Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Teens/Children's Fantastic Book Picks US Published September 2016 - Post One

Trenton Lee Stewart (Author) & Diana Sudyka (Illustrator) - The Secret Keepers - Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 27, 2016)

A heart-pounding mystery adventure laced with magic and humour by the author of the New York Times bestselling series, The Mysterious Benedict Society

A magical watch 

A string of secrets

A race against time

When Reuben discovers an extraordinary antique watch, he soon learns it has a secret power and his life takes an intriguing turn. At first he is thrilled with his new treasure, but as one secret leads to another, Reuben finds himself torn between his innately honest nature and the lure to be a hero.

Now he is on a dangerous adventure--full of curious characters, treacherous traps, and hairsbreadth escapes--as he races to solve the mystery before it is too late. Even with fearless Penny, mighty Jack, and the wise Mrs. Genevieve on his side, can Reuben outwit and outmaneuver the sly villain called The Smoke and his devious defenders the Directions and save the city from a terrible fate?

In this ingeniously crafted novel, acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Trenton Lee Stewart invites readers to join the adventure, decipher the clues, and ask themselves the question: Is knowing a secret a gift or a curse?

Lisa McMann - Going Wild - Published by HarperCollins Children's (September 27, 2016)

Spider-Man meets Animorphs in this thrilling new middle grade series from Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of the Unwanteds series. Newbery Medal–winning author Katherine Applegate calls Going Wild “gripping, action-packed, and filled with humor and heart.”

Charlie Wilde knew her life would change forever when her family moved from the city of Chicago to the suburbs of Arizona…and that was before she found the bracelet. After putting it on, she notices odd things start to happen. Suddenly Charlie seems to have the speed of a cheetah and the strength of an elephant—and that’s just the beginning. She would be thrilled about her transformation if she had any idea how to use the device or control her amazing powers. So Charlie is forced to put her trust in new friends to help her uncover the surprising truth behind the mysterious bracelet.

Going Wild is perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and Ridley Pearson looking for a new twist on their middle grade adventures. This series blends science fiction with the animal kingdom, highlighting some of the incredible feats that animals can achieve, which might seem possible only in comic books but are actually completely true.

J. Scott Savage - Gears of Revolution (Mysteries of Cove) Published by Shadow Mountain (September 20, 2016)

After finding a compass and clues left by Kallista's father, Leo Babbage, Trenton and Kallista head west aboard their homemade mechanical dragon to search for the missing inventor. The two teenagers hope to find answers about their mountain city of Cove, but instead, they find only a blackened forest, ruined buildings, and a small underground city

Almost immediately, Trenton and Kallista are caught up in a civil war between a clan of scavengers called Whipjacks and the Order of the Beast, people who believe that dragons are immortal and divine.

Stranded in a new city, the two friends meet Plucky, a Whipjack girl with mechanical legs, and Ander, a young member of the Order who claims humans are able to communicate with dragons. Can they trust anyone, or have they unknowingly stepped into a trap?

And high above in the sky, the dragons are gathering . . .

Patricia MacLachlan - The Poet's Dog - Published by Katherine Tegen Books (September 13, 2016)

From Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about two children, a poet, and a dog and how they help one another survive loss and recapture love.

Teddy is a gifted dog. Raised in a cabin by a poet named Sylvan, he grew up listening to sonnets read aloud and the comforting clicking of a keyboard. Although Teddy understands words, Sylvan always told him there are only two kinds of people in the world who can hear Teddy speak: poets and children.

Then one day Teddy learns that Sylvan was right. When Teddy finds Nickel and Flora trapped in a snowstorm, he tells them that he will bring them home—and they understand him. The children are afraid of the howling wind, but not of Teddy’s words. They follow him to a cabin in the woods, where the dog used to live with Sylvan . . . only now his owner is gone.

As they hole up in the cabin for shelter, Teddy is flooded with memories of Sylvan. What will Teddy do when his new friends go home? Can they help one another find what they have lost?

From the Back Cover

Alone in a fierce winter storm Nickel and Flora are brave but afraid a dog finds them. Teddy speaks words and brings them to shelter. The poet’s cabin has light and food and love.
But where is the Poet? Teddy will tell the story of how words make poems and connect those who hear each other.
The Poet’s Dog from Newbery Medal—winning author Patricia MacLachlan is a poignant story about two children, a poet, and a dog and how they help each other survive loss and recapture love.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Teens/Children's Book Picks US Published August 2016 - Post One

Kelly Barnhill - The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Published by Algonquin Young Readers (August 9, 2016)

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

The author of the highly acclaimed, award-winning novel The Witch’s Boy has written an epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to be a modern classic.

