Showing posts with label Teens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teens. Show all posts

Monday, 18 September 2023

The Best Children's Book Picks SEPTEMBER 2023 - US Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 


Introducing our delightful children's book picks for September 2023! This month, we have a collection of fantastic tales that will spark imagination and captivate readers. From whimsical adventures to heartwarming stories, these books are sure to bring joy to children of all ages. Let the magic unfold as we embark on a journey through the pages of these wonderful stories!

Coco Ma - Nightbreaker - Published by Viking Books for Young Readers (19 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593621462 - Hardback - Age: 14+ 

Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing thrust Manhattan into darkness, forever changing the City That Never Sleeps. By day, resilient New Yorkers have adapted, clinging to the vestiges of their cosmopolitan lives. By night―well, you never go out at night unless you have a death wish. Or unless you're Rei Reynolds. Rei attends an exclusive New York prep school, but unlike her classmates, she welcomes nightfall. That's when she can secretly hunt Deathlings, the deadly creatures that have prowled Manhattan's subway tunnels and blood-soaked streets since the Vanishing. After they brutally slaughtered her parents years ago, Rei is desperate for vengeance. To get it, Rei must qualify for―and win―the Tournament, a competition to join the ranks of the city’s legendary Deathling hunters. Rei’s nightly pursuits should give her an advantage, but the other competitors are fierce, and in some cases familiar: enter Kieran Cross, Rei’s most infuriating rival . . . and ex-boyfriend. As the Tournament progresses―and the cutthroat competition escalates―everything Rei believed about who she can trust is called into question. Soon enough, she’s caught in the crosshairs of the elite who want to keep the city's ruling class in power, as well as those who will stop at nothing to bring it down. Because sometimes it's not the monsters waiting in the dark you should fear . . . it's the ones who dare to walk into the light. Coco Ma's exhilarating urban fantasy thrusts readers into an immersive world of thrills and chills, featuring the smart, sardonic post-apocalyptic heroine you’ll soon wish you could be.

Janelle McCurdy - The Traitor of Nubis: 2 (Umbra Tales) - Published by Aladdin (19 Sept. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1665901307 - Hardback - Age: 7+

Mia grapples with the responsibility of her new powers and uncovers even more of Nubis's secrets in this thrilling second book in the Umbra Tales middle-grade series that's Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Golden Compass.

The Reaper King's attempt to break free and thrust the rest of the Kingdom of Lunis into darkness has been thwarted, but all is still not well in Nubis, Mia's moonlit kingdom home. The whole city is on guard for another attempt to resurrect the Reaper King. Though imprisoned, his followers, the Elite, are still inside the city, and tensions among the population are at an all-time high. 

Meanwhile, Mia struggles to cope with her new Lightcaster powers and to fit in with the rest of the tamers, many of whom are skeptical of her abilities. But it's the appearance of old friends and new maybe-enemies that will truly put Mia's abilities--and the loyalties of everyone she trusts--to the test.


Karl Hiaasen- ‎ Wrecker - 
Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 26, 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593376287 - Hardback - Age: 9+

Wrecker needs to deal with smugglers, grave robbers, and pooping iguanas—just as soon as he finishes Zoom school. Welcome to another wild adventure in Carl Hiaasen's Florida!

Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living. 

So is it destiny, irony, or just bad luck when Wrecker comes across a speedboat that has run hard aground on a sand flat? The men in the boat don't want Wrecker to call for help—in fact, they'll pay him to forget he ever saw them. 

Wrecker would be happy to forget, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his own door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout.

He'll have to dive deep into their shady dealings to figure out a way to escape 
this tangled net. . . .


Lindsay Currie - It Fund Us -  Sourcebooks Young Readers (September 5, 2023) - 
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728259499 - Hardback - Age: 7+

From the author of Scritch Scratch and The Girl in White comes a new spooky mystery about a girl detective who must decode a series of ominous clues tied to a century-old tragedy to find a missing teenager before it's too late…

Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods has always had an unusual knack for sleuthing. Some may call it snooping, but all she really wants is to solve mysteries around town. So, when she not-so-accidentally overhears her brother Den planning to sneak into the cemetery at night for an epic game of hide-and-seek, she decides to secretly tag along. This seems like the perfect opportunity to investigate the claims that the cemetery is haunted.

