Andrew Norriss - MIKE - Book Review (David Fickling) Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Floyd is a star of under-18s tennis. Since he was little, all he's ever known is the routine of training, of the matches, of trying to be the best. But something strange is happening. A boy called Mike has started turning up - a boy no one else can see. He keeps appearing whenever Floyd is playing tennis and making him lose his game. 

Floyd needs to discover what Mike wants - and what that will mean for him, and where his life is headed. Floyd is at the start of a journey that will lead him into a headlong collision with his family, girls, friendship, and self-discovery.

This is another book from David Fickling that hits the mark both on and off the tennis court. It is a fantastic story from the award-winning author, Andrew Norriss. Mike will be served to the public on the 4th January 2018 and will be a definite ace. The book cover has been illustrated by David Sheldon. The two key themes (fish and tennis balls) have been integrated to produce a visually stimulating design.  

My expectations of this book were not particularly high. Whilst I liked the idea of tennis and sport as part of the story, the blurb to accompany the proof copy did not really appeal to me. However, the mystery person (known as MIKE) really did capture my interest and was particularly intriguing. No sooner had I started reading, I found that Floyd's narrative was whispering inside my head. I connected with him so quickly that the story flashed by me quicker than a Milos Raonic serve. The inner voice was sealed inside my brain. I haven't read a book so quickly in such a long time. I really wanted to know more. 

This story is absolutely brilliant. It is very different as it takes a unique look at character behaviour and Floyd's state of mind. The plot explores the conscious/unconscious experiences and places them into the story cleverly. It is a psychological path of self-discovery involving Floyd's destiny. 

It's a beautiful, poignant story with very moving consequences. The book slips by in an undercurrent of family, friendship, and a large number of councilling sessions. It is a book that highlights the reality and the big world outside the reader's armchair. It provides an up-lifting feeling to get out there and do something amazing. This book will make you look at yourself on the outside, as well as the inside.

I cannot praise this book enough - it is astonishingly good. I am not usually a lover of reality-themed books. I tend to gravitate towards fantasy books and magical tales. However, this absolutely bowled me over and really developed my understanding of the complex nature of growing up with a talent. Whilst it is important to nurture there is obviously a fine line between developing and forcing. It really is difficult being a parent and getting the balance just right. This is a must read for both children and their parents. I'm looking forward to finding out your thoughts.

Jo Simmons (Author),‎ Nathan Reed (Illustrator) - I Swapped My Brother On The Internet - Book Review

'I can get a new brother? On the internet?' Jonny muttered. 'Oh sweet mangoes of heaven!' 

Everyone has dreamed of being able to get rid of their brother or sister at one time or another - but for Jonny, the dream is about to become a reality with SiblingSwap.com! What could be better than someone awesome to replace Ted, Jonny's obnoxious older brother. 

But finding the perfect brother isn't easy, as Jonny discovers when Sibling Swap sends him a line of increasingly bizarre replacements: first a merboy, then a brother raised by meerkats, and then the ghost of Henry the Eighth! What's coming next?! Suddenly old Ted isn't looking so bad. But can Jonny ever get him back?

This is another brilliant book published in January 2018 by Bloomsbury Kids. I Swapped My Brother On The Internet by Jo Simmons is just the type of book you need to kick off the New Year. Christmas is over, winter is kicking in and you've gone back to school - do we have to? These are the cries that can be heard. Yes, you do as your parents want some peace and quiet. Therefore, what you need is a cracking good read that will make you laugh your holey, odd socks off regardless of age or sense of humour. This is the book for you (and your holey socks!) Oh, I'm sorry, I hear you got new socks for Christmas, what was I thinking....? 

From the start of the book, you will start to see the input from Nathan Reed the illustrator. The drawings are fun and the typeface changes in places to keep the reader engaged in the story. The book cover is strong, bold, bright and eye-catching. With such a combination it should definitely pull the readers in for a closer look. Do book covers make a difference when choosing a book?

You will be taken on a bizarre journey where everything goes wrong in the most spectacular way. It's a comical story written really well and told through a wild imagination. The plot is brilliant and transports the reader on a carpet of laughter and humour that is both engaging and easy to read.

