Tom Huddleston - FloodWorld + DustRoad - Series Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Kara and Joe spend their days navigating the perilous waterways of a sunken city, scratching out a living in the ruins. But when they come into possession of a mysterious map, they find themselves in a world of trouble. Suddenly everyone’s after them: gangsters, cops and ruthless Mariner pirates in their hi-tech submarines. The two children must find a way to fight back before Floodworld’s walls come tumbling down…



This is one of my favourite series written by the multi-talented Tom Huddleston. I recently read both books back-to-back and thoroughly enjoyed each one. The book covers are brilliantly shiny and capture the superb illustration by Manuel Sumberac. In my opinion, he is one of the best illustrators around. The first book FloodWorld was published by Nosy Crow Books in October 2019 whilst DustRoad was published just this March 2020. However, with everything going on in the world you may have missed this exciting release.

Both stories encapsulate a dystopian vision that is well constructed and fantastically written. The adventures are imaginative, creative and very cinematic. When you turn the first page of DustRoad, you travel to a world that will engulf you in a fantasy bubble which only pops once you have turned the last page. It is a truly engaging and gripping story, in fact, it's a Sci-fi pleasure to follow the characters through this narrative and be absorbed in a world full of gadgets, tech, and worldbuilding. 

Each book uses the same characters and general ideas, nevertheless, both books work equally well independently. New characters are introduced in DustRoad alongside some of the more unassuming characters from FloodWorld who now find themselves playing a greater role. The stories are layered with equal amounts of action, dialogue, and descriptive narrative that both hooks and immerses the reader. Just like a good action movie, the book has everything you want from bumps, scrapes, danger, and death as well as stilll being able to make the story feel real and meaningful. 

This is a brilliant and entertaining series full of totally addictive mystery, mayhem and madness. It's certainly a great way to pass the time at the moment, so pick your side. Will it be the ruthless Pirates or the controlling Mariners? Whoever you decide to support you'll be grabbing yourself a slice of the delicious action. Out of interest, downloadable discussion notes and a teaching resource pack including activity sheets are available on the Nosy Crow website HERE

The sequel to FloodWorld, this equally cinematic book tells the story of Kara and Joe’s adventures in the US. Travelling with a band of ideological outlaws, they become determined to destroy the Mariners and steal their world. Can the kids come up with a plan to stop the seemingly inevitable destruction?

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Young Adult/Teen Book Picks US - March 2020

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• Author: Joe Simonds
• Book Title: The Chair: Daniel and the Twin Fountains of Alcazar
• Paperback: 203 Pages
• Age Range: 10+
• Publisher: Independently Published 
• Date: March 5, 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1707404285

In this amazing new fantasy story, America is caught in a cyber-war with an evil underground civilization, which is attempting to shut down the United States power grid. Daniel Ruhlin, a teenager in a wheelchair, turns out to be the only one who can save the world... He has never walked or talked a day in his life. Daniel's severe cerebral palsy has left him confined to a wheelchair under the care of his widowed father. He has never had any real friends, played a sport or musical instrument, attended a party, or done anything that most teenagers would take for granted. He spends his days in the library learning how to hack into computers for fun. However, all of that is about to change when he discovers a magical fountain near an old, abandoned hotel. This fountain leads him into a mystical new world known as Alcazar. During his perilous journey through the underground, he develops friendships, discovers who he is, and uncovers a family secret, which has been hidden for decades. He learns of the fountain of youth, which gives him the ability to walk and talk again. Little does he know, he has been selected to thwart a plot to take over America by an evil, underground empire. Everyone from the citizens of Alcazar to the President of the United States is counting on him to save both worlds, but he will have to face his biggest fears in order to defeat these evil forces... 

Author: James Ponti
Book Title: City Spies (1)

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Date: March 10, 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1534414914
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Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.

Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.

Before she knows what she’s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.

No one said saving the world was easy…

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• Author: Kenneth Oppel
• Book Title: Bloom (The Overthrow)
• Age Range: 10 and up 
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers 
• Date: March 10, 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1524773007

The first book in a can't-put-it-down, can't-read-it-fast-enough action-thriller trilogy that's part Hatchet, part Alien!
The invasion begins--but not as you'd expect. It begins with rain. Rain that carries seeds. Seeds that sprout--overnight, everywhere. These new plants take over crop fields, twine up houses, and burrow below streets. They bloom--and release toxic pollens. They bloom--and form Venus flytrap-like pods that swallow animals and people. They bloom--everywhere, unstoppable. 

