The love of reading and collecting Children's Books.
About the Blog
Reading, rumbling and reviewing and collecting all children's books . . . from J.K Rowling to Philip Pullman, as well as up and coming authors. This is for like-minded enthusiasts, who are as passionate about modern-day children's authors as we are. So enjoy, communicate and share the love of books with us.
bookboy@hotmail.co.uk
Netflix announced that its adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events which will premiere on Jan. 13, 2017.
The adaptation — based on the author’s series of dark and depressing young adult (13) novels — has been in production over the past year. Netflix has teased images and Snicket's from the series over the last couple of months, but released the first official teaser trailer for the show. The series is set so far for eight episodes each book in the series would be adapted into two episodes of the series, with the first four books covered in the initial eight episodes.
Watch the first Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events teaser trailer below; Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement, Family Guy, Seinfeld) plays Snicket, giving a devious, fourth-wall-breaking introduction.
Shirley Hughes - Whistling in the Dark - Published by Walker Books (2 Jun. 2016)
From much-loved author Shirley Hughes comes a compelling World War Two wartime adventure for readers aged 10+ set during the Liverpool Blitz. In the hardship of war, everything is rationed - except true friendship. Joan and best friend Doreen love going to the cinema until the Blitz intensifies and then even that becomes too dangerous, especially when an army deserter is found lurking near their home. Who is he and why does he think Joan can help him? As the Blitz worsens, Joan and her friends make a discovery that will tear the whole community apart. Check out the website for the historical background to the story: www.whistlinginthedarkbook.com.
Justin Fisher - Ned's Circus of Marvels - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (30 Jun. 2016)
From exciting debut author, Justin Fisher, comes this rip-roaring, page-turning new magical adventure. Perfect for fans of House of Secrets.
Ned Waddlesworth has always considered his world to be exceptionally ordinary. Until the day he discovers it ISN’T. AT ALL. Because on Ned’s thirteenth birthday he discovers that everything magical he’s ever read about or imagined is REAL. And without him, the world will soon be engulfed in monstrous beasts and beings.
So with the help of a robot mouse, a girl witch and a flying circus unlike any other, it’s up to Ned to swoop in and save the day!
Roll up, roll up, and prepare to be AMAZED by Ned and the marvellous, magical, monstrous flying circus!
Lauren Wolk - Wolf Hollow - Published by Corgi Childrens (30 Jun. 2016)
Annabelle has lived in Wolf Hollow all her life: a quiet place, still scarred by two world wars. But when cruel, manipulative Betty arrives in town, Annabelle's calm world is shattered, along with everything she's ever known about right and wrong.
When Betty accuses gentle loner Toby - a traumatised ex-soldier - of a terrible act, Annabelle knows he's innocent. Then Betty disappears . . .
Now Annabelle must protect Toby from the spiralling accusations and hysteria, until she can prove to Wolf Hollow what really happened to Betty.
Powerful, poignant and lyrical, Wolf Hollow is an unforgettable story.
Sofi Croft - Indigo's Dragon (Indigos Dragon 1) - Published by Accent Press Ltd (23 Jun. 2016) - Book Review Here - Guest Post Here
Fans of How to Train your Dragon, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson will love the debut novel Indigo's Dragon, a tale of adventure, mystery, and a legendary trip where he encounters a monster or two ...Indigo lives in the Lake District, and spends his time exploring the mountains he loves. An unexpected parcel arrives containing a first aid kit inside his grandfather's satchel. Indigo's curiosity is raised as he looks through his grandfather's notebook to discover drawings of mythical creatures. Strange things begin to happen and Indigo finds himself treating an injured magpie-cat, curing a cockatrice of its death-darting gaze, and defending a dragon. Indigo realises he must uncover the secrets his family have kept hidden, and travels alone to the Polish mountains to search for his grandfather and the truth. Danger looms as events spiral out of control, and Indigo needs to make choices that change him, his world, and his future forever...
Jennifer Bell - The Crooked Sixpence (THE UNCOMMONERS) - Published by Corgi Childrens (2 Jun. 2016)
Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems . . .
When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Returning to Sylvie’s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders – before a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall. A very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape – only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, where ordinary objects have amazing powers.
The forces of evil are closing in fast, and Ivy and Seb must get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late.
Dive head first into the world of Lundinor in this magical adventure story for anyone with a Hogwarts-shaped hole in their life.
D. D. Everest (Author) James del la Rue (Illustrator) - Archie Greene and the Alchemist's Curse - Published by Faber & Faber (2 Jun. 2016)
Archie's cousin, Thistle, is about to start his apprenticeship at the Museum of Magical Miscellany. But when it comes to his initiation, the firemark that burns into Thistle's hand is a strange one, and Archie and Bramble are given it too.
The Golden Circle is the mark of an ancient alchemist's club and when Archie and his cousins learn about a curse that threatens their beloved museum, they have no choice but to start their own alchemist's club, and face the darkest kind of magic.
Helen Dennis (Author) Bonnie Kate Wolf (Illustrator) - Zenith (River of Ink 2) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (2 Jun. 2016)
Jed must confront the revelation of his true identity: he is the alchemist Fulcanelli who discovered the elixir of life and used it to become young again. He must take the elixir one more time in order to live for ever. If he doesn't take it he will die. But Jed only has nine months left to take the elixir. And he has absolutely no idea how to make it.
The challenge is clear. Jed, Kassia and co. must hunt down the secret recipe.Their quest takes them to Prague and then on to Paris - but hot on their heels are NOAH, the secret organisation that will do anything to get their hands on the secret to eternal life.
Jed has everything to live for. But who can he trust?
The second in an action-packed series full of adventure, this book has an illustrated narrative running through it, helping readers to solve the mystery alongside the characters in the story.
Robin Jarvis - The Power of Dark (The Witching Legacy) - Published by Egmont (30 Jun. 2016) - Book Review Here - Interview Here Check them out.
An enthralling mix of magic and horror – first of a new series from fantasy legend Robin Jarvis.
Something is brewing in the town of Whitby. To best friends Lil and Verne, it just seems like a particularly bad storm. But Cherry Cerise, the last of the Whitby witches, fears that ancient forces are at work, reviving the curse of a long lost magical artefact.
The legend goes that the Nimius was created by magician Melchior Pyke, with the assistance of a young witch known as Scaur Annie. But they were both betrayed by Pyke’s villainous manservant, Mister Dark, causing a feud that has survived even beyond death.
As Mister Dark, with his horrific winged familiar, arises to mastermind Whitby’s very own apocalypse and take the Nimius for his own evil purposes, can Lil and Verne join with Cherry to quell his plans and save their home?
When Jodie’s parents were killed years ago during one of her father’s experiments with sound waves, Jodie was thought to be the only witness. But something else was released into the room that night. And its silence is deadly …
Jodie is cursed with a terrible gift. She just doesn’t know it yet. When she stumbles across one of her dead father’s old papers on sound waves in the attic, it sets her on a terrifying journey to find out more, leading her across the streets of London to the dark, untrodden tunnels of the Underground, where she is forced to face the truth. Her worst nightmare is about to become real. Worse, she can hear it coming.
Notes from the Author
"I wanted to write a book that, as a teenager, I would love to have read. I also wanted to scare the living daylights out of myself. Killing Sound is a book about the imagination and ghosts and science and superstition. It has a lot of Victorian melodrama and gothic horror to it – very dark and creepy – and I would recommend you sleep with the "I wanted to write a book that, as a teenager, I would love to have read. I also wanted to scare the living daylights out of myself. Killing Sound is a book about the imagination and ghosts and science and superstition. It has a lot of Victorian melodrama and gothic horror to it – very dark and creepy – and I would recommend you sleep with the light on after reading it. It was inspired by a quote I read about the London Underground from 1860: ‘The forthcoming end of the world would be hastened by the construction of underground railways burrowing into infernal regions and thereby disturbing the devil.’ As soon as I saw it, I was drawn inexorably down there to see if it were true."
About the Author
Paul Southern is a former 90’s pop star and academic who has previously written scary crime novels for adults. He was due to be born on Halloween night sometime in the 1960’s, and it still rankles with him that he wasn't . He has lived all over the UK but eventually settled in Manchester (which is quite scary, too). He can be found building various contraptions designed to ward off evil and wearing a top hat on midnight walks.