But the moment the game ends, Hazel realizes something is very, very wrong. From her hiding spot in the bushes, she overhears that her brother's best friend, Everett, is missing. Everyone else was found by the seeker but there's no sign of Everett anywhere. It's as if he just . . . vanished

Hazel and Den are determined to find Everett before it's too late. But as they begin to unravel the terrifying clues that started appearing since that night in the graveyard–eerie whispers that sound like someone counting, the intermittent smell of smoke, and the cold, lost presence that follows them everywhere, she's not sure what they are dealing with. But Everett needs more than search parties and scent-tracking dogs to find him, especially if his disappearance is tied to the history of the cemetery, and the lost, century-old spirits that might still be trapped there . . .



Ethan M. Aldridge -  Deephaven - Published by
Quill Tree Books (September 5, 2023) - 
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063283169 - Hardback - Age: 7+ 


From Ethan M. Aldridge, bestselling creator of Estranged, comes a gothic middle-grade prose novel that follows a nonbinary student who is drawn to their boarding school’s forbidden east wing, where something stalks the shadowy corridors. Perfect for fans of J. A. White and Mary Downing Hahn!

When Guinevere "Nev" Tallow receives an acceptance letter to the exclusive Deephaven Academy, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for.

But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released.

With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themself to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven's halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

Thursday, 23 June 2022

The Best Children's US Book Picks June 2022 - Picked by Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 


Kiersten White - Wretched Waterpark (The Sinister Summer Series) - Published by ‎ Delacorte Press (June 7, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593379042 - Hardback - Age: 7+

A brand-new middle-grade mystery series that's spooky, creepy, and filled with gothic twists! Meet the Sinister-Winterbottom twins, who solve mysteries at increasingly bizarre summer vacation destinations in the hopes of being reunited with their parents—or at the very least finally finding a good churro.

Meet the Sinister-Winterbottoms: brave Theo, her timid twin, Alexander, and their older sister, Wil. They’re stuck for the summer with their Aunt Saffronia, who doesn’t know how often children need to eat and can’t use a smartphone, and whose feet never quite seem to touch the floor when she glides—er—walks. 

When Aunt Saffronia suggests a week pass to the Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, they hastily agree. But the park is even stranger than Aunt Saffronia. The waterslides look like gray gargoyle tongues. The employees wear creepy black dresses and deliver ominous messages. An impossible figure is at the top of the slide tower, people are disappearing, and suspicious goo is seeping into the wave pool. 

Something mysterious is happening at Fathoms of Fun, and it’s up to the twins to get to the bottom of it. The mystery, that is. NOT the wave pool. Definitely NOT the wave pool. But are Theo and Alexander out of their depth?


Lora Senf - The Clackity - Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (June 28, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1665902670 - Hardback - Age: 9+
Reminiscent of Doll Bones, this deliciously eerie middle-grade novel tells the story of a girl who must enter a world of ghosts, witches, and monsters to play a game with deadly consequences and rescue her aunt.

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor—the seventh-most haunted town in America—with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn’t have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her.

There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie must embark on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls.


Judith Eagle (Author), Jo Rioux (Illustrator) - The Pear Affair  - Published by Walker Books US (June 14, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1536217032 - Hardback - Age: 9+


Nell is determined to find her beloved missing au pair in this vibrant adventure set in, and underneath, Paris.
Penelope Magnificent spends as little time as possible with her awful parents—a grocery-mogul father and a fashion-obsessed mother who loves expensive purses more than she does her daughter. But when they mention an important trip to Paris, Nell begs to come along. Paris holds something very dear to her: her old au pair Perrine—Pear—who lives there. Pear used to write to Nell every week, promising to come to her rescue, but recently the letters stopped. With the help of a savvy bellboy named Xavier, Nell sets out from her parents’ ultra-fancy Parisian hotel to find her beloved Pear. But Pear’s old neighbors and coworkers are strangely tight-lipped. And as Nell’s search for the truth takes her and Xavier to some of the darkest, most mysterious parts of the city, a sinister plot comes to light involving the destruction of a cherished—and delicious—part of Parisian life. Food, fashion, and intrigue abound in this delightful caper from the author of The Secret Starling.


