Mr Ripley's Book Review: Emerald Fennell - Shiverton Hall - Bloomsbury

     

                   

It is always a delight to be sent a book that you really want to read. Therefore, I was amazed when this book fell out of it's white envelope and into my eager little hands. I got stuck in straight away and never looked back. Emerald Fennell, an actor who starred in the Channel 4 adaptation of Any Human Heart, has now turned her hand to writing. The book will hit the shelves in January 2013 - it should easily stand out amongst the other books with its fantastic eye-catching book cover. It's a firm winner with me and a job well done by the Bloomsbury team. 

Shiverton Hall is the fantastic setting for this book. Steeped in tales of curses and evil, its chequered past proves to be very dark and macabre. I was drawn to this immediately, like a ghost floating through a haunted house. However, the current role of this building is to house the Coleman Scholarship for Academic Excellence. This delivers an interesting slice of school life drama which felt quite similar to the Andy Mulligan series of books (Ribblestrop). I have been led to believe that the author takes her inspiration from the friendly, quiet ghost that lives with her in London! Perhaps we all could benefit from one of these, especially when reading the quality of the synopsis......

They slowed as they reached the gate; two stone columns, each with its own crumbling angel perched on top. The angels held up a rusty, wrought-iron arch that read, in curling, serpentine letters: SHIVERTON HALL. Arthur Bannister has been unexpectedly accepted into Shiverton Hall, which, as it turns out, is an incredibly spooky school, full of surprises. And it is just as well that Shiverton Hall has made its offer, because Arthur had a horrible time at his previous school, and was desperate to leave. Timely indeed . . . But Arthur has no time to worry about the strange coincidence. He is too busy trying to make head or tail of Shiverton Hall, dogged as it is by tales of curses and bad fortune. At least there are a few friendly faces: George, who shows him around; also Penny and Jake. But not all the faces are friendly. There are the bullying Forge triplets for starters. And then there is the acid tongue of the headmistress, Professor Long-Pitt, who seems to go out of her way to make Arthur's life a misery. Luckily Arthur has his new friends to cheer him up. Although there are some friends that you don't want to have at all, as Arthur is soon to find out.

This is a great story that will send shivers of phantom terror rushing down your spine. It has been written for the 9+ range or grown ups, who are still young at heart, like me! This is one of those books that you just won't be able to put down. Even if it means having to hide under the covers in order to get to the end of each page. You will be blown over by its spirit, dazzled by the horror and hooked by its tale, this book will spirit you away!

I hope that this review hasn't spoilt the story for you and has wet the appetite instead. I feel that we definitely have a great new voice that will be unleashed into the book world next year. A fantastic plot driven adventure that is full of enough mysterious intentions in which to fill a cupboard. I'm really excited about this one - it has left me quivering with anticipation for the next book. I hope I won't be left for too long in such a state!

New Children's Books Published January 2012 U.K

                                  

Jonathan Auxier - Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes - Published by Scholastic - 2 Jan 2012

 This is the story of the greatest thief that ever lived. Forced into a life of thievery, ten-year-old blind orphan Peter Nimble longs for escape. One fateful afternoon he steals a box from a mysterious traveller - a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. Little does Peter know that these eyes will lead him on an unforgettable adventure...                                                

                             

Curtis Jobling - Wereworld:Shadow of the Hawk - Published by Puffin - 5 Jan 2012

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords. With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free - but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords. Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy's net is closing in. Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is . . .

                                         

Janet Foxley - Muncle Trogg and the flying Donkey - Published by Chicken House - 5 Jan 2012

Muncle Trogg, the tiny giant, is worried. His home on Mount Grumble is about to erupt, and all the bigger giants can think about is celebrating the departure of the Smallings from down the mountain! Luckily for Muncle, his friend Emily hasn't abandoned him \- and she has an idea. The giants might not listen to Muncle but they will listen to the wisest, most wondrous animal of all \- a flying donkey!

                                                                       

                                     

                              

E J Newman - 20 Years later - Published by Dystopia Press - 22 Jan 2012 

London, 2012: It arrives and with that the world is changed into an unending graveyard littered with the bones, wreckage, and memories of a dead past, gone forever. London, 2032: Twenty years later, out of the ashes, a new world begins to rise, a place ruled by both loyalty and fear, and where the quest to be the first to regain lost knowledge is an ongoing battle for power. This is a place where laws are made and enforced by roving gangs - the Bloomsbury Boys, the Gardners, the Red Lady's Gang - who rule the streets and will do anything to protect their own. The Four: Zane, Titus, Erin, and Eve. Living in this new world, they discover that they have abilities never before seen. And little do they know that as they search post-apocalyptic London for Titus' kidnapped sister that they will uncover the secret of It, and bring about a reckoning with the forces that almost destroyed all of humanity.

