Christopher Edge - The Jamie Drake Equation - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

How amazing would it be to have a dad who's an astronaut? Rocket launches, zero gravity, and flying through space like a superhero! Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station and Jamie ought to think it's cool but he just really misses him...Hanging out at his local observatory, Jamie picks up a strange signal on his phone. It looks like alien life is getting closer to home. But space is a dangerous place and when his dad's mission goes wrong, can Jamie prove that he's a hero too? A cosmic adventure for anyone who's ever looked at the stars, from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. 

As soon as you turn the first page, you will suddenly find yourself being transported into a gravitational time dilation. The real world will slow down, as the fantasy universe kicks in, and powers you on into outer space and beyond. The very first page will hook you into a cracking story about a young boy, called Jamie Drake, and his famous astronaut father, who recently left earth. He is flying through space on a mission to send small probes to the further reaches of space, hoping to find proof of extraterrestrial life, but what will they find?

The book is beautifully written. It fully explores science and scientific elements including the solar system and the possibilities of intelligent life beyond planet earth. It is a great educational ride; it subconsciously makes learning fun, cool and very interesting. Christopher really shows off his passion, once again, by showing readers just how much fun science can be through a good story narrative and mixing it with action adventure and family life.  

Another great element of this story is that it has a historical impact on the world today. With the ever-increasing topics of space travel and life beyond earth, the author asks many questions for the reader to think about and perhaps even discuss in class. Just like the characters in Jamie's school, the children are involved in making models, dressing up as aliens and being involved in a live broadcast to space which is beamed into the school from the International Space Center. All are very uber cool, right?

This story is a cosmic ray of light that will uplift your soul to the nebulae and back. It will take you on the best journey that the imagination has to offer and let you escape into a fantasy world that is filled with reality and fantastic characters that make you feel warm at heart. It is all delivered with a bucketful of heart and snappy middle-grade dialogue throughout. The mystery and a twist will keep the reader on their toes until the very end of the book. 

Chris and the team at Nosy Crow have delivered another award winning performance. It is published in paperback on the 2nd March 2017 and has been wrapped up in another fantastic book cover illustration by Matt Saunders.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Guest Post - Di Toft - Cat Magick

Starting Over...

The end of November will see the publication of my fourth book. Cat Magick will sneak onto Amazon with no fanfare or launch, looking over it’s shoulder craftily, keen to blend in amongst all the ‘proper’ books.

It’s easy being published again, when you’ve done it three times already, right? WRONG!! How naive I was, as I handed my new novel over to wise agent, how eager I was to crack on with my next masterpiece. Two weeks later, wise agent rings, bubbling with good news. Two days later, not so good - the marketing department have put the kibosh on editor’s plans to give Cat a new home. Over the next year, wise agent becomes weary agent and I become not so confident writer.

Damn it, I was going to dedicate Cat Magick to my tiny new grandson Ted and to the memory of two dear friends. This was going to be their book. And what about my characters, whom I had so lovingly crafted? Their friendships and wild adventures would never be shared with anyone else. I couldn’t let that happen!

A couple of authors I know had gone down the Amazon White Glove road, also known as agent-assisted, self-publishing. Weary agent was quite keen, but I couldn’t really see the point. If I was going to self publish, I would do it myself!

‘What about editing, what about a decent cover?’, I hear you cry. That bit was easy. I’d already had my agent and a friendly editor look out for content, plot holes etc. I have another good friend, in the amazing artist Martin Simpson, who was responsible for the eye-catching, child friendly Wolven covers. I am beyond thrilled when I see the Cat Magick cover for the first time.

Now the hard bit. Cat Magick would be published as an ebook, but, more than anything, I wanted to be able to clasp it to my bosom as an ACTUAL paperback. So CreateSpace would also have to be navigated in order for this to happen.

ZZZZZzzzz, I just couldn’t get my head around all the instructions. Enter computer-savvy, pernickety husband, who would spend hours doing all the hard stuff it takes to make everything look good and read well. Thanks Phil.

So, will Cat Magick fly? Will it sell any copies, apart from those I buy myself for school visits, library copies, presents (whether they want them or not)? I don’t know. What’s the worst that can happen? The only cost involved was the cover, which was more than worth it - another first, my first commission! My characters Pye, Suki and Hodge will see the light of day, at least in a few homes. We’ll see...

Thanks Di for writing and sharing this post with us. It is never an easy road to getting published, even if you've already had other books published. Some authors may find themselves facing this future at some point. However, it's great to see platforms such as the White Glove and CreateSpace giving authors the opportunity for their voices to be heard. I will definitely be purchasing Cat Magik to grace my bookshelves and I believe that it will live on.... BUY IT HERE

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review: Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre - Cakes In Space

Warning: This book may contain nuts. No cakes were harmed in the production of this book. Well, that might actually be a big fat lie as the reader actually chases crumbs around space! Nevertheless, what an enticing start to a great sugary fantasy.

This is the second collaborative venture by the talented duo Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre - the creative wordsmith is Philip and the imaginative illustrator is Sarah. Although, the word on Nova Mundi is that a bunch of crazy aliens have taken both Philip and Sarah over, so perhaps we don't really know who has done what or even who is in charge of the words and the illustrations. 

This is the best exploration into space that I've undertaken for some time. It left me shaking in my armchair with the wobblies. This book is pure genius - it will lift your spirits up to the moon and back again . . . . . and then some more. The story is highly original and totally wacky; I loved every second that I spent reading this. The gravitational force behind this is pure fun, fun, fun. 

