Alex Horne - The Last Pebble Book Review - Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books

A stone spinning and a natural wonder. A debut children's novel from comedian and Taskmaster creator Alex Horne, The Last Pebble (Walker Books, July 3, 2025) tells a heartwarming and beautiful, and poignant story about family, friendship, and the joy of discovery and a bucket and spade full of invention. 

Trader and his grandpa share a beloved tradition of collecting pebbles on the beach at Bognor Regis.  One day, Trader finds a particularly special pebble, uncovering a secret that was meant to stay hidden. With the help of his new friend Charlotte, Trader must unravel the mystery surrounding the treasure and return it to its rightful place.

Horne's writing is as warm and witty as his on-screen persona. The first-person narration captures the wonder and innocence of childhood, while the atmospheric descriptions of the British seaside evoke a sense of Ice cream, deck chairs and summer time nostalgia. Educational as much as emotional and deeply absorbing and felt 100% realistic and relatable. 

The Last Pebble is a celebration of childhood summers, special interests, and the enduring bonds of family and friendship. A story that had me hooked from the very first page. Sad and uplifting like the waves crashing against the shore. You will bond with the plot and the characters in equal measure a delightful and memorable read for children and adults alike. Top children's middle-grade book pick for 2025. 

Justyn Edwards - The Great Fox Illusion - Author Interview (Q&A) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books #31

 

The greatest illusion of all is the art of telling a good story; the trick is there is no trick. It's time to dream and let your imagination take hold in this brilliant fantasy adventure with the author, Justyn Edwards. The Great Fox Illusion was published by Walker Books (April 2022). Check this book out as I believe it just might be the READ you are looking for this summer. We hope you enjoy it and see you again soon! 

1. The Great Fox Illusion is your debut book and was published in April 2022. What illusion do you put the readers under and do you think they will enjoy the fantasy experience? 

Stories have a very similar flow, rhythm and structure to a good magic performance. A trick often starts with an everyday object and then surprises you with a vanish or a transformation. Finally, it ends with a crescendo or by returning everything to normal. A good story follows a very similar pattern. Thinking about that made me want to write a story about tricks that was itself a kind of trick. I really hope that others will enjoy the fun in that process. 

2. What do the characters make possible in the plot that would have otherwise been impossible?

I loved writing about Flick and Charlie. When they first meet,Flick isn’t too keen on Charlie – they’re both very different. But the way they combine and learn to work together in this book is something I really enjoyed bringing to life. The personalities those characters have, how contrasting they are, how flawed they are, and yet how they help each other makes the book possible.

3. How did you go about plotting this book and did you have any idea it would become a series? 

Right from the start, I planned this book as the first in a series, and I had the rough shape of what follows from the off. The plot of this book is only an opening skirmish.

4. What do you think you learned when writing this book and will it help you with your next book?

I've learnt a lot. Working with my agent to send this book off to publishers and now working with my editor has been an invaluable experience. They’ve been brilliant at probing the story, getting me to check and cover the details and think through all the angles. Hopefully, I've put these lessons into practice while writing the second book in the series (just finishing this off now), and then it’s time to have another go with the third book, which I need to start writing any day now.

5. You state you are not very good at nuclear physics or DIY (the same applies to me). What would you suggest that you are good at? 

Hmmmmm. Maybe not much! I think my one skill in life is to keep trying. Hopefully, the second book will be better than the first…

6. Does your degree in archaeology help in any way with the next book in the series? Can you share any glimpses of information about it? 

Ha! There’s no archaeology in the second book. What can I tell you about it without giving too much away? The Great Fox Illusion ends with Flick and Charlie thrown into the world of magicians and illusionists, and they’ve made some enemies along the way. Let’s just say, in the second book that the sheer magnitude of what they’re up against becomes apparent – they’ve got the attention of some scary and ruthless people. They have stepped through a door into a new and dangerous world where they discover the true power of the Bell System.

