Stuart Webb - Time Traveller Jenny at Chatsworth - Book Review

After self publishing two great books on his own, Stuart has now finally been rewarded with the opportunity to write a book for the publishing company Seven Arches Publishing.

This is a long standing and well received series of books that has gained many avid readers along the way. This is the tenth book in the series, but this book is uniquely different to the rest. The publishers ran a writing competition to decide the setting and some of the ideas within the book. The overall winner was William Johnson who wrote about the fantastically grand Chatsworth House. However, Stuart also expertly wove other ideas and elements into the story making this a true collaboration in parts. 

I have to admit that I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series, but I had no problems picking up this book and engaging with it. Don't worry if you're in a similar position as it reads like a stand alone book. It provides a great slice of historical, time travelling fantasy that all readers will really engage in. At the heart of the story is the fantastic setting which is written with passion. The extensive knowledge and research that the author has enagaged with provides an accurate account of place, time and events. It really does enhance the story with a particularly realistic and believable presence. 

Jenny, whose brother Danny is an experienced time traveller, is recruited without Danny knowing by the rogue operators. Her life is in danger when she goes back in time to the beautiful mansion at Chatsworth. Jenny's secret missions set her on course of danger and mystery - on the way she meets a very famous person who is locked up in Chatsworth House. It is an amazingly fast paced and action packed adventure that all children from the age of 9+ will enjoy. However, it is also interestingly educational as the reader will learn many historical facts.

The characters are very memorable. There is a dark element to the story which is threaded throughout giving the story a hidden depth. I was engaged until the very end of the book and actually felt rather disappointed when I came to the end of the book.

In my opinion Stuart has written a really good book - I expect that the other books in the series are also written to the same high standard. If you would like to know more about the book or perhaps the route to becoming published, then check out Stuart's guest post that he has kindly written. Read Here.

If you would like to check out the publisher's website for this book, the other books in the series or other books that they have published for children, then click on the following link. http://www.sevenarchespublishing.co.uk/ 

++++ New Children's Book Picks March 2013 - Post Two UK ++++

                                        
This is post two as there are so many great books out to read in March.
There might even be a third post, so keep your eyes peeled for more. 

Will Hill - Department 19: Battle Lines - Published By HarperCollins Children's - 28th, March 2013

Dracula is on the verge of coming into his full power. Department 19 is on the back foot. Ladies and gentlemen: welcome to war. The stakes? Mankind’s very survival…

As the clock ticks remorselessly towards Zero Hour and the return of Dracula, the devastated remnants of Department 19 try to hold back the rising darkness.

Jamie Carpenter is training new recruits, trying to prepare them for a fight that appears increasingly futile. Kate Randall is pouring her grief into trying to plug the Department's final leaks, as Matt Browning races against time to find a cure for vampirism. And on the other side of the world, Larissa Kinley has found a place she feels at home, yet where she makes a startling discovery.

                                      

Dan Wells - Fragment (Partials) - Published By HarperCollins Children's - 28th, March 2013

Fighting to stop a war that could destroy everyone alive…
Kira Walker nearly died searching for the RM cure, but the battle for survival is only just beginning. The genetically-engineered Partials are inextricably bound to a greater plan that could save both races and give Kira the answers she desperately seeks.
Venturing deep into the wasteland, Kira’s only allies are an unhinged drifter and two Partials who betrayed her yet saved her life – the only ones who know her secret. Back on Long Island, what’s left of humanity is gearing up for war. But their greatest enemy may be one they didn’t even know existed.
It is the eleventh hour of humanity’s time on earth; this journey may be their last.

                                
Claire McFall - Ferryman - Published By Templar Publishing - 1st, March 2013
When teenager Dylan pulls herself free from a train wreck and emerges onto an almost deserted Scottish hillside, she believes she is the only survivor. Seeing the figure of a boy on the bank she enlists his help. But Tristan is no ordinary passerby, and Dylan soon learns that instead of being the only survivor of the wreck, she is in fact the only fatality. And, Tristan is no normal teenage boy - he is her ferryman tasked with guiding her through the wasteland to her afterlife. As the pair journey further together through the dangerous wraith-infested wasteland, they fall deeply in love. When they reach the other side, Tristan promises to cross over with Dylan, but when she steps across the threshold and turns back, he is not there. Confronted with life without Tristan, Dylan vows to find him, but that means traversing the dangerous wasteland without a guide - A truly moving, epic love story, that's exciting, scary, funny, thought-provoking and truly original.
                         

