Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Book Picks - JUNE 2025 UK

Janice Hallett - A Box Full of Murders - Published by Puffin Children's Books 5. June 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241636183. - Paperback - Age: 9+

The first children's murder mystery from number-one-bestselling author of The Appeal, Janice Hallett, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Rhian Tracey.

When Ava and Luke discover a mysterious box of papers in their attic they are instantly curious about secrets it might hold. As they read through letters, diary entries, newspaper cuttings and listen to secret recordings, they realize that a decades-old, still unsolved, murder mystery is unfolding right in front of them . . .
Ava and Luke decide to try and crack the case themselves. But as they work through the clues, it soon becomes clear that the mystery isn't something left in the past: the killer is still out there - and might be closer than they think...

Peter Burns - Shadow Thieves - Published by Farshore 5.June 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008667818 - Paperback - Age: 9+

SKANDAR MEETS OLIVER TWIST IN THIS BLOCKBUSTING NEW MIDDLE-GRADE ADVENTURE SERIES – PERFECT FOR FANS OF PERCY JACKSON!

13-year-old Tom Morgan and his friends live on the streets of an alternate London, shining shoes and picking pockets – until one day Tom’s friends are caught and sent to a brutal workhouse.

Frantic and without a way to save them, Tom bumps into the mysterious Corsair, who offers him an opportunity to train at an elite international boarding school for thieves. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Tom lets himself be whisked away to the snowy Alps in a zeppelin. Swept into a thrilling world of danger and intrigue, the more secrets he learns about the Shadow League, the harder it becomes for Tom to leave. But there are dark forces at work and real danger is coming…

Can Tom save his fellow pupils from disaster – and ever be able to get home again to rescue his friends?

Get ready for the stunning debut in what is guaranteed to become every reader’s favourite new series! Heart-pounding adventure, thrilling heists, remote boarding schools full of ancient secrets waiting to be discovered and much much more…

Corrina Clarke - TraeLoc The Search for the Societies - Published by Olympia Publishers 12. June 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800742703 - Paperback - Age: 9+

Imagine finding out you're an heir to the throne and destined to rule a kingdom... Well, that's exactly what happens to Iris. On her thirteenth birthday, her world gets turned upside down. A stranger, the elusive Ezlard reveals the life-changing secret; something her father has managed to shield her from up until now. Iris has a choice to make; leave her ordinary life behind or take on the biggest challenge she'll ever face... But is she ready to swap school books for a world filled with magic and uncertainty?

Emily Randall-Jones - The Scream of the Whistle - Published by Chicken House 5.June 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915947147 - Paperback - Age: 8+

All aboard for a new middle-grade paranormal adventure from 2024 Branford Boase-longlisted author of The Witchstone Ghosts, Emily Randall-Jones.

Ruby is miserable. Her parents have split up, and now she’s stuck in a creepy village. At night, she decides to escape and follow the ancient train track home.

Her journey has barely begun when she hears the eerie scream of a whistle – and an old steam train appears out of the darkness . . .

Is Ruby ready for the ghost ride of her life?

READ THE FULL EXTRACT HERE

Helen Fairley - The Soul Collector - Author Interview Q&A - (The Book Guild Ltd)

This week we're delighted to introduce Helen Fairley and her debut book "THE SOUL COLLECTOR" published by The Book Guild on the 28th Feb 2025. This was recently featured in our Children's Book Picks for Feb 2025 post, which you can find HERE. We hope after reading this interview you might dare to put this SPOOKY ghost adventure on your reading list. You can order it from all the best places you usually buy your books from or you can ORDER HERE. Please help Sam, Jude, Olly, and Elsie uncover the MYSTERY that has haunted the village for centuries. 

What inspired you to write "The Soul Collector," and how did your experiences living in a haunted village influence the story?

Writing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, and I’m a complete bookworm—especially when it comes to a good ghost story. Over the years, I started many books but often reached a point where the characters or plot stopped working, leading me to set them aside. That all changed when I moved into my house, right in the middle of Britain’s most haunted village – Pluckley. It was there that the story for The Soul Collector truly came to life.

