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

Robin Jarvis - Time of Blood (The Witching Legacy) - Published by Egmont (27 July 2017)  - ISBN-13: 978-1405280259

The sinister Mister Dark is more powerful than ever and has enslaved young Verne to his will. Can Lil save her best friend before their enemy unleashes his most audacious and insane plan yet? Even with the help of new, surprising allies - a witch, a mysterious man of many disguises and the secretive aufwaders beneath the cliff - all seems hopeless.

Whitby has never been a more frightening and dangerous place to live, and the murdered dead refuse to rest in peace.

Peter F. Hamilton - A Voyage Through Air (The Queen of Dreams) - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (13 July 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1447291169

War is coming - and every leader of every realm has sided with the War Emperor and pledged to fight the Karrak invaders - apart from Taggie, the teenage Queen of Dreams-to-be.

Aided by an unusual band of allies, including a Karrak Lord, an elf and a feisty skyfolk captain, Taggie knows that the only way to stop the war is to find the long-lost gateway between our universe and the dark universe: the home of the Karrak people.

But where do you begin to look for something that was deliberately hidden? And just how much is Taggie willing to lose in her desperate quest for peace?

A Voyage Through Air is the third and final book in the fantastic The Queen of Dreams children's fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Peter F.Hamilton.

John Mcnally - Giant Killer (Infinity Drake, Book 3) - Published by

HarperCollins Children's Books (13 July 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0007521692

Get shrunk! Humour and high-stakes combine in the conclusion to the action-packed Infinity Drake series. A BIG adventure with a tiny hero!

And you thought 9mm was small?

Infinity Drake takes it to a whole 'nother level…

After months of captivity, Finn and Carla reach their final destination; evil mastermind Kaparis's secret lair in the Carpathian mountains.

Once there Finn learns the villain's true purpose – to conquer his paralysis and rise again. To do so Kaparis must shrink a team of medics down to microscopic size to repair his damaged spine, and now he's cracked the Boldklub code it seems nothing can stop him.

Apart, that is, from a microscopic hero…

Join Infinity Drake on his wildest ride yet – deep inside the body of his nemesis, where he must fight for his life… and bring down the giant once and for all.

Laura Fitgerald Marx - The Gallery - Published by  

Puffin Books (13 July 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0142427705

A riveting historical art mystery for fans of Chasing Vermeer and The Westing Game, set in the Roaring Twenties!It's 1929, and twelve-year-old Martha has no choice but to work as a maid in the New York City mansion of the wealthy Sewell family. But, despite the Gatsby-like parties and trimmings of success, she suspects something might be deeply wrong in the household--specifically with Rose Sewell, the formerly vivacious lady of the house who now refuses to leave her room. The other servants say Rose is crazy, but scrappy, strong-willed Martha thinks there's more to the story--and that the paintings in the Sewell's gallery contain a hidden message detailing the truth. But in a house filled with secrets, nothing is quite what it seems, and no one is who they say. Can Martha follow the clues, decipher the code, and solve the mystery of what's really going on with Rose Sewell? 

Inspired by true events described in a fascinating author's note, The Gallery is a 1920s caper told with humor and spunk that readers today will love.

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

Jacob Sager Weinstein - The City of Secret Rivers - Published by Walker Books (1 Jun. 2017) 

ISBN-13: 978-1406368857

An exciting subterranean London adventure, the first in a middle-grade trilogy. Hyacinth Hayward has recently arrived from America and is having difficulty adjusting to her new surroundings, especially being in the sole company of her eccentric mother. Everything feels strange. Very strange. And it gets stranger the day she accidentally unleashes the power of a secret river running through London. To prevent a second Great Fire, Hyacinth needs to retrieve a single, magically charged drop of water from somewhere in the city sewer system. Along the way she encounters an eclectic cast of characters - the shambling, monstrous Saltpetre Men who kidnap her mother, the Toshers who battle for control of magical artefacts and a giant pig with whom she has a tea party. The clock is ticking - will she figure out who to trust?

Stewart Foster - All The Things That Could Go Wrong - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (29 Jun. 2017) - 

ISBN-13: 978-1471145421

There are two sides to every story
 Dan is angry. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left, and he’s taking it out on the
nearest and weakest target: Alex.
 Alex is struggling. His severe OCD makes it hard for him to leave the house, especially when Dan
and his gang are waiting for him at school . . .

