The love of reading and collecting Children's Books.
About the Blog
Reading, rumbling and reviewing and collecting all children's books . . . from J.K Rowling to Philip Pullman, as well as up and coming authors. This is for like-minded enthusiasts, who are as passionate about modern-day children's authors as we are. So enjoy, communicate and share the love of books with us.
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The Urban Outlaws have been infected! Hector Del Sarto used them to spread the deadly Medusa virus and now the whole of London is in lockdown. Only Hector and his father have the antidote. Can Jack, Charlie, Obi, Slink and Wren work together to bring down the Del Sartos once and for all? The whole city depends on them!
One day, a team of super-skilled kids popped into Peter Jay Black's head; that was the day the URBAN OUTLAWS was born. The first book in this fantastic series was published back in March 2014, which only seems like yesterday. The authors love of gadgets and films have made a fantastic impact on the following series. The second book was entitled "Black Out" and the third book "Lockdown". Both were published by Bloomsbury in 2015 with fantastically cool and vibrant book covers. Each book followed the characters through a series of impossible missions that left the reader hooked from the very first page.
The plot line in book four "Counterstrike" was extra special in many ways. It is definitely my personal favourite and was out early this year. I have loved every minute of this series and I hope that you do too, if you've not already done so. I have flexed my fantasy wings and flown higher than Mount Everest, even landing on the summit due to big action bangs in every book. I have really come to love the characters and their individual personalties as if they were old and new friends. Every adventure has stayed fresh in my mind until the next instalment is unleashed.
We have now arrived at the latest book, SHOCKWAVE. As the book title might suggest, in more ways than one (giving nothing away), this could be the last pages that we read, but I really hope not! Jack, Charlie, Slink and Wren face their toughest challenge in a fantastic high-stakes battle to save their lives and everybody on the planet. The clock is ticking and so will your heartbeat as the action unfolds in this gripping and engaging mission to defeat Hector and the deadly virus. The story is told with heart and gusto; it has many chapters jammed packed with exhilarating action and adventure.
The imaginative qualities found in all of the books will rival the dreams of kids. Any reluctant reader will drop into any of the stories and really enjoy them, as they are fun, fresh and totally cool. All of the characters are different and fantastically written, with brilliant personalties that any reader (regardless of age or gender) will relate to. There are characters who are creative with gadgets e.g. a techno geek who is good with computers and surveillance as well sporty and action seeking characters. Each person brings their skills to make a great team as they all want to make a difference in the world in order to make it a better place for everybody. This is a fantastically feel good series for everyone; it is smart, funny and a bucketful of entertainment, but what will happen now? Have we seen the last of the Urban Outlaws?
Tony Abbott - The Copernicus Legacy: The Crown of Fire - Published by Katherine Tegen Books (November 15, 2016)
“Upon my life, I will.” Across the centuries, every Guardian who has protected one of the twelve relics of the Copernicus legacy has taken this vow. But never have the consequences of the promise been more profound. The secret network of the great astronomer’s spies is the target of an assassination plot, led by the despicable Galina Krause. And now the Kaplans are more alone than ever before as they race from France to Antarctica against a deadly ticking clock.
There is not much time left for Wade, Darrell, Lily, and Becca to find the remaining relics and defeat their enemies. But are they willing to risk the life of one of their own in order to save the world?
Jacob Grey - Ferals #3: The White Widow's Revenge - Published by HarperCollins Children's (November 8, 2016)
The thrilling conclusion to Ferals, a fantasy trilogy that’s part Batman, part The Graveyard Book, and all high-stakes adventure.
Caw has defeated the dreaded Spinning Man and vanquished the Mother of Flies. But a new feral has appeared—one who intends to uphold the Spinning Man’s dark legacy. Known as the White Widow, this spider feral is determined to destroy Caw and bring Blackstone back into an era of crime and fear.
Now everyone Caw holds dear is in danger. And this time Caw may not be able to protect them.
Jennifer Brody - Return of the Continuums: The Continuum Trilogy (BK2) - Published by Turner (November 1, 2016)
As Myra Jackson and her friends set out to find the First Continuum, Captain Aero Wright and two companions from the outer space Second Continuum find themselves banished for treason and stranded on Earth. Wright has vowed to complete his late father’s mission to recolonise their ancestral planet, but his true mission is to find the mysterious girl who haunts his dreams. Meanwhile, Myra and the young refugees of the underwater Thirteenth Continuum must make an unlikely ally if they are going to survive the hostile surface world and reach their destination, the nexus of humanity’s hope for survival. As their paths begin to converge, the Beacons that guide and connect Myra and Aero begin to prove their power, and a shadowy force with a centuries-old grudge reveals itself.
