Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Middle-Grade Book Picks (9-12yrs) September 2017 - UK Post Two

Chris Riddell - Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (7 Sept. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1447277941

There are musical goings-on at Ghastly-Gorm Hall and another spooky mystery for Ada Goth to solve in the fourth book in the Goth Girl series by Chris Riddell, Children's Laureate 2015-2017.

Lord Goth is throwing a music festival at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, with performances from the finest composers in the land. Ada can't wait, but it's quite distracting when her grandmother is trying to find her father a fashionable new wife, there's a faun living in her wardrobe and Maltravers is up to his old tricks. Ada must make sure everything goes to plan, and luckily help is at hand from a very interesting house guest . . .

Kieran Larwood (Author) David Wyatt (Illustrator) - The Five Realms: The Gift of Dark Hollow - Published by Faber & Faber (7 Sept. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0571328413

 The bard tiptoes out of his room, the crow-dream still echoing in his head, making him twitch at imaginary creaks of iron wings.

The bard must leave Thornbury. It is not safe for him to stay. Rue, his new apprentice, travels with him - keen to learn his trade - and hear the next installment in the legend of Podkin One-Ear . . . 

Podkin and his fellow rabbits have been sheltering in Dark Hollow after their battle with Scramashank. Paz tends to the rabbits with sleeping sickness; Crom meets with the war council . . . Podkin has nothing to do! Frustrated, Podkin goes exploring and discovers an abandoned underground chamber! Armed with the Gift of Dark Hollow, Podkin learns to moonstride, and Paz is rewarded with a magical gift of her own . . .

Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co: The Empty Grave - Published by Corgi Childrens (21 Sept. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0552575799

Want to hear a ghost story? That's good. I know a few . . . After their recent adventures, the Lockwood & Co team deserve a well-earned break . . . so naturally they decide to risk their lives breaking into a heavily-guarded crypt. A building full of unsettled souls, it's also the final resting place of Marissa Fittes, the legendary and (supposedly) long-dead ghost hunter - though the team have their suspicions about just how dead she might be. What they discover changes everything. Pitched into a desperate race to get to the truth behind the country's ghost epidemic, the team ignite a final, epic battle against the Fittes agency. A battle that will force them to journey to the Other Side, and face the most terrifying enemy they have ever known. Can everyone make it out alive? 

Sue Purkiss - Jack Fortune and the Search for the Hidden Valley - Alma Books (28 Sept. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1846884283

An orphan child full of mischief, Jack lives with his crotchety widow aunt in eighteenth-century England. His naughtiness knows no limits, and when one day he goes a step too far, Aunt Constance decides that she s had enough: from now on, his bachelor uncle can take care of him. Uncle Edmund is in no way prepared for a boy with boundless energy and an impish streak and anyway, he s off to the Himalayas to search for rare plants! But Aunt Constance is absolutely determined, and Jack's uncle has no choice he will have to take the boy with him. What follows is a terrific adventure that will see Jack and his uncle the most unlikely of all expedition teams sail to India, cross the jungle and reach their mountainous destination, before returning to London to present their findings to the Royal Society. Along the way, Jack will finally come to terms with the great loss that has blighted his childhood years and discover, quite unexpectedly, that he and his late father have much in common.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Mr Ripley's Children's Book Picks - September 2015 - UK Post One

Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy - Published by Doubleday Children's (24 September 2015)
Lockwood & Co. might be the smallest (some might say shambollic) Psychic Detection Agency in London. But its three agents - Lockwood, Lucy and George - are exceptional Talents. And they get results. When an outbreak of ghostly phenomena grows to terrifying levels in Chelsea, Scotland Yard is left baffled. Even more baffling is that Lockwood & Co appear to have been excluded from the huge team of Agents investigating the Chelsea Outbreak. Surely this is the perfect chance for them to show once and for all that they're actually the best in town? Well, that's if they can put aside their personal differences for long enough to march into action with their rapiers, salt and iron...Ghouls and spectres, thrills and tension in this brand-new instalment in Jonathan Stroud's best selling series. "Stroud is a genius." (Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series).

Tom Becker - Dark Room (Red Eye) - Published by Stripes Publishing (10 September 2015)
The camera never lies...Darla and her dad are looking for a fresh start. But when they wind up in affluent Saffron Hills, Darla stands no chance of fitting in with the beautiful, selfie-obsessed teens at her new school. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she starts having visions. The gruesome snapshots flashing into Darla's mind seem to suggest she's going crazy...until she realizes they're actually a horrifying glimpse into the future. With a killer on the loose, can she make sense of what she's seeing before it's too late?