Then the boys’ mums arrange for them to meet up and finish building the raft that Dan started with his brother. Two enemies stuck together for the whole of the school holidays – what could possibly go wrong? 

Caleb Krisp (Author), John Kelly (Illustrator) Bring Me the Head of Ivy Pocket (Ivy Pocket 3) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (1 Jun. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1408858721

Our magnificently infuriating heroine is on the very brink of her greatest adventure: bound for London and Prospa House to save Anastasia Radcliff and young Rebecca Butterfield from fates worse than death. But there are difficulties at every turn. The devious Miss Always and her devilish Locks are in hot pursuit. Anastasia is gone, taken by her evil sister-in-law Estelle and hidden in a place no one will ever find her. And worst of all, the Clock Diamond is no longer working, blocking Ivy's route to Prospa. There's a mystery to be unpicked and if anyone can do it, it's Ivy Pocket. After all, she has all the natural instincts of a Russian chess master. 
Ivy Pocket's tumultuous finale is certain to involve breathtaking adventure, bone-shattering courage, and frightful danger. But what price will she have to pay?

Craig A. Thomson - Search for the Sunlight: A Treewood Adventure -  Self Published (18 Jun. 2017) 

ISBN-13: 978-1527210479

The sunlight has mysteriously disappeared. The life-saving tea crops have failed, and a cold grey fog has descended on the land. The great forest is slowly dying… Can four naïve Treewoods (part tree and part human), and a smelly wizard cat called Brian, find the source of the trouble and save the Treewood nation from extinction? Find out as the travellers leave the safety of the forest and embark on an exciting, often dangerous, quest to look for both the missing sunlight and the old astronomer, who set off a hundred years before them and never returned. “Search for the Sunlight” 
www.craigathomson.com

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

Emma Carroll - Letters from the Lighthouse - Published by Faber & Faber (1 Jun. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0571327584

We weren't supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren't even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.

February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he's not used to company and he certainly doesn't want any evacuees. 

Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post-girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister Sukie went missing in an air raid, and she's desperate to discover what happened to her. And when a sneaky peek at a letter reveals a clue, she knows she'll have to break all the rules to find her.

Jennifer Bell The Smoking Hourglass (THE UNCOMMONERS) - Published by Corgi Children's (15 Jun. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0552572903

 

Following Ivy Sparrow’s discoveries in The Crooked Sixpence, the adventures continue in the second instalment of The Uncommoners trilogy, The Smoking Hourglass.

As soon as Ivy and her brother Seb set foot back in the mysterious underground city of Lundinor, they know that something has changed . . . Where before there were cobbled streets, now the squares and lanes between the city’s enchanted shops are lush with spring blooms – but something dark is stirring just below the surface, and uncommon traders are uneasy. Ivy and Seb have stumbled into a plot that could condemn every uncommoner to a disastrous fate . . . With the help of Valian, their extraordinary friend – and some exceptional uncommon objects – can Ivy and Seb put a stop to the sinister Dirge’s plans?

Jess Butterworth - Running on the Roof of the World - Published by Orion Children's Books (1 Jun. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1510102088

Join 12-year-old Tash and her best friend Sam in a story of adventure, survival and hope, set in the vivid Himalayan landscape of Tibet and India. Filled with friendship, love and courage, this young girl's thrilling journey to save her parents is an ideal read for children aged 9-12. 

There are two words that are banned in Tibet. Two words that can get you locked in prison without a second thought. I watch the soldiers tramping away and call the words after them. 'Dalai Lama.' 

Tash has to follow many rules to survive in Tibet, a country occupied by Chinese soldiers. But when a man sets himself on fire in protest and soldiers seize Tash's parents, she and her best friend Sam must break the rules. They are determined to escape Tibet - and seek the help of the Dalai Lama himself in India. 

And so, with a backpack of Tash's father's mysterious papers and two trusty yaks by their side, their extraordinary journey across the mountains begins.

Shane Hegarty - Hero Rising (Darkmouth, Book 4) - Published by HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (29 Jun. 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0007545629

The edge-of-your-seat, monstrously-exciting, laugh-out-loud adventures of the most unfortunate monster-hunter ever to don armour… continue.

Things can’t get any worse. Legends are running riot. Half-hunters are out of control. Darkmouth has been taken away from Finn and Emmie, and Finn’s dad Hugo – proud Legend Hunter – is washing dogs for a living.

But something even more terrifying lurks beneath the surface: an ancient horror threatening both our world and the Infested Side.

So scratch that. Things can get worse. Much worse.