                                      

Mark Griffiths - Space Lizards Stole My Brain! - Published by Simon & Schuster - 5 Jan 2012

When Admiral Skink, an alien-lizard warlord from the planet Swerdlix, is attacked by The Hideous and Unimaginably Vast Comet Creature of Poppledock he faces a certain death...but luckily his underlings have installed the BrainTwizzler 360 Mind Migration SystemTM. This nifty invention safely transfers Skink's mind on to a memory wafer and jettisons it through space to find a suitable temporary "home" until he can be rescued by his fellow Swerdlixians. Unluckily for eleven-year-old Lance Spratley it just so happens that the temporary home for Admiral Skink's mind is his body! And while Skink deals with being trapped in Lance's useless body - it can't even breathe fire! -- Lance is transferred to a virtual waiting room surrounded by the lizard race who seem intent on destroying Earth when they have successfully retrieved Skink. Will Lance ever get his body back? And even if he does will he be able to thwart Admiral Skink and the Swerdlixians plans to invade Earth...

++++New Book Picks For January 2011++++

                               
B.R. Collins - Tyme's End - Published By Bloomsbury - 4 Jan 2011
Bibi feels out of place everywhere - everywhere that is, except for Tyme's End, the deserted house that she breaks into when she thinks nobody is nearby. There she unexpectedly meets Oliver Gardner, the owner of the house, who's just returned after ten years away. Their story and the story of Oliver's grandfather becomes inextricably entwined, linked as they are by Tyme's End itself. For Tyme's End is more than just a deserted house. It is a house that by turns can be romantic, beguiling, sinister and malevolent. It is a house that had a cruel and manipulative owner. And anybody who enters Tyme's End must prepare themselves for terror ...Part mystery, part psychological thriller, set in the present yet with forays into the past, this is a cleverly ambitious novel that makes for a compulsive and gripping read.



                                        
Herbie Brennan - The Faeman Quest (The Faerie Wars Chronicles) - Published By Bloomsbury - 4 Jan - 2011
In the exciting conclusion to Herbie Brennan's "New York Times" bestselling "Faerie Wars" series, a child who is half faerie, half human has the power to determine the fate of both worlds. The Faeman Girl is Mella, daughter of Lord Henry and Queen Holly Blue, half faerie, half human and all trouble. When Mella accidentally travels to the country of Haleklind, she discovers rebel forces preparing an invasion using magical manticores. Old favourites are here - Brimstone, Lord Hairstreak and Pyrgus - but readers will identify immediately with Mella, whose stubborn streak and feisty daring must save the faerie realm from mass destruction.
                                          
Mike Lancaster - 0.4 - Published By Egmont Books - 3 Jan - 2011
It's a brave new world. 'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.' So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on to old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world...If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything we know is a lie does that mean that we are, too?
                                        
Chris Mould - Pip and the Wood Witch Curse - Published By Hodder Children's - 6 Jan - 2011
The great walled city of Hangman’s Hollow is at war with the forest outside.
Into this war, one dreadful winter’s night, fate delivers a skinny, helpless boy.
But maybe Pip isn’t as helpless as he seems. Maybe he is the one who will defeat the wood witches and rescue the children of Hangman’s Hollow ...
                                       

Robert Swindells - Blackout - Published By Corgi Children's - 6 Jan - 2011

Another gripping World War Two drama from the master storyteller and multi-award-winner, Robert Swindells.

Life in a small village is boring now the war is over, there is still rationing and bomb damage and war losses. But when a group of children hear of some treasure kept locked in the village, things look at bit more interesting. And then two strangers turn up in the village - and they've heard of the treasure too . . .

New Books Out January Post Three

                                    

Soo many new books for January. It will keep you busy for the whole year......

Barry Hutchison - Mr Mumbles:Invisible Fiends - Published by HarperCollins - 7 Jan 2010 (See Book Review)

Book synopsis
Kyle's imaginary friend from childhood is back! with a vengeance. Kyle hasn't seen Mr Mumbles in years. And there's a good reason for that: Mr Mumbles doesn't exist. But now Kyle's imaginary friend is back, and Kyle doesn't have time to worry about why. Only one thing matters: staying alive! A major series from a fresh new talent, brought to you by the publisher that put horror on the map.


Ellen Renner - Castle of Shadows - Published by Orchard - 7 Jan 2010
Book Synopsis
 "No clue about why the Queen vanished had ever been found. Until now..."
The day Charlie discovers a scrap of paper that could solve the dark mystery of her mother's disappearance, her world changes. Forever.
Charlie and her friend, Toby, must race against time on a dangerous mission to uncover the sinister truth. But in this shadowy world of secrets and lies, there is more to fear than they can possibly imagine...



