Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Middle Grade Book Picks (9-12yrs) December 2017 - US Post

D. Jango Wexler - The Fall of the Readers - Published by Kathy Dawson Books (5 Dec. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0399539206

In this thrilling conclusion to Alice's adventures in The Forbidden Library she must lead her band of friends, magical beings, and creatures against the collected might of the Old Readers--perfect for fans of Story Thieves, Inkheart, Coraline, and Harry Potter.

When Alice defeated her uncle Geryon and declared war on the totalitarian ways of the Old Readers, she knew she would have a hard fight ahead. What she didn't anticipate was the ruthlessness of the Old Reader--who can control magic and enter worlds through books. All the creatures she promised to liberate and protect are being threatened, and slowly all of Alice's defenses are being worn away. So when Ending (the giant cat-like creature who guards the magical labyrinth in Geryon's library) hints at a dangerous final solution, Alice jumps at the chance, no matter the cost to her life. She and her friends--a fire sprite, Ashes the cat, and the other apprentice Readers she met during her previous adventures--go on a quest to free the one creature possibly strong enough to overturn the Old Readers once and for all. 

But before it's all over, Alice will be betrayed, her true identity will be revealed, and she'll have to be willing to give up the person she loves the most.

Kari Maaren - Weave a Circle Round - Published by Tor Books (13 Dec. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0765386281

When the unexpected moves in next door, anything can happen in Weave a Circle Round, Kari Maaren's debut in this YA-friendly fantasy adventure.

Freddy doesn't want people to think she's weird. Her family makes that difficult, though: her deaf stepbrother Roland's a major geek, and her genius little sister Mel's training to be the next Sherlock Holmes. All Freddy wants is to survive high school.

Then two extremely odd neighbors move in next door.

Cuerva Lachance and Josiah definitely aren't normal. Neither is their house, which defies the laws of physics. Neither is Freddy's situation, when she suddenly finds herself stuck thousands of years in the past with her very, very weird neighbors. And that's only the beginning.

"I adored this brilliant book from start to finish. It left me reeling with delight and I can't wait for the rest of the world to get as lost in its pages as I was." --Charles de Lint

"I'd have loved this book when I was twelve, and I love it now." --Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy-Award winning author Jo Walton

Janette Rallison - The Wrong Side of Magic - Published by Square Fish (5 Dec. 2017) 

"Whimsical, exciting, funny, adventurous--all the things I loved about books growing up."--James Dashner, New York Times-bestselling author of the Maze Runner series

Hudson Brown stopped believing in magic long ago. That is, until the day he is whisked away to the magical land of Logos by a curious compass given to him by his off-beat neighbor, Charlotte.

Hudson discovers that Logos is a land ruled by words, thoughts, and memories. A fairy might ferry you across the river for the price of one memory. But be sure to look out for snarky unicorns, as they will see through those who are not pure of heart. 

Not understanding the many rules of Logos, Hudson is quickly saddled with a troll curse. Charlotte, who, along with her father, was banished from Logos, can help get rid of the curse--but only if he agrees to find the lost Princess of Logos in return.

Kate Davies - The Crims - Published by HarperCollins (December 5, 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0062494092

The Addams Family meets Despicable Me in the first book of this new trilogy, perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Pseudonymous Bosch!The Crim family is full of notorious criminals. Notoriously inept, that is. Uncle Knuckles once tried to steal a carnival. Great-Uncle Bernard held himself hostage by accident. Aunt Drusilla died slipping on a banana peel. But Imogen is different. She was born with a skill for scandal. A knack for the nefarious. A mastery of misdemeanors.Despite her natural talent for all things unlawful, Imogen got out of the family business years ago. But when the rest of the Crims are accused of pulling off a major heist-which seems doubtful, to say the least-Imogen is forced to step in to clear their names. Because only a truly skilled criminal can prove the bumbling family's innocence....