More than ever, Darkmouth is going to need a hero…

Sadly, all it’s got is Finn.

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

Peter Bunzl - Moonlocket (The Cogheart Adventures #2) - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1 May 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1474915014

It's hard to escape the secrets from the past.
Storm clouds gather over Lily and Robert's summer when criminal mastermind the Jack of Diamonds appears. For Jack is searching for the mysterious Moonlocket - but that's not the only thing he wants.

Suddenly, dark secrets from Robert's past plunge him into danger. Jack is playing a cruel game that Robert is a part of. Now Lily and Malkin, the mechanical fox, must stay one step ahead before Jack plays his final, deadly card...

David Almond (Author), Alex T Smith (Illustrator) - The Tale of Angelino Brown - Published by Walker Books (4 May 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1406358070

Bert and Betty Brown have got themselves a little angel. Bert found him in his top pocket when he was driving his bus. Bert and Betty's friends think he's lovely. So do Nancy and Jack and Alice from Class 5K. What a wonder!

But Acting Head Teacher Mrs Mole is not so sure. Nor is Professor Smellie. Or the mysterious bloke in black who claims to be a School Inspector. Then there's Basher Malone - big, lumbering Basher Malone. He REALLY doesn't like Angelino. And it looks like he's out to get him...

Geraldine Mccaughrean - Where the World Ends - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1 May 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1474921145

Every time a lad came fowling on the St Kilda stacs, he went home less of a boy and more of a man. If he went home at all, that is... In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. And how can they survive, housed in stone and imprisoned on every side by the ocean?

Bobbie Peers - William Wenton and the Impossible Puzzle - Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (23 May 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1534404724

Blackthorn Key meets The Da Vinci Code in this award-winning novel about a puzzle-solving genius who is forced to use his skills to face a danger that has been lurking in the background for years. 
Twelve-year-old William Wenton is a puzzle-solving genius. He lives with his family in a quiet Norwegian town. They used to live in England, but eight years ago his family suddenly packed up, moved away, and even changed their last name! Neither of his parents will offer an explanation or tell William why he has to keep his talent for solving codes and puzzles a secret. But then a special exhibit comes to the local museum: the Impossible Puzzle. The experts say it is unsolvable, but William's sure that he can crack it if he gets a chance. 
However, when he does, everything begins to go wrong. Suddenly William is whisked off to a strange school filled with robots and kids whose skills are almost as good as his own. But what's really going on? And what's the secret involving William's grandfather? And is there anyone he can trust?

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

Bobbie Peers - William Wenton and the Luridium Thief  - Published by Walker Books (6 April 2017) ISBN-13: 978-1406371703

Packed full of magical code-breaking skills, wisecracking robots and a young hero who might just be too clever for his own good, this tech-savvy adventure is perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Alex Rider. Twelve year-old code breaking genius William Wenton, is trying to make sense of his family's dramatic escape from their home in London. But when his extraordinary talent for cracking codes is suddenly revealed, William must face the danger that has been lurking around him for years.

Dan Walker - Sky Thieves (Sky Thieves 1) - Published by OUP Oxford (6 April 2017) ISBN-13: 978-0192747013

Love Pirates of the Caribbean? Then prepared to be swept away by this new swashbuckling adventure series. 
Talented debut author, Dan Walker, creates an imaginative world where thieves sail the skies in flying galleons-an action-packed adventure of epic scale.  
Zoya DeLarose has no idea her life is about to change forever when a band of sky thieves 'steal' her away from her orphanage, landing up in the clouds, on board The Dragonfly's deck. There, Zoya discovers a world of meteorite storms, sword fights, midnight raids, floating islands, and long lost treasure. But with a deadly enemy closing in, will Zoya find the strength to face her fears and unlock the key to her destiny, or will she fall from the skies with no one left to break her fall?

Andrew Beasley - The Mummy's Revenge (S.C.R.E.A.M.) - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1 April 2017) ISBN-13: 978-1474906920

In the dark and winding streets of Edinburgh, a burglar is on the prowl. But this is no ordinary thief.
Three thousand years old and risen from the grave, this rampaging robber is a rotting Egyptian Mummy - and he wants rubies and revenge!
There's only one crime-fighting force who can deal with a menace like this: Billy Flint & Charley Steel AKA S.C.R.E.A.M. - top-secret investigators of Supernatual Crimes, Rescues, Emergencies And Mysteries.

