Sorrentino  

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - End of the Year Awards 2018 - A Year In Children's Books

It's time to reflect on another blogging/reading year as we draw closer towards 2019. Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books would like to thank all of the publishers, authors, illustrators and anyone one else who has kindly sent books for me to read this year. Every book is much appreciated and isn't taken for granted.  I will be posting my favourite reads of 2018 in the next post or so.  

I would like to present the following awards to:

* David Fickling Books as 'Children's Publisher of the Year 2018'. I have loved every book that I have read this year. Yet again, the care and detail that has gone into each book have been remarkable; every book has thoroughly deserved the space on the bookshelf. I am looking forward to next year and new delights to read. 

* 'Small Publisher' of the year goes to Floris Books (Scotland) and Firefly Press (Wales). Both of which are fantastic publishers. They have a great eye for engaging stories all of which I have enjoyed and loved immensely.  

* Chris Riddell and Marcus Alexander for their roles in promoting and encouraging children to read for pleasure and for inspiring others. 

* Favourite illustrator of the year is Karl James Mountford for outstanding work this year and for letting me use his illustration for my blog header, it looks AMAZING!

*Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars Winner 2018/19 was Vashti Hardy - 'Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure' - Book Cover illustrated by George Ermos - Published by Scholastic Books UK

*Favourite Graphic Novel - Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter by Marcus Sedgwick & Thomas Taylor - Published by First Second.

* 'Favourite Picture Book' - Shaun Tan - Tales from the Inner City (Walker Studio). Every page is a delight and an inspiration to see and read. 

Finally, Mr Ripley's Children's Favourite blog goes to ReaditDaddy. This is a fantastic blog - it is always a great place to find out more about children's books. 

Thank you most of all to the readers of Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books; without you, there would be no blog. Have a great festive period all of you and enjoy the New Year. 

Wordery 12 Books Of Christmas - What Books Have YOU Bought for Christmas 2018?

12 Books Of Christmas:

New research reveals the 12 books you’re most likely to get under your tree

Wordery unveil the nations best-selling books in the run-up to Christmas

• Michelle Obama’s page-turning Memoir ‘Becoming’ is the number one bestseller according to Wordery sales data
• Family favourite ‘The Snowman’ comes in second as it returns for its 4oth anniversary gift edition
• Two Christmas themed books made the cut with ‘The Snowman’ and ‘We’re Going on an Elf Chase’ both featuring in the list
• ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ by Heather Morris comes in third place, a harrowing tale during the time of the Holocaust and a good read for bookworms.

13th December 2018: Findings released today from Wordery reveal the top 12 bestselling books over the past month. Based on  sales data from the previous month we can reveal the books that are most likely to end up under your Christmas tree.

With nearly 63 million books typically sold in the run-up to Christmas in the UK, which is a third of the market’s annual volume, it comes as no shock that new titles such as ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama are in the race to secure the number one slot in the festive book charts.

With the big day nearing closer, Wordery reveal which 12 best selling books could be under your Christmas tree this year. View the full graphic here.

Wordery’s top 12 selling books:

Rank	Title	Author
1	Becoming	Michelle Obama
2	The Snowman: 40th Anniversary Gift	Raymond Briggs
3	The Tattooist of Auschwitz	Heather Morris
4	Fire and Blood: 300 years Before a Game of Thrones	George R. R. Martin
5	Milkman	Anna Burns
6	We’re Going on an Elf Chase	Martha Mumford and Laura Hughes
7	My Name Doddie	Doddie Weir and Stuart Weir
8	I Adulted!	Robb Pearlman
9	Golf Rules Quick Referencing	Yves C. Ton-That
10	Dynasties	Stephen Moss
11	Thomas Kinkade: the Disney Dreams Collection 2019 Diary	Thomas Kinkade
12	The Truth Pixie	Matt Haig and Chris Mould

The number one seller ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States is a memoir which was published in November 2018. It details her upbringing in Chicago, motherhood, and her time in the White House alongside lighthearted personal and public moments.

It’s not really Christmas without ‘The Snowman’ taking the silver baton, as this 40th anniversary gift edition comes with a letter from the author Raymond Briggs and also a limited edition illustrative print. This is one for everyone as it’s a true Christmas tradition for generations of children.

The book coming in third is ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ by Heather Morris, which tells the story of a Slovakian Jewish man who is captured and put to work as a tattooist marking his fellow prisoners. It’s a harrowing tale during the time of the Holocaust and a good read for those bookworms out there.

Barry Magennis, spokesperson for Wordery, comments

“The outcome provides a diverse insight into what people in the UK are buying in the run up to Christmas. It’s great to see with no surprise two festive books making the cut with the classic literary ‘The Snowman’ being our second best seller. Wordery are looking forward to seeing which books do end up as Christmas gifts this year.”