J. K Rowling - NEW HARRY POTTER FILM BOOSTS POTTER MEMORABILIA (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

NEW HARRY POTTER FILM ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS’ BOOSTS POTTER MEMORABILIA AT AUCTION SAY BARNEBYS ART & AUCTION SEARCH ENGINE

 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' hand-written and illustrated by J.K Rowling comes to auction in December

A rare presentation copy of ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’, created, hand-written and illustrated by JK Rowling, containing a personal inscription by the author to the editor who launched her career, will be offered for sale at Sotheby's London in December. The sale coincides with the release of a new Harry Potter film – Fantastic Beasts.

Both will be seen as true Christmas treats, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is estimated to reach £300,000 to £500,000 when it hits the saleroom on 13th December, rather more expensive than the price of a ticket to see the film Fantastic Beasts. In 2007, a copy produced specifically for sale at auction to raise money for J.K Rowling's charity Lumos, was sold at Sotheby's for a record-breaking £1.95 million.

Pontus Silfverstolpe founder of Barnebys, the search engine which tracks art, antiques and collectables internationally across 1,600 auction houses with 500,000 items for sale at any one time, says: “Harry Potter has become an auction phenomenon. Any Harry Potter memorabilia, film posters, film costumes, and anything to do with the actors who starred in the films are eminently saleable. Prices have steadily increased over the past decade. For example recently we have seen a number of items make surprising amounts."

                                                          * JK Rowling’s Harry Potter chair sells for $394,000 at Heritage auctions in the USA

* First edition's of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sell for in excess of £25 000.

* 'Holy Grail' - hardcover first edition first printings of the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997. Only 500 were published and 300 went to libraries. Copies crediting "Joanne Rowling" (not J.K.) can fetch up to £35, 000.

* By book four, JKR was signing less copies of books - so any books from 4-7 in the series with a signature are highly collectable - around £10,000. 

* By book six JKR was no longer doing book tours and signed copies of books were becoming rarer and rarer.

The current copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard being sold by Sotheby’s is number three of the seven that J.K Rowling produced. The author presented it to British publisher Barry Cunningham, who famously accepted the first Harry Potter book for publication. This copy is especially important to Wizard fans as Cunningham played an instrumental role in launching J.K Rowling’s career as an international best-selling author.

In a dedication written in the front of the book, JK Rowling wrote: ''To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell… THANK YOU.''

Cunningham recalls the experience of receiving the copy on 12th December 2007 as 'unreal,' becoming 'progressively more exciting' as he opened a white jiffy envelope to reveal a beautiful, cloth-wrapped manuscript book, adorned with semi-precious stones and a sterling silver mounted skull. The original packaging, in which the copy was delivered, is included as part of the lot.

Originally presented as a personal gift to 'those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books,' the manuscript of wizarding tales is one of only seven unique copies produced for the most important people in Rowling's life during this time.

'The personal resonance of this book makes this both an exceptional and highly desirable object to come to auction. It is particularly special as it is only one of six made for those closest to the author throughout the journey of creating the Harry Potter series,  gifted to the man who recognised the brilliance of J.K Rowling’s writing and her potential impact on children’s literature,' explained Dr. Philip W. Errington, Director, Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department.

Bound in brown morocco leather, the manuscript carries seven unique mounted rhodochrosite stones. At the end of the volume, the author notes that these semi-precious stones are 'traditionally associated with love, balance and joy in daily life.' The exterior is additionally embellished with hallmarked sterling silver ornaments, centred by an ominous skull.

Containing clues that were to prove crucial to Harry Potter’s final mission to destroy Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a volume of five wizarding fairy-tales left to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Only one tale, 'The Tales of the Three Brothers' is recounted in the book.

The magical book will be on view at Sotheby's New York from 9th-11th November and Sotheby's London from 9th-13th December, 2016. 