Linda Fairstein - Into the Lion's Den (Devlin Quick Mysteries, The) - Published by Dial Books (November 15, 2016)
Watch out, Nancy Drew—Devlin Quick is smart, strong, and she will DEFINITELY close the case in this thrilling new mystery series for girls and boys from New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein.
Someone has stolen a page from a rare book in the New York Public Library. At least, that’s what Devlin’s friend Liza thinks she’s seen, but she can’t be sure. Any other kid might not see a crime here, but Devlin Quick is courageous and confident, and she knows she has to bring this man to justice—even if it means breathlessly racing around the city to collect evidence. But who is this thief? And what could the page—an old map—possibly lead to? With her wits, persistence, and the help of New York City’s finest (and, okay, a little bit of help from her police commissioner mother, too), Dev and her friends piece the clues together to uncover a mystery that’s bigger than anyone expected—and more fun, too.
Kirsten Hubbard - Race the Night - Published by Disney-Hyperion (November 8, 2016)
That's what Teacher says, and twelve-year-old Eider knows she's right. The world ended long ago, and the desert ranch is the only thing left. Still, Eider's thoughts keep wandering Beyond the fence. Beyond the pleated earth and scraggly brush and tedious daily lessons. Eider can't help wishing for something more-like the stories in the fairytale book she hides in the storage room. Like the secret papers she collects from the world Before. Like her little sister who never really existed.
When Teacher announces a new kind of lesson, Eider and the other kids are confused. Teacher says she needs to test their specialness-the reason they were saved from the end of the world. But seeing in the dark? Reading minds? As the kids struggle to complete Teacher's challenges, they also start to ask questions. Questions about their life on the desert ranch, about Before and Beyond, about everything Teacher has told them. But the thing about questions-they can be dangerous.
This moving novel-equal parts hope and heartbreak-traces one girl's journey for truth and meaning, from the smallest slip of paper to the deepest understanding of family. The world may have ended for the kids of the desert ranch . . . but that's only the beginning.
Neal Shusterman - Scythe (Arc of a Scythe Bk1) - Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (November 22, 2016) Two teens are forced to murder—maybe each other—in the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.
Marissa Meyer - Heartless - Published by Feiwel & Friends (November 8, 2016)
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland―the infamous Queen of Hearts―she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
David A. Poulsen - And Then the Sky Exploded - Dundurn (November 15, 2016)
When Christian learns his great-grandfather helped build the A-bombs dropped on Japan, he wants to make amends … somehow.
While attending the funeral of his great-grandfather, ninth-grader Christian Larkin learns that the man he loved and respected was a member of the Manhattan Project, the team that designed and created the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during the Second World War.
On a school trip to Japan, Chris meets eighty-one-year-old Yuko, who was eleven when the first bomb exploded over Hiroshima, horribly injuring her. Christian is determined to do something to make up for what his great-grandfather did. But after all this time, what can one teenager really do? His friends tell him it’s a stupid idea, that there’s nothing he can do. And maybe they’re right.
But maybe, just maybe … they’re wrong.
Alexander Gordon Smith - The Devil's Engine: Hellfighters - Published by The Devil's Engine (Book 2)
In Hellraisers, he made a demonic deal. Now, in this sequel, The Devil's Engine: Hellfighters, it’s time to pay the price.
Thrown into a relentless war against the forces of darkness, fifteen-year-old Marlow Green and his squad of secret soldiers must fight for control of the Devil’s Engines―ancient, infernal machines that can make any wish come true, as long as you are willing to put your life on the line. But after a monstrous betrayal, Marlow, Pan and the other Hellraisers find themselves on the run from an enemy with horrific powers and limitless resources―an enemy that wants them dead at all costs. Failure doesn’t just mean a fate worse than death for Marlow, it means the total annihilation of the world. And when all looks lost and the stakes couldn’t be higher, just how far is he willing to go?
In the second book of The Devil's Engine trilogy, Alexander Gordon Smith has written another of his signature thrilling, fast-paced Faustian horror story that turns the tables on the battle between good and evil.
NEW HARRY POTTER FILM ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS’ BOOSTS POTTER MEMORABILIA AT AUCTION SAY BARNEBYS ART & AUCTION SEARCH ENGINE
'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' hand-written and illustrated by J.K Rowling comes to auction in December
A rare presentation copy of ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’, created, hand-written and illustrated by JK Rowling, containing a personal inscription by the author to the editor who launched her career, will be offered for sale at Sotheby's London in December. The sale coincides with the release of a new Harry Potter film – Fantastic Beasts.
Both will be seen as true Christmas treats, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is estimated to reach £300,000 to £500,000 when it hits the saleroom on 13th December, rather more expensive than the price of a ticket to see the film Fantastic Beasts. In 2007, a copy produced specifically for sale at auction to raise money for J.K Rowling's charity Lumos, was sold at Sotheby's for a record-breaking £1.95 million.