What intrigued me most was that, despite the countless eerie tales about Pluckley, there didn’t seem to be a clear connection between them—no single reason why the village had become such a ghostly hotspot. That mystery sparked my imagination, and I wanted to create a story that wove fragmented legends together, giving them a unifying thread.

Can you share any particular challenges you faced while writing this book, especially considering its themes of ghost stories and horror?

One of the biggest challenges I faced while writing The Soul Collector was finding the right balance between making the story thrilling and eerie without making it too frightening for young readers. Ghost stories should have just the right amount of suspense and chills to keep readers hooked, but for a 9-11 age group, it’s important not to push the fear factor too far.

I wanted to create an atmosphere that felt properly spooky—one that would send a shiver down the spine but still allow readers to feel safe enough to keep turning the pages. I focused on building tension through eerie settings, mysterious events, and the unknown rather than relying on outright horror. The bravery and resourcefulness of Sam, Jude, Olly, and Elsie also help to balance the scares, giving young readers characters they can root for and be inspired by.

It was definitely a challenge, but I loved playing with that fine line between excitement and fear, making sure The Soul Collector delivered plenty of thrills without tipping into nightmares!

How did you develop the characters of Sam and Jude? Are they based on anyone you know?

None of the characters in the book are wholly based on one person, but more an amalgamation of the many children I’ve taught over the years plus a little bit of my own two. I wanted to create characters who felt real, with all the wonderful warmth and complexities of young people, especially those who are dealing with trauma like Sam and Jude

The novel is targeted towards children aged 9-11. What message or themes do you hope young readers will take away from the story?

I’m a real champion of young people, and I want my readers to be inspired by the actions of Sam, Jude, Olly, and Elsie. The characters are brave, resourceful, and deeply loyal to their friends. Through their journey, I hope to show young readers the power of courage, teamwork, and resilience.

I love the energy and enthusiasm of children—it’s one of the reasons I enjoy my job so much—but I also feel that the modern world can sometimes dampen their natural curiosity and determination. With The Soul Collector, I wanted to create characters who remind young people just how marvellous they are, encouraging them to embrace their own sense of adventure and belief in themselves.

In "The Soul Collector," the setting plays an important role. How did you choose Pluckley, Kent, as the backdrop for your story?

I was born and raised in Kent and so have always been aware of the stories connected to Pluckley. When I was younger I’d be terrified of driving through the haunted woods at night in case a face appeared in the rearview mirror. I never imagined I’d end up living here, but when I did I realised there was so much more to this beautiful spot than just spooks. That said though, I also discovered just how widespread the village’s haunted fame spreads. We have a constant stream of ghost hunters prowling the graveyard and even our black cat has made his way into some of the numerous YouTube videos that ghost fans have posted. 

The village provided the perfect backdrop for a ghost story. The ancient churchyard, with its weathered headstones and whispering trees, felt like a place where the past still lingered. The quaint cottages, nestled among leafy lanes and surrounded by old orchards, held an undeniable charm—but also an unsettling stillness, as if they, too, were keeping secrets. Walking through that landscape, I could feel the weight of history pressing in. The Soul Collector was my way of capturing that eerie beauty and giving life to the spirits that seemed to echo through its streets.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any specific rituals or routines that help you stay focused?

I’m a real pontificator and had to be really strict with myself to write and not get distracted. As I did most of my writing during the school holidays, I had limited time and so had to be very regimented. I write first thing in the day and set myself a daily word limit, which I could obviously go over, but had to complete before moving on to other tasks. 

How do you balance your career as a teacher with your writing? Do your students inspire your work in any way?

The most enjoyable aspect of my day job is sharing books with my class and fostering a love of reading and writing. When writing, I would always practice reading chunks imagining I was reading to the children. This helped with the flow of the story. The enthusiasm and excitement I got from the children when I told them I was writing The Soul Collector also really helped me to keep going when I suffered any bouts of writer’s block. 