Brian Selznick - The Marvels - Published by Scholastic Press (15 September 2015) 
In The Marvels, Selznick crafts another remarkable artistic and bookmaking achievement that weaves together two seemingly unrelated stories-one in words, the other in pictures-with spellbinding synergy. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries. Filled with mystery, vibrant characters, surprise twists, and heart-rending beauty, and featuring Selznick's most arresting art to date, The Marvels is a moving tribute to the power of story.

Tim Kennemore - Circle of Doom - Published by Andersen Press (3 September 2015)
Lizzie, Max and Dan have never liked their neighbours, the fussy and nagging Potwards, so when it appears that Lizzie's magic potion has made them move out, the children should be delighted. Their glee is short-lived, however, as they worry over who might move in, and more magic seems necessary. Soon the three children are caught in a web of secrecy and conspiracy as one spell leads to another, each more powerful than the last. And then Max decides to cast a spell of his own, on his very worst enemy. . .

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Mr Ripley's Children's Book Picks - September 2015 - UK Post Two

Kevin Sands - The Blackthorn Key - Published by Puffin (3 September 2015) 

Follow the clues. Crack the code. Stay alive.       

Potions, puzzles and the occasional explosion are all in a day's work for young apothecary Christopher Rowe. Murder is another matter.

It's a dangerous time to be the apprentice of Benedict Blackthorn. A wave of mysterious murders has sent shockwaves through London, and soon Christopher finds himself on the run. His only allies are his best friend, Tom, courageous Molly, and a loyal feathered friend, Bridget. His only clues are a coded message about his master's most dangerous project, and a cryptic warning - 'Tell no one!'

The race is on for Christopher: crack the code and uncover its secret, or become the next victim . . .

Katherine Rundell - The Wolf Wilder - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (10 September 2015) 

Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

Chris Riddell - Goth Girl And The Wuthering Fright - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (24 September 2015)

People are flocking to Ghastly-Gorm Hall from far and wide to compete in Lord Goth's Literary Dog Show. The esteemed judges are in place and the contestants are all ready to win. Sir Walter Splott is preparing his Lanarkshire Lurcher, Plain Austen is preening her Hampshire Hound and Homily Dickinson and her Yankee Poodle are raring to go. But there's something strange going on at Ghastly-Gorm - mysterious footprints, howls in the night and some suspiciously chewed shoes. Can Ada, the Attic Club and their new friends the Vicarage sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) work out what's going on before the next full moon?

Linda Davies - Longbow Girl - Published by Chicken House Ltd (3 September 2015) 

Merry Owen is desperate for her family to stay on their struggling farm in Wales, in the shadow of the Black Castle, owned by the de Courcys who have been enemies of Merry's family for generations. Skilled in the family tradition of archery, Merry is happiest out riding, but when she finds an overturned tree and a buried chest containing an ancient Welsh text, it leads her into a past filled with treasure, secrets and untold danger. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Top Children's and Teen Series Picks - August 2014 - UK Published

Derek Landy - Skulduggery Pleasant #9: The Dying of the Light - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (28 Aug 2014) 

The FINAL shocking, heart-wrenching book in the jaw-droppingly stupendous Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Valkerie. Darquesse. Stephanie. The world ain’t big enough for the three of them. The end will come…

The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder.

And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals… and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.

The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive…

Mark Walden - Earthfall: Retribution - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (14 Aug 2014)

It's been several months since the events of Earthfall, yet Sam's attempts to rouse the enslaved people of London from their trance-like state have frustratingly failed. Worse still, the enormous Voidborn drilling device which Sam and his friends disabled in London was one of hundreds scattered across the planet, all nearing the final stages of construction.

Joining up with another resistance group, they plot to disable a drilling machine in Tokyo and in the process implant viral commands that will cause a catastrophic failure of the entire network. Just as that mission appears to have been successful, Sam and the others are double-crossed by the resistance leader.

Earthfall: Retribution will take the series on to a global stage, as the true scale of the conflict being played out on Earth is revealed.

Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods - Published by Puffin (7 Aug 2014)

"If you like horror shows, bloodbaths, lying, stealing, backstabbing and cannibalism, then read on..."

Who could tell the true stories of the gods and goddesses of Olympus better than modern-day demigod Percy Jackson?