Ian Kenworthy - The Whispering Sand - Published by Book Guild Publishing - 31 Jan 2010
Book Synopsis
Gull Cove Cottage is the most peculiar house you have ever seen: perched on top of a cliff overlooking a sandy bay, it started out as a bungalow, but now has tall towers, pointy turrets, at least one spiral staircase (no one is quite sure), extra floors sticking out at odd angles, endless winding corridors and no two windows the same shape or size. How it is still standing is anyone's guess. But Annabeth loves it, because Gull Cove Cottage is home to Grandpa Bambertide, guardian of the beach, keeper of extraordinary pets and as wise as he is eccentric - he knows all the legends of the sea, and goes shrimping in his dressing gown. 

Annabeth has come to stay with Grandpa, but finds him worried and preoccupied: the beautiful bronze sand of Gull Cove is turning grey and dying, whispering songs with its last gasp. Why is the sand dying, and what is the secret of the haunting Songs of the Sea? Annabeth and Grandpa are determined to find out, but solving the mysteries of the sea is not a straightforward task.

If you have ever been terrorised by a giant man-eating lobster, or forced to venture into the murkiest, most remote parts of a rambling cottage on a dark and stormy night, you will know how frightened Annabeth feels. But, with the help of a biscuit-snitching octopus, singing coral and Grandpa's fantastic inventions, Annabeth ventures into the unknown and discovers more about the sea - and her Grandpa - than she could ever have imagined.

Bruno Vincent - Grisly Tales From Tumblewater - Published by Macmillan Books - 1 Jan 2010
Book Synopsis
Warning: Not for the faint-hearted! Welcome to the very damp and woeful world of Tumblewater, home to a creepy collection of depraved characters. Meet a young boy punished most appallingly for picking his nose; a pair of devilish bakers with murderous intentions in their buns; and a dentist whose strange, colour-changing eyes belie his perfectly gleaming smile. This title contains horrifying tales for good children and fair warning for bad!


C E Trueman - Grey Amber - Published by Pen Press - 23 Jan 2010
Book Synopsis
Two years ago, Matt discovered a dark secret hidden behind a door in an alleyway near his home. Now at a new school and suffering at the hands of class bully Leon Bowker, that secret comes back to haunt him. With the help of an unusual new friend, Ollie Kaminsky, Matt is lured on a hunt for some remarkable treasure which will take him across the far reaches of Pembrokeshire. But someone else is trying to get there before him.

New Books Out In January 2010 - Post Two

Michael Grant - Hunger(Gone) - Published by Egmont Books 4 Jan 2010

Synopsis
The clock is ticking for Sam Temple and the kids of Perdido Beach but it's not the big one-five that they face now; it's starvation that threatens the FAYZ. In an abandoned mine shaft a faceless animal lurks, pulling the strings, toying with human and mutant alike. And he's hungry - hungry in the darkness. An uneasy calm has settled over Perdido Beach. But soon, fear explodes into desperation as starvation sets in and the mob look to place blame. For the 'normals' the buck must stop somewhere: with the 'freaks'. More and more kids are developing strange powers and, just as frighteningly, so are the animals in the FAYZ: talking coyotes, swimming bats and deadly worms with razor-sharp teeth are just the beginning. For Sam Temple the strain of leadership is beginning to show and he's got more than just dwindling rations and in-fighting to worry about - Caine is back with the psychotic whiphand, Drake, by his side. And in the background lies the greatest danger of all - and he too needs to be fed.

Tim Bowler - Blade:Mixing It - Published by OUP - 4 Jan 2010

Synopsis
There's too much at stake now. So I got to play it rough. This is where we find out - who's the hunter, who's the prey? From the Carnegie Medal-winning author of River Boy, Starseeker and Bloodchild comes the sixth title in this startlingly compelling series. Contemporary, pacy, and utterly gripping, Blade takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the secret, dangerous life of its unforgettable narrator. This thrilling series for teenagers combines an enormously likable and engaging central character with the harsh realities of street life and the youth gang culture that is so prevalent in today's news. The mysteries and cliffhanger endings of these short, accessible books will have the power to tempt all readers as they gradually become absorbed into Blade's dangerous world.