What do you hope readers will feel while reading "The Soul Collector"? Are there specific emotions or reactions you aimed to evoke? 

I want readers to go on the full emotional journey with Sam, Jude, Olly, and Elsie—feeling their excitement, fear, determination, and triumphs along the way. There are moments of suspense and mystery, where I hope readers feel that thrilling sense of anticipation, but at its heart, The Soul Collector is a story about friendship, bravery, and loyalty.

More than anything, I want young readers to come away with a sense of warmth and happiness. No matter how spooky the adventure gets, the bond between the characters is what truly matters. I hope the story leaves them feeling comforted, reminded of the importance of friends and family, and maybe even a little more confident in their own strength and resilience. 

Alex Atkinson - Spooksmiths Investigate: The Cinderman - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

In a world where the living and the dead intertwine with unsettling ease, debut author Alex Atkinson takes us on a thrilling ride through the shadowy corridors of a funeral parlour and beyond. This is a tale where the urn serves as the catalyst for the heady chaos to come. Spooksmiths Investigate will be published by Usborne Publishing on 10 October 2024. 

Indigo and Rusty are two-spirited siblings who, despite their unusual home, have always dismissed the notion of the supernatural. However, when an innocent accident sends an ancient urn crashing to the floor, they inadvertently unleash the Cinderman — a nightmarish ash monster determined to blanket their town in a suffocating layer of dust and despair. What follows is a race against time that is as heart-pounding as it is humorous.

This story has a fantastic blend of humour and horror, breathing life into a cast of spine-chilling characters. The Blasted Banshee, with her wailing wisdom, and Chuckles the Phantom Toddler, who somehow manages to be both adorable and eerie. Each ghost is a testament to Alex's creative flair, providing both comedic moments and unexpected depth as they confront their own struggles.

The writing is sharp and vibrant as it dances jigs between playful banter and moments of genuine tension. As the clock ticks down to sunset, the stakes escalate, leaving readers breathless with anticipation. The quest for the Cinderman’s true name is not just a matter of survival; it’s a journey of self-discovery for Indigo and Rusty, who must embrace their newfound Spooksmith skills and rally the living and the dead alike in a battle against apocalyptic ash.

This tale is a heartfelt reminder that courage comes in many forms—even if it means teaming up with a ghostly toddler to save the day. So, prepare for a hauntingly good time that will leave you laughing, gasping, and perhaps a little more open to the idea of ghosts lurking in the shadows. Grab your flashlight, settle in, and dive into this enchanting tale of adventure and friendship—before the Cinderman claims your town!

Angela Kecojevic - SCAREGROUND - Guest Post (Neem Tree Press) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Roll up, roll up, the Scareground is in town!

Twelve-year-old Nancy Crumpet lives above a bakery and her life is a delightful mix of flour, salt, and love. Yet
her mind is brimming with questions no one can answer: 

Why did her birth parents disappear? 

Why can she speak with the sky?

And why must she keep her mysterious birthmark hidden?

Everything is about to change when the Scareground returns to Greenwich. Nancy is convinced it holds the
answers to her parents’ disappearance. Nancy and her best friend Arthur Green meet the fair’s spooky owner,
Skelter, and discover a world full of dark magic and mystery. Nancy must confront her greatest fears to get to
the truth. But is she ready for all the secrets the Scareground will reveal?

Scareground introduces young readers to the lives of children in Victorian England. It covers themes of friendship, identity and belonging, courage and overcoming fear. Scareground will be published on September 7th by Neem Tree Press.  Angela has always been a huge fan of spooky stories and has spent a lot of time studying the art of creating suspense. One of her favourite masterclasses was by Alfred Hitchcock. He discussed how the increasing number of birds in a major scene (The Birds) helped create the right amount of tension. Angela has written several books for the Oxford Reading Tree programme and she is also a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work.  

Are you brave enough to accept the invitation and enter the #Scareground? I'm not sure... You can pre-order it HERE!

