Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Recommended Children's Books - July 2015

Sophie McKenzie - All My Secrets - Published by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (2 July 2015)
A brand new title from bestselling, award-winning author, Sophie McKenzie. The shocking reality behind a GBP10 million inheritance turns Evie Brown's world on its head. Unable to find out the truth from her parents, Evie ends up on the mysterious island of Lightsea, where her desire for answers leads her towards a series of revelations that threaten everything she holds dear ...including her life.

Huw Powell - The Lost Sword (SpaceJackers) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (2 July 2015)

Star Wars meets Pirates of the Caribbean in this second swashbuckling quest for Jake Cutler and friends!

Jake Cutler - 13-year-old ruler of the secret planet Altus - is on the run from the Interstellar Navy. He and the crew of the pirate spaceship, the Dark Horse, are wanted over the disappearance of the ISS Colossus, the most powerful ship in the Navy's fleet.

But that's not the only reason Jake's being hunted. If he's found, he'll be forced to reveal the location of Altus, home to a fortune in crystals. With that much wealth, the Interstellar Navy plans to start an intergalactic war bigger than any seen before. It's up to Jake to stop them, but how will a teenager convince the rulers of the universe that they're in terrible danger?

Elen Caldecott - Crowns and Codebreakers (The Marsh Road Mysteries 2) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (2 July 2015)

Meet Piotr, Minnie, Andrew, Flora and Sylvie - true friends and even better mystery-solvers!

When Minnie's gran comes to stay, all the way from Nigeria, Minnie KNOWS there will be trouble. And straight away Gran notices she's picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. This one is full of boy's clothes, and she's not at all happy about it! But when their house is burgled and the only thing taken is the suitcase, Minnie realises there'll be much more trouble than she bargained for. Can the gang solve the crime or will the mystery of the little lost boy be forever unsolved?

The second in a fantastic new series filled with friendship, adventure and mystery!

Gillian Philip - Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Ship of Ghosts - Published by Orchard Books (2 July 2015) 

Unlock the secrets of Ravenstorm Island...

Molly and Arthur already know that Ravenstorm Island is alive with magical secrets.

So they soon suspect that the appearance of a ghostly pirate ship might have something to do with the terrifying storms battering the island. What is the story behind the grudge between the pirates and Ravenstorm's gargoyle guardians?

And can the children break an ancient curse in time to save the island? 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Picks - November 2014 - UK Post

Tom Hoyle - Spiders - Published by Macmillan Children's Books; (6 Nov 2014)

Adam may have survived once, but a cult still has him in its sights. And this time he may not escape with his life...

Abbie's dad is an undercover agent, tasked with exposing dangerous cults. He's normally able to maintain his distance, but this time Abbie's worried he's in too deep.

Megan was sure she and Adam were safe, but now he's gone missing on a school ski trip in Scotland and she's the only one who can help him . . .

The web is closing in around them . . .

Chris Priestley - The Last of the Spirits - Published by Bloomsbury Childrens; (6 Nov 2014)

Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits such a bitter heart, and so begins Sam's journey led by terrifying spirits through the past, present and future, after which Sam must decide whether to take the man, Scrooge's, life or not.

A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.

Liz De Jager Vowed: The Blackheart Legacy Book 2 - Published by Tor; (6 Nov 2014)

The Blackhart Code: Don't let the monsters grind you down

A Blackhart can see the supernatural behind everyday crimes. But some crimes hide even greater evils . . .

Kit Blackhart must investigate why children are disappearing from a London estate. Their parents, the police and Kit's fae allies claim to know nothing. And as more children disappear, the pressure mounts. Luckily, or unluckily, government trainee Dante Alexander is helping Kit with the case. Yet just as her feelings towards him begin to thaw, his life falls apart. As Kit struggles to unravel Dante's problems and solve their case, she meets fae Prince Thorn in her dreams - but their relationship is utterly forbidden.

Then Kit digs too deep, uncovering a mystery that's been hidden for one thousand years. It's a secret that could just tear down our world.