Joshua Khan - Dream Magic (Shadow Magic) - Published by Scholastic (6 April 2017) ISBN-13: 978-1407172095

In a world ruled by six ancient Houses of Magic, a girl and a boy begin an epic and dangerous journey of discovery . . . Lileth Shadow, princess of darkness, is struggling with her growing powers. Castle Gloom is filling with ghosts, zombies roam the country and people throughout Gehenna are disappearing. Then Lily is attacked in her own castle by a mysterious sorcerer known as Dreamweaver and his army of jewel-spiders whose bites send victims to sleep. Thorn, and his giant bat Hades, must save Lily from the realm of sleep and help her overcome the evil Dreamweaver in order for her to reclaim her kingdom.

M . G . Leonard - Beetle Queen (The Battle of the Beetles) - Published by Chicken House (6 April 2017) ISBN-13: 978-1910002773

Cruel beetle fashionista, Lucretia Cutter, is at large with her yellow ladybird spies. When Darkus, Virginia and Bertolt discover further evidence of her evil, they're determined to stop her. But the three friends are in trouble. Darkus' dad has forbidden them to investigate any further - and Lucretia's disgusting crooks, Humphrey and Pickering, are out of prison. Hope rests on Novak, Lucretia's daughter and a Hollywood actress, but the beetle diva is always one scuttle ahead ...

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

Sarah Driver - Sea (The Huntress Trilogy) - Published by Egmont (6 April 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1405284677

The first book in a stunning new fantasy adventure trilogy, perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Philip Pullman, Piers Torday, Abi Elphinstone, Katherine Rundell and Frances Hardinge.

In the sky, the fire spirits dance and ripple. Grandma says they showed our Tribe that I’d be a captain, before I was even born.

Ever since Ma died, Mouse has looked after her little brother, Sparrow, dreaming of her destiny as captain of the Huntress. But now Da’s missing, Sparrow is in danger, and a deathly cold is creeping across Trianukka . . .

Sea-churning, beast-chattering, dream-dancing, whale-riding, terrodyl-flying, world-saving adventure. 

Justin Fisher - The Gold Thief (Ned's Circus of Marvels, Book 2) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (6 April 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0008124557

From the author of bestselling debut NED'S CIRCUS OF MARVELS… Roll up, roll up, and prepare to be AMAZED AGAIN by Ned and the marvellous, magical, monstrous flying circus!

Ned and his family are trying to be ordinary except for the small fact that they AREN’T. AT ALL. Because on the run up to Christmas everything is ruined when all the world’s gold goes missing, along with its leading scientists. Which doesn't really have anything to do with Ned… until it does. When an oily thief and his pet monster turn up at Ned's door, Ned finds himself on the run again… and racing to find out what this new villain wants.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a machine with a mind of its own vies for power, and mysterious men in grey suits are watching the Circus of Marvels' every move. Together with his best friend Lucy, his clockwork mouse and his shadow, Ned must use his growing magical powers to try to uncover a secret that could end them all…

Dave Rudden - The Forever Court (Knights of the Borrowed Dark Book 2) - Published by Puffin (6 April 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-0141356617

The second book in the brilliant Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, perfect for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant.

Life is returning to normal for Denizen Hardwick. Well, the new normal, where he has to battle monsters in quiet Dublin bookshops and constantly struggle to contain the new powers he has been given by Mercy, the daughter of the Endless King. But Denizen may need those powers sooner than he thinks - not only are the Tenebrous stirring again but the Order of the Borrowed Dark face a new threat from much closer to home...

Scarlett Thomas - Dragon's Green: Worldquake Book One (Worldquake Sequence 1) - Published by Canongate Books (6 April 2017) - ISBN-13: 978-1782117025

Effie's world comes to life with a magical GLOW-IN-THE-DARK cover

'Some people think opening a book is a simple thing. It's not.
Most people don't realise that you can get truly lost in a book. You can.
Especially you.'

AFTER THE WORLDQUAKE, MAGIC IS SEEPING INTO OUR WORLD 

Effie Truelove is a new pupil at the Tusitala School for the Gifted, Troubled and Strange, with its twisted grey spires and an English teacher so frightening she gives the class nightmares.

When her beloved grandfather is brutally attacked, Effie promises to look after his magical books. But then shady book-collector Leonard Levar gets his hands on them and Effie has to embark on the most dangerous adventure of her life . . .

Effie must travel to the mysterious Otherworld, unlock the hidden meaning of an old book called Dragon's Green, and brave the terrifying Diberi, a secret organisation with plans that could destroy the entire universe.