Angela Kecojevic

Angela is a senior librarian and a creative writing tutor and has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme. She is also the author behind the multi-award-winning adventure park Hobbledown. Her characters can be seen walking around the park, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work. Scareground, her debut spine-tingling middle-grade novel will be published in 2023. She lives in Oxford with her family. 

https://linktr.ee/akecojevic

The Best New Children's Book Picks US - May 2021 - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Brian Young - Healer of the Water Monster - Published by Heartdrum (May 11, 2021) - Hardback 

Brian Young’s powerful debut novel tells of a seemingly ordinary Navajo boy who must save the life of a Water Monster—and comes to realize he’s a hero at heart.

When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. 

One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story—a Water Monster—in need of help. 

Now Nathan must summon all his courage to save his new friend. With the help of other Navajo Holy Beings, Nathan is determined to save the Water Monster, and to support Uncle Jet in healing from his own pain.

The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

Sam Subity - The Last Shadow War - Published by Scholastic Press (May 4, 2021) - Hardback 

Percy Jackson meets Thor in a laugh-out-loud, action-packed adventure inspired by Norse mythology.
Twelve-year-old Abby Beckett is proud to come from a long line of elite Viking warriors known as the Aesir. She's spent her entire life training to hunt the horrific creatures known as Grendels--the ancient foe of the Aesir--just like her mother did before she died. But there's just one, small problem: No one has seen a Grendel in centuries, and the Viking Council wants to disband the Aesir . . . forever.

When her father is injured in an attack that leaves him in a coma, Abby is forced to take refuge at Vale Hall, a mysterious school in Minnesota where nothing is quite as it seems. She soon discovers the tables have turned and a Grendel is hunting her, but when she tries to alert the Viking Council, they accuse her of making up stories for attention . . . just like her mother did.

Desperate to protect her father and clear her mother's name, Abby goes on a dangerous quest to discover the truth--a journey that brings her face-to-face with some unlikely foes, including a Ping-Pong-playing sea monster with a wicked backhand, and a dark Valkyrie with a fondness for bingo. Abby quickly realizes that someone at the school is trying to stop her progress and destroy the Aesir for good. And only she can unravel the sinister plot before it's too late.

Jacqueline West - Long Lost - Published by Greenwillow Books (May 18, 2021) - Hardback 

Lost is an atmospheric, eerie mystery brimming with suspense. Fans of Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces and Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts series will lose themselves in this mesmerizing and century-spanning tale.

Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist.

When Fiona’s family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. With a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book’s strange history. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places—maybe even from the sister she thinks doesn’t care about her anymore.

Fran Wilde - Riverland - Published by Amulet Paperbacks (May 11, 2021) - Paperback 
The story of two sisters who must journey to a magical world to save their home in this stunning middle-grade novel, which won the 2019 Andre Norton Nebula Award—now in paperback

When things go bad at home, sisters Eleanor and Mike hide in a secret place under Eleanor’s bed, telling stories about how one day, their real parents will come and save them. Often, it seems those stories and their mother’s house magic are all that keep them safe from busybodies and their dad’s temper. But when their father breaks a family heirloom, a glass witch ball, a river suddenly appears beneath the bed, and Eleanor and Mike fall into a world where dreams are born, nightmares struggle to break into the real world, and secrets have big consequences. Full of both adventure and heart, Riverland is a story about the bond between two sisters and how they must make their own magic to protect each other and save the ones they love.

Guest Post: Nick Tomlinson - The Ghouls of Howlfair - How I Became a Horror Writer

Hello everybody. The nights are getting darker and Halloween is getting closer. I hear you all asking, what's new in the scary kid's book world? What book is going to get your heart racing and your spine-tingling? Well, this is the book for you. It's the fantastic debut spooky mystery by Nick Tomlinson (illustrated by Kim Geyer). The Ghouls of Howlfair will be published by Walker Books this October (2019). This might just be the book that you've been looking for. 