                                    
Mark King - Frenzy - Published By - Book Guild Ltd - 28th, March 2013
Daniel leads a peaceful life with his family until he finds out a repulsive secret about the Over-seers, the saviours of humanity , and his security is blown to smithereens. He enters a world where death is the only certainty and quickly learns to kill or be killed. Enter Gwendolyn, with the charm of a snake and a bite that s twice as dangerous. People skills aren t her thing but she knows how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world; she s a hotshot with a bow and arrow and can rustle up a mean rat soup. Mary is the only person left alive over forty. She s not too good at fighting but she knows where to find the one thing that could save their lives; the golden shield. Only Mary can remember life before the invasion, before humanity was brainwashed into following the procedures. Pursued by the Over-seers, the Triclops and the barbaric hunters, can the three brave rebels triumph in their quest for the golden shield? The odds are stacked against them hold tight for a white-knuckle ride through a landscape of devastation!

                                       
Philip Reeve - Goblins Vs Dwarves - Published by Marion Lloyd Books - 4th March 2013
Another fantastically exciting novel set in a land of magic from the award-winning Philip Reeve. The heroes of GOBLINS continue their adventures outside the walls of Clovenstone castle. Awaiting Skarper and Henwyn are powerful dark forces that must be vanquished, monstrous creatures to be fought, and astonishing mysteries to be solved.

++++ New Children's Book Picks March 2013 - Post One UK ++++

                                                   
Kate Kae Myers - The Vanishing Game - Published By Bloomsbury - 3, March 2013
The Vanishing Game Seventeen-year-old Jocelyn follows clues apparently from her dead twin, Jack, in and around Seale House, the terrifying foster home where they once lived, and with help from childhood friend Noah she begins to uncover the truth about Jack's death and the company that employed him and Noah. 

            
Derek Landy - Tanith Low in the Maleficent Seven - Published By HarperCollins - 28, March 2103

A brilliant, hilarious one-off novel in the Skulduggery Pleasant universe, from number-one-bestselling author Derek Landy

This time, the bad guys take the stage.

Tanith Low, now possessed by a remnant, recruits a gang of villains – many of whom will be familiar from previous Skulduggery adventures – in order to track down and steal the four God-Killer level weapons that could hurt Darquesse when she eventually emerges. Also on the trail of the weapons is a secret group of Sanctuary sorcerers, and doing his best to keep up and keep Tanith alive is one Mister Ghastly Bespoke.

When the villains around her are lying and scheming and plotting, Tanith needs to stay two steps ahead of her teammates and her enemies. After all, she's got her own double-crosses to plan – and she’s a villain herself…

                                        
Andrew Beasley - The Claws of Evil (The Battle of Ben Kingdom) - Published By Usbourne Publishing - 1, March 2013
Welcome to Victorian London; the home of the Artful Dodger, Sherlock Holmes...and Ben Kingdom, cocky street urchin - and the saviour of mankind. Unknown to mere mortals, an ancient battle is being waged across the city. Below the streets lurk the Legion, an evil gang of miscreants and criminals in league with the monstrous Feathered Men - determined to unleash Hell on the streets of London. Above the city's rooftops soar the Watchers, a ragtag band of orphans, mystics and spies, dedicated to protecting the vulnerable and guarding London against evil. Only Ben can put an end to this war - the only problem is, he doesn't know which side to choose. 

                                          
Simmons Kristen - Breaking Point (Article 5) - Published By Tor Teen - 13, March 2013
After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed. Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance - an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumours are flying about the sniper's true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion...Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself. Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can't even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and "laying low" is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways. With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding...or fight back?                          

Happy World Book Day - 1st March 2012 Post

Background: World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. A main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.

To mark the day, school children are entitled to receive a World Book Day £1 Book Token (or equivalent €1.50 Book Token in Ireland). The Book Token can be exchanged for one of eight specially published World Book Day £1 Books, or is redeemable against any book or audio book of their choice costing £2.99 or more at a participating bookshop or book club. The World Book Day £1 Book Token will be valid from 27th February to 25th March 2012.