Steve Cole - Young Bond: Shoot to Kill - Published by Doubleday Childrens; (6 Nov 2014)

Young Bond is back!

BEFORE THE MAN BECAME THE LEGEND.

BEFORE THE BOY BECAME THE MAN.

James Bond hits Hollywood.
Lights. Camera. Murder.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: US Published Recommended Read October 2014 - Ben Tripp - The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides

The Accidental Highwayman is the first swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp. This thrilling tale of dark magic and true love is the perfect story for fans of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.

In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.

Bound by magical law, Kit takes up his master’s quest to rescue a rebellious fairy princess from an arranged marriage to King George III of England. But his task is not an easy one, for Kit must contend with the feisty Princess Morgana, gobling attacks, and a magical map that portends his destiny: as a hanged man upon the gallows….

Fans of classic fairy-tale fantasies such as Stardust by Neil Gaiman and will find much to love in this irresistible YA debut by Ben Tripp, the son of one of America’s most beloved illustrators, Wallace Tripp (Amelia Bedelia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Ben has woven illustrations throughout the story.

“Delightful and charming. A swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Published by Tor Teen (October 14, 2014)

Listen to an Excerpt from the Audiobook Here.

Kids/YA Literary Agent- Ben Illis - Spring/Summer Book Recommendations 2014

H. L Dennis - Secret Breakers: The Pirate's Sword - Published by Hodder Children's Books (1 May 2014) - Series is also Carnegie-Nominated.

Team Veritas have been searching for the truth. But sometimes the truth is hard to handle. No longer safe in England, the team from Station X must escape to the United States of America where they embark on an epic treasure hunt. It starts in New York City where they track down a precious ring once owned by a Knight of Neustria. From there, on to Washington DC to look for clues in the largest library in the world - and then a trek across the Blue Ridge Mountains in search for treasure hidden in a long forgotten cavern.

Claire Furniss - The Year of the Rat - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books (24 April 2014) - Fantastic Read.
I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over. But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another. The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…

Lisa Glass - Blue - Published by Quercus (5 Jun 2014)  The summeriest YA surfer chick romance you will read all year, with Zeke. Just Zeke. Everyone loves a bit of Zeke.
Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris's world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.
Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.
But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit.

Brian Conaghan - When Mr Dog Bites - Published by Bloomsbury Publishing (3 July 2014) Critically acclaimed, touching and hilarious.
Dylan Mint has Tourette's. His life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in - the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed. But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mum, Dylan discovers that he's going to die in March. So he makes a list of things he must do before he dies: first, he wants to have real sex with gorgeous Michelle Malloy; second, he's got to find his autistic best friend Amir a new best bud; third, he's got to get his dad back home from the army so they can say goodbye properly. It's not a long list, but it's ambitious, and he doesn't have much time. Sometimes you've just got to go for it - no holding back - and see what happens . . .

This is the launch of a major new writing talent. Brian Conaghan makes you travel every step of the way in Dylan's shoes, laughing and crying - often at the same time - as Dylan faces the twists and turns of an unfair world with glorious optimism and wit.

Matt Brown - Compton Valance The Most Powerful Boy in the Universe - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1 Jun 2014)  (Side-splittingly funny and rather stinky and gross MG humour)
When Compton Valance and his best friend Bryan Nylon discover the world's first TIME MACHINE (aka a mouldy, thirteen-week-old-cheese-and-pickled-egg sandwich), they become the most powerful boys in the universe. But how will Compton and Bryan decide to use their incredible new time-travelling powers? Will they use them for good? Will they use them for evil? Or will they just focus their efforts on perfecting a formula for the world's first pair of custard trousers? Things are about to get totally scrambled for Compton Valance.

Many thanks Ben for the interesting and varied recommendations; it looks like there's a book for everyone here. Check out Ben's online independent shop to view these titles and many more at the following link: http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/bookboyben 
For every book that you buy from Ben's shelves, hive will share a percentage of the sale with their chosen independent bookshop.