Kelly Devos - Go Hunt Me - Published by Razorbill (June 14, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593204856 - Hardback - Age: 12+ 

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secretsthis spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.
 
She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of 
Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.
 
But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.
 
Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film's first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - June 2020 - Post Two

Nicky Drayden - The Hero of Numbani (Overwatch #1) - Published by Scholastic Inc. (June 2, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1338575972 - Paperback - Age: 12+

This action-packed novel features the fan-favorite characters Efi, Orisa, Doomfist, and Lúcio in an all-new, original story straight from the minds of the Overwatch game team and critically acclaimed author Nicky Drayden!
In the technologically advanced African city of Numbani, in the not-so-distant future, humans live in harmony with humanoid robots known as omnics. But when a terrorist tries to shatter that unity, a hero named Efi Oladele rises! 

Efi has been making robots since she was little -- machines to better her community and improve people's lives. But after she witnesses Doomfist's catastrophic attack on the city's OR15 security bots, Efi feels the call to build something greater: a true guardian of Numbani.

While Doomfist sows discord between humans and omnics, Efi engineers an intelligent and compassionate robot, Orisa, named after the powerful spirits who guide her people. Orisa has a lot to learn before she's ready to defeat Doomfist, but Efi has some learning to do, too, especially when it comes to building -- and being -- a hero. With Doomfist rallying his forces, and the military powerless to stop him, can Efi mold Orisa into the hero of Numbani before it's too late?




Jenny Elder Moke - Hood - Published by Disney-Hyperion (June 9, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1368047456 - Hardback - Age: 12+ 
You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.
Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John's ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle's father, Robin Hood. 
As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf's clutches and find the father she's never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?


Svetlana Chmakova - The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods - Published by JY (June 16, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1975311223 - Paperback Age: 7+

  • In the Night Realm, vampires, shifters, weirns, and other night things passing for human prowl the streets... but they still have to go to school! Ailis and Na'ya are pretty average students (NOT losers), but when a shadow starts looming and a classmate gets all weird, they are the first to notice. It gets personal, though, when Na'ya's little brother D'esh disappears-It's time to confront the secrets of the forbidden mansion in the Silent Woods!

    Join the acclaimed author of Awkward, Svetlana Chmakova, for an outing into her favorite fantastical world full of magic and adventure!



    Zoraida Córdova - The Way to Rio Luna -  Published by Scholastic Inc. (June 2, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1338239546 - Hardback - Age: 8+

    Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales. 

    Danny doesn't care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn't another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she'd come back for him, and they'd build a new life together in Rio Luna.

    Yet as the years pass, Danny's faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It's a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili. 

    As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn't always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known.

Monday, 1 June 2020

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - June 2020 - Post One


Alex Aster - Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island) - Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers (June 9, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1492697206 - Hardback - Age: 7+
A fast-paced series starter, perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and filled with adventure, mythology, and an unforgettable trio of friends.
On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.
Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.
The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.
With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.
"Debut author Aster takes inspiration from Colombian folklore to craft a rousing series opener that's both fast-paced and thrilling. As her protagonists face off against a host of horrors, they learn the value of friendship and explore the possibility of changing one's fate in a world where destiny is predetermined.


Erin Bowman - The Girl and the Witch's Garden - Published by Simon & Schuster Books (June 23, 2020)  - ISBN-13: 978-1534461581 - Hardback - Age: 8+

The Secret Garden meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in this rich, charming middle-grade adventure about a girl determined to infiltrate her grandmother’s enchanted garden with the help of some magically gifted friends.
Mallory Estate is the last place twelve-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory—the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother—is a witch.

But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.

The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, and magic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.