For more information on the best selling books for Christmas, visit Wordery

CONGRATULATIONS - FINAL WINNER OF MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 2018/19

Mr Ripley's book cover wars final 2018/19 has now come to an exciting end. After four cracking heats, we now have another fantastic winner ....... 

I would like to thank all the people who have supported the book cover wars. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. It's been very exciting and very nail-biting.  I would like to thank everyone who has taken part and supported this long-running competition. Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars was started to give credit to the unsung heroes of some of our favourite book covers and the creative teams behind them. I hope we've done that HERE. 

Altogether, over 1,600 votes were cast over five weeks. Thank you all once again FOR VOTING. The winner of the £10 Book Voucher and the Book will be announced on Twitter. 

Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to award the title of 'Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars - Book Cover of the year 2018/19' to . . . . . . .    

Vashti Hardy - 'Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure' - Book Cover illustrated by George Ermos 

Many congratulations to the winner. This book cover will be placed in the Mr Ripley's Hall of Fame where it will accompany the following worthy past winners:

2009/10 - Jon Mayhew 'Mortlock' 

2010/11 - Darren Shan 'Birth of a Killer' illustrated by David Wyatt

2011/12 - Curtis Jobling ''Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated by Andrew Farley

2012/13 - Thomas Taylor - 'Haunters' illustrated by Steve Wells 

2013/14 - Niel Bushnell - 'Timesmith' - illustrated by James Fraser 

2014/15  - M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's - 'Gemini Force One' Black Horizon by Blacksheep. 
2015/16 -  M. G. Leonard - 'Beetle Boy' - illustrated by Julia Sarda 

2016/17 - Roderick Gordon - 'Summerhouse Land' - Book Cover by Stanley Donwood

Paul Magrs - LOST ON MARS+ THE MARTIAN GIRL + THE HEART OF MARS (The Lora Trilogy) - Festive Gift Ideas

We are getting closer to Christmas, so it's time to start thinking of ideal presents, stocking fillers and, of course, great books to warm you up throughout this festive period. Instead of me promoting this new book, I'm delighted to be able to introduce Lora to tell you more about this amazing series.

Hi, I'm Lora and Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books has kindly let me take over his blog, so that I can tell you about the story of my family on Mars. It's a story like no other a story - you will need to read it to believe it. We are lucky enough for Paul Magrs in writing a truthful account and for FireFly Press for publishing our little family tale. We call it the (The Lora Trilogy) The first in this epic Sci-Fi series Lost on Mars was published in May 2015  and the sequel The Martian Girl was published in September 2016. The last in the trilogy, The Heart of Mars, was published in March 2018. Mr Ripley has been a great supporter of the books and would like to recommend them to you all. This is a great Christmas present for everybody young and old. 

So here is more of my tale so you may know what lies ahead...

Dear Everyone,

There’s not many of us left now. Not after the Disappearances and all the terrible things that happened.

Life was tough on our Homestead, but we liked living there, out on the red Martian Prairie. There was Mum and Da and our crazy Granny with the mechanical leg and the laser eye. Then there was Toaster, our robot, who did loads of work around our place, and who used to be a sun bed once upon a time.

Why did the people of the first landings ever bring a sun bed to Mars? Where the sun’s so blistering all the time? When the heat gets wild and the dust storms come rolling over the plains, destroying our crops and bringing with them the terrifying ghosts of dead Martians.

Oh, yes. That’s where my tale begins. This whole epic adventure begins with the time that the storms came in the late autumn and ripped away all our fields of green corn. We were going to go hungry and cold that winter anyway, and that was bad enough. 

But then folk started getting Disappeared. 

We lost our Gran. She got whizzed away in the night, leaving just her electronic leg and eye behind. Then our Da went too, and we knew who’d got him.

The Martians were haunting us and taking us away one by one…

Heeee heeee heeeeee…

I could hear their laughter when I sat up late at night and my brother and little sister were asleep.

And I knew the Martian ghosts were coming for all of us. 

And I knew that we had to get away. I took the decision for all of our sakes. We would choose the most essential of our belongings and pack up the Hovercarts. We’d saddle up the great lizards who carried all our burdens…

So we set off into the great scarlet wilderness, looking for a new home. We followed the strange signals that came out of the last of our radios. We didn’t know what they were telling us, but there were people out there somewhere, calling us into the unknown…

And there were a whole lot of challenges and dangers that we had to face…

I kept a journal the whole time. I knew that the day would come when I would have to tell you all about our journey and our adventures. 