Wendy Mass - The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase -  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (August 2, 2016)

The highly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Candymakers by beloved author Wendy Mass

It has been a few months since the nationwide New Candy Contest, and Logan, Miles, Philip, and Daisy have returned to their regular lives. But when the winning candy bar comes down the conveyor belt at the Life is Sweet candy factory, Logan realizes something's very wrong....

When the Candymaker announces that they will be going on tour to introduce the new candy bar, the four friends see this as an opportunity to make things right. But with a fifty-year-old secret revealed and stakes higher for each of them than they ever imagined, they will have to trust one another--and themselves--in order to face what lies ahead. 

In this action-packed sequel to the bestselling novel The Candymakers, prepare to embark on a journey full of hidden treasures, secret worlds, and candy.

LOTS and LOTS of candy.

Christina Diaz Gonzalez - Moving Target - Published by Scholastic Press August 30, 2016)

Cassie Arroyo, an American studying in Rome, has her world ripped apart when someone tries to kill her father, an art history professor at an Italian university. Is she their next target?

Cassie sets out to uncover what is happening, only to learn that she is a member of an ancient bloodline that enables her to use the Spear of Destiny--a legendary object that can shape the future. Now running from a secret organization intent on killing those from her bloodline, Cassie must--with the help of some friends--decipher the clues that will lead her to the Spear. Her life--and the fate of the world--depends on it.

Christina Diaz Gonzalez has created a fast-paced thrill-ride of a book, rich with riddles and myth, that young readers will not be able to put down.

Kate Milford (Author), Eliza Wheeler (Illustrator) - The Left-Handed Fate - Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (August 23, 2016)

Return to Nagspeake for a new fantasy adventure from the bestselling author of National Book Award nominee Greenglass House.

Lucy Bluecrowne and Maxwell Ault are on a mission: find the three pieces of a strange and arcane engine they believe can stop the endless war raging between their home country of England and Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. During the search, however, their ship, the famous privateer the Left-Handed Fate, is taken by the Americans, who have just declared war on England, too. The Fate (and with it, Lucy and Max) is put under the command of new midshipman Oliver Dexter . . . who’s only just turned twelve.

But Lucy and Max aren’t the only ones trying to assemble the engine; the French are after it, as well as the crew of a mysterious vessel that seems able to appear out of thin air. When Oliver discovers what his prisoners are really up to―and how dangerous the device could be if it falls into the wrong hands―he is faced with a choice: Help Lucy and Max even if it makes him a traitor to his own country? Or follow orders and risk endangering countless lives, including those of the enemies who have somehow become his friends?

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Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Teens/Children's Book Picks US Published - July 2016

Louis Bayard - Lucky Strikes - Published by Henry Holt and Co. (July 5, 2016)

With her mama recently dead and her pa sight unseen since birth, Amelia is suddenly in charge of her younger brother and sister―and of the family gas station. Harley Blevins, local king and emperor of Standard Oil, is in hot pursuit to clinch his fuel monopoly. To keep him at bay and keep her family out of foster care, Melia must come up with a father―and fast. And so when a hobo rolls out of a passing truck, Melia grabs opportunity by its beard. Can she hold off the hounds till she comes of age?

Jeri Baird - Tokens and Omens - Published by Jolly Fish Press (July 19, 2016)

In Puck's Gulch, sixteen-year-olds undergo a dangerous trial known as the Quest. During a time of magic, Fate hands out tokens and omens based on their behavior. Zander trusts Fate. Alexa only trusts herself. Now, Fate has given them each a special gift—Zander sees secrets he doesn’t want, and Alexa's thrilled to find she can control events through her embroidery scenes. After Zander and Alexa each earn a omen that makes surviving the quest nearly impossible, they must break the rules and challenge Fate together. If they don't, one will die. And Fate has made it clear—she won't be cheated.

Mike Storey - Teddycats - Published by Razorbill (July 12, 2016)

Bill is a young Teddycat, which means he’s one of the most special--and mysterious--animals in the jungle. Teddycats can climb higher than any other mammal around. And because the Teddycats can climb so high, they get to live way up in the highest branches of the tallest trees, in a well-hidden and protected place called Cloud Kingdom.

There are a lot of perks to Teddycat life, but there’s also a lot of responsibility--and rules--that come with it.
 