7. Can you share a magical moment that you have had in real life that might inspire us to write or read more books?

I think our imagination is such an important thing. I can’t think of any particular moment that crystalises that, but the process of creative writing and exercising our minds when reading is vital for us all. It makes us more rounded, more empathetic, and more outward-looking people.

8. What one question do you wish you had been asked as part of this Q&A and why? How would one of your characters have responded to this question?

An important question about this book is who designed the stunning cover. Charlie would give you a very long answer to this (as all of his answers tend to go on a bit), but I’ll keep it short. Flavia Sorrentino. She did it, and it looks amazing. I’ve also seen some roughs for her cover for the next book and… Well, you’ll have to wait!

Jamie Russell - SKYWAKE INVASION - Interview (Q&A) - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books #2

 

Welcome to the second interview as part of the series of debut authors that we are hosting. It is a delight to introduce Jamie Russell who is the author of SkyWake Invasion which was published by Walker Books in July (2021). This book has been on my personal radar for some time so, it has been a great opportunity for me to ask the author for more information about this book. After reading the fabulous answers, I'm definitely going to be running to the shop to purchase a copy. If you too would like to read this book then you can purchase a copy of the book HERE. If you also have any questions you would like me to ask the author then PLEASE get in touch. Thank you for reading and enjoy! 

Unfortunately, I've not yet had a chance to read SkyWake Invasion. What can you say to entice me and other readers to pick it up and read it?

OK, sales pitch alert! SkyWake: Invasion is the first book in an action-packed sci-fi trilogy for readers 10+ about an alien invasion, videogames and what it means to be a leader. I pitched it as a book for kids too busy playing Fortnite to read Harry Potter and I wanted it to be a really immersive, edge-of-the-seat ride. 

The main character is a girl called Casey. She discovers that her favourite videogame, SkyWake, is actually an alien training tool designed to train kids to fight in a distant alien war… whether they want to or not. When the aliens arrive to abduct the best players, Casey and the boys on her online team must fight back using everything they’ve learned from the game.

One of my favourite genres is Sci-fi. What ingredients make a good children's Sci-fi book in your opinion? 

What I love about sci-fi is that it’s such a huge genre with so many different kinds of stories, from space operas to robots to alien invasions to time travel. We always think about sci-fi as being a window onto the future, but it’s also a mirror of the present. It always reflects ‘now’ back to us, I think, which is why it’s great for young readers. It can be a fun space to explore big issues like what it means to be human or the pros and cons of technology.  

 

What video game would you partner with the story and why? 

Space Invaders plays a huge role in the book via a series of flashback chapters about Casey and her late dad, who died in Afghanistan before the story begins. They buy an old retro Space Invaders cabinet and refurbish it as a kind of father-daughter adventure. Her dad teaches her how to get a high score on the machine and also introduces her to the idea of ‘flow’ – that feeling of being ‘in the zone’ when you’re totally immersed in a task, like playing a game, or reading, or exercising. Flow becomes really important to Casey as the SkyWake trilogy unfolds. 

When you started to write this book. Did you always have in mind that this would be a trilogy?

One thing I learned as a screenwriter is that there’s really no shame in being commercial. When a company has to invest a huge sum of money in your story, you really need to convince them that they won’t be making a financial mistake! So when I pitched SkyWake I played up its ‘franchise potential’ in the hope of enticing a publisher. In truth, I actually didn’t know how the story would really unfold in Books 2 and 3 beyond a few key plot points. Of course it backfired on me because before it went out on submission my agent asked me to write a synopsis for the sequels. I was on holiday in Wales at the time and had to quickly come up with the plot for the next two books while my kids were shouting at me for working. I find the outlining process really hard, so it was actually a very effective way to get me to knuckle down and do it quickly!  

Can you reveal anything that we might not know already about book two? 