Welcome, Nick, to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. Thank you for writing this guest post about the book and how you became a Horror writer. I am sure that this post will entice everyone to pick this book up and read it this coming autumn. Bookdepository.com

Firing Jacob and Hiring Molly – How I Became a Horror Writer 
Aeons ago, after my first book (written for grown-ups) got good reviews but only sold four copies, I decided to become a children’s writer. Everyone was going loopy about Harry Potter, and becoming a famous children’s writer struck me as the best way to achieve my artistic dream of selling more than four books. Also, I’d had an amazing idea for a middle-grade fantasy story, and I wanted to write it before someone else got there first. 


In kids’ fantasy books, you tend to get the main character who journeys to a magical world (say, Narnia) from somewhere real (say, Smethwick). Often there’s a reason why the character’s destined to go to that fantasy world. They have credentials - they’ve defeated Voldemort or they’re meant to fulfil an ancient prophecy or something. This is where I tripped myself up: I had a good reason why my character, Jacob, was supposed to journey to my fantasy land (Howlfair, a scary town full of monsters), but it was so flipping complicated that it took me half the book to explain it. Jacob and my book were doomed from the start, but I wrote it anyway, and rewrote it, and rewrote it. 


There was something pure about my early efforts to write the book. Specifically, they were pure rubbish. Every other page saw some soothsayer step from behind a curtain and deliver a speech about a meaningful aspect of Jacob’s backstory. By the final scene, the monsters were so bored with delivering speeches that they wanted to be killed. 


My agent didn’t deal with children’s books, so we parted ways and now I had no agent. I wrote hundreds of drafts and sent them to scores of agents; many liked the opening chapters but spat out their coffee when I told them the final word-count. They’d advise me to cut fifty-thousand words, so I’d chop the manuscript in half and then neaten up the edges by adding some clarifying dialogue about Jacob’s highly significant past, and suddenly presto! The manuscript was even bigger than before. Like a self-renewing monster from Greek myth. 


I carried on hacking down and bulking up my manuscript for fifteen years, always convinced that the next draft would be the one that’d get published. 


My fantasy setting, Howlfair, was a town built over a gateway to Hell. Miners had accidentally opened the gateway, flooding the whole valley with monsters. The townsfolk had organised themselves into special groups to take on the monsters – the Order of Noble Vampire Hunters, the Order of the Silver Bullet, etc. My protagonist, Jacob, accidentally found himself joining a group of wimpy warrior-farmers that everyone else laughed at. But, owing to a three-hundred-page backstory involving a potion Jacob had drunk when he was four, Jacob’s destiny was to lead this rag-tag group in a mission to save Howlfair from a demon. It was a pretty good premise, I thought - but I couldn’t make it work. It wasn’t until I was lounging in a beer-barrel hot-tub on a dog-friendly eco-holiday in Wales, a holiday my wife and I had booked after adopting a dog we’d found outside a petrol station in Birmingham, that I suddenly realised how to save the story. 


What if I stopped trying to write a fantasy book and wrote horror instead? In horror, a character doesn’t go from Smethwick to Narnia. In horror, something malicious comes from Hell to Smethwick. Something evil invades the day-to-day. Your character doesn’t need a reason to go where the action happens, because in horror the action happens right here. 


Unfortunately, this meant that I had to fire poor Jacob. His backstory was a many-tentacled presence in my mind. The thought of him gave me vertigo. I needed a new protagonist, one without baggage. 


For a long time, a character called Molly Thompson had been patiently haunting my imagination. I’d never considered her for this story because she wasn’t a feisty brave hero like you nearly always get in kids’ fantasy books. She was a shy bookworm, based on the shy bookworms I’d taught in a Birmingham girls’ school, girls who described themselves as weird and clumsy and socially awkward. I’d hoped to write a book one day in which these girls could meet a character like themselves, a character who was shy and awkward but 
unstoppable, and Molly would be the star of that book. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt as though Molly wanted to be in my Howlfair story. 


