G.N Hargreaves - Douglas - Picture Book Choice March 2011

FROM THE HOME OF THE MR. MEN
COMES A BRAND NEW BRITISH HERO

DOUGLAS – A DOG IN A BILLION

Giles Hargreaves follows in his famous father's footsteps
as his first creation is published today

London 28^th March 2011 – Today Giles Hargreaves, son of Roger Hargreaves – the creator and illustrator of the Mr. Men, releases his first children’s book, Douglas.

Douglas is a story about a dog. Not just any old, run-of-the-mill, everyday, ordinary dog, but an extraordinary dog. A dog in a billion. A dog called Douglas.

Douglas doesn’t go for walkies, he would sooner go for a spin in his shiny red sports car. And that is not all. Among his many talents, this sophisticated fellow toots on the tuba, goes skiing and plays a fiendish game of chess. Douglas can do anything. What a dog!

But there is one thing Douglas can’t do. One thing he desperately wants to do, but can’t, no matter how hard he tries. Douglas cannot wag his tail, poor chap. And this makes him feel glum. Very glum indeed.

Can a little bird called Basil help Douglas make his dream come true?

David Riley, Managing Director of Egmont Publishing Group said, “We are delighted to be working with Giles Hargreaves to help bring Douglas to the attention of the world: his trials, tribulations and achievements should be celebrated. It’s been forty years since the launch of Britain’s best-loved children’s book series The Mr. Men, and now the Hargreaves family brings us another classic British character.”

Douglas is published in traditional picture book format on the 28^th March at £5.99. 

It features beautiful full-page illustrations and quirky vignettes, plus a sheet of utterly adorable stickers so you can take Douglas with you wherever you go!

++++New Books Picks For February 2011++++

                                                                      
Andrew Mulligan - Return to Ribblestrop - Published by Simon & Schuster - 3 Feb 2011
It's a new term at Ribblestrop and the headmaster is hoping for a bit more organisation. But secrets remain under the ground, the new Chaplain is not all that he seems, and a truck load of circus animals has taken refuge in the school grounds. Amongst the new intake are a footballing protegee and a trainee psychopath not to mention a pregnant panther and an escaped crocodile. Things are about to go from bad to worse at Ribblestrop can Millie, Sanchez and the gang help save the day once more?

                                         
Alex Scarrow - Timeriders:The Doomsday Code - Published by Puffin - 3 Feb 2011
Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026. But all three have been given a second chance – to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history . . . In 1993 British computer hacker Adam Lewis finds his name in a coded manuscript that is almost one thousand years old. How did Adam's name get in there . . . and why? Confronted by Adam in 2001, the TimeRiders travel back to Sherwood Forest in 1193 to discover the origins of the ancient message. But when a strange hooded man appears interested in the same thing, they begin to wonder what terrible threat this cryptic link from the past holds for the future . . .

                                   

                                          

Barry Hutchison - Invisible Fiends - The CrowMaster - HarperCollins - 3 Feb 2011

After Kyle's ordeal at school, his mother packs him off to the safety of the countryside, where there will be no temptation to use his powers, and he can forget the bad things - like the fact that his dad is a monster determined to destroy the world.
But here's the thing about the countryside: it's full of nature, and nature sometimes has claws.
Followed by a spindly figure in the woods and attacked by crows, Kyle is about to discover that NOWHERE is safe from the invisible fiends…
 

                            

                                                                  

Kate Saunders - Magicalamity - Published by Marion Lloyd Books - 7 Feb 20111
Tom doesn't know he is a demisprite - the child of a fairy and a human - until he meets his three fairy godmothers. They've been summoned to protect him, but they can't stop bickering, and two of them are hardened criminals. Tom must survive their botched magic spells, learn to fly and enter the dangerous Fairy Realm to save his parents...

                                               

++New Book Picks For October 2010++

                        
Sophie McKenzie - Blood Ransom - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's -  1 October 2010
Book Synopsis:

Clones Rachel and Theo now live thousands of miles apart. They keep in touch, but things just aren't the same. When Rachel discovers that evil scientist Elijah is still working in secret for a section of the government and about to murder Daniel, she sets out to rescue the little boy, but her plans backfire with disastrous consequences. Across the Atlantic, Theo becomes suspicious when Rachel misses their weekly internet chat. He discovers a report online saying she's killed herself and travels to Scotland to find her, certain that she has been kidnapped. A clue leads him to Elijah's mysterious clinic, where the sinister Aphrodite Experiment is underway. But what is Elijah really planning? Why does he need to track Rachel down so badly? And will Rachel and Theo be able to pay the ultimate ransom that he demands?
                        