SkyWake: Invasion ends on a HUGE cliffhanger – so huge that I’ve had complaints! Book Two effectively picks up right where it leaves off. We travel to the alien planet where the gamers are being forced to fight in a war between the evil Red Eyes, who invented SkyWake, and their mortal enemies The Squid. It turns out that the Squid are telepathic creatures who use their powers to create a shared virtual world called ‘The Mindscape’ that Casey and the boys are invited into. It’s a bit like being inside a videogame. Also, warning, Book 2 also has a cliffhanger of an ending… #Sorry #NotSorry 

Knowing you are a climate activist, are any of your characters likely to be an activist and what would they be campaigning for?

It’s funny because until recently I never saw any parallel between doing climate activism and SkyWake, but then people who read the book started pointing it out to me. The theme of the book is leadership and what it means to be a leader. But I’ve realised that the story is really about kids facing an apocalyptic event that totally upends the world they know. They have to learn how to work together to fight back, because the adults can’t or won’t do it for them. That isn’t a million miles away from what’s happening in reality with the school strikes and Greta Thunberg. I really feel like kids are being forced to take on this huge responsibility because my generation has failed to listen to the science. The boys on the team are quite a diverse bunch so I think they’d all have causes they’d get behind – from Scottish independence to disability rights. 

We love book covers at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. In my opinion, this is an excellent cover. Can you tell me who the illustrator is and what your personal thoughts are about it?

I absolutely love the cover! It’s so different from many of the other middle-grade books out there. I especially like the way the image at the very top works as both a spaceship and the face of one of the Red Eyes from the book. It’s a real trompe l'œil. The artist is Matt Griffin who is hugely talented and does lots of sci-fi posters and book covers. You can check him out at https://www.mattgriffin.online 

There's quite often a lot of negative press about video games and the impact they can have. What are your thoughts and experiences about this?

This is something I’m really passionate about. I even do a talk for schools called ‘Why Videogames Are Actually Good For You and Can Help You Read More Books (Guaranteed To Convince Your Teachers)! I’ve been playing videogames since they first arrived in the 70s (yes, I’m that old) and I’ve seen the medium grow and mature over the decades. If you play videogames for ten hours a day, you will turn into a zombie. But as part of a ‘healthy diet’, videogames are full of positives – they encourage decision-making, problem-solving, team-work, spatial awareness and can even get you to read more. SkyWake is a love letter to gaming really, from Space Invaders to Fortnite. 

How do you relax in your spare time?

I love books and games (boardgames, role-playing games, videogames, anything!). I live in Shropshire and my idea of heaven is walking across the Shropshire hills with the family and the dog then returning home for a game of Ticket To Ride or Betrayal At House on the Hill. 

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

Thomas Taylor - Malamander (The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea) - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

This is the perfect book to read this summer. It's a story of dreams told straight from the author's head on a perfect day walking along the local beach. The lure of treasure washed up by the tide has formed this brilliant story into a magical marvel. It's an atmospheric holiday adventure that you will not be able to put down. The book will be published on the 2nd of May by Walker Books with a brilliant and striking book cover image by George Ermos. I'd buy it just for the enticing cover alone.

The book is set in Eerie on Sea and follows a wonderful pair of characters called Herbie and Violet. Both of whom find themselves washed up together in the basement of the Grand Nautilus Hotel with the cries of "Help Me". High on an adventure and, with a mystery to solve, the detecting duo set out in a swirl of mist and crashing waves to uncover the disappearance of Violet's parents. You will hurtle into a fantastically written heroic story full of quirky and creative imagination that is the trademark of Thomas Taylor. I particularly loved the names of the characters and places; the great whimsical play on words really made me chuckle. 

A trip to the Eerie Book Dispensary uncovers the legend of the Malamander but could it really be true?  What does this have to do with Violet's missing parents? This for me is when the magic comes together. With the mix of the mythical beast (the Malamander) and a meremonkey, it sets the riddles going and the fantasy hunger racing. The story is fraught with perilous danger and a howling wind as the characters discover that Violet's missing parents might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster (the Malamander) and a local writer called Sebastian Eels. This is the evil villain and he plays his part really well. Also, look out for Boathook man, lurking in the misty shadows. These provide the perfect backdrop for the story as it is laced with a Whitby gothic eerieness that will plunge the reader into the darkness of folklore and mayhem.  