In this action-packed tour of Greek mythology, Percy gives his hilarious personal views on the feuds, fights and love affairs of the Olympians. Want to know how Zeus came to be top god? How many times Kronos ate one of his own kids? How Athena literally burst out of another god's head?

It's all here in black and white...

Pittacus Lore - I Am Number Four: Book Five - Published By HarperCollins (26 Aug 2014)

The Revenge of Seven is the heart stopping fifth installment in the Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore.

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth about our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy. . . .

We never imagined the Mogadorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Preview: Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2 by Jonathan Stroud - UK/ US COVER and GERMAN

UK COVER - Published by Doubleday Children's (25 Sep 2014) -  This is to tie in with this summer (July) release of The Screaming Staircase in paperback in the UK and across the world. For the UK market, Random House has designed a new look – a striking image of Lockwood  himself slightly silhouetted with the moon behind him. This bold new look promises to attract a new sets of fans, and is sure to grab the eye of younger readers too.

Book Synopsis: 

When the dead return to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in.

A series of grisly thefts have been taking place across the capital: powerful supernatural artefacts have been stolen, and their warders murdered. In an atmosphere of mounting panic, a mysterious skull in an iron box is unearthed in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Witnesses hear it whispering urgently, but the words cannot be understood. Lockwood & Co. will have to use all their ingenuity and skill to uncover the secret of the whispering skull.

US COVER - Published by  Disney Press (16 Sep 2014) - So what do we think?  

German Cover - Published by cbj (27. Oktober 2014) - Another interesting book cover.

Wenn Londons Geisterwelt erwacht
Dank des spektakulären Erfolgs im Fall der seufzenden Wendeltreppe ist Lockwood & Co. nun eine der angesagtesten Geisteragenturen Londons. Doch inzwischen wird die Metropole bereits von einer Reihe neuer grausiger Ereignisse erschüttert: In einer beispiellosen Diebstahlserie werden mächtige magische Artefakte entwendet und deren Hüter grausam ermordet. Als dann auch noch auf einem Friedhof ein schauerlich eiserner Sarg geborgen wird, dessen Inhalt unter mysteriösen Umständen verschwindet, steht fest: Ein klarer Fall für Lockwood & Co.! Nur wenn das Team um Anthony Lockwood, Lucy und George ihre ganze Genialität im Umgang mit übernatürlichen Ereignissen in die Wagschale wirft, kann es ihnen gelingen, die Verschwörung, die hinter all dem steckt, aufzudecken.

MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 5 - HEAT THREE 2013/14 AND JONATHAN STROUD BOOK COMPETITION

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars are back again for the fifth year - it is that time again where we are looking for a further worthy winner. If you are returning to the site for another exciting year or are new to this competition, then I send you a very warm welcome. It is a delight to have your company in the book cover war zone. Don't forget to share this exciting adventure with your friends and followers - everyone is welcome.

For any follower of this site then this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week, for the next 2 weeks, I am going to select five book covers for you to vote for. NEW RULES - the five book covers who get the most votes over the four weeks will go head-to-head in the final. You may not win the heat, but you could still get to the final of 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars 2013/14'. 

THE CURRENT LEADERBOARD CLICK THE LINK:HERE

As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week. Therefore, in order to kick off the competition this week, we have an amazing collectable SIGNED FIRST EDITION HARDBACK - JONATHAN STROUD - THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND, GREAT PRIZE.

If you are interested then all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll ( click any of the links VOTE HERE and vote for your favourite book.
• Leave a comment through this post and a twitter name if you have one....
• Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide.
•  Heat Three ends midnight (UK TIME)  11th November 2013. 

So here are the five book covers to vote for this week:

                           

Book One: Gareth L. Powell - Hive Monkey - Published by Solaris - 2, January 2014 - Book Cover by Jake Murray - VOTE HERE

Book Two: Derek Landy - Last Stand of Dead Men - Published by HarperCollins Children's - 29, August 2013 - Cover by Tom Percival - VOTE HERE

                          

Book Three: Samantha Shannon - The Bone Season - Published by Bloomsbury - 20, August 2013 - Cover by David Mann - VOTE HERE

Book Four: William Hussey - Haunted - Published by OUP Oxford - 5, September 2013 - Cover by Rohan Daniel Eason - VOTE HERE

Book Five: Jenna Burtenshaw - Winterveil  - Published by Greenwillow Books - 25 June 2013 - Cover by Larry Rostant - VOTE HERE





Let the voting commence on this years Book Cover Wars 2013/14. Please leave your comments on the post and twitter name if you have one to win the signed book.  Also if your really nice, why not give us an RT or mention use #bookcoverwars or share on Facebook. 

Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase - Book Trailer & Publication Tour

20th August 2013: Edinburgh International Book Festival

Jonathan will be launching his new series in the UK exclusively at the Edinburgh Book Festival this summer. It will be the first public outing of Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase anywhere in the world, and there are exciting plans afoot (whispers of ghosts, video trailers, kit bags and more). For details and tickets, click the following links:  Public Events  |   School Events

29th August 2013: Lockwood & Co UK publication tour!

London – Thursday 29th August (publication day)
London bookshop signings

London – Wednesday 4th September
Launch event in London venue

Cheltenham Literary Festival – Sunday 6th October
Event details TBC

London – Monday 14th October
School events with Tales on Moon Lane bookshop

Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire – Tuesday 15th October
School events with Chorleywood bookshop

York – Wednesday 16th October
School events in York

Ipswich – Thursday 17th October
School events and an evening FCBG event

Leeds – Friday 18th October
Schools events in Harrogate and Leeds

Windsor – Monday 21st October
School events with Waterstones Windsor

London – Tuesday 22nd October
School events in north and east London

Birmingham - Wednesday 23rd October
School events and an evening FCBG event in Dudley

Worcester - Thursday 24th October
School events in Worcester

Newcastle – Friday 25th October
School events set up with Newcastle libraries

Birmingham - Saturday 26th October
Event at the Youth Libraries annual conference

Also check out my Book Review here.

Book Review: Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

                    

Dear Reader, 

It has come to our notice that your property is being troubled by a Wraith, Spectre or similar Type Two apparition. As you know, such Visitors are very dangerous and bring with them the risk of fatal ghost-touch. You would be wise to consider urgent remedial action. The following procedures are recommended:

• read this book review
• buy a copy of the following book
• read the book thoroughly and enjoy it! 

Once these procedures have been completed, you will then become enlightened as to the suitable course of action that you need to take. 

As you can perhaps tell, I've had a serious infestation of the mind. I've been looking at this book for quite a long time on the bookshelf. In fact, to be precise, exactly three months it has been waiting patiently to be read. Eventually I cracked under the intense pressure and had to read it. The sample of ginger biscuits and the Lockwood special brew tea bags (that came with the proof) certainly helped the flow of concentration and whet the appetite - they were very scrumptious too.

This book is not published until the 29th August, so I do apologise if I'm teasing you but I just can't wait to scream about how good this book is. Although I do promise that this will be (hopefully!) a 'spoiler free' review so that you can just have a peep between the lines of the page. It is just going to give a tiny glimpse of what you can expect and perhaps an introduction to a floating spirit or two.

Jonathan has certainly taken me by surprise with this book. We all know that he writes great stories full of fantasy magic and brilliant imagination, as well as amazingly written characters in skilfully executed settings and backdrops. These are all still evident within this story but there are also elements of some Hitchcock horror genius which grows in strength towards the end of the book. You will know what I mean when you get there. 

You might want to keep the light on when you read this book. It's a dark and scary roller-coaster ride that will keep you on the edge of your seats from the very first page to the last. It's gripping, engaging and full of explosive action. It has a whole raft of nasties for the Lockwood Psychic Investigation Agency team to deal with. Unfortunately though, nothing ever goes to plan for the unlikely trio as you will all soon find out.

I have one little moan about the book regarding the predictability of the outcomes of events. I did work out most of the story before it happened, but nevertheless it worked and, if the movie goes to plan, then this will definitely work well on the big screen. 

The expectation that surrounded this book was easily delivered. It is a fast paced horror story that builds up to a massive crescendo of scary moments filled with terror and mayhem. This is a memorable story full of mystery and secrets that uncover a hidden depth of knowledge that will leave the reader captivated on many levels. The more you read, the more the  tension rises to palpable levels. 

I think that Jonathan has created a brilliant story enclosed within this book. It will certainly find many a new reader in both the young and old. Hitchcock meets Ghost Busters is perhaps the easiest way in which I can sum up this book - so be warned.......... 

Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co Book Covers - What's Your Favourite? Vote Now...

UK Book Cover - Published By Doubleday Childrens (29 Aug 2013)


                                 

German Book Cover Published By cbj (11 Sep 2013)

                              

US Book Cover Published By Disney Press (17 Sep 2013)

Click here to vote - Only takes two seconds......... 

http://poll.fm/48mg0

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .