Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Book Picks November 2015

Christopher William Hill - Tales from Schwartzgarten: Marius and the Band of Blood - Published by Orchard Books (5 Nov. 2015)

Meet Marius Myerdorf, the newest recruit of Schwartzgarten's most secret of societies. His is a tale of adventure and abduction, friendship and fearlessness, as The Band of Blood race against time to unmask two of the foulest fiends in the history of the Great City. The deeds are DASTARDLY. The twists are TERRIFYING. And happy endings are NOT always guaranteed. If you prefer CLEAVERS to KITTENS and FIENDS to FAIRIES...then welcome to the gruesomely funny Tales from Schwartzgarten.

Curtis Jobling - Max Helsing and the Thirteenth Curse - Published by Viking (US Publication) (10 Nov. 2015)

Slaying.... and playing. All part of a day's work for Max Helsing.

Descended from a long line of monster hunters, Max Helsing does a pretty good job of being and eighth grader by day and keeping his town safe from demons, ghouls and the occasional mummy by night. That is, until he turns thriteen and discovers he's been cursed by an ancient vampire who wants him dead - at any cost. To save the world - and his life - Max must rely on his wise-cracking best friend, cantankerous monster, computer genius neighbour, and brand-new puppy. He'll need all their help and more to break the Thirteenth Curse!

David Almond & Salvatore Rubbino - Harry Miller's Run - Published by Walker Books (5 Nov. 2015)

A joyful, uplifting story of times gone by from the internationally acclaimed author of Skellig, illustrated in full colour by the award-winning illustrator of A Walk in London. Liam just wants to go out running with his mates - it's not long till the Junior Great North Run, and there's training to be done. But Mam needs him today, to help old Harry clear out his house. Harry knows a thing or two about running. When he was a lad, he says, he ran all the way from Newcastle to South Shields. "But Harry," says Mam, "that's thirteen miles!" Harry grins. "Different times," he says. This is the story of that day: of sweltering heat, clattering boots, briny sea air and the heavenly taste of ice cream; the day when Harry and his pals ran and ran and ran through the blazing sunlight all the way to the sea.

Jim Carrington - Boy 23 - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (19 Nov. 2015)

Boy 23 isn't in My Place any more. He can't see The Screen, he can't hear The Voice. Boy 23 is alone. 

One dark night, Boy 23 is thrown in the back of the van and driven out of My Place - the only home he has ever known. He is abandoned in a forest with a rucksack containing the bare essentials for survival. Before the van drives away, a voice tells him he must run as far as he can. His life depends on it. Boy 23 has never known another human. Boy 23 has never even been outside. So who is he? Why do people want to kill him? And more to the point, who is the voice that wants to save him?

A hugely fast-paced dystopian page-turner which by the end will leave you in a state of shock. For fans of Chaos Walking and Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror.

Curtis Jobling - A New Hero (World of Warriors book 1) - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

Richard 'Trick' Hope is used to getting into trouble, but not like this. . .

On the run from bullies, Trick finds himself transported to the mystical Wildlands, a place where the greatest warriors throughout history have been summoned to fight in a battle for survival - from Romans and Vikings to Knights and Samurai!

A cryptic old man tells Trick that he's there for a reason - to deliver the Wildlands from the evil Boneshaker, who rules with an army of terrifying minions. Trick has been chosen to form a band of the seven greatest warriors to defeat this terrible enemy.

As Trick begins his epic quest the stakes couldn't be higher: defeat Boneshaker or never see home again.

World of Warriors started out as a mobile adventure and combat strategy game, with the possibility of looking towards a series to complement the brilliant story behind the addictive game. Curtis Jobling is an excellent choice, in my opinion, to bring the eclectic warriors to life; he has done a fantastic job-ling. 

The book is an epic tale of adventure, action and fantasy with some amazing inventiveness all swirled round. The wild imagination will get every young boy hooked from the age of nine. From the first page, this book is action packed and will hook you with many of the crazy characters. All of whom have been summoned from across time to a mysterious land called the Wildlands - a kingdom of chaos and fighting guilds who are all battling for control and power. 

Some of the greatest warriors do battle in an explosive epic plot. All plucked from history, time and different cultures they will leave your imagination on overdrive. The pages will fly by quicker than Mungo drinking a jar of beer. It's a great choice of book to pick for a reluctant reader as it is pure escapism in 3D. 

All the warriors have history, which is told in intermittent parts and really blends in to help cleverly build up the main story. The myths, legends and culture are all deeply rooted in our history as each character's story is based around these and facts.  

This story is a quest with a big heart. It is based on hope and the fighting of tyrannical bad guys known as the evil Skull Army. It's full of great battle scenes, big oversized monsters and a bloody fighting arena with more gore and guts than your average read.

It's an easy book to follow with a cracking story at heart. Every reader will be magically transported to the Wildlands and back.... It has a great end and is a fantastic start to a new series. 

I hope there are plenty more books to come. 

Press Release: Curtis Jobling New UK Deal - Max Helsing and the Thirteenth Curse Published by Orchard 2016

Exciting news Orchard Books has acquired two titles in the Max Helsing and the Thirteenth Curse series by Curtis Jobling.

The series is about Max Helsing, the descendent of the original Van Helsing vampire-killer, as he battles modern-day monsters in between schoolwork and monster-slaying training.

Homework by day… Monster-hunting by night.

 Descended from a long line of monster hunters, Max Helsing does a pretty good job of being an eighth grader by day and keeping his town safe from demons, ghouls, and the occasional mummy by night.  That is, until he turns thirteen and discovers he’s been cursed by an ancient vampire who wants him dead – at any cost. To save the world – and his life – Max must rely on his wise-cracking best friend, cantankerous mentor, computer genius neighbor, and brand-new puppy. He’ll need all their help and more to break the Thirteenth Curse!

Jobling is the British author of several books for children, including the Wereworld series (Puffin) and Frankenstein’s Cat (Hodder). He also designed the BBC’s children’s TV show Bob the Builder.

Orchard is planning to publish summer 2016. 

Random House will publish in the US in November 2015.  Cracking book cover by Jake Wyatt. 

About Curtis Jobling:

Curtis Jobling (www.curtisjobling.com and www.badablingthing.com) is the author of the acclaimed Wereworld series, published by Puffin. He’s also known for being the designer of the BAFTA-winning BBC show Bob the Builder. 

Curtis is based in Cheshire and visits up to 90 schools a year promoting his books – as well as being a regular on the festival circuit, speaking at Hay, Bath and Edinburgh. He is very active on Twitter (2.6K followers) and Facebook.

Curtis Jobling - Wereworld: Rage of Lions Book Trailer

                                

• Pages - 432
• Published By Puffin
• Date -  7 July 
• Age - 11+
• Isbn - 978-0141333403 

Young werewolf Drew Ferran is the future king of Westland. He has the makings of a great warrior - but first he must master the blade and the beast. When Lady Gretchen is abducted by the Werelion Prince Lucas, Drew and his friends embark on a perilous chase to stop the prince fleeing to his homeland of Bast. As Drew encounters terrifying new Werelords along the way, he is led to the exotic city of Cape Gala, where the forces of Onyx, the Beast of Bast, await. Now Drew must summon all of his courage and strength - because the Catlords are ready to attack...