I knew I would tell you eventually about what happened when those few of us from our town were lost on Mars.

Yrs,

Lora.

'This series really is one of my all-time personal favourites; it is a science fiction delight that everyone should read... (it) will leave you feeling like you've read something really special by one of the best authors around.' Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Brilliant Graphic Goodness - Gift Inspired Book Picks (Oct - Nov 2018)

Tales from the Inner City (2018), a sister volume to the anthology Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008) is a collection of 25 illustrated stories about relationships between humans and animals. The basic premise set was quite simple: think about an animal in a city. Why is it there? How do people react to it? What meaning does it suggest?

Where can we live if not in each other's shadow?

World-renowned artist Shaun Tan applies his extraordinary talent to a reflection on the nature of humans and animals, and our urban co-existence. From crocodile to frog; tiger to bee, this is a dark and surreal exploration of the perennial love and destruction we feel and inflict – of how animals can save us, and how we are entwined, for better or for worse. Tales from the Inner City is a truly masterly work, bearing all of Shaun Tan’s trademark wit and poignancy in both its prose and exquisite illustrations.

Published by Walker Studio (4 Oct. 2018)

Deep in the African rainforest, in the midst of a tropical storm, a gorilla is born – a gorilla-like no other.

This is the story of that gorilla’s fantastic voyage across the world, from the Congolese jungle to the grand bazaar of Istanbul, from Borneo to London, Singapore and beyond. The story of a mysterious jewel thief and a sad sailor with a heart of gold. A story of friendship and adventure on the high seas.

This is the story of Sally Jones.

The prequel to the award-winning international bestseller The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius, for children aged 7+.

Website: http://jakobwegelius.com/home

Published by Pushkin Children's Books (1 Nov. 2018)

Traces of the Great War features contributions from both the UK and around the world. The anthology includes a number of collaborations between graphic artists and writers (Dave McKean with poet Simon Armitage, Charlie Adlard with Robbie Morrison, Sean Phillips with novelist Ian Rankin), and between artists and illustrators who have never worked together before (Juan Díaz Canales and Kris, Régis Hautière and Thomas von Kummant).

Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, La Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale, On a Marché sur la Bulle and the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival. It is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and from the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

Traces of the Great War anthology launched in October 2018 at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (Kendal, UK) and Salon du livre d’Albert (Albert, France), and is accompanied by touring exhibitions and a wide-ranging education programme. The project will also celebrate the historic alliance between Ulverston in Cumbria and Albert in the Somme. The twinned towns will be actively involved in the launch of the project.

Website: https://www.comicartfestival.com/project/traces-of-the-great-war

Published by Image Comics (1 Nov. 2018)

Jon McNaught returns with another beautiful comic that makes the ordinary, extraordinary. A family sets off for a long weekend at a caravan park on the British coast. We follow them through the familiar landscapes of a summer holiday: motorway service stations, windswept cliffs, dilapidated museums and tourist giftshops. In this atmospheric and contemplative work, Jon McNaught explores the rhythms of nature, the passing of time, and the beauty and boredom of a summer holiday.

Website: https://www.jonmcnaught.co.uk/

Published by Nobrow (1 Oct. 2018) -  ISBN-13: 978-1910620243

Press Release: Beanstalk Reveals Top 40 Children's Books for Struggling and Reluctant Readers

40 children’s books have been selected for new starter packs which will benefit children supported by Beanstalk reading helpers in primary schools across England.

Beanstalk – a literacy charity which recruits, trains and places volunteers in primary schools across England to provide one-to-one support to children who have fallen behind with reading – has revealed 40 children’s books that will be used by the charity’s volunteers to kick-start reading engagement for the children they support.

Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ has been handpicked by children’s literacy experts including Beanstalk staff, trained reading helpers and literacy consultant Marilyn Brocklehurst – founder of The Norfolk Children’s Book Centre. The selection process involved careful consideration of the types of books Beanstalk-supported children would find fun and motivational. The books will be provided to Beanstalk schools as part of a starter pack resource which will be used by the charity’s trained volunteers placed in that setting.

Beanstalk has been working in schools for over 40 years supporting thousands of children each year across the country who have fallen behind with reading.  By bringing together the expertise of its long-standing reading helpers and highly respected literacy experts, Beanstalk has developed a resource which will ensure its network of reading helpers are well equipped from the outset to help more children than ever before.  