Tony DiTerlizzi - The Search For WondLa - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's - 1 October 2010
Book Synopsis:

Eva Nine was raised by the robot Muthr. But when a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary she called home, twelve-year-old Eva is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her. She knows that other humans exist because of a very special item she treasures ~ a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot along with the strange word "WondLa". Tony DiTerlizzi honours traditional children's literature in this totally original space age adventure: one that is as complex as an alien planet, but as simple as a child's wish for a place to belong.

                              

Tommy Donbavand - Scream Street 9:Terror of the Nightwatchman - Published by Walker books - 4 October 2010

Book Synopsis:

Luke and Resus are woken with the news that Cleo has been kidnapped.  Following a trail of gloopy green goo, they find themselves in a dense jungle where they must try to rescue their friend from the clutches of the terrifying Nightwatchman – a shadowy creature who feeds of the fear created by bad dreams.  The trouble is, they’ll have to go inside Cleo’s worst nightmare – and face their own – if they stand any chance of saving her.

                        

Rick Riordan - The Heroes of Olympus|:Lost Hero bk 1 - Published by Puffin - 12 October 2010

After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp

HalfBlood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall. 

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. 

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

Book Event For Panama Oxridge - Justin Thyme - The Cotswold Bookstore

Although the publication date of "Justin Thyme" is October 4th 2010 - the JT book-launch will be on Saturday 11th September. This gives readers the chance to get copies three weeks ahead of the official release.

The launch will take place at: The Cotswold Bookstore, 20 High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. If you can make it, please come along and say "hello!" I will be signing books from 2 pm onwards.

If you can't make it, but would still like a signed copy of JT1 - the nice people at the Cotswold Bookstore are willing to send you a copy post-free anywhere in the UK. To reserve yours, you can either email them atcotsbookstore@tiscali.co.uk - phone them on 01608 -625666, or write to the above address. Ordered copies will be signed on the day, then mailed out the following week.


Book synopsis for this great book.
Justin Thyme is a self-made billionaire living in a castle overlooking Loch Ness. The day he turns thirteen, he receives an anonymous gift: a fabulous watch with a puzzling message hidden on it. When he tells his father of his plans to build a time machine, the Laird of Thyme reveals tantalising fragments of past espionage and warns his son of a ruthless enemy keeping him under constant surveillance. At first, Justin fails to take Sir Willoughby seriously, but when a stranger arrives claiming to be his long-lost grandfather, Justin is wary - especially after his beloved Nanny insists the old man is an impostor. Justin's TV celebrity mother departs on a Congo expedition with her eccentric film crew and Eliza, a computer-literate gorilla. Whilst returning, Lady Henny is abducted, and clues prove that the kidnapper has inside information; someone in Thyme Castle must be a spy - or possibly Sir Willoughby's old enemy in disguise. Everyone is under suspicion: Justin's nervy tutor; their snooping housekeeper; the theatrical gardener; an ex-royal butler; and Mrs Kof, their freakishly strong cook. Suddenly, the race against time is on. Can Justin convert his vintage motorbike into a time machine, rescue his mum and discover the identity of their resident spy in less than a week...or will the dreaded Thyme Curse claim another life?


For more information check the author's website tartanofthyme.blogspot.com 

New Children's - Book Picks For The Month Of April 2010 - U.K (Hardback)

We have a great month for the hardback book.. Lots of really  nice reads to get us excited and keep us entertained in the spring month of April.

Derek Landy - Dark Days (Skulduggery Pleasant:Bk4) Published by HarperCollins - April 1 2010
Book Synopsis:
It's the fourth Skulduggery Pleasant adventure! only Skulduggery Pleasant himself is lost on the other side of a portal, with only some evil gods for company. Can he possible survive? (Yes, all right, he's already dead. But still.) What can we say, without giving too much away? Not much, is the answer. But what we CAN say is that this book is hilarious, it's tense, and it's packed with all the eye-popping action, crackling one liners and imaginative set pieces you've come to expect. There's a new threat to our plucky heroine, of course. But that's not all. There's also the little fact of the Big Bad, the uber-baddy who's going to come along and really, really destroy the world. (Really.) And what we learn about that villain in this book will literally make your jaw fall off and your hair go white with shock. (Not really.) Will Skulduggery make it out of the Faceless Ones' dimension? Who knows. The problem is, he may not have much to come back to!