I turned Howlfair from a fantasy world into a corny tourist town with lots of silly old legends about monsters, legends nobody believes in. Nobody, that is, except a shy, unstoppable amateur historian named Molly Thompson, who lives in the creepy Excelsior Guesthouse. Molly knows the old legends better than anyone else, and she certainly knows them well enough to spot when one of them – the legend of the Ghouls of Loonchance Manor – is starting to come true… 


How does Molly fare? Well, she’s definitely not your usual brave adventurer. But, though I feel bad for Jacob, I hope readers will agree that once the scary old stories of Howlfair begin coming to life and someone needs to stop them, Molly turned out to be the right person for the job.

Twitter: @Tomlinsonio
Website: https://www.nicktomlinson.com

Nick Ward - The Night's Realm - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

• 
  
• Are you afraid of the dark? Well, you might be if you read this book. Nick Ward (author and illustrator) will see his latest project come to life as it's published by David Fickling Books on the 5th September 2019. The book supports a fantastic cover design that will invite many readers to look and read it. With its title foil-blocked, it will certainly sparkle on the shelves just like the story inside. The book features some brilliant black and white illustrations which are a visual treat. They will certainly gravitate any young and/or reluctant reader into giving this story a try.
• 
  
• Dare to Enter...  and turn the pages. Billy has a secret. A secret he doesn't want anyone to know. Shhh! .... he is absolutely terrified of the dark. Surely not? However, things are about to get very scary and maybe a little crazy for Billy as finds himself trapped in a land where it is always dark. Unfortunately, he is the only one who can remember home. Can Billy step up, face his fears and save all the other children? It's time for him to believe in himself.
• 
  
• You have come this far reader...  This is a fantastic story to read from the very first page. Instantly transported into a world of nightmares, darkness, magic, witches and warlocks, you'll eventually arrive at the perfect setting. A parallel wobbly world, where things are not quite what they seem. There's a foreboding fortress of darkness leaking through the foggy air of unnaturalness. This story is very imaginative and creative - there are some fantastic ideas that have been conjured up. All of which help to pull on the spooky plot as you run for your dear life... and you will RUN.
• 
  
• As the main character (Billy) needs to face his fears and become the reluctant hero, he finds himself needing to overpower the magician in a strange realm. He needs to save his newfound friends before the fear is sucked right out of their living bodies. It's a fantastic reminder about what lies in the dark and facing your fears, especially when you are young. 
• 
  
• This is a brilliant read perfect for Halloween or readers who like a little scare when they are reading. Although, it is also uplifting, charming and relatable on so many levels. It's a visual treat and a charming delight with some surreal magical adventure moments that you will love. So step up, face your fears and be brave enough to accept this book recommendation from Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books.

   
   Visit Nick Wards Website: www.nickwardillustration.co.uk

Sophie Green - Potkin and Stubbs - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Lil Potkin lives in bleak Peligan City. Her mum works in City Hall and is rarely at home, so aspiring journalist Lil has all the time she needs to explore the city in her bright yellow raincoat, investigating unsolved stories.

One rainy evening Lil meets a sad-looking boy sitting by himself in the bus station and buys him a hot chocolate. That night Lil wakes to find him in her bedroom. He doesn't want to admit to being a ghost, but when he finally remembers his name (Nedly ... possibly) he explains that he needs Lil's help to find out what happened to him after he disappeared from his orphanage a year ago.

So Lil and Nedly - aka Potkin and Stubbs - team up to solve their mystery, and they call in the reluctant help of once-famous detective Abe Mandrel. He agrees to help them with the Stubbs case if they help him find the criminal who escaped justice and cost him his career.

Except - Mandrel thinks it's only Lil he's working with. And Lil realises she is the only person in the whole of Peligan City who can see Nedly. Which can come in handy when trying to solve crime...


As we dip our fantasy toes into 2019, there are some fantastic new reads to whet our appetite. Looking into the immediate future, there is an eye-catching new book by Sophie Green called Potkin and Stubbs. This book first grabbed my attention when it was featured in my little book cover wars 2018 competition. It has to be one of my favourites and looks amazing in the flesh; a bundle of green and golden joy. The superb illustrations are from the talented Karl James Mountford which are delightfully in keeping with the story and add some timely atmospheric detail.  Unfortunately for you, dear reader, you will have to wait until the beginning of March 2019 to get your eager mitts on a copy. However, good things come to people who wait and this book is not just good ... it's BRILLIANT. So put it on your pre-order list. 