Or are they? Three kids on a remote island seem immune to the toxic plants. Anaya, Petra, Seth. They each have strange allergies--and yet not to these plants. What's their secret? Can they somehow be the key to beating back this invasion? They'd better figure it out fast, because it's starting to rain again....

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• Author: Kaela Noel
• Book Title: Coo
• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Date: March 3, 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-0062955975

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  In this exceptional debut, one young girl’s determination to save the flock she calls family creates a lasting impact on her community and in her heart. Gorgeous and literary, this is an unforgettable animal story about friendship, family, home, and belonging. For readers who love books by Kate DiCamillo and Katherine Applegate.
  Ten years ago, an impossible thing happened: a flock of pigeons picked up a human baby who had been abandoned in an empty lot and carried her, bundled in blankets, to their roof. Coo has lived her entire life on the rooftop with the pigeons who saved her. It’s the only home she’s ever known. But then a hungry hawk nearly kills Burr, the pigeon she loves most, and leaves him gravely hurt.
  Coo must make a perilous trip to the ground for the first time to find Tully, a retired postal worker who occasionally feeds Coo’s flock, and who can heal injured birds. Tully mends Burr’s broken wing and coaxes Coo from her isolated life. Living with Tully, Coo experiences warmth, safety, and human relationships for the first time. But just as Coo is beginning to blossom, she learns the human world is infinitely more complex―and cruel―than she could have imagined. 

Martin Howard (Author), Chris Mould (Illustrator) - Alfie Fleet's Guide to the Universe - Blog Tour Book Review

Step this way people as the UNIVERSE is now open for business. This is the second installment in Martin Howard's brilliant Alfie Fleet's series and has been given the title Alfie Fleet's Guide to the Universe. It is guided superbly by Chris Mould's expertly produced black and white illustrations and maps showcasing the narrative. This book is out in all galactic bookshops especially on OUTLANDISH, WINGSPAN and other holiday hotspots destinations around the globe now. You don't have to wait to join and enjoy this amazing adventure, so pick up a copy now.

Back in business with the Unusual Cartography Club or the UCC to its members, Alfie and Professor Pewsley Bowell-Mouvemont and Derek are travelling to far-flung planets. They are in search of the best holiday destinations for us to visit and fleece us out of our hard-earned money. They'll make sure you buy a gift from the gift shop on the way out! But don't worry,  I hear they are doing a roaring trade in Chris Mould's model Sheds which are made out of smelly socks, bits of fluff and, the all-important, blunt pencils.

Whilst exploring the narrative, you can expect to bounce along at an average pace on Betsy the Moped.  In other parts of the universe, time might vary so check the reader's ability and how many hands they have. On the FLEET, Unsuality Scale is a whopping eight and a half - it definitely tick-tocks with fizz and many moments of fantasy craziness. I can guarantee that you'll enjoy the journey immensely whilst holding on to your trousers as you fight off a bunch of pirates in ladies' clothes.

The peril in this adventure is a high octane nine on the danger twonk scale as you find yourself part of a sword chopping adventure. However, this involves none other than green, bogey-eating monsters and grog-swigging seadogs. All mixed in with many BAD PIRATE jokes. The biography of the Chosen One will become an outer planet classic that exhumes a bad smell of language as the windup translator malfunctions. The ingenious creativeness is only as good as the great scum baskets in the plot which are both cheesy and smelly. Lots of trout-waggling maybe encountered to give the reader a sense of character whilst falling over a knobbly knee.

This is a book that readers will not be reluctant to read as they are driven through a fantasy narrative by aliens or a mouthful of fruit. The book has a satisfying crunch with a fantastic array of characters that could have their own spin-off movies. The language is definitely aimed at children with the introduction of many nonsense words. However, the only thing you'll need for protection is a suit of armour and lots of emotional support.

On this website, we rate all the books. We show you the best, not too bad, and never-go-there-in-a-million years. However, this book is one to definitely give a spin, or even place it in your sock drawer with Chris Moulds Model shed! You'll look to revisiting and rereading this book time after time. Thanks for reading - I'll see you on the next voyage.

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Book Picks March 2020 - UK POST TWO

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• Author: Mikki Lish + Kelly Ngai
• Book Title: The House on Hoarder Hill
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Age Range: 9 - 12 years
• Publisher: Chicken House 
• Date: 5 Mar. 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1912626212

Magical, spooky and mysterious: welcome to the House on Hoarder Hill ...
When Hedy and Spencer start receiving messages on dusty picture frames, Christmas at their grandfather's spooky house turns into a mission to solve the mystery of their grandmother's disappearance. What is their magician grandfather not telling them? With the help of a (talking) mounted stag head, an (also talking) bear rug, and other (currently) disembodied spirits, and against the resistance of gargoyles and ravens, Hedy and Spencer set out to find the truth.