The full list of World Book Day £1 books for 2012 is:

The What the Ladybird Heard Song, Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks

(Macmillan) 

Winnie Flies Again, Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul (Oxford University Press) •

Where’s Wally Now?, Martin Handford (Walker Books) 

Magic Molly: The Clever Little Kitten, Holly Webb (Scholastic) 

Roald Dahl's Fantabulous Facts, Roald Dahl (Puffin) 

How to Train Your Dragon: The Day of the Dreader, Cressida Cowell (Hodder

Children’s Books) 

Skulduggery Pleasant: The End of the World, Derek Landy (HarperCollins)

Big Day Out, Jacqueline Wilson, Illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Random House)

World Book Day aims to encourage children to explore the pleasure of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. To mark the day, all school children are entitled to receive a World Book Day

Book Token. The Book Token can be exchanged for one of eight specially published World Book Day £1 Books, or is redeemable against any book or audio book of their choice costing £2.99 or more at a participating bookshop or book club.

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 Children's Book - Picks For The Month Of March 2011

                                 

Andy McNab - DropZone:Terminal Velocity - Published by Doubleday - 3 March 2011

The Raiders are a talented young skydiving team - with a secret. They are also a highly trained group of covert operatives, carrying out deniable missions for Britain's intelligence services. Under the demanding guidance of their ice-cold leader, an ex SAS explosives expert with many live covert special ops missions into active war zones behind him, the Raiders are developing into an impressive unit.

This time, the mission lands Ethan and the team in the most perilous adventure of their careers. The bodies of homeless teenagers are turning up dumped on the street, having been beaten to death. At first no one really seems to care, but then one survives long enough to talk of being forced to fight in a cage, and the authorities suspect organised crime. But they have no luck cracking the impenetrable wall of silence surrounding the organisation. They need a teenager, trained in hand-to-hand combat, to go in undercover. Ethan's the obvious choice...

                                 

Jonathan Maberry - Rot & Ruin - Published by Simon & Schuster - 3 March 2011

Nearly fourteen years ago a freak virus swept across the world turning those infected from the living into the undead. Benny Imura has grown-up never knowing anything different; his last memories of his parents tainted by the image of them becoming zombies. Now Benny is fifteen, and his brother Tom wants him to join the "family business" and train as a zombie killer. The last thing Benny wants is to work with Tom --- but at least the job should be an easy ride. Then the brothers head into the Rot and Ruin, an area full of wandering zombies, and Benny realises that being a bounty hunter isn't just about whacking zombies. As he's confronted with the truths about the world around him, Benny finds his beliefs challenged and makes the most terrifying discovery of all, that sometimes the worst monsters you can imagine, are human...

                                   

Frances Hardinge - Twilight Robbery - Published by Macmillan Children's - 4 March 2011

Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent are in trouble again. Escaping disaster by the skin of their teeth, they find refuge in Toll, the strange gateway town where visitors may neither enter nor leave without paying a price. By day, the city is well-mannered and orderly; by night, it’s the haunt of rogues and villains. Wherever there’s a plot, there’s sure to be treachery, and wherever there’s treachery, there’s sure to be trouble – and where there’s trouble, Clent, Mosca and the web-

footed apocalypse Saracen can’t be far behind. But as past deeds catch up with them and old

enemies appear, it looks as if this time there’s no way out . 

                              

                                   

Alex Woolf - Chronosphere Book1:Time out of Time - Published by BookHouse - 1 March 2011

Is your life rushing by too fast? No time to stop and smell the roses? Ever wanted a little time out? What if you could buy a year out of time, free to relax, play and party all you liked, safe in the knowledge that at the end of it all you'd be returned back to the moment you left? Ask Raffi Delgado. He knows all about it. Set in the late 22nd century, Chronosphere is a science fiction series which follows the adventures of teenager Raffi and his friends Dario, Jonah, Lastara and Sal in the Chronosphere, the place you go when you've bought time out of time. At first all is well, but something disturbing bubbles beneath the glossy exterior of the 'paradise' that is the Chronosphere. In Book One, 'Time Out of Time', teenagers go missing and the Secrocon Police start arresting people by dilating them to normal time, causing them to freeze. When Dario and Raffi are arrested and sent to a horrific subterranean gulag, they discover a girl who is living her life backwards, but why? And how? With mystery, fun, danger, twists and turns, Chronosphere is a esmerising glimpse into a dark future where the fun of hoverbiking, air-tennis and trips to the holoplex are all held in check by the firm grip of a police state. For fans of the sci-fi genre and also those who are looking to get started.