Here are some things that Teddycats CANNOT do:
   • Use their super-strong, razor-sharp claws for anything except climbing or life-or-death situations 
   • Reveal their existence or the location of Cloud Kingdom to humans and other predators  
 
And the number one thing that Teddycats can definitely, no matter what, NEVER do:

   • Bring outsiders into Cloud Kingdom 

That last rule is the most serious one of all. Unfortunately, it’s also the rule that Bill breaks one fateful day, when he brings his buddy Luke, an Olingo, up into Cloud Kingdom. All of a sudden, predators are circling, the ground beneath Cloud Kingdom is littered with human traps, and the Teddycat sanctuary is under attack. Their secret has been exposed, and Bill’s in danger of being banished for his crime. 
            When a baby Teddycat is trapped and taken by a potentially vicious human, Bill knows he has to make things right. Along with a brave but ragtag team of comrades, he sets out into the jungle, determined to fight for the future of his species. 

S . A . Bodeen - Trapped (Shipwreck Island) - Published by Feiwel & Friends (July 26, 2016)

Sarah Robinson and her family are shipwrecked on a remote and mysterious island. Their food is scarce and there's no sign of rescue. They have seen strange creatures, rescued a mysterious girl, and found the Curator, who has captured Sarah's father and stepbrother to use in a bizarre time travel experiment. And then the only man who knows about the island comes back―he's looking for buried treasure and won't leave without it, even if it means leaving the Robinsons stranded. Sarah knows an important key to finding the treasure, but will she keep it a secret?

Trapped is the thrilling third installment of the middle-grade Shipwreck Island series by S.A. Bodeen, full of mystery and unexpected twists and turns.

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Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's/Teen Book Picks UK Published - July 2016 - Post Three

Marten Sanden - A House Without Mirrors - Published by Pushkin Children's Books (28 July 2016)

Thomasine has spent months living in her great-great aunt's dusty, dark house with her father, and her aunt, uncle and cousins. While her father's siblings bicker about how much the house must be worth, her distant, elderly aunt is upstairs, dying, and her father has disappeared inside himself, still mourning the death of Thomasine's little brother.

But one day, her youngest cousin makes a discovery: a wardrobe, filled with all the mirrors missing from the big house. And through the mirrors, a different world - one in which you can find not what you most wish for, but perhaps what you most need...

Michelle Harrison - Other Alice - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (28 July 2016) - (See my book review here)

What happens when a tale with real magic, that was supposed to be finished, never was? This is a story about one of those stories . . .

Midge loves riddles, his cat, Twitch, and – most of all – stories. Especially because he's grown up being read to by his sister Alice, a brilliant writer.

When Alice goes missing and a talking cat turns up in her bedroom, Midge searches Alice’s stories for a clue. Soon he discovers that her secret book, The Museum of Unfinished Stories, is much more than just a story. In fact, he finds two of its characters wandering around town.

Sarah Baker - Through the Mirror Door - Published by Catnip Publishing (7 July 2016)

Since the accident, Angela has been alone. When she is invited on holiday with her cousins, it is her chance to be part of a family again if she promises to behave herself. But secrets lie in the walls of the crumbling French holiday home and the forbidden rooms draw Angela in. Soon night-time footsteps, flickering candlelight and shadows in windows lead her to a boy who needs her help. To save him Angela must discover the truth about what happened in the house all those years ago . . . and face the terrible secret of her own past.

James Nicol - The Apprentice Witch - Published by Chicken House Ltd (7 July 2016) - (See book review here) and (interview here)

Arianwyn fluffs her witch's assessment. Awarded the dull bronze disc of an apprentice - to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma - she's sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor's favourite niece - and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby forest. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, it's soon clear there's much more than her pride at stake ...

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's/Teens UK Book Picks - June 2016 - Post Two

Shirley Hughes - Whistling in the Dark - Published by Walker Books (2 Jun. 2016)

From much-loved author Shirley Hughes comes a compelling World War Two wartime adventure for readers aged 10+ set during the Liverpool Blitz. In the hardship of war, everything is rationed - except true friendship. Joan and best friend Doreen love going to the cinema until the Blitz intensifies and then even that becomes too dangerous, especially when an army deserter is found lurking near their home. Who is he and why does he think Joan can help him? As the Blitz worsens, Joan and her friends make a discovery that will tear the whole community apart. Check out the website for the historical background to the story: www.whistlinginthedarkbook.com.

Justin Fisher - Ned's Circus of Marvels - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (30 Jun. 2016) 

From exciting debut author, Justin Fisher, comes this rip-roaring, page-turning new magical adventure. Perfect for fans of House of Secrets.