But Effie can't face the Diberi alone. Can her new school-friends Maximilian, Wolf, Lexy and Raven combine their gifts and discover their true powers in time?

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

Janine Beacham - Black Cats and Butlers: Book 1 (Rose Raventhorpe Investigates) - Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (9 Mar. 2017)

The Clockwork Sparrow meets Downton Abbey

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 . . .

Guy Bass (Author) Lee Robinson (Illustrator) Goldenclaw (Spynosaur) - Published by Stripes Publishing (9 Mar. 2017)

From a land before time comes a hero for today … Spynosaur - he’s going to make crime extinct! 

A hilarious new series from award-winning author Guy Bass, perfect for fans of My Brother is a Superhero, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Darkmouth and Hamish and the Worldstoppers. 

When Spynosaur locks up the last of the world’s worst criminal masterminds, all that’s left are a string of disappointingly undemanding novelty villains. With no one worthy of his super-spy skills, Amber’s worried that Spynosaur might give up spying altogether. Even Goldentoe, their last hope of a dastardly villain, admits to only pretending to be evil to win the heart of Shady Lady. Frantic that her dad has lost the will to spy, Amber convinces Goldentoe to make himself a more desirably dangerous suitor. With the help of the Science Ray and a sample of Spynosaur’s DNA, Goldentoe transforms himself into Goldenclaw, a formidable half-man, half dinosaur far more powerful than Spynosaur, and intent on a spot of world-ending asteroid flinging...

Christopher Edge - The Jamie Drake Equation - Published by Nosy Crow Ltd (2 Mar. 2017) - Book Cover by Matt Saunders  - Check out my book review HERE AND Worldday Guest post HERE

How amazing would it be to have a dad who's an astronaut? Rocket launches, zero gravity, and flying through space like a superhero! Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station and Jamie ought to think it's cool but he just really misses him...Hanging out at his local observatory, Jamie picks up a strange signal on his phone. It looks like alien life is getting closer to home. But space is a dangerous place and when his dad's mission goes wrong, can Jamie prove that he's a hero too? A cosmic adventure for anyone who's ever looked at the stars, from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. Cover illustration by Matt Saunders.

Justine Windsor - Goodly and Grave in A Bad Case of Kidnap - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (9 Mar. 2017)

An archly funny, classic mystery adventure with a magic twist!

Lucy Goodly is the new boot girl at Grave Hall, working for the cold, aloof Lord Grave. The other staff – Vonk the Butler, Mrs Crawley the cook and Violet the scullery maid – all seem friendly but Lucy soon notices that strange things are afoot in her new home – and not just Mrs Crawley’s experimental anchovy omelettes. There are moving statues, magical books and Lord Grave has a secret. Meanwhile, all over the country, children are vanishing. Could the mystery of the missing children be linked to the strange goings-on? Lucy is determined to find out…

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

Danny Wallace (Author) Jamie Littler (Illustrator) - Hamish and the GravityBurp (Hamish 3) - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (9 Mar. 2017)

Another hilarious adventure from bestselling author Danny Wallace, perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl, David Baddiel and David Solomons! 

This may look like just a completely and utterly ordinary book. But it’s not. This book knows something terrifying: that the people of Earth face their gravest, grimmest threat yet!
 
When Hamish arrives home to find his mum and his brother lying flat on their backs ON THE CEILING, he knows there’s something seriously wrong (again) in the town of Starkley. What is the strange burping noise he keeps hearing? Why are weird seeds suddenly falling from the sky? And should he be worried about the odd woman with a cone around her neck?
 
All Hamish and his gang the PDF can be sure of is that an adventure is coming. And that means two things:

1. You have to be prepared
2. You have to prepare a sandwich

Jack Cheng - See You in the Cosmos - Published by Puffin (2 Mar. 2017) (See book review here)

 

All eleven-year old Alex wants is to launch his iPod into space. With a series of audio recordings, he will show other lifeforms out in the cosmos what life on Earth, his Earth, is really like.

But for a boy with a long-dead dad, a troubled mum, and a mostly-not-around brother, Alex struggles with the big questions. 

Where do I come from? Who's out there? And, above all, How can I be brave?

Determined to find the answers, Alex sets out on a remarkable road trip that will turn his whole world upside down . . .

For fans of Wonder and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jack Cheng's debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.