The book takes a close look at the relationship between brothers and what it's like to have a brother. The concept is a brilliant one which the middle-grade audience will relate to and love. The reality side of the book depicts a typical family and school life background. The subplot heads the reader into the unknown and will keep you guessing until the very end of the book. The characters grow with the story and play a fantastic part. At the end of the book, you may FIND a surprising twist that really makes for a satisfactory conclusion.

This is a brilliantly fun and bizarre read that will wash the New Year blues away with a squeak or two.  Would you dare swap your BROTHER?

Abi Elphinstone - Sky Song - Book Review (Simon & Schuster Children's)

In the snowy kingdom of Erkenwald, whales glide between icebergs, wolves hunt on the tundra and polar bears roam the glaciers. But the people of this land aren’t so easy to find. Because Erkenwald is ruled by the cruel Ice Queen and the tribes must stay hidden; if they are caught in the open they risk capture and imprisonment by the evil sorceress.

Join Eska, a girl who breaks free from a cursed music box, and Flint, a boy whose inventions could change the fate of Erkenwald forever, as they journey to the Never Cliffs and beyond in search of an ancient, almost forgotten, song with the power to force the Ice Queen back.
 
This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world . . .

"Magic winter wonderland full of fantasy treasure"

Here at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books, we were very excited to see this book arrive for review. We have loved every book that has been written by Abi to date. This fourth book is a brand new story and will hit the bookshops on the 25th January 2018. The book cover, recently revealed on the internet, has been illustrated by Daniela Terrazzini and designed by Jenny Richards. Together, they have created a superb eye-catching design that really replicates the author's intentions as to what lies ahead within this book. 

Our reading moments shape our world - they make a big difference in so many subtle ways. Ripples of emotions and memories can soon turn into seeds and ideas for another book which is exactly how this one was cultivated. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous character, The Snow Queen, many similar characteristics are attributed to The Ice Queen within this book.  She leaves you with a terrifying feeling through her displays of wickedness and cruelty. You will definitely love to hate her.  

Abi's passion and real-life experiences unlock the imagination and deliver an epic adventure. This makes the book shines even brighter than the NORTH STAR.  Set on a course for a fantastic winter-wonderland fantasy, filled with non-stop adventure, this story will both thrill and chill the fantasy brain. The armchair explorer will revel in the plot and be instantly transported to the artic kingdom of Erkenwald, a place with long cold winters and darkness thicker than hanging fog. Why not take a visit to the Ice Queen's palace, Winterfang, a fortress made from an iceberg and pure evilness. 

The moral of the story lies heavily in current and topical features within the modern world such as the refugee crisis. The qualities of the characters change from having inward and narrow-minded beliefs to being more open-minded and having a greater understanding. Fortunately, these warm and endearing qualities soon thaw the reader's heart. Even with such serious themes, the author manages to keep the story light and magical and really engaging. 

We were definitely not disappointed by this book. It easily lived up to our expectations and beyond. This is an excellent compelling read which is both captivating, entertaining and will delight all audiences. This book will make you explore the outdoor landscape helping you to see the beautiful and wild side of nature and all it has to offer. Beware of the content as it may chill you to the core and leave you craving more brave antics.

Abi grew up in Scotland where weekends were spent building dens in the woods, jumping into icy rivers, hiding in tree houses and running wild across highland glens. School came as a bit of a surprise (lots of ‘being inside’ and ‘listening’) but English lessons were great. I loved stories – reading them, writing them, listening to them – and it was back then that I discovered worlds behind wardrobes, teachers called Trunchbull and shape-shifting daemons...
Website: http://www.abielphinstone.com

Anna Day - THE FANDOM - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books) - Chicken House 2018

What if you could be Katniss - for real. Sounds cool, right? But then you remember, you can't fire a bow and arrow, or climb trees, and you have zero survival skills.

Or what if you could be Tris? You'd get to kiss Four, what could be bad about that? But turns out he's a bit of a wimp. Oh, and your gorgeous best mate is making a play for him too.

Don't panic, you can always go home, back to the safety of your normal, fangirl life. But what if you couldn't...

This is what happens to Violet when she enters her favourite, dystopian world. She replaces her heroine, with all the associated perks -- adventure, love, drama. But turns out, Violet likes predictability and being alive more than she realized!

