The Best Children's Book Picks OCTOBER 2024 - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Welcome to Mr. Ripley’s Enchanted Books, where we believe that every child deserves a great story! As we dive into October 2024, we’ve curated a delightful selection of children’s book picks that cater to every taste and age group. Join us as we explore these enchanting reads that are sure to captivate young and old hearts and minds!

Garth Nix - We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord - Published by Hot Key Books (15 Oct. 2024) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1471417351 - Paperback - Age: 9+

From master storyteller Garth Nix, the chilling story of a strange object that falls into the wrong hands and has the potential to destroy the world. Perfect for fans of STRANGER THINGS and Neil Gaiman.

It's not fair. Kim's always lived in the shadow of his younger sister, Eila - which is not how it's supposed to be. Eila is a prodigy, and everyone talks about how smart she is but, in Kim's eyes, she has no common sense.

One day Kim and Eila are walking in the woods, and Eila finds an enigmatic, otherworldly object. Kim thinks it's bad news . . . but Eila begins to commune with it. Kim has every reason to be worried, because soon Eila is able to control the minds of everyone around her - in ways she says is the best for everyone.

Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin - The Bletchley Riddle - Published by Rock the Boat (10 Oct. 2024) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0861549023 - Paperback - Age: 8+

A thrilling middle-grade historical adventure from bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act... 

It is the summer of 1940. The world is at war. These days, you don’t know who you can trust or who might be a secret spy…

Maths whizz Jakob Novis has been recruited to the secret codebreaking center at Bletchley Park. As Jakob works to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher, his younger sister Lizzie is busy on an undercover mission of her own: to find their mother.

Filled with codes to decipher and mysteries to unravel, this is the unputdownable historical adventure that will have you on the edge of your seats.

Guy Bass (Author), Alessia Trunfio (Illustrator)  - SCRAP: The Good, the Bad and the Rusty - Published by Little Tiger (3 Oct. 2024) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788956932 - Paperback - Age: 7+ 

I’m not going to pretend life had been easy up until then. But when we got to the Elsewhere? That was somewhere else. It was in the Elsewhere that things got weird… 

After surviving a brutal attack by Mayor Highshine, Scrap, Paige and Gnat head into the wild Elsewhere in search of the Pink-Footed Goose, the rocket ship they hope can get them off-world. The place is fraught with danger, but they discover Mooch, a nomadic wandering town inhabited by robots who have rejected Highshine’s views. 

Welcomed aboard Mooch by the Marshall Wired Bill, Gnat and Scrap instantly feel at home. However, Paige is haunted by visions of ghostly humans, including her mother, whom she’s convinced is guiding them to the landing site of the Pink-Footed Goose. But nothing in the Elsewhere is quite as it seems, and as the trio pushes on with their mission, they make a discovery that will rock them to the core… 

Susan Cahill - The World between the Rain - Published by  Everything with Words (24 Oct. 2024) ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1911427315 - Paperback - Age: 9 

It's the week before Halloween and Marina is about to turn thirteen. Her father died a year ago. Her mother has strangely fallen asleep and no one can wake her. She is sent to live with her mysterious grandmother who tells her that you can enter a strange world between the ever-falling rain in the west of Ireland. Marina enters a haunting watery world full of strange creatures, demons, gods and dreammakers. Meanwhile, in our world, a strange sleeping sickness has taken over. Will Marina be back in time? Can she survive?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: New Children's and Teen Books Published October 2014 - Post One

Garth Nix - Clariel ( The Old Kingdom) - Published by Hot Key Books (2 Oct 2014)
Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid to the sinister Guildmaster Kilip. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating. With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all.

Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell - The Sleeper and the Spindle - Published by Bloomsbury Childrens (23 Oct 2014)

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell - weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future - and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.

Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

Marcus Sedgwick - The Ghosts of Heaven - Published by  Indigo (2 Oct 2014)

A cleverly interlinked novel written in four parts by PRINTZ AWARD-winning author, Marcus Sedgwick, about survival and discovery, and about the effect of the spiral, a symbol that has no end, on all our lives.