Ali Sparkes - Thunderstruck - Published by OUP Oxford (2 Mar. 2017) 

What if your new best friend was a ghost?  
Getting struck by lightning whilst huddling under a tree isn't exactly the way Alisha and Theo would have chosen to get out of sports day . . .  
Surviving the strike makes them see life differently. It also makes them notice Doug and Lizzie. Struck by lightning under that same tree on the common in 1975, the two teenagers have been hanging out there ever since. 
Doug and Lizzie are funny, clever, brave - and quite happy about making friends with a pair of ten-year-olds. OK, fair point, they are dead, and Doug's trousers are worryingly flared. But you can't have everything. 
But something sinister is going on at school - although only Theo and Alisha seem to be able to see it. What can it mean when ragged faceless entities keep staring in through the windows? Not all ghosts are friendly like Doug and Lizzie . . . but are these phantoms really the harbingers of doom for all the kids at Beechwood Junior? 

Robin Jarvis - The Devil's Paintbox (The Witching Legacy) - Published by Egmont (9 Mar. 2017)

Legend of supernatural fantasy Robin Jarvis is back with his spellbinding sequel to The Power of Dark. 

Lil and Verne may think they have quelled the Dark forces that tried to destroy Whitby, but they have no idea that the powers they’ve been meddling with are about to turn on them. Despite Lil’s crucial role in saving her home from destruction, she notices that the townsfolk have become wary of her – even fear her. More than ever she needs the support of best friend Verne and the witch Cherry Cerise, but they are preoccupied by their attempts to uncover more secrets of the golden Nimius.

When Lil finds an antique box of watercolour paints she welcomes the diversion, little realising that every time she uses it something nasty escapes. But it is while they are distracted an old enemy finds a path to their door . . .

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

Will Mabbitt/Ross Collins - Mabel Jones and the Doomsday Book - Published by Puffin (9 Feb. 2017)

Would you agree to go on a perilous TOP SECRET mission to save your best friend from the creaking gibbet?

Mabel Jones is on her way to the city of Otom in search of the legendary Doomsday Book - an ancient document that might help her save the hooman race.

But Otom is a dangerous place, packed with soldiers, spies and stinking rebels. Can Mabel escape with the book, or will she fall victim to the dreaded Grand Zhoul . . . ?

The third adventure in the hilarious Mabel Jones series, written by Will Mabbitt and illustrated by Ross Collins.

Trenton Lee Stewart - The Secret Keepers - Published by Chicken House (2 Feb. 2017)

When Reuben discovers an old pocket watch, he soon realizes it holds an incredible power: it can turn you invisible for fifteen minutes. He can't resist the lure of disappearance: for a time, he can vanish from the despotic regime of New Umbra. But the watch's power is even more extraordinary than he imagines. Soon, he's on the run from New Umbra's ruler, The Smoke, who's determined to possess it for himself ...

Ian Beck - The Carmody Casebooks (The Casebooks of Captain Holloway) - Published by Corgi Childrens (2 Feb. 2017)

The Disappearance of Tom Pile 
When bright lights are spotted above a tiny village in Dorset, the locals suspect German bombers. 
Jack Carmody believes otherwise. He is part of a secret government department, set up to explore the supernatural and the unexplained. 

Then a boy – Tom Pile – is discovered, alone and scared.

Tom went missing forty years ago

The Miraculous Return of Annick Garel

One year later two French fishermen see strange lights over the channel – and discover the body of a girl, still alive. 

Annick Garel drowned in a storm thirty years ago. 

Both children have powers that could change the course of the Second World War. Both sides in that war want their secrets

These are two extraordinary stories. 

These are the Casebooks of Jack Carmody.

Alwyn Hamilton - Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands Trilogy 2) - Published by Faber & Faber (2 Feb. 2017)

This is not about blood or love. This is about treason.

Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible. 

Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

Ally Kennen - The Everything Machine - Published by Scholastic (2 Feb. 2017)

Eleven year old Olly has a very special delivery - a 3D printing machine, stamped with PROPERTY OF M.O.D and BRITISH SPACE AGENCY. WARNING. DO NOT TAMPER, which has magical powers... It has a name, it speaks, and it can print ANYTHING Olly asks it to - a never-ending supply of sweets, a swimming pool in the shed - but what Olly really wants is... his dad, who has separated from his mum and moved out of the family home. Cue the creation of Dad-Bot - he looks just like Dad (on a good day) but is totally chaotic - and his antics tip Olly and co into a heart-racing and heart-warming adventure!