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• Author: Guy Bass
• Illustrator: Pete Williamson
• Book Title: Skelton Keys: The Haunting of Luna Moon 
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Age Range: 7 - 9 years
• Publisher: Stripes Publishing 
• Date: 5 Mar. 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1788951043

The second tall-but-true tale in the darkly comic new series SKELETON KEYS from the award-winning duo behind STITCH HEAD...

Greetings! My name is Skeleton Keys and these fantabulant fingers of mine can open doors to hidden worlds… Join me for the strange tale of Luna Moon, whose family is disappearing before her very eyes…

Luna is the only one to mourn the death of her grandfather Old Man Moon – the rest of her family couldn’t be happier to see the back of the bad-tempered old miser. But as they celebrate his demise with a giddy jig, Aunt Summer vanishes ... only to reappear as a painting.

While Luna is convinced her grandfather has kept his word to haunt them from beyond the grave, Skeleton Keys is certain that this is the work of an unimaginary. Can he get to the bottom of the mystery before the whole of Luna’s family disappears?

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• Author: Sally Gardner
• Illustration: Nick Maland
• Title: Mr Tiger, Betsy, and the Golden Seahorse 
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Zephyr 
• Date: 5 Mar. 2020)
• ISBN-13: 978-1788546614

Following the success of their first two adventures Mr Tiger, Betsy and the Blue Moon and Mr Tiger, Betsy and the Sea Dragon, the intrepid pair join Betsy's mum, Myrtle the mermaid, beneath the waves, from bestselling author Sally Gardner and illustrated by Nick Maland.

Crumble cakes! When Betsy joins Myrtle the mermaid in her underwater world, she discovers there may be monsters... shipwrecks, lost treasure and secret cities. A seapig's prize seahorse, Pudding Pie, has been stolen by a cantankerous giant octopus and Betsy and Mr Tiger must go to the rescue in their new submarine. But what happens when a tiger's whiskers and tail are simply too long to squeeze into forgotten dark caverns where even the moon cannot shine, and Betsy has to take the final steps of the adventure on her own? 

The hardback edition of this book is printed in blue ink in Dyslexie, a font specially designed to make reading easier – and more fun.

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• Author: J. M. Joseph 
• Book Title: Fire Boy
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Age Range: 9 - 11 years
• Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 
• Date: 19 Mar. 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1444954685

Fire Boy is a laugh-out-loud story about friendship, unexpected superpowers, magical sweets, Inca legends and a cat named Lemon - perfect for fans of My Brother is A Superhero and The Parent Agency.

When 11-year-old Aidan receives a mysterious package of sweets from South America in the post, he and his two best friends Sadie and Hussein eat one sweet each - and suddenly develop amazing superpowers. Sadie can move objects with her mind. Hussein can control any electronic device. And Aidan can ignite his body at will...though he can't always control the resulting flames.

When they discover that the sweets were sent by a dangerous criminal who is trying to hunt them down to get them back, they have to use all their new powers to outwit him ... before everything goes up in a fiery blaze.

But can three ordinary kids keep their powers a secret? Will Aidan learn to control his fiery capabilities? Or will the ultimate bad guy spoil the whole adventure?

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Book Picks March 2020 - UK POST

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• Author: Judith Eagle
• Illustrator: Kim Geyer
• Book Title: The Pear Affair
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Publisher: Faber & Faber 
• Date: 5 March 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-0571346851

When Penelope Magnificent's awful parents tell her they're taking a trip to Paris, she surprises them by begging to go along. 

Nell is usually content to avoid her money-obsessed father and her fashion-focussed mother, but Paris holds something very dear to her... her old au pair Perrine - Pear - lives there. Pear used to write to Nell every week promising to come to her rescue but recently the letters have stopped...

Arriving at her parent's posh hotel, Nell is determined to find Pear... but no one has seen her at her last known address, and no one seems to want to tell her anything about Pear's whereabouts. 

Luckily she befriends the hotel bellboy who introduces her to the world of tunnels underneath the city, and together they set out to find Pear, whilst uncovering an extraordinary mystery of their own...

Black and white chapter head illustrations bring this story to life.