This book is packed full of amazing illustrations which definitely enhance the plot. The mixture of free flowing pencil sketches alongside the bold colourful illustrations create intergalactic ambience. The subdued next to explosive colour is exciting for the reader to engage with and, in my opinion, is well thought out and executed.

This is a great family read that can be shared together out loud or independently. The main character, Astra, is the only person left that hasn't been frozen in time. Faced with a galactic space adventure fighting sweet tooth monsters, escaping an invasion of alien Poglites and encountering a Nameless Horror, Astra has a lot to contend with. Is this too much for her to cope with alone or will the ship's robots come to her rescue?

Don't hesitate to grab a copy to read as you will definitely not look at another cake in the same way. Chocs away!!!! BEWARE - THE BATTENBERG! - FEAR THE FAIRY CAKE! - SHUN THE CHOUX BUN!

Synopsis: Astra's family are all snoring in their sleeping pods aboard their spaceship, but Astra is WIDE AWAKE. With her robot friend, Pilbeam, she goes off exploring and soon finds out the ship is in deep trouble. It's been knocked off course and invaded by a gang of Poglites, an alien salvage crew searching for spoonage (they just LOVE collecting spoons)! But even the Poglites need Astra's help when they discover something far more sinister lurking in the canteen. Sure, they're cakes; but no one would describe them as sweet.

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Mr Ripley's Book Review - The Tin Snail - by Cameron McAllister

Imagine the following fantasy pot filled and boiling over with magical ingredients from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a slice of reality from Dad's Army and a dash of occasion from Back Home. If you can picture this, then you should be getting quite close to the magical experience that I had when reading this book.  
Loosely inspired by real events, this story focuses on the birth of the first economy car produced by the French car manufacturer, Citroën. Even today, this car is still classed as an icon with it's utilitarian unconventional looks. The Tin Snail transports the reader back to the 1940's; a world of elegant and luxury automobiles produced for the super rich, although the story initially begins at the 1938 Paris Motor Show. This is a super start to a wonderful journey undertaken by a brave little car. But it soon finds itself facing a tough challenge:

• to carry a farmer and his wife, 
• a flagon of wine and a tray of eggs
• across a bumpy field in a sleepy French village 
• without spilling a drop or cracking a shell

However an even bigger challenge faces the car as a Nazi officer is bent on stealing the design for the enemy!

In my opinion, this is a beautifully written story. I loved every minute that I spent reading this book. It is easily set to be a classic hit this summer. A fantastic family read; this is a story with a big heart based on an amazing idea. A poignant tale filled full of warmth, great characters and the coming together for the common good. 

With France being invaded by Nazi soldiers during the early forties, this story gives an interesting insight into war at that time. This part of the story particularly captivated me. It really made me think about the struggles and hardships during that time.  This could make a good classroom read, in my opinion, as it is sensitively told.

This is easily one of my favourite books so far this year - a brilliant and magical read that will stay with me until the day that I die. It is a great debut story with bags of drive and vroom. One that I could see working really well as a tv adaptation or film. 

I would like to thank Matilda for tracking down a rare copy of this book. I have been told that the finished copy will include a beautifully drawn map inside the front cover, as well as other wonderful illustrations from Sam Usher. 

Apologies for the early review as this book is not due to be published until May 2014 by Jonathan Cape. However I just couldn't wait any longer; I really needed to start talking about this wonderful book. I hope that you enjoy it as I much as I did.

Book Review: Chris Riddell - Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

Welcome to Ghastly-Gorm Hall - the home to yet another brilliant read. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse is one of the best books that I have read by Chris Riddell as a solo writer. It is brilliantly funny and an absolute joy to read.

The first thing that you will notice is how gorgeous this book both looks and feel. There is a great deal of attention to detail which is brilliant to see within this digital era. The hand-held hardback is in the same style as the much loved Ottoline series which was published way back in February 2007. The book will definitely jump off the bookshelves to potential readers through the striking and quirky image of Ada on the front cover. 

Before you even start to read the book, another two aspects that will capture your attention are the iridescent purple page edges and the silver gilt skull motifs on the endpapers. Both of these elements work particularly well, in my opinion. These are definitely the best endpapers that I have seen for a very long time. The silver gilt skull motifs on black paper shine with so much light that you will need sunglasses on just to look at them. They really make the book come alive before you even start to read the fantastic adventure inside. 

When Ada Goth wakes in the night to find the disgruntled ghost of a mouse on her bedroom carpet, she is more intrigued than scared. The mouse, formally known as Ishmael, is rather cross about his ghostly predicament so Ada decides to befriend him. In a house where it is believed that little girls should be heard not seen, which means Ada has to walk round Ghastly-Gorm Hall with large oversize boots, a whim of her eccentric father Lord Goth. 

Whilst exploring the mysterious halls and winding corridors, Ada and Ishmael uncover a dastardly plot to sabotage her father's annual Metaphorical Bike Race and Indoor Hunt. 

As you follow Ada and the Ghost mouse through this tale you will be both enchanted and delighted in this family adventure. It is a perfect book to read to your children - the fantastic pen/pencil detailed images scattered throughout this beautiful book add another outstanding level of fantasy to enhance the story.

Chris Riddell has excelled himself with this book. It is a witty homage to some of the most famous literary classics, which have allowed him to run riot with his spectacular ideas. It is a warm, funny and highly imaginative tale of courage, friendship and loyalty. All of which have been told in a deliciously dark and gothic way. What more could you want? Well there is a little bonus at the end, but I shall say no more!

We need many more books like this.........

Published by Macmillan Children's Books in Hardback on 12th September 2013