Pontus Silfverstolpe founder of Barnebys, the search engine which tracks art, antiques and collectables internationally across 1,600 auction houses with 500,000 items for sale at any one time, says: “Harry Potter has become an auction phenomenon. Any Harry Potter memorabilia, film posters, film costumes, and anything to do with the actors who starred in the films are eminently saleable. Prices have steadily increased over the past decade. For example recently we have seen a number of items make surprising amounts."
* JK Rowling’s Harry Potter chair sells for $394,000 at Heritage auctions in the USA
* First edition's of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sell for in excess of £25 000.
* 'Holy Grail' - hardcover first edition first printings of the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997. Only 500 were published and 300 went to libraries. Copies crediting "Joanne Rowling" (not J.K.) can fetch up to £35, 000.
* By book four, JKR was signing less copies of books - so any books from 4-7 in the series with a signature are highly collectable - around £10,000.
* By book six JKR was no longer doing book tours and signed copies of books were becoming rarer and rarer.
The current copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard being sold by Sotheby’s is number three of the seven that J.K Rowling produced. The author presented it to British publisher Barry Cunningham, who famously accepted the first Harry Potter book for publication. This copy is especially important to Wizard fans as Cunningham played an instrumental role in launching J.K Rowling’s career as an international best-selling author.
In a dedication written in the front of the book, JK Rowling wrote: ''To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell… THANK YOU.''
Cunningham recalls the experience of receiving the copy on 12th December 2007 as 'unreal,' becoming 'progressively more exciting' as he opened a white jiffy envelope to reveal a beautiful, cloth-wrapped manuscript book, adorned with semi-precious stones and a sterling silver mounted skull. The original packaging, in which the copy was delivered, is included as part of the lot.
Originally presented as a personal gift to 'those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books,' the manuscript of wizarding tales is one of only seven unique copies produced for the most important people in Rowling's life during this time.
'The personal resonance of this book makes this both an exceptional and highly desirable object to come to auction. It is particularly special as it is only one of six made for those closest to the author throughout the journey of creating the Harry Potter series, gifted to the man who recognised the brilliance of J.K Rowling’s writing and her potential impact on children’s literature,' explained Dr. Philip W. Errington, Director, Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department.
Bound in brown morocco leather, the manuscript carries seven unique mounted rhodochrosite stones. At the end of the volume, the author notes that these semi-precious stones are 'traditionally associated with love, balance and joy in daily life.' The exterior is additionally embellished with hallmarked sterling silver ornaments, centred by an ominous skull.
Containing clues that were to prove crucial to Harry Potter’s final mission to destroy Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a volume of five wizarding fairy-tales left to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Only one tale, 'The Tales of the Three Brothers' is recounted in the book.
The magical book will be on view at Sotheby's New York from 9th-11th November and Sotheby's London from 9th-13th December, 2016.
Patricia Elliott - The Connie Carew Mysteries: The Ship of Spectres: Book 2 - Published by Hodder Children's Books (3 Nov. 2016)
A brilliant new heroine with a nose for mystery and adventure - for all fans of Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow and Murder Most Unladylike.
After solving a case of potential identity theft, Connie Carew is back in her second mystery. This time, it takes place aboard a luxury ocean liner, bound for New York. Only, there's trouble at sea. Someone is trying to harm the passengers. Why? Who has a grudge against whom?
It's up to Connie to investigate the secrets of all the passengers as, mile by nautical mile, the ship sails closer towards disaster.
Connie is a clever, witty and opinionated young detective, living at an exciting time - the early part of the 20th century when women were beginning to carve careers and lives of their own. Patricia Elliott has been widely praised for her historical fiction. This is Patricia writing at her very best.
C. R. Grey - Song of the Sword (Animas) - Published by Hot Key Books (3 Nov. 2016)
After her defeat at the Progress Fair, Viviana is determined to return, and this time, she's building an army. With the Dominae strengthening, Tremelo, Bailey and the rest of their friends work feverishly to develop a device that could overpower Dominance once and for all. But when Tremelo is kidnapped, Bailey must take the lead in the fight to protect the bond.
As they prepare for battle, Bailey uncovers a legend: a sword with the power to defeat Viviana is hidden somewhere in the kingdom. On an epic journey across Aldermere in search of the sword, the friends unravel startling secrets about the bond, Bailey's past, and each other.
In this thrilling conclusion to the Animas trilogy, Bailey and his friends must risk everything to save the bond they treasure and restore the rightful king to the throne of Aldermere.
Ruth Hatfield - The Book of Shadows (The Book of Storms) - Published by Hot Key Books (17 Nov. 2016)
Strange shadows are appearing over Danny's town. Where they land, people are drained of all colour and hope. Cars crash; people stand, directionless.