You will absolutely crash through this brilliant book as you ride the waves on a vortex of magical fantasy. All of which come crashing down, at various points, with the spray of intrigue and danger. You will dig up beach treasures including glass that sparkles light on the search of clues to uncover the truth. It's a feast of a plot that will certainly make you want to eat fish and chips at SEEGOL'S DINER. Especially to console yourself when the story reaches the climatic and brilliant ending.  

This story is full of hope and eccentric characters; it sucks you into the immersive world and catapults the reader into fantasy oblivion. It's a story that will be read and loved. Hopefully, more are to be written in the future. In the meantime, book your trip to the seaside town of Eerie on Sea. Pre-order here NOW BEFORE the Malamander strikes. 

Celine Kiernan - Begone the Raggedy Witches - Q&A Interview with Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

To celebrate the release of the fantastic "Begone the Raggedy Witches", Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books has taken the opportunity to ask some questions about the up and coming trilogy by Walker Books. It's a rich and fantastically dark story that will have you gripped. Here are the questions that we asked Celine about her recently published book. We hope they peak your interest to read this book. 

Thank you Celine and welcome to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. 

• Tell us a little bit about your latest book Begone the Raggedy Witches? 

Begone the Raggedy Witches is my first book for younger readers. The main character is a girl called Mup who must cross over into Witches Borough to rescue her Dad from the clutches of the grandmother she's never met. On the way, Mup finds a brave, if cranky, new best friend in a creature called Crow, discovers that her brother prefers life as a dog, explores powers she never thought she'd be allowed use, and faces up to a whole mess of complicated family history. 

The book features a variety of animals. How do you go about writing them as convincing characters?

Well... I guess they're just real to me! All the characters in 'Raggedy Witches' have their own long histories stretching behind them, and their own deep-rooted reasons for behaving the way they do. Most of them have been alive much longer than Mup, and they've been shaped by their experiences living under her grandmother's less-than-gentle reign. It's hard for Mup to understand or forgive how hard the residents of Witches Borough are sometimes, but I think the reader might find a thread of sympathy or understanding for each of them. As for Crow, he's had no-one to listen to him for so long that he's become sour and abrasive as a consequence. There's a caring, kind and affectionate heart under those glossy feathers - just don't expect it to show itself too often or on anything but Crow's own terms. 

The book has a lovely dark edginess about it, what was your inspiration and has your Irish heritage contributed to this?

I suspect every writer's heritage influences them in subtle ways. I know that Ireland's uneasy relationship with personal freedoms and self-expression has led to my exploring ideas of repressed memory and hidden histories quite a lot. Especially the poison leaked into innocent lives from the undealt-with fallout of previous generation's (often undisclosed) actions. These themes are quite prominent in Raggedy, I think. 

I had fun playing with the old Irish witch-lore of the hare too, specifically that witches can change into hares in order to cross to and fro across invisible borders and follow paths which others may be incapable of seeing.

What do you think makes a good story and why?

When it comes to my own reading, I like a story that challenges my perception - something that presents new perspectives or philosophies that may broaden my thinking or enrich my horizons. I also like stories that inform me about ways of life I may never get to experience for myself. I like thoughtful meat on the bones of a good adventure or fantasy. A little depth lurking beneath the surface of the entertainment. Heart.

In my writing I try not to think about whether or not people might like the story. All my stories start out as explorations of something - me unknotting whatever philosophical conundrum is fascinating me at the time, or chewing whatever piece of social gristle I have the need to break down for myself. It's only later, when I go to edit, that I try to make the narrative enjoyable for the unknown reader (to make the pace bearable, to make the characters breath, to smooth out the writing to a readable level) But the story itself? That's always just for me - I write what I want to read at that time. To do otherwise would not work for me, as the process and the output would feel hollow.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc come from?

I've been reading since the age of three. My mother said she couldn't get my head out of a book. She had to root me out from behind the sofa at my sixth birthday party because I'd been given a present of a book and I couldn't wait until everyone went home to read it. Stories were just a way of finding things out, of sharing other people's experiences, of seeing places I'd never yet been. And when I couldn't find one to satisfy me, I wrote my own.