                                   

Mark Robson - The Devils Triangle - Published by - Simon & Schuster -  31 March 2011

The Bermuda Triangle has cast a shadow over Sam and Niamh Cutlers' lives since their mother vanished nine years ago. Her whereabouts remains a mystery and every year they return to the Florida Keys with their father, Matt, who is obsessed with solving the haunting puzzle. But Sam is bored with lazing around by the pool while his father hunts for the truth. Craving excitement, he and his friend, Callum, "borrow" Matt's boat. At first it's great fun, but when they find themselves marooned in a terrifying land, the boys realise they too have fallen victim to the Triangle's 

mysterious effects. Can they find a way home, or will they be......

New Children's Book - Picks For The Month Of March 2010

We have lots of great and varied reads to offer in the month of March, there is a good selection of  interesting books. There are some particularly strong titles being published by Chicken House and Hodder Children's within this month. Interestingly, all the books mentioned are being published in paperback and no hardbacks - this is a first. I hope you manage to find a few books that entice you to read them. Love to hear any comments you may have. Thanks and enjoy.


Andrew Newbound - Demon Strike - Published By Chicken House - 1 March - (Book Pick)
Book Synopsis:
Demons from the Dark Dimension pour through a portal in the wall of Pittingham Manor, the mid-point for an attack on high. They're planning an assault. Into this chaos stumbles 12-year-old ghostbusting psychic Alannah Malarra and burglar Worley Flint. Up until now they've only ever faced tame treasure-hording ghosts, but this is something else. Their only hope is a plucky angel police patrol on a routine earth-monitoring mission. Enter Inspectre Flhi Swift and officers Yell and Gloom

Emily Diamand - Flood and Fire - Published By Chicken House -  1 March
Book Synopsis:
Flooded England, 2216 - Lilly Melkun has outwitted the bloodthirsty Reavers, who prowl the waters that cover most of England - and escaped to Cambridge. But Lilly is far from safe, because stil in her keeping is PSAI, the last hand-held computer in existence - a now malfunctioning treasure from the past. Inside the jewellike computer, is a sinister looking chip with an unknown purpose. Worse follows, when the professors of Cambridge plug it into an ancient mainframe computer setting in motion a fiery chain of events.

C.J Skuse - Pretty Bad Things - Published By Chicken House - 1 March
Book Synopsis:
SIXTEEN-YEAR OLD TWINS IN CANDY-STORE CRIME SPREE Twins, Paisley and Beau Argent are in the headlines again. Last time, they were the 'wonder twins', when as six-year-olds they were found alive in woods after three days missing following their mother's death - three days spent looking for their dad. Now at sixteen, life's not so wonderful. Out-cast and exploited by their money-grabbing grandmother they're still clueless about their dad's whereabouts. Until they discover an old letter from him. That's when they decide to hit the road - and make headlines again. Holding up fast-food joints might seem extreme but if they can get on the news, and tell their dad they need him, they might get the dream reunion they thought could happen.

Catherine Banner - Voices in the Dark - Published By Corgi Children's - 4 March
Book Synopsis:
Anselm Andros has always thought he had a normal life - confidante to his mother, Maria, confessor to his stepfather, Leo, a man haunted by the secrets of his past, and support to his sister Jasmine. But when the political landscape of Malonia starts to shift, this unassuming family begin to unravel. Even though they have spent the past fifteen years leading a quiet life, Maria and Leo's actions are forever linked to the turbulent history of Malonia and its parallel world, modern-day England. The voices from the past still echo in the present and Anselm must pull all the pieces together - whatever the cost.

Garth Nix - Lord Sunday( The Keys to the Kingdom) - Published By HarperCollins - 4 March
Book Synopsis:
In this seventh and last book of THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, the mysteries of the House, the Architect, the Trustees, the Keys and the Will are revealed, and the fate of Arthur, our Earth, and the entire Universe is finally decided. Arthur has wrested the Sixth Key from Superior Saturday, but has fallen from the Incomparable Gardens; fallen not to the Upper House but to somewhere completely unexpected. Alone in enemy territory, as his mind and body are further transformed by the power of the Keys, Arthur must struggle with himself as much as with his many enemies. Meanwhile, Arthur's friend Suzy Blue plots an escape from her prison in Saturday's tower, as battle rages above and below. Saturday's elite force is pressing on into the Incomparable Gardens, while her massed sorcerers fight a desperate rear-guard action against the Piper and his Newnith army. On earth, Leaf has to cope with the aftermath of a nuclear strike. Responsible for all the Sleepers in Friday's private hospital, she needs all the help she can get, particularly as Leaf herself has become a target for intruders from the House. And the tide of Nothing continues to rise, destroying everything in its path ...