The spiral has existed as long as time has existed.

It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moist green air clinging to her skin.

There centuries later in a pleasant green dale, hiding the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who they call a witch.

There on the other side of the world, where a mad poet watches the waves and knows the horrors they hide, and far into the future as Keir Bowman realises his destiny.

Each takes their next step in life.

None will ever go back to the same place.

And so their journeys begin...

UNDER MY HAT edited by Jonathan Strahen - (Tips for writing short stories post) From Hot Key Books.

                                                       

Publishing date: 4 October 2012 - Hot Key Books - Something for Halloween perhaps?

25% Spider Silk, 25% Eye of Newt, 25% SnakeVenom,25% BlackMoss

Eighteen spellbinding tales from top fantasy authors, brewed together for the witching hour

A stellar cast of acclaimed fantasy writers weave spellbinding tales that bring the world of witches to life. Boasting over 70 awards between them, including a Newbery Medal, five Hugo Awards and a Carnegie Medal, the authors delve into the realms of magic to explore all things witchy...

From familiars that talk, to covens that offer dark secrets to explore, these are tales to tickle the hair on the back of your neck and send shivers down your spine.

Be truly spooked by these stunning stories by Diana Peterfreund, Frances Hardinge, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Charles de Lint, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Patricia A. McKillip, Tim Pratt, M. Rickert, Isobelle Carmody, Jane Yolen, Jim Butcher, Peter S. Beagle and Margo Lanagan.

By Jonathan Strahen

Five Writing Tips, or How to Write a Great Short Story by Someone Who Never Has.

So you want to write a short story? A great one? When I was first asked to provide a list of tips on how to write a terrific short story I drew a blank. I’ve not written a short story since high school, so I’m no expert. I’ve not even thought about writing a short story. But then I realised that, like you, I read. I read a lot. And what I mostly read is short fiction. So, it’s possible I might have picked up an idea or two.

• Write

This might seem obvious, but no one has ever finished a short story without sitting down and actually writing.  I have a folder full of stops and starts on a handful of short stories and novels, but none of them are finished. So, do that. Write. Write every day and finish what you start. 

• Re-write

I know you think you’re finished when you write “The End” at the end of your newly minted short story. You probably are. But it’s possible, just possible, that there’s still a little bit of work left to do. Put it in a drawer for a week, and come back to it fresh. Suddenly you’ll see, if you’re at all like me when I write anything, all sorts of problems with it. You might also let a trusted reader see it. Get their feedback, try to listen to it with an open mind, and be willing to re-write.

• Read

The only way to learn how to write a great short story is to read great short stories. Read them a lot and think about them. Try to work out how they work and why. Pick a writer whose work you love and see how their stories work. If you love witch stories, try the work of Roald Dahl or Diana Wynne Jones, and see if you can unpick their stories. They knew what they were doing.  

• Keep it short

We are talking about writing short stories after all, so keep it short. You probably only want a single plot line (the story) and a single point of view character (the person whose eyes we’re seeing the story though). Longer stories, novellas and short novels, can sometimes have subplots and more than one point of view character, but basically you only need one.

• Make your story work

I don’t mean make it great. Of course you’re going to do that. What I mean is make your words count. Everything you write in a short story should do more than one thing. Setting builds character, voice advances plot, and so on. Look very carefully at each scene in your story. You won’t have many of them – this is short after all – so make sure each scene does more than one thing. Each scene should build setting, develop character and move the story forward.  Avoid scenes that only do one thing. You want to avoid your story being dull (which it was never going to be, but you know what I mean) and making sure your scenes are doing the heavy lifting helps.