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• Author: Jennifer Bell
• Illustrator: Alice Lickens
• Book Title: Agents of the Wild (Operation Honeyhunt)
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Age Range: 7 - 9 years
• Publisher: Walker Books 
• Date: 5 Mar. 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1406388459
• Enter the world of Agnes & Attie: AGENTS OF THE WILD; fun-packed young fiction with wildlife conservation themes.
  When 8-year-old Agnes is signed up for SPEARS (the Society for the Protection of Endangered and Awesomely Rare Species), she has no idea of the adventures that lie ahead with her elephant-shrew mentor Attie (short for "Attenborough"). Operation Honeyhunt sends them to the Brazilian rainforest, on a mission to save an endangered, dance-loving bee named Elton. Will Agnes pass the test and become a full SPEARS agent? Species in danger? Girl and shrew to the rescue!
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• Author: Alison Croggon
• Book Title: The Threads of Magic
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Age Range: 9 - 12 years
• Publisher: Walker Books 
• Date: 5 Mar. 2020
• ISBN-13: 978-1406384741
• Pip lives on his wits in the city of Clarel. When he pickpockets the wrong man, he finds himself in possession of a strange object - a heart in a silver casket. What's more, the heart seems to be trying to communicate with Pip, and the royal officials who lost it will stop at nothing to get it back.
  Pip has unwittingly broken an ancient spell, and his theft will have far-reaching consequences for the whole city. As the ancient war between the Spectres and witches of Clarel reignites, the heart prepares to seek revenge for all it has suffered…
  Alison Croggon conjures a rich, immersive world with brilliant and memorable characters in this captivating story of loyalty, courage, and friendship.
  
  
  
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  • Author: Ally Carter
  • Book Title: Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Age Range: 9 - 12 years
  • Publisher: Orchard Books 
  • Date: 5 Mar. 2020
  • ISBN-13: 978-1408357378
  • FIVE EXTRAORDINARY ORPHANS. ONE INCREDIBLE MYSTERY.
    UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOUR
    When 11-year-old April joins a group of kids living at Winterborne Home she doesn't expect to be there for very long. But she soon learns that this home isn't like any of the others - especially when she unearths the secret of the missing-and-presumed-dead billionaire, Gabriel Winterborne, who is neither missing nor dead but is actually living in a basement lair, sharpening his swords and looking for vengeance.
    Now that April knows Gabriel Winterborne is alive, she must turn to the other orphans to keep him that way. As a looming new danger threatens to take Gabriel down once and for all, they must use their individual talents to find a way to make sure this home for misfits isn't lost to them for ever.
    Because at the Winterborne Home, nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say they are and nowhere is safe. And now a ragtag group of orphans must unravel the riddle of a missing heir, a supposed phantom and a secret key, all without alerting the adults of Winterborne House that trouble is afoot.

Jennifer Killick - Crater Lake - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Dear Reader,

We warmly welcome you to this year's epic trip to CRATER LAKE, a brand new activity center built in an old volcanic crater, miles from anywhere. Please pack appropriately and be aware that you'll need to be prepared to run for your life. Please take plenty of rations as the food is pretty awful and the service is beyond belief. It is rated with no stars on Trip Advisor as no one has ever come out alive. Whatever you do, DONT. EVER. FALL. ASLEEP!

This thrilling preface is for Jennifer Killick's latest book CRATER LAKE.  It's a contemporary horror story aimed at middle-grade readers due to be published on the 19th March 2020 by Firefly Press. As you turn the bloodied pages, you'll need to strap yourselves in for a bumpy ride as a mysterious bloodstained man tries to stop the coach. This is the start of a rollercoaster adventure that is entertainingly bonkers full of wit and humour.  

Strange things happen to the children. No one turns up to meet them, and then a strange man serves them all only TOMATO SOUP for their tea. Something is definitely not RIGHT. As night arrives, things get much stranger and the nervous tension can be felt buzzing in the air. This is the year six school trip where your first day could be your last ...

The deeper you travel into the plotline, the more you become engrossed in a bizarre and surreal world where kids are fighting for survival against a strange swarm of enemies. The characters are all very well written. They each have secrets of their own especially the main character, Lance, who I thought was brilliant. The book explores the relationships and emotions between different characters in a fast-paced action horror story. It certainly glues the narrative together with human empathy in the face of fear and the unknown. It produces a very captivating and relatable story as they each work through this unusual situation. However, after some messing around and eating an abundance of sweets, the sugar levels get going and the kids become wise.

This is a book in which readers will sit up all night to read in one sitting. Mysteriously edgy, warm-hearted and full of many bouts of crazy action and eventful moments, it certainly keeps the reader on their scary toes as flying PHLEGM hits you full-on in the face. Remember the only way to survive is DON'T EVER FALL ASLEEP. So, pick up this book and give it a read; it might just save your life. I fully recommend it as it's pure fantasy OXYGEN.