Ned Waddlesworth has always considered his world to be exceptionally ordinary. Until the day he discovers it ISN’T. AT ALL. Because on Ned’s thirteenth birthday he discovers that everything magical he’s ever read about or imagined is REAL.
And without him, the world will soon be engulfed in monstrous beasts and beings.

So with the help of a robot mouse, a girl witch and a flying circus unlike any other, it’s up to Ned to swoop in and save the day!

Roll up, roll up, and prepare to be AMAZED by Ned and the marvellous, magical, monstrous flying circus!

Lauren Wolk - Wolf Hollow - Published by Corgi Childrens (30 Jun. 2016)

Annabelle has lived in Wolf Hollow all her life: a quiet place, still scarred by two world wars. But when cruel, manipulative Betty arrives in town, Annabelle's calm world is shattered, along with everything she's ever known about right and wrong.

When Betty accuses gentle loner Toby - a traumatised ex-soldier - of a terrible act, Annabelle knows he's innocent. Then Betty disappears . . . 

Now Annabelle must protect Toby from the spiralling accusations and hysteria, until she can prove to Wolf Hollow what really happened to Betty.

Powerful, poignant and lyrical, Wolf Hollow is an unforgettable story.

Sofi Croft - Indigo's Dragon (Indigos Dragon 1) - Published by Accent Press Ltd (23 Jun. 2016) - Book Review Here - Guest Post Here 

Fans of How to Train your Dragon, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson will love the debut novel Indigo's Dragon, a tale of adventure, mystery, and a legendary trip where he encounters a monster or two ...Indigo lives in the Lake District, and spends his time exploring the mountains he loves. An unexpected parcel arrives containing a first aid kit inside his grandfather's satchel. Indigo's curiosity is raised as he looks through his grandfather's notebook to discover drawings of mythical creatures. Strange things begin to happen and Indigo finds himself treating an injured magpie-cat, curing a cockatrice of its death-darting gaze, and defending a dragon. Indigo realises he must uncover the secrets his family have kept hidden, and travels alone to the Polish mountains to search for his grandfather and the truth. Danger looms as events spiral out of control, and Indigo needs to make choices that change him, his world, and his future forever...

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Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Teens/Children's Book Picks Published UK - June 2016 - Post One

Jennifer Bell - The Crooked Sixpence (THE UNCOMMONERS) - Published by Corgi Childrens (2 Jun. 2016)

Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems . . . 

When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Returning to Sylvie’s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders – before a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall. A very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape – only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, where ordinary objects have amazing powers.

The forces of evil are closing in fast, and Ivy and Seb must get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late. 

Dive head first into the world of Lundinor in this magical adventure story for anyone with a Hogwarts-shaped hole in their life.

D. D. Everest (Author) James del la Rue (Illustrator) - Archie Greene and the Alchemist's Curse - Published by Faber & Faber (2 Jun. 2016)

Archie's cousin, Thistle, is about to start his apprenticeship at the Museum of Magical Miscellany. But when it comes to his initiation, the firemark that burns into Thistle's hand is a strange one, and Archie and Bramble are given it too. 

The Golden Circle is the mark of an ancient alchemist's club and when Archie and his cousins learn about a curse that threatens their beloved museum, they have no choice but to start their own alchemist's club, and face the darkest kind of magic.

Helen Dennis (Author) Bonnie Kate Wolf (Illustrator) - Zenith (River of Ink 2) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (2 Jun. 2016)

Jed must confront the revelation of his true identity: he is the alchemist Fulcanelli who discovered the elixir of life and used it to become young again. He must take the elixir one more time in order to live for ever. If he doesn't take it he will die. But Jed only has nine months left to take the elixir. And he has absolutely no idea how to make it. 

The challenge is clear. Jed, Kassia and co. must hunt down the secret recipe.Their quest takes them to Prague and then on to Paris - but hot on their heels are NOAH, the secret organisation that will do anything to get their hands on the secret to eternal life. 

Jed has everything to live for. But who can he trust?

The second in an action-packed series full of adventure, this book has an illustrated narrative running through it, helping readers to solve the mystery alongside the characters in the story.

Robin Jarvis - The Power of Dark (The Witching Legacy) - Published by Egmont (30 Jun. 2016) - Book Review Here - Interview Here Check them out.

An enthralling mix of magic and horror – first of a new series from fantasy legend Robin Jarvis. 