J . C. Lucas - Sword of Light (The Four Keys) - Published by J.C. Lucas - Author (June 15, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1735076409 - Paperback - Age: 8+

"You must find the four Keys to keep our worlds from burning..."Andie didn't expect to be orphaned, and she doesn't want to leave the only house she ever lived in. No parents, no Nan, no one but Anne, a weird woman who carries on conversations with old books and empty purses.
When Anne drops her off at her new home in a small town in The Middle of Nowhere, Texas, Andie is at a loss. Her new guardian, Celeste, claims to have been a lifelong friend of her nan, and is one eccentric figure among many others who live in the small town, all of whom seem to know something that Andie doesn't...
One evening, when the woods behind Celeste's house spirit her away, Andie discovers a secret so incredible she can scarcely believe it: she's half-Fae, half-Witch, and it's her destiny to find the four Keys that will save the Tuatha De Danann from annihilation. 
Worlds collide when two of her new friends from school, the sweet, helpful Teagan and the rude bad boy Hunter, join her on her journey to reach the mysterious place known only as Finias. There; they'll find the first Key: the Sword of Light.
As they flee the wicked Fomorians and do battle with the Witch Freya, Andie and the boys forge new alliances and make some more adversaries. Will Andie and her friends rise to the challenge, or is the magical realm as good as gone already?


A . J. Hartley - Cathedrals of Glass: Valkrys Wakes - Published by To the Stars (June 23, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1943272365 - Hardback - Age: 11+ ( Foreword by Tom DeLonge )


Teenagers fight for survival on an icy planet in this dystopian science fiction thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Steeplejack.

Second in the Cathedrals of Glass series.

The struggle is far from over for the deviant passengers of the Phetteron

Since their ship crash-landed on frozen Valkrys, life for Sola and her companions has been harsh. The deserted, unknown planet has awakened troublesome psychic powers within them. Meanwhile, a malevolent parasite used their minds to turn them against one another. Then what they thought was a rescue team was actually a group of soldiers sent to eradicate them.

Months later, those who survived seem to have settled into a quiet routine. Instead of the protein bars and nutra drinks they once consumed back home, they now eat what small birds and furry animals they can catch. They’ve also traded server towers and chat rooms for the cobalt blue crystal underground caves and ancient cities that block out their psychic powers and allow them to disconnect from each other.

Sola, however, tires of this life and is desperate to leave this world behind. She believes the ancient crystal ruins hold the solution. What she discovers may help everyone escape Valkrys—if they can still trust each other. Otherwise, the icy planet may be their final resting place…


Wednesday, 18 March 2020

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


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

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



Author: James Ponti
Book Title: City Spies (1)
  • Age Range: 8 - 12 years
  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Aladdin
  • Date: March 10, 2020
  • ISBN-13: 978-1534414914

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.

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

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

No one said saving the world was easy…




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

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

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




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

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

Saturday, 22 February 2020

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

Kat Leyh - Snapdragon - Published by First Second (February 4, 2020) - SBN-13: 978-1250171115 - Paperback 

Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.
Snap's town had a witch.
At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online―after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too.
They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may, in fact, have real magic―and a connection with Snap’s family’s past.


John August - Arlo Finch in the Kingdom of Shadows - Published by Roaring Brook Press (February 4, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1626728189 - Hardback 

Arlo Finch in the Kingdom of Shadows is a captivating fantasy-adventure story by master screenwriter John August.
After a harrowing summer camp, Arlo Finch is back in Pine Mountain, Colorado, preparing to face a new school, new threats, and two new Rangers in Blue Patrol. 
Arlo is about to undertake his most dangerous journey yet: all the way to China to try to bring his father home.
But when the mysterious Eldritch reveals their true agenda, Arlo must make an impossible choice: save his friends and family, or save the Long Woods. Both worlds will never be the same.

Nicki Pau Preto - Heart of Flames (Crown of Feathers) - Published by Simon Pulse (February 11, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1534424654 - Hardback 

 Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev must stop the advancing empire from destroying the Phoenix Riders in this fiery sequel to Crown of Feathers, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake calls “absolutely unforgettable!”


You are a daughter of queens.

The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders.

Like Nefyra before you, your life will be a trial by fire.

Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she’s supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka’s sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost—even if it means inciting the war herself.