Fleeing from the shadows, Danny knows Sammael is behind this horror. Danny knows the world must be saved; he knows that to do that, Sammael must be destroyed. Once again, Danny must overcome his belief that he's not brave, and face his greatest fears. Danny needs Cath. But first he must rescue her from underneath the shadows.
Their only hope might be the mysterious Book of Shadows - but they will have to make it first. And is Danny doing the right thing? Can Sammael really be destroyed?
The thrilling conclusion to The Book of Storms trilogy
Peter Jay Black - Shockwave (Urban Outlaws) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (3 Nov. 2016)
The Urban Outlaws have been infected! Hector Del Sarto used them to spread the deadly Medusa virus and now the whole of London is in lockdown. Only Hector and his father have the antidote. Can Jack, Charlie, Obi, Slink and Wren work together to bring down the Del Sartos once and for all? The whole city depends on them!
The Urban Outlaws face their toughest challenge yet in the final book of this high-octane adventure series for fans of Robert Muchamore, Anthony Horowitz and Alex Scarrow.
More magic and more monsters! A brand new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 23, sending Muggles everywhere into a frenzy.
After Potterheads were instructed to point their wands at the screen onstage, the Fantastic Beasts trailer began to play. The trailer starts with Colin Farrell, who plays Author Percival Graces, investigating the sudden arrival of several dangerous creatures in New York in the mid-1920s. As fans know, and as is later revealed in the trailer, the so-called “fantastic beasts” escaped from a magical briefcase owned by none other than Newt (Redmayne). Although several promos for the upcoming movie have previously been released, the Comic-Con video gives viewers a first look at the beasts themselves.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
will take moviegoers back to the Wizarding World – a place they haven’t visited in five years, since Harry Potter and the Death Hallows – Part 2 hit theaters in 2011. The film takes place several decades before Harry Potter’s story (in 1920s New York, to be exact), but won’t serve as a prequel to the grand saga of The Boy Who Lived. Rather, Fantastic Beastswill follow the adventures of Newt Scamander (Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne), the magizoologist who devoted his life to studying the magical creatures of the world and eventually wrote the eponymous wizard encyclopaedia, based on his findings.
Holiday Ha Ha Ha! and Winter Magic, both to publish in 2016.
Get ready to laugh your summer socks off with Holiday Ha Ha Ha! The collection contains eight sunny, funny reads from bestselling authors Steve Cole, Joanna Nadin, Jeremy Strong, William Sutcliffe, Steven Butler, Candy Harper and Jonathan Meres. David Solomons, whose debut children's book, My Brother is a Superhero, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016, is also a contributor.
From disastrous car journeys to super-powered grannies to gruesomely funny ghost hunters there's something for everyone in this side-splitting anthology. The cover is illustrated by Jamie Littler, known for his illustrations in Danny Wallace's children's books Hamish and the WorldStoppers and Hamish and the Neverpeople.
Holiday Ha Ha Ha! publishes in paperback, 30 June 2016.
Poised for Christmas, Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher and The Shadow Keeper has curated and contributed to a gorgeous collection of wintery stories in Winter Magic, featuring ice queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers. Classic children's writers Michelle Magorian, Michelle Harrison, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jamila Gavin, Berlie Doherty, Katherine Woodfine, Piers Torday, Lauren St John, Amy Alward and Emma Carroll have created an unmissable, enchanting treat of a collection. Abi Elphinstone has worked as a teacher in the UK and Africa, and is now a full time author and explorer. She volunteers for Beanstalk, and runs the children's book blog www.moontrug.com. Elphinstone says: 'I truly believe that the calibre of books being published for 8-12 year-olds at the moment is outstanding. The adventures are vast, the sense of wonder is unparalleled and I am so excited that a portion of this brilliance will be captured in Simon & Schuster's Winter Magic anthology.' Winter Magic publishes in hardback, 3 November 2016. Combined sales for contributors to both anthologies amount to nearly 7 million since records began. Holiday Ha Ha Ha! and Winter Magic are the first anthologies of this kind to be published by S&S Children's. Each anthology showcases the finest UK authors currently writing middle grade fiction. Conceived in-house, S&S hold world rights to both anthologies. Jane Griffiths, Senior Commissioning Editor for fiction says: 'Whether it's stories that have children laughing out loud or magical tales that transport them to another time and place, the appetite for fantastic middle grade books has never been higher. Here at Simon & Schuster we wanted to celebrate the wealth of talent in the UK writing for this age group. These two anthologies bring together some of the most-loved authors writing today and we're absolutely thrilled with both collections.'
Alexandra Maramenides, Managing Director, S&S Children's says:
'I am delighted to announce these two anthologies on the Simon & Schuster list. The collections champion middle grade children's authors in the UK, and I am thrilled that we have brought together such a talented mix of writers.'