If you’ve already written a great short story you probably know all of this stuff, and possibly far more. If you’re just starting out, though, it might help. And if you are starting out keep going. You’ll probably write some stinkers. You’ll possibly write some stories that are almost exactly like stories written by people whose work you love. That’s fine. That’s what you should be doing. You have to write through that so you can get to the stories that only you can tell, the ones that are definitely going to be great. And when you do, send them to me. I love great short stories.  – Jonathan Strahan

Thanks for Hot Key books for sending this over.

https://www.hotkeybooks.com/

Garth Nix - A Confusion Princes - Book Review

                                    

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books (17 May 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0007298358
• Age: 13+

It has been such a long time since I picked up my very first Garth Nix book and read it. In fact venturing back to 2001 was when I first found myself holding the US proof in my hands. Interestingly, this had a much better book cover than the UK version, in my opinion. Nevertheless, as soon as  I had finished reading it, I was amazed as it was brilliant - such a great book. Even today, I still love to think about the story and the different characters. This book turned me into such a big fan that I've just about loved and collected most of Garth Nix's other books - Shade's Children being another one of my personal favourites.

When I first received this book, I was very excited for two reasons. Firstly, it was a sci-fi book written by Garth Nix for older readers (or more precisely teenagers). Secondly, the blurb on back was perfectly written to entice my reading appetite. To be honest, not many good books have been written, or published in recent times with either of these aspects in mind.

A major standalone space opera, this is Garth Nix’s first novel for older readers since the conclusion of the Old Kingdom trilogy… and it’s worth the wait.

A grand adventure that spans galaxies and lifetimes, A Confusion of Princes is also a page-turning action adventure.

These are the three deaths of Prince Khemri. Told in his own words, we follow him as he trains to become a Prince of the Empire, an enhanced human being, equipped with biological and technological improvements that make him faster, stronger and smarter than any ordinary person. Not to mention the ultimate benefit: should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn…

Which is just as well, because no sooner has Prince Khemri graduated to full Princehood than he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are a million princes, and all of them want each other dead, because there can only be one Emperor…

So, was it a page turner? Definitely, yes - the beginning of the book was packed full of information. Although, at times, this perhaps slowed down the start as there was a lot of explanation required to describe the technical, scientific and historical aspects. Especially in order to help you develop a better grasp of both the story and the characters. However, once this was established, the story flowed like a well oiled machine with Bitek ,Mektek, and any other imperial technology that you can find.

This is another book that I'm sure to look back on in years to come - it's a brilliantly engaging read that I really loved. Garth writes about a fantastical world that takes you on a journey through the galaxy, but all the time with a take on a advanced life of the future. Told through the eyes of Prince Khemri - emotionless and almost robotic. That is until the very end, when the story takes you on a galactic voyage of discovery which is told in a very poignant way.

This book is brimming full of space action - like you would see on Star Trek, or something of that nature. Although this is much better. In fact it would be great to see this as a mini TV series; I think it would be fantastic to watch, providing it was produced correctly of course.

I'm not actually sure if there will be any more books to come from Garth. Although it really would be a shame as he has started something that I would really love to continue to follow. This is fantastic entertainment; YA at it's best. Buy, beg or borrow this book, but make sure you read it. This is easily one of the best reads of the year. 

Garth Nix - Book Events - August 2010

Garth has not been to the UK for a few years, so he hopes lots of people will come along to these events to say hello and get books signed and so on. While the blurbs for the events often give age ranges,he say's he will not be talking about specific books or a series, in fact he will talk more generally, and typically the audiences include readers of all ages: kids, young adults, older adults, very old adults, immortals etc

 11.00am - Friday 13th August 2010

Event at Seven Stories, The Centre for Children's Books

30 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 2PQ

For more information visit:

http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/events/viewarticle.php?id=1876&offset=3

10.00am - Saturday 14^th August 2010

Event in the Main Theatre at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh

For more information visit:

www.edbookfest.co.uk

6.00pm - Monday 16^th August 2010

Event at Waterstone’s, 4-5 Milsom Street, Bath , BA1 1DA

For more information visit:

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayDetailEvent.do?searchType=2&store=302|WATERSTONE%27S%20BATH&sFilter=1

2.30pm - Tuesday 17^th August 2010

Event at The Forum, 2 Millennium Plain, Bethel Street, Norwich, NR2 1TF

For more information visit:

http://www.jarrold.co.uk/events-dids49.html