Such is your inheritance. A name. A legacy. An empire in ruin.

As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire—and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they’re willing to go—and what they’re willing to lose in the process.

I pray you are able to pass through the flames.


K. R. Alexander - The Undrowned - Published by Scholastic Paperbacks (February 4, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1338540529 - Paperback 


In too deadly.

In too deep.

Samantha and Rachel used to be friends. But then Rachel betrayed Samantha . . . and Samantha decided to make her life a living nightmare.

Then one day, Sam and Rachel found themselves in a fight

by a lake.

Samantha pushed Rachel . . . and watched as Rachel fell back.

And back.

Into the water. And gone.

No way to save her. No way she could be alive.

The next day, Rachel shows up to school as if nothing happened.

And now she's the one who wants to make her former friend's life a living nightmare . . .

Wednesday, 15 January 2020

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


Scott Reintgen - Ashlords - Published by Crown Books for Young Readers (January 21, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-0593119174 - Hardback - Age: 11+

Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire.

Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races.

Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That's all legal and encouraged. 

In this year's Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest--a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat?


Matt Killeen - Devil Darling Spy - Published by Viking Books for Young Readers (January 21, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-0451479259 - Hardback - Age: 11+

In this utterly gripping thriller, Sarah, the fearless heroine of indie bestseller Orphan Monster Spy, hunts a rogue German doctor in Central Africa who might be a serial murderer.

It's 1940, and Sarah Goldstein is hiding in plain sight as Ursula Haller, the Shirley Temple of Nazi high society. She helps the resistance by spying on Nazi generals at cocktail parties in Berlin, but she yearns to do more. Then the spy she works for, the Captain, gets word of a German doctor who's gone rogue in Central Africa. Rumors say the doctor is experimenting with a weapon of germ warfare so deadly it could wipe out entire cities. It's up to the Captain and Sarah to reach the doctor and seize this weapon--known as "the Bleeding"--before the Nazis can use it to murder thousands. Joining them on their journey, in of the guise of a servant, is Clementine, a half-German, half-Senegalese girl, whose wit and ferocity are a perfect match for Sarah's. As they travel through the areas now known as the Republic of the Congo and Gabon, Clementine's astute observations force Sarah to face a hard truth: that mass extermination didn't start with the Nazis. 

This unbearably high-stakes thriller pushes Sarah to face the worst that humanity is capable of--and challenges her to find reasons to keep fighting.



Francesca Flores - Diamond City: A Novel - Published by Wednesday Books (January 28, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1250220448 - Hardback - Age: 11+

Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything.
Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten. 
Her boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people with nowhere else to go. And makes sure they stay there.
DIAMOND CITY: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies. 
To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy―and risk losing everything. 
Full of action, romance, and dark magic, book one of Francesca Flores' breathtaking fantasy duology will leave readers eager for more!


Kiersten White - Chosen (2) (Slayer) - Published by Simon Pulse (January 7, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1534404984 - Hardback - Age: 10+

 

Nina continues to learn how to use her slayer powers against enemies old and new in this second novel in the New York Times bestselling series from Kiersten White, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Now that Nina has turned the Watcher’s Castle into a utopia for hurt and lonely demons, she’s still waiting for the utopia part to kick in. With her sister Artemis gone and only a few people remaining at the castle—including her still-distant mother—Nina has her hands full. Plus, though she gained back her Slayer powers from Leo, they’re not feeling quite right after being held by the seriously evil succubus Eve, a.k.a. fake Watcher’s Council member and Leo’s mom.

And while Nina is dealing with the darkness inside, there’s also a new threat on the outside, portended by an odd triangle symbol that seems to be popping up everywhere, in connection with Sean’s demon drug ring as well as someone a bit closer to home. Because one near-apocalypse just isn’t enough, right? 

The darkness always finds you. And once again, it’s coming for the Slayer.

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Stéphane Servant - MONSTERS - Translated by Sarah Ardizzone Illustrated by Nicolas Zouliamis - Book Preview - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

  It all starts when a travelling circus arrives in a small village... Everyone is intrigued and excited to see the show, which is said to f...