Sophie Green's favourite film is Ghost Busters. Bearing this in mind, it is clear that some of the influence has rubbed off and can be seen within this story. The plot is filled with some fantastically spooky shenanigans as you venture through, if you dare, as it will both scare and delight you. The book instantly plunges the reader into an atmospheric dark journey that will capture the imagination and pull the threads of the fantasy soul. It will leave you fully engrossed and turning the pages like a demon possessed. 

The detective story starts with the introduction of the fantastic protagonist, twelve-year-old, Lil Potkin. Looking for a story and ready for action, she is armed with a small rucksack, notepad and a nest of chewed pencils. Something soon captures her attention through a missing toy advert and a mystery sad looking boy. She decides to investigate, but what could possibly go wrong?

Catapulted into a dark world of corruption and deceit, the storyline makes an amazing read. The author has come up with some cracking ideas blending it with a creative and unusual concept. It has all the ingredients I love: drama, tension, mystery and a very disturbing eerie quality like walking into a spider's web and breaking the macabre tension with a fantasy knife. 

It's a fantastic story. Although slightly sad, it is layered with mystery and an unlikely investigation trio of Potkin, Stubbs, and Mandrel (who is my favourite character) the walking Swiss army knife. The book is littered with humour, heart and some fantastic plot moments that everyone will absolutely love. I read this book so quickly; I could not put it down. 

The setting feels monochrome and atmospheric which encapsulates the story giving it a timeless, vintage quality and a slightly unique feel. It will easily hook you in and then sucker punch you at the end. Excitingly, this might be the beautiful start to an amazing new series. If so, it will certainly be at the top of my list for 2019. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Middle Grade Book Picks (9-12yrs) January 2018 - US Post Two

Michael Dante DiMartino - Warrior Genius (Rebel Geniuses) - Published by Roaring Brook Press (January 2, 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1626723375

In Warrior Genius, author Michael Dante DiMartino delivers rich settings, memorable characters, and edge-of-your-seat action, just as he did in his hit animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Fans will be thrilled with this new adventure!

For years, Supreme Creator Nerezza has used fear and violence to rule her empire, seeking to eradicate anyone with a Genius. Then, twelve-year-old Giacomo emerged from hiding and joined a young generation of fellow artists paired with Geniuses. Together, they began a rebellion against her.

Now, Giacomo has something Nerezza desperately wants―the Compass, one of three powerful objects known as the Sacred Tools. Possessing all three would allow Nerezza to spread her tyranny worldwide.

After a near-fatal showdown, Giacomo and his friends escape to the empire of Rachana, a society long feared for its mighty warriors and their horse-Geniuses. But a dark and ancient force threatens the horse-Geniuses with extinction, and Giacomo discovers he is the only one who can stop it.

With the help of his Genius and great friends, Giacomo struggles to keep the Sacred Tools from falling into the wrong hands and find a way to protect the Rachanan people―before Nerezza finds him.

MarcyKate Connolly - Shadow Weaver - Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (January 2, 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1492649953

Fans of Serafina and the Black Cloak and The Night Gardener will devour Shadow Weaver, the first in a dark middle-grade fantasy duology that's filled with shadows, danger, magic, and has the feel of a new classic. 

Emmeline's gift of controlling shadows has isolated her from the rest of the world, but she's grown to be content, hidden away in her mansion with Dar, her own shadow, as her only company. 

Disaster strikes when a noble family visits their home and offers to take Emmeline away and cure her of magic. Desperate not to lose her shadows, she turns to Dar who proposes a deal: Dar will change the noble's mind, if Emmeline will help her become flesh as she once was. Emmeline agrees but the next morning the man in charge is in a coma and all that the witness saw was a long shadow with no one nearby to cast it. Scared to face punishment, Emmeline and Dar run away. 