Caro King - Shadow Spell - Published by Quercus Publishing - April 1 2010
Book Synopsis: 
Simeon Dark is the most powerful sorcerer in the land of the Drift. Mysterious, cunning, a shape-shifter, only he can stop the evil Strood and save the Drift from dying. But where is he? Nin finds her way to Dark's mansion - a strange castle with a garden and lake spilling into the sky. There she finds a ribbon of shadowy light: could this be the unsaid spell and the clue to unlocking the mystery of Simeon Dark? Meanwhile, Strood is preparing his distillation machine, his pet tigers and some barrels of blood and is coming after her...Caro King has created a funny, rich, thrilling adventure, interwoven with fantastical creatures, myth and magic.

Philip Reeve - A Web Of Air (Mortal Engines:BK6) Published by Scholastic - April 5 2010 - (See Book Review)
Book Synopsis: 
Two years ago, Fever Crumb escaped the war-torn city of London in a travelling theatre. Now she arrives in the extraordinary craer city of Mayda, where buildings ascend the cliffs on funicular rails, and a mysterious recluse is building a machine that can fly. Fever is the engineer he needs - but ruthless enemies will kill to possess their secrets. The fabulous sixth book in the Mortal Engines series, from the brilliant.

Jon Mayhew - Mortlock - Published by Bloomsbury - 5 April 2010 - (See Book Review)
Book Synopsis: 
The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother an undertaker's assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other's existence. Until, that is, three terrible Aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

Darren Shan - The Thin Executioner - Published by HarperCollins - April 29 2010
Book Synopsis:
A brilliant and brand new story of swords, sand and sorcery from the endless imagination that brought you The Saga of Darren Shan and the Demonata. New characters -- same excitement, action and terror! In a harsh, unforgiving world of slavery and glorified executions, one boy's humiliation leads him to embark on a perilous quest to the faraway lair of a mysterious god. It is a dark, brutal, nightmarish journey which few have ever survived. But to Jebel Rum, the risk is worth it! to retrieve his honour! to win the hand of the girl he loves! to wield unimaginable power! and to become! THE THIN EXECUTIONER

Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell - Wyrmeweald (Wyrmeweald Trilogy) - Published by Doubleday - April 29 2010
Book Synopsis:
 Young pioneer, Micah, enters Wrymeweald full of hope to return home having made his fortune. But this is a land where wyrmes, fabulous dragon-like beasts, roam wild and reign supreme. In Wyrmeweald man is both hunter and hunted - and seventeen-year-old Micah may never return alive, let alone a hero...After a near-brush with death on the edge of a canyon, Micah soon finds a chance to prove his worth when he meets with Eli, a veteran tracker of Wrymeweald. They choose to defend a rare whitewyrme egg and its precious hatchling before it falls into the hands of a band of evil Kith. But the fledgling wyrme has its own guardian in the shape of the beautiful, brave and dangerous Thrace. Thrace, a Kin and a highly-skilled wyrme rider-assasin; and Micah, a would-be Kith, should never mix - but the magnetism between them is strong. Together they join forces on a mission to rescue the hatchling and seek vengenace for loved-ones lost at the hand of Kith bandits. Meanwhile the glorious whitewyrme colony of Wyrmeweald looks on as its land is encroached by gold-diggers and ravaged by bounty hunters. Is Exodus the only option? And if so, when - and where - will they flee too!

Eleanor Updale - Johnny Swanson - Published by David Fickling Books - April 29 2010
Book Synopsis:
This is the answer to smelly feet - wear a clothes peg on your nose. 11-year-old Johnny Swanson is in business. He's raking in the money with his advertising scams and his agony aunt persona, Ada Ardour, who offers advice on absolutely anything in return for a shilling. But his money-making schemes are getting him in too deep. Everything is spiralling out of control, and now his own mother is in mortal danger. There's only one thing for it:Johnny must assume another role - as undercover detective.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling

This is My U.S Book pick for February 2010

Book Review 

Fresh from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, 15-year-old Penelope Lumley reports to remote but palatial Ashton Place and discovers just why the advertisement for a governess indicated a strong preference for "Experience with Animals." The three young children are not the offspring of disdainful newlywed Lady Ashton but were recently found in the forest, raised (apparently) by wolves. Lacking magical props but in every other respect a Mary Poppins in the bud, Miss Lumley quickly gets the wild but winning trio out of the barn and into the nursery, washed, properly dressed and thanks to a savvy strategy of "careful demonstration, a great deal of repetition, and the occasional use of tasty treats"on the road to civilized behavior. Tongue so forcibly in cheek that medical intervention may be required, Wood plunges her inexperienced but resourceful heroine into an unusually challenging domestic situation, winds the plot up and closes with an aftermath laced with tantalizing hints that All Is Not As It Seems. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.

Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies.

But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Book Published by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen 23 Feb 2010