A.G Taylor - Superhumans:Meteorite Strike - Published by Usbourne 29 Jan 2010


Synopsis
Sarah and Robert are sure their number is up when their aeroplane crashes over the Australian desert. But this is no ordinary air disaster. A meteorite strike has impacted Earth, bringing with it a deadly alien disease. Thousands fall victim to the virus, falling into a deep coma. Luckily, Robert and Sarah appear to be unaffected - until they begin to exhibit some extraordinary psychic side-effects. This quickly makes them a target for HIDRA, a rogue international agency determined to experiment on them like lab rats in an attempt to control their superpowers. Before long, the children are captured in HIDRA's secret desert HQ, a prison for superhuman kids who can control fire, create storms and tear steel with their minds. This new generation of superheroes must join forces if they are to escape HIDRA. But what kind of world awaits them outside?


Karen David - When I Was Joe - Published by Frances Lincoln Books 7 Jan 2010


Synopsis
When Ty witnesses a stabbing, his own life is in danger from the criminals he s named, and he and his mum have to go into police protection. Ty has a new name, a new look and a cool new image life as Joe is good, especially when he gets talent spotted as a potential athletics star, special training from an attractive local celebrity and a lot of female attention. But his mum can t cope with her new life, and the gangsters will stop at nothing to flush them from hiding. Joe s cracking under extreme pressure, and then he meets a girl with dark secrets of her own. This wonderfully gripping and intelligent novel depicts Ty/Joe's confused sense of identity in a moving and funny story that teenage boys and girls will identify with - a remarkable debut from a great new writing talent.


Terry Deary - Master Crook's Crime Academy 4 - Published by Scholastic Books 4 Jan 2010


Synopsis 
The school where scoundrels save the day| Wildpool's filthy rich are delighted - with a new bank in town, at last their money will be safe from thieving hands. But they haven't banked on the wit, skill and genius of the Crime Academy students, who are preparing for the greatest bank robbey of all time| More Master Crook's Crime Academy adventures available: Burglary for Beginners, Robbery for Rascals, Classes in Kidnapping.

New books out in January 2010 - Post One

New year and new books.
2010 is going to be great year for children's books. So many great reads for you to get your hands on and many more to come in the next post. I look forward to reading them all and discover what's inside.




David Miller - Sea Wolf - Published by OUP Oxford 1 Jan 2010 


Synopsis
HUNTED. TRAPPED. DESPERATE. Shipwrecked after a ferocious storm, Hanna, Ned and Jik come face to face with a murderous foe. They must escape or die. But how do you outrun a bullet . . . Or out swim a shark?




Pat Walsh - The Crowfield Curse - Published by Chicken House 4 Jan 2010(see book review)


Synopsis
It's 1347 and fifteen-year-old Will, an orphan boy, lives at Crowfield Abbey. Sent into the forest to gather wood, he rescues instead, a creature from a trap - a hob, who shares with Will a terrible secret. Somewhere in the forest behind the abbey where he lives,is a grave. And buried deep in the snow is an angel. But how can an angel die? What has it to do with the monks of the Abbey? When two hooded strangers arrive at Crowfield asking questions about the angel's grave. Will is drawn into a world of dangerous Old Magic. 


Sophie McKenzie - The Hostage(Medusa Project) - Published by Simon & Schuster 7 Jan 2010 


Synopsis
Fourteen years ago, four babies were implanted with the Medusa gene - a gene for psychic abilities. Now teenagers, Nico, Ketty, Ed and Dylan have been brought together by government agents to create a secret crime-fighting force - The Medusa Project. But now Ketty's brother Lex has stumbled into a dangerous game involving his boss and a hidden bomb. It's up to Ketty to save him without letting on what she knows to the rest of the team. But can she control her psychic visions, and her feelings for Nico, without getting the team's cover - and herself - blown sky high?


R J Anderson - Rebel(Knife) - Published by Orchard 7 Jan 2010


Synopsis
Linden's cage glowed with fiery heat, burning her fingers when she tried to cling to the bars. She fluttered helplessly in midair, wing muscles aching with the effort, knowing that she couldn't hover much longer before her strength gave out – and that the moment it did, she would die...



Michelle Harrison - The Thirteen Curses:Bk 2 - Published by Simon & Schuster - 7 Jan 2010


Synopsis

The Thirteen Treasures have become the Thirteen Curses. When fairies stole her brother, Red vowed to get him back. Now trapped in the fairy realm, she begs an audience with the fairy court where she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned - but only if she can find the thirteen charms of Tanya's bracelet that have been scattered in the human world. Returning to Elvesden Manor, Red is assisted by Tanya and Fabian and a desperate hunt begins. Soon they make a shocking discovery. The charms now have twisted qualities of the thirteen treasures they represent...and the longer they are missing the worse the consequences will be. Can Red, Tanya and Fabian find all the charms? And even if they do, will the fairies keep their promise?