Something is brewing in the town of Whitby. To best friends Lil and Verne, it just seems like a particularly bad storm. But Cherry Cerise, the last of the Whitby witches, fears that ancient forces are at work, reviving the curse of a long lost magical artefact.

The legend goes that the Nimius was created by magician Melchior Pyke, with the assistance of a young witch known as Scaur Annie. But they were both betrayed by Pyke’s villainous manservant, Mister Dark, causing a feud that has survived even beyond death.

As Mister Dark, with his horrific winged familiar, arises to mastermind Whitby’s very own apocalypse and take the Nimius for his own evil purposes, can Lil and Verne join with Cherry to quell his plans and save their home?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - May 2016 - UK Post Three

Django Wexler - The Palace of Glass (The Forbidden Library) - Published by Corgi Children's (5 May 2016)

For Alice, danger threatens from inside the library as well as out. Having figured out the role her master and uncle, Geryon, played in her father's disappearance, Alice turns to Ending – the mysterious, magical giant feline and guardian of Geryon's library – for a spell to incapacitate Geryon.

But, like all cats, Ending is adept at keeping secrets and Alice doesn't know the whole story. Once she traps Geryon with Ending's spell, there's no one to stop the other Readers from sending their apprentices to pillage Geryon's library. 

As Alice prepares to face an impending attack from the combined might of the Readers, she gathers what forces she can – the apprentices she once thought might be her friends, the magical creatures imprisoned in Geryon's library – not knowing who, if anyone, she can trust.

Laura Martin - Edge of Extinction (Edge of Extinction, Book 1) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (19 May 2016)

The beasts are back…
Dinosaurs have reclaimed the earth, driving humans underground and only a band of teens can save the world. JURASSIC PARK meets INDIANA JONES In this thrilling new action-adventure series.

Two hundred years ago, the first dinosaur was successfully cloned. Soon after, the human race realized they’d made a colossal mistake…

The dregs of humanity have been driven into hiding, living in underground Compounds.
Thirteen year old Sky Mundy’s father was part of the inner circle of Compound leaders until five years ago he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Sky to try and track him down. Along with her best friend Shawn, she steps out into the world above, a world of rampaging dinosaurs, but also a full of surprises, where Sky is about to learn that just about everything she’s been taught has been a lie, and the dinosaurs might not be the most dangerous predators out there

Now Sky not only has to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance – she also has to save the world.

William Sutcliffe (Author) David Tazzyman (Illustrator) - Circus of Thieves and the Comeback Caper (Circus of Thieves 3) - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (19 May 2016)

Shank's Impossible Circus rolls back into town for this hilarious brand new adventure from Will Sutcliffe brought to life by wonderful illustrations from David Tazzyman!

And there's about to be double the trouble as dastardly ringmaster Armitage Shank comes face to face with his long lost twin! Urgh, how will the world cope with two Shanks?

Diana Hendry - Out of the Clouds - Published by Hodder Children's Books (5 May 2016)

The perfect book for fathers and sons to share - and for anyone who has ever been part of a crazy but loveable family.

Oliver Coggin lives with his chaotic family in Dizzy Perch, a crazy house on top of a mountain somewhere remote in Scotland. With Pa away - on mysterious but exciting scientific research - Oliver keeps the household going. Not that everyone always listens to what he has to say. Or appreciates him. But what does Oliver want himself? He'd like to escape the house sometimes. He'd like a friend, like the new boy he sees in the village. Most of all, he'd like to understand why his father went away. And where's he's gone. So Oliver sets out on a long journey to get Pa back.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - May 2016 - UK Post Two

Stewart Foster - The Bubble Boy - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (19 May 2016) - Book Review Here
Amir is mad. He’s crazy. But the hospital wouldn’t let a crazy person in. They must have interviewed him and checked his qualifications. But maybe he didn’t even meet them? Maybe he hasn’t even come from India. He might have arrived on an alien spaceship and snuck in here in the middle of the night. 

Eleven-year-old Joe can't remember a life outside of his hospital room, with its beeping machines and view of London's rooftops. His condition means he's not allowed outside, not even for a moment, and his few visitors risk bringing life-threatening germs inside his 'bubble'. But then someone new enters his world and changes it for ever.

THE BUBBLE BOY is the story of how Joe spends his days, copes with his loneliness and frustrations, and looks - with superhero-style bravery, curiosity and hope - to a future without limits. Expect superheroes, super nurses and a few tears from this truly unique story.

Curtis Jobling - Monster Hunter (Max Helsing) - Published by Orchard Books (5 May 2016)

Slaying.... and playing. All part of a day's work for Max Helsing.

Descended from a long line of monster hunters, Max Helsing does a pretty good job of being an eighth grader by day and keeping his town safe from demons, ghouls and the occasional mummy by night. That is, until he turns thirteen and discovers he's been cursed by an ancient vampire who wants him dead - at any cost. To save the world - and his life - Max must rely on his wise-cracking best friend, cantankerous mentor, computer genius neighbour, and brand-new puppy. He'll need all their help and more to break the Thirteenth Curse!

Mike Revell - Stormwalker - Published by Quercus Children's Books (19 May 2016)

Something strange is happening to Owen.

One minute, he's living a perfectly ordinary life: school, football, video games, hanging out with best friend Danny.

The next, he finds himself sucked into a terrifying dream world, a wasteland where a terrible Darkness plagues his hometown, threatening the lives of everyone in it.

Owen can't control when he enters this world, or when he gets to leave. All he knows is that he has to help fight this terrible Darkness.

But what is this world?

Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Girl of Ink & Stars - Published by Chicken House Ltd (5 May 2016) - Book Review Here

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella dreams of the faraway lands her cartographer father once mapped. When her friend disappears, she volunteers to guide the search. The world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland - and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - May 2016 - UK Post One

Taran Matharu - The Inquisition (Summoner BK2) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (5 May 2016)

More demons, epic battles, and fights to the death: introducing the unmissable next instalment in the Summoner Trilogy...

On trial for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must face the Inquisition who will decide his future - the process is gruelling, lead by those who will do anything to see him suffer and haunted by ghosts from the past with clues to Fletcher's tragic origins. 

But Fletcher has little time to dwell on these new revelations when the king announces a deadly challenge to the graduating students at Vocans. One that involves entering Orc territory to complete a risky mission. With loyal demons by their sides, commoners and nobles, dwarves and elves must overcome barriers of class and race and work together to triumph. The reward: a fortune in gold, the safety of an empire and PEACE.

With the entire empire watching, Fletcher has much to prove, but there are those out to get him and it soon becomes clear that there's a traitor in their midst, trying to thwart the mission and create unrest within the Empire. 

With everything stacked against him, Fletcher must use everything in his power to fight his way to victory.

Sophie Cleverly - The Lost Twin (Scarlet and Ivy, Book 1) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (5 May 2016)

This is the story of how I became my sister…

A spine-tingling mystery set in a creepily atmospheric boarding school. Ivy must uncover the secrets behind her twin sister Scarlet’s disappearance before it’s too late.

When troublesome Scarlet mysteriously disappears from Rookwood School, terrifying Miss Fox invites her quiet twin sister Ivy to ‘take her place’.

Ivy reluctantly agrees in the hopes of finding out what happened to her missing sister. For only at Rookwood will Ivy be able to unlock the secrets of Scarlet’s disappearance, through a scattered trail of diary pages carefully hidden all over the school.

Can Ivy solve the mystery before Miss Fox suspects? Or before an even greater danger presents itself?

Caleb Krisp - Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket (Ivy Pocket 2) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (5 May 2016)

Ivy is now the beloved daughter of Ezra and Mother Snagbsy, coffin makers, even if she does have to work rather like a maid. Their trade is roaring, and Ivy is as happy as a pig in clover. Especially when she escapes to the library to talk to the devastatingly sympathetic Miss Carnage. 

But then Ivy guesses that all is not as it seems with her new parents, and discovers that she can pass into the world of the Clock Diamond. There, she sees her friend Rebecca, horribly sad and desperate. 

Can Ivy save Rebecca, and what do a missing aristocrat, a forbidden love affair and a bullfrog have to do with her mission?

Illustrated in humorous gothic detail by John Kelly, Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket is the second tale in Ivy's deadly comic journey to discover who she really is ... Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket. 

Claire Legrand - Some Kind of Happiness - Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (17 May 2016)

Reality and fantasy collide in this heartfelt and mysterious novel for fans of "Counting by 7s" and "Bridge to Terabithia," about a girl who must save a magical make-believe world in order to save herself. 
Things Finley Hart doesn t want to talk about: 
-Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they re not.)

-Being sent to her grandparents house for the summer.

-Never having met said grandparents.

-Her blue days when life feels overwhelming, and it s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.) 

Finley s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents house and realizes the Everwood is "real" and holds more mysteries than she d ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones. 
With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she ll first have to save herself."