With the noble's guards on her trail, Emmeline's only hope of clearing her name is to escape capture and perform the ritual that will set Dar free. But Emmeline's not sure she can trust Dar anymore, and it's hard to keep secrets from someone who can never leave your side.

Frank L. Cole - The Eternity Elixir (Potion Masters)  - Published by Shadow Mountain (January 2, 2018) -  ISBN-13: 978-1629723587

Twelve-year-old Gordy Stitser is one of the few people who knows the truth about the secret society of potion masters, because not only is Gordy's mom on the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide (B.R.E.W.), but she has also been training Gordy in the art of potion-making.

Gordy is a natural, and every day he sneaks down to the basement lab to invent new potions using exotic ingredients like fire ant eggs, porcupine quills, and Bosnian tickling juice.

One afternoon, Gordy receives a mysterious package containing an extremely rare potion known as ''The Eternity Elixir.'' In the right hands, the Elixir continues to protect society. But in the wrong hands, it could destroy the world as we know it.

Now, sinister potion masters are on the hunt to steal the Eternity Elixir. It's up to Gordy, his parents, and his best friends, Max and Adeline, to prevent an all-out potion war.

Abby Rosser - Believe - Published by WordCrafts Press (January 3, 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-0999647530

Always travel SE.
Never touch the ground.
And above all,
Do Not Forget!

Dooley Creed was a nobody in Boston. He’s even more of a nobody now that his family has moved to Peacock Valley, Minnesota.

Dooley Creed is no genius. Dooley Creed is no hero. There is absolutely nothing special about Dooley Creed. At least, that’s what Dooley Creed believes.

Then he meets his next-door neighbors, the Mulligans – the weirdest family in Peacock Valley - and embarks on the strangest adventure of all time. Hybrid creatures, ancient curses, Vikings and Valkyries? It’s up to Dooley Creed to save the day!

But first Dooley must learn to...Believe.

To order a copy here is the link. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Middle Grade Book Picks (9-12yrs) January 2018 - US Post One

Paul Durham - The Last Gargoyle - Published by Crown Books for Young Readers (9 Jan. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1524700201

Fans of Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener and Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book will tremble with delight for this haunting tale about a lonely gargoyle who isn't alone at all.

Penhallow is the last of his kind. The stone gargoyle--he'd prefer you call him a grotesque--fearlessly protects his Boston building from the spirits who haunt the night. But even he is outmatched when Hetty, his newest ward, nearly falls victim to the Boneless King, the ruler of the underworld.

Then there's Viola, the mysterious girl who keeps turning up at the most unlikely times. In a world where nightmares come to life, Viola could be just the ally Penhallow needs. But can he trust her when every shadow hides another secret? Can he afford not to?

Kate Davies - The Crims - Published by HarperCollins (25 Jan. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-0062494092

The Addams Family meets Despicable Me in the first book of this new trilogy, perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Pseudonymous Bosch!

The Crim family is full of notorious criminals. Notoriously inept, that is. Uncle Knuckles once tried to steal a carnival. Great-Uncle Bernard held himself hostage by accident. Aunt Drusilla died slipping on a banana peel. But Imogen is different. She was born with a skill for scandal. A knack for the nefarious. A mastery of misdemeanors.

Despite her natural talent for all things unlawful, Imogen got out of the family business years ago. But when the rest of the Crims are accused of pulling off a major heist—which seems doubtful, to say the least—Imogen is forced to step in to clear their names. Because only a truly skilled criminal can prove the bumbling family’s innocence….

Ben Guterson (Author) Chloe Bristol (Illustrator) -  Winterhouse - Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (January 2, 2018) - 

• ISBN-13: 978-1250123886

Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to car for, and even Winterhouse itself? 

Mystery, adventure, and beautiful writing combine in this exciting debut richly set in a hotel full of secrets.

Melissa Albert - The Hazel Wood: A Novel - Published by Flatiron Books (January 30, 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1250147905

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.