The Fandom by Anna Day is set to be published by Chicken House on the 4th January 2018. This is a highly anticipated debut book by the clinical psychologist as an earlier concept of the book (The Gallows Dance) was recently shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. The inspiration for the new book has been based on this as well as combining the winning story from Angela McCann from The Big Idea competition. This is a fantastic and unique collaboration that makes this a very special book. 

The concept behind this story is a very smart and trendy one. It will resonate very easily with teenagers who love books/comics and meeting up at social events. This is a book that they will surely gravitate towards on publication day. 

What's your favourite book? Have you read it so much that you know all the words? Do you know the characters inside and out? Are the setting and the key storyline known in detail? How about a crush on the main character?
Is this sounding familiar? If so, then this will be the book for you.  

Just imagine what would happen if you were going about your normal teenage life and then, you were suddenly catapulted into your favourite book with two of your best friends and a brother. Everything suddenly appears so familiar; the setting, the characters, it is just how you imagined it in minute detail. You are now part of the story for real, but your appearance makes the story go slightly off-kilter as you've just killed off the hero. The one thing that you have to do now is to put the plot back on track or face deadly consequences - like hanging from the gallows. 

This is an amazing and compelling read. It's a fantastic story - a free-flowing adventure set in post-apocalyptic London. It takes a familiar and well-worked genre but flips it on its literary bottom. The plot is expertly written and is full of amazing detail that makes reality and fiction explode in a big way. The characters are definitely relatable as we are exposed to their interesting personalities through their flaws and strengths.  


The author has produced a fantastic book full of classic dystopian tropes and fandom culture. It is bursting with action twists and turns in a non-stop racy fantasy adventure. I really enjoyed reading this book. In fact much more than I expected for a  fashionable YA read. It is definitely one of the best reads in this genre and makes a great start to 2018. 

Janine Beacham - Hounds and Hauntings: (Rose Raventhorpe Investigates Bk3) - Halloween Exclusive Chapter Preview

This is another fantastic series - Rose Raventhorpe Investigates: Hounds and Hauntings. It is the third thrilling story in Janine Beacham’s middle-grade detective series. With a gothic, Victorian theme, it will have readers guessing and wanting more until the very last page… 

It will be published on 11th January 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books has an exclusive sneaky peek at the first chapter of the book to get you into the mood for Halloween and hopefully whet your appetite to read this book when it finally gets published.    

The city of Yorke is in a panic. There's been a murder! Is an ancient ghost-hound called the Barghest on the loose?

ROSE RAVENTHORPE, her friend Orpheus and the secret society of butlers search for clues in the dark, eerie skitterways, on the mist-covered moors, and atop the ancient walls of the city. Rose believes that the villain is human, and she's determined to prove it.

There's no sweeping this crime under the carpet...

About the Author

A former journalist, Janine Beacham has written all her life. She has always loved fairy tales and fantasy, and as a child would make up games for her friends to play at school. Janine once entered a competition where the prize was a real-life butler – this partly inspired the secret society of butlers in the Rose Raventhorpe Investigates series. Janine lives in Western Australia with her family.

Black Cats and Butlers: Book 1 (Rose Raventhorpe Investigates)

When Rose Raventhorpe's beloved butler is found (gasp!) murdered in the hallway of her own house, she's determined to uncover the culprit. Especially since he's the third butler to die in a week! 

Rose's investigation leads her on a journey into a hidden world of grave robbers and duelling butlers, flamboyant magicians and the city's ancient feline guardians. 

Knives aren't just for cutting cucumber sandwiches, you know . . .

Rubies and Runaways: Book 2 (Rose Raventhorpe Investigates)

It's a bitterly cold winter in Yorke and Rose Raventhorpe and her butler Heddsworth are stuck with Rose's unpleasant cousin Herbert, and his equally horrible butler, Bixby. 

When an orphan boy named Orpheus interrupts the Cathedral's Mistletoe Service, saying that his sister has been kidnapped, Rose vows to help. Solving the mystery will be a lot better than accompanying ghastly Herbert! But the investigation is more complicated than Rose has anticipated and will lead her and her butler friends through fancy tea-rooms, horrible factories, secret underground passages and more... 

Fireplace pokers are much more dangerous than you might imagine . . .