Ginny Lunn, Chief Executive Officer of Beanstalk, said:  

“As part of Beanstalk’s vision to help more children become confident and able readers we need to ensure that our volunteers have immediate access to age-appropriate and expertly chosen books as well as ongoing training and support to use those resources with children in the best possible ways. Up to now we have been so fortunate to have fantastic supplies of book boxes for volunteers to use, however, the introduction of Beanstalk’s starter packs will ensure that new volunteers are well equipped and have some brilliant resources to work on engaging the children from the very beginning – while they are still getting to know them. We also hope that by revealing Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40 ‘, it might help anyone looking for inspiration for a child they know - from parents to grandparents, reading helpers to teaching staff. And of course we will continue to develop and adapt this resource as the needs of our reading helpers and children changes, as well as encouraging volunteers to work with a variety of reading materials, as we always have done, including exploring local libraries and the school’s own library if they have one.”

Marilyn Brocklehurst, founder of the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, said:

“We were very happy to work closely with Beanstalk to choose books for their starter packs and were so pleased with the final selection as they are all brilliant for children reading at all levels. They are great fun and a lot of the books are very original! We chose a mix of some classic books, such as Dear Zoo and more contemporary books, like Oi Frog! We, at the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, are very happy to work with Beanstalk, the support that the children receive from Beanstalk reading helpers is exceptional.”

Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ has been organised into four age-appropriate sets of 10 books aimed at Lower Key Stage 1 (ages 5-6), Upper KS1 (ages 6-7) LKS1 (ages 7-8/9) and UKS2 (ages 9-11). All new schools that sign up with Beanstalk receive one starter pack of the 40 books. All volunteers that go through Beanstalk’s selection and training process from now on will have access to a full starter pack of 40 books when they begin in a school.

Thanks to the support of Marilyn Brocklehurst the relevant starter packs required by Beanstalk partner schools will be selected, boxed and distributed by the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre ready for newly-trained volunteers to use once they begin their one-to-one sessions with the children.  

What the authors say…

Michael Rosen, author of The Laugh Out Loud Joke Book, said: “I can remember with great fondness the way my brother and I used to read out jokes to each other. It's a great way of enjoying what books can offer us. With this in mind I put together a joke book and I'm delighted that Beanstalk have put it in their starter pack. Enjoy!”

Philip Ardagh, author of Norman the Norman from Normandy, said: "Tom Morgan-Jones and I are DELIGHTED that Norman the Norman from Normandy has found his way into the Beanstalk starter packs, aren't we Tom? Tom's nodding as he's busily drawing Norman riding Truffle, the not-so-wild boar. Why are we so pleased. "Because Beanstalk is the best!" I was going to say that, Tom... *Mutters* Anyway, it's a fantastic scheme and we're all-three pleased to be a part of it. All four, if you count Truffle."

Pippa Goodhart, author of You Choose, said: “Of all the more than a hundred books I've written, You Choose is the one that I most often seen in crumpled, torn and drawn-on condition.  That is wonderful because it reflects a book being used and used and used to bits by children! I was a child who loved listening to stories and playing stories, but I found reading very hard, and 'reading books' scary.  In You Choose, the text is incidental to the main task of 'reading' the pictures, and so the pressure of a chunk of text that has to be read is removed.  As they make their choices through the book, children become co-creators with the author and illustrator, rather than passive recipients of an already formed story.  What they take from the book really is 'theirs', and that makes it both fun and empowering.  My hope is that this is a book which helps less sure children make friends with books.”

Nick Sharratt, Illustrator for You Choose, Wriggle and Roar, Mixed Up Fairy Tales, The Big Book of Magical Mix Ups said: “As a huge admirer of Beanstalk and the vital work they do in primary schools, I'm truly delighted that not one but four of the books I've illustrated have been selected for inclusion for their starter packs, geared to help set children on the path to confident reading.”

Julia Donaldson, author of Wriggle and Roar!, said: "I have great admiration for the work that Beanstalk do and I am delighted that they have selected Wriggle and Roar for this brilliant new initiative"

Kes Gray, author of Oi Frog!, said: “Oi Beanstalk! Thank you so much for including Oi Frog in your reading scheme! I’ll trust you to get your seating arrangements right.”

Andy Stanton, author of You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! Said: “I've been told many times that 'Mr Gum' has helped to get young readers started and it never fails to give me goosebumps - what a privilege it is to write for children. My stories might be silly, but I take writing and reading very seriously and am absolutely delighted to be included in Beanstalk's starter pack.”

Axel Scheffler author of Flip Flap Jungle, said: “It’s an honour and pleasure for me to know that Flip Flap Jungle will be introduced to so many children through Beanstalk’s great work in encouraging literacy and the joy of reading.”

Nosy Crow Books said: “We very much admire and value the work that Beanstalk does, so we are delighted that Nosy Crow books have been chosen for inclusion in their starter packs.”

To view Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ books visit the reading resources area of the website: https://www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk/beanstalk-top-40