MR RIPLEY'S ENCHANTED BOOKS: FAVOURITE BOOKS 2013 - Children's/YA and Adult

                                   

2014 is officially on the horizon and Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books is coming to the end of yet another year. Around this festive time I like to take a trip down memory lane and highlight some of my favourite reads of 2013.  All of the following books have been reviewed on the website so if you would like to know and read more then just use the search bar....... Mr Ripley's Favourite Adult Reads 2013: (in no order) Brandon Sanderson - Steelheart - Published by Gollancz - 26, September 2013 Cherie Priest - The Inexplicables - Published by Tor 14, February 2013 Gareth Powell - Ack-Ack Macaque - Published by Solaris 3, January  2013 Samantha Shannon - The Bone Season - Published by Bloomsbury 20, August 2013 Joe Hill - NOS4R2 - Published by Gollancz - 31, October 2013 Mr Ripley's Favourite Children's/Young Adult Reads 2013: (in no order) SF Said and Dave McKean - Phoenix - Published by David Fickling - 1, August 2013 Brandon Sanderson - The Rithmatist - Published by Orion - 23, May 2013 Ian Johnstone - The Bell Between Worlds - Published by HarperCollins - 6, June 2013 Andy Mulligan - The Boy with Two Heads - Published by David Fickling - 6, June 2103 John Connolly + Jennifer Ridyard - Conquest - Published by Headline - 26, September 2013 Oisin McGann - Rat Runners - Published by Corgi - 7, March 2013 Rhys A Jones - The Obsidian Pebble - Published by Spencer Hill Press - 29, October 2013 Emerald Fennell - Shiverton Hall - Published by Bloomsbury - 3, January 2013  Chris Riddell - Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse - Published by Macmillan - 12, September 2013 Ashley Miller + Jack Stentz - Colin Fischer - Published by Puffin - 7, February 2013 Andrew Lane - Lost Worlds - Published by Macmillan - 25, April 2013 Michelle Paver - The Burning Shadow - Published by Puffin - 1, August 2013 I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all (readers, authors, illustrators and publishers) for your support in 2013. I'd like to wish you all a great Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year.

New Books: Children's Book Picks December 2012 - US Edition

                                                    
S. S Taylor - The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon Published by McSweeney's McMullens -  11,December 2012
Set in a future where the hacking of computers and depletion of natural resources has caused a return to steam and clockwork engines, Taylor’s novel crosses dystopian and steampunk genres in this fast-paced, plot-driven tale. An Explorer with a clockwork hand smuggles an old book to Kit, the book’s narrator. With his two siblings, brave Zander and preteen inventor M.K., he forms the Expeditioners, breaking the code hidden in the book and finding half a map from their late father, Alexander West, an Explorer of the Realm. Off they go to find the other half of the map and follow it, facing giant green slugs, huge birds and evil government agents. The black-and-white cartoon-style illustrations and the portrayal of wrench-wielding, smart-mouthed, fearless M.K. lighten the tone of the lengthy text and its underlying message of mistreatment of natural resources and indigenous peoples. The premise that there are undiscovered places, that '[a] map of the world isn’t a fixed thing. We know only what we can see,' is an intriguing one.
              

                                                   
Jeremy Bastian - Cursed Pirate Girl - Published by Archaia Entertainment - 25,December - 2012
Adventures on and under the high seas lead a cursed pirate girl to encounter mythic creatures, gnarled and crusty pirates, and ghostly apparitions as she tries to find her lost father, one of the dreaded Pirate Captains of the mythical Omerta Seas. Cursed Pirate Girl is a whimsical, swashbuckling tale of wonderland journeys and unimaginable dangers, starting in Port Elisabeth, Jamaica in the year 1728, and quickly heading across - and beneath - the waves!

                                               
J. Scott Savage - Case File 13: Zombie Kid - Published by HarperCollins - 26,December - 2012
You hold in your hands a very dangerous record.
I have collected every side of the story and every piece of evidence on case number 13. Now, in this file, you will find all you need to follow the dark adventures of Nick, Carter, and Angelo, three boys who possess an unhealthy obsession with monsters, in a town so grisly, so horrific—

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're telling it all wrong, dude. You make it sound like it's a scary story.
Ahem. Well, Nick, it is a scary story. In this volume alone, there are voodoo queens, graveyards—even the dreaded Zombie King himself.
Yeah, but there's also the part where Angie gets mashed potatoes all in her face, and the part where I use my cool zombie powers to—
All right, point taken. Now, if you don't mind . . .
You hold in your hands a very dangerous, very funny record, detailing the hilarious adventures of three boys who have an awesome obsession with monsters. This is the first volume. Read on if you dare. . . .