I love the book cover. Do you think that the book cover plays an important part in the buying process? 

I love it too. The Walker design team are amazing, and Victoria Semykina's artwork is astonishing. I do think a good cover makes a difference. It's the nature of the publishing beast. There are so many books to choose from and often it takes a really smashing visual for one to stand out from the rest. A good cover can't make up for a weak story though. The true test is when you start reading.

What can we expect in book two?

Well, the residents of Witches Borough have a lot of work to do. Mup and her family move across the border and into her grandmother's castle, hoping to lend a hand. But - much and all as some folk would like to think it possible - people can't just start from scratch after a lifetime of fear and hatred. You can't always dust off the past and shake hands with your memories and move on. There are some ghosts that can't be forgotten - some ghosts that won't be forgotten. And unless Witches Borough faces up to its past, it may not be possible for anyone to survive let alone to move on. 

Do you read much and, if so, who are your favourite authors?

I read a lot, yes, despite having a very busy schedule. I tend to read biographies and history books a lot, and to have favorite books rather than favorite authors. But there are some writers I find myself returning to again and again. Sebastian Barry is one, Shirley Jackson, Jennifer Egan, Stephen King, Edith Wharton, Louis de Bernieres. I've just discovered Geraldine McCaughrean and Michelle Paver and I will be hungrily eating up their work as soon as edits to Raggedy Two are done!

What are your thoughts about how to encourage more children/teenagers to read?

Trust young readers, be honest with them, and stop worrying about what stories you think they want to read. Create stories about the things that motivate, inspire and entertain you. Produce books that are meaningful in a genuine, non-pandering way. The audience will follow. 

Website: https://celinekiernan.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Celine_Kiernan 

Mr Ripley's Book Review: Wild Boy and the Black Terror - By Rob LLoyd Jones

Welcome to another roller coaster ride following Wild Boy and Clarissa. In this book the case is known as the Black Terror. It is a Sherlock-esq detective novel set in London, but it has a slight twist. Wild boy is not your conventional hero-type character. He is classed as a circus freak due to his hairy appearance, but he soon finds himself running from the circus and his past. Clarissa, his sidekick and troublemaker from the circus, teams up with Wild boy once again, as they dodge the danger and mayhem that they soon find themselves facing once more.

This story is a delight to read - deliciously dark and very compelling. The duo hurtle into danger. They visit the darkest corners of Victorian London from the vilest slums to the grandest of palaces. Transported into a fantastically imagined plot, a poisoner stalks LONDON leaving his victims mad with TERROR and then dead.

Wild boy and Clarissa are the city's last hope in finding the killer as well as the cure for the BLACK TERROR. The darkness slowly creeps into the readers' bones - a merry dance ensues with the possibilities: Who is the killer?  Many options keep the reader guessing right to the very end of the book. The strong element of intrigue and mystery lives in every pore of the page. It certainly keeps the reader on their little tentative toes.

The crisp narrative of this book is equally as good as the first book, so if you enjoyed the first encounter then you will not be disappointed by this one. It firmly places this series as one of my favourites. The book looks and feels great - the period touches by Owen Davey really enhance the look of the book whilst the effective use of typography and colour really burst off the page. These are all great touches and really build up to the start of a very worthy story.

The book had some very surreal moments to fuel the imagination to the darkest levels. The story hurtles forward at a hundred miles an hour. A frenzy of fast-paced action and humour entertains the reader in every chapter. One of my favourite sections of the book involved the task of breaking and stealing a precious stone in Oberstein's showroom. However, as I don't want to reveal the outcome, I will say no more other than it had me gripped . . . . fantasy gold.

The ending did not let this book down- all of the loose ends were tied together and created a thrilling ending. I would definitely recommend this book and series to anyone and everyone. It is an epic triumph - hopefully more adventures and books will come in the future.

Published by Walker Books - July 2014