Chris Bradford - The Way of the Dragon(Young Samurai) - Published By Puffin - 4 March
Book Synopsis:
June 1613. Japan is threatened with war and Jack is facing his greatest battle yet. Samurai are taking sides and, as the blood begins to flow, Jack’s warrior training is put to the ultimate test. His survival – and that of his friends – depends upon him mastering the Two Heavens, the secret sword technique of the legendary samurai Masamoto Takeshi. But first Jack must recover his father’s prize possession from the deadly ninja Dragon Eye. Can Jack defeat his ruthless enemy? Or will the ninja complete his mission to kill the young samurai . . .

William Hussey - Witchfinder:Dawn of the Demontide -(Witchfinders) - Published By OUP - 4 March
Book Synopsis - See Book Review 
The first in a terrifying trilogy, read on if you dare: Jake could now see the demon fully. Its body was a mass of steely sinew, its arms roped with muscle. Six fingers sprouted from its hands, each ending in lethal talons. The thing did not possess a nose; instead a large hole, bubbling with green mucus, occupied the middle of its face. Mr Pinch's tongue flickered between his teeth and slurped across his fat lips. He was hungry. When a violent storm rages around the little village of Hobarron's Hollow, a young boy is sacrificed 'for the greater good'. His blood is used to seal a mystical doorway and prevent an apocalyptic disaster known only as the Demontide. Twenty-five years later, another boy, Jake Harker, is about to be drawn into the nightmare of the Demontide. Witches and their demon familiars stalk his every move, and his dreams are plagued by visions of a 17th Century figure known only as the Witchfinder. When his father is abducted, Jake must face the terrible secrets kept by those closest to him and a shocking truth that will change his life 
forever . . .

Malinda Lo - Ash -  Published By Hodder Children's Books - 4 March  -  (Book Pick)
Book Synopsis:
In the world of ASH, fairies are an older race of people who walk the line between life and death, reality and magic. As orphaned Ash grows up, a servant in her stepmother’s home, she begans to realise that her beloved mother, Elinor was very much in tune with these underworld folk, and that she herself has the power to see them too. Against the sheer misery of her stepmother's cruelty, greed and ambition in preparing her two charrmless daughters for presentation at court, and hopefully Royal or aristocratic marriage, Ash  befriends one of these fairies–a mysterious, handsome man–who grants her wishes and restores hope to Ash's existence, even though she knows there will be a price to pay. But most important of all, she also meets Kaisa, a huntress employed by the king, and it is Kaisa who truly awakens Ash’s desires for both love and self-respect...Ash escapes a life with her grim and self-serving stepmother and finds her beloved one...
ASH is a fairy tale about possibility and recognizing the opportunities for change. From the deepest grief comes the chance for transformation.

Robert Williams - Luke and John - Published By Faber and Faber - 18 March

Book Synopsis:

Luke's mum is dead. He finds himself in a small, scruffy northern hill town, with a near silent father, who he fears might be trying to drink himself to death. Then he meets Jon. Jon is massively strange. He wears 1950s clothes, has a side-parting and a twitch. The kids at school call him 'Slackjaw'. When Luke discovers his secret, Jon changes his life in more ways than he can imagine. Luke and Jon is a coming of age novel about family, bereavement and how lives can change forever in a single second. Written with great power, warmth and humour, it signals a hugely engaging and original new voice. Compelling and emotionally acute, it is a unique debut.

Annemarie Allan - Ushig - Published By Floris Books - 25 March

Book Synopsis:

 Ellen whistled again and repeated the old rhyme Aunt Marian had taught her. 'I call you once. I call you twice. I call you three times over'. Surely in a place as beautiful as this, anything that answered her call was bound to be friendly. While exploring a small loch above the village of Aldhammer with her brother Davie, Ellen repeats a childish rhyme to call something to her. What arrives is an ancient being with the ability to shapeshift and the power to destroy. Ushig is a kelpie, a water wraith, and his intentions are anything but pure. Dragged into a dark, parallel world, inhabited by the creatures of Scottish legend, Ellen must pitch her wits against primeval magic. Can she outsmart the predatory Queen of the Night? And what does Ushig stand to gain? Another unique and gripping tale from Annemarie Allan, presenting an innovative spin on characters from Scottish folklore in a very modern manner. If you thought you knew the story of the kelpie - think again!