Marcus Alexander - Who is Charlie Keeper?

Hello,everybody just a quick post yesterday I was told about a new self published book. Which is getting some good press recently. I have not read a copy only checked out the synopsis which dose sound quiet good. So if there is anyone who as read it please let me know. Here is some information I have found out about the book.

'Who is Charlie Keeper?' is the shockingly fast paced fantasy novel by Marcus Alexander. It tells the tale of Charlie, an iron-willed, twelve year old girl suffering an unjust and unhappy fate.
Forced to flee her home in the gloomy, rain-drenched landscape of London by a bloodthirsty and terrifying new foe, she escapes to the vibrant, parallel land of Bellania with nothing more than her common sense and razor-sharp wits to keep her safe. Bellania, a land of myth, magic and marauding giants with bad attitude and poor anger management.

With the fate of a world resting squarely upon her shoulders Charlie must learn about her destiny in order to defeat Bane, the Stoman Lord.

And even with all the unspeakable betrayals, vicious enemies and terrible odds that are stacked against her, Charlie could probably succeed... ...if only she could learn to keep her big mouth shut and her opinions to herself.

This is a quick review by some one.

Who is Charlie Keeper? is an incredibly fast paced self published book by debut author Marcus Alexander. It's an epic fantasy tale that will have you gripped from page 1. Even though the book is self published you can definitely compare the author to the likes of J K Rowling, Tolkien and Prachett - it really does have that much potential. The lead character is a girl but she must be the coolest lead character of any Book i have ever come across. We think this series is destined to be huge.

Click the link for more on interesting information and how to get hold of a copy.

http://www.whoischarliekeeper.com/Index.htm

Sam Llewellyn - The Well Between The Worlds (Monsters of Lyonesse)

Mr Ripley's Review

The book starts off with the main character living and being raised in a fishing town as part of a loving family life. Every year the water rises and the walls of the land must be strenghtened to keep it out.
The book has a slow start and lacks clarity in the first two chapters. However after this it takes on a great twist, giving the book the life it needed through the start of a journey. Here Sam begins to build a great fantasy world of Lyonese which gives this book a new outlook. I loved this section due to Idris setting out on a great adventure with a "mystery" person and finding a great friendship with Morgan. Sam adds some great ideas with lots of originality to keep the reader interested.
This book has many elements including heroes, monsters and a good versus evil theme. It has been well written especially towards the end where the adventure and action has been well executed. It left me wanting to read the next book. Four out of five - only due to the slight stutter at the beginning.


Synopsis

In Lyonesse, if you know how to swim, you must be a Cross -- a half-human, half-monster hybrid. When Idris Limpet survives drowning, he is condemned to death, but a hasty escape leads him to safety. Now he is going to become a monstergroom and care for the very eatures waiting to be killed for the land's fuel. He can't even imagine what destiny has in store for him.

Biography

Sam Llewellyn was born on Tresco, Isles of Scilly, thirty miles west of Land's End, Britain's southwesternmost point, where his family has lived for 170 years. He was brought up between the coast road and the sea in North Norfolk.

After the best education Britain could provide, he married the prizewinning Canadian children's author Karen Wallace, and went to live in Toronto. Here the evening yacht races in the harbour gave him new insights into the darkness of the human soul, and the freshwater vastnesses of Lake Huron sent him cruising up the lakeshore in a porous Ackroyd dinghy with a tent under the foredeck. After a few years on a rock in the lake, the Llewellyns had just about forgotten where Toronto was, and moved to the estuary of Ireland's Blackwater river, where for a short but exciting time they held the eel fishing concession.

For the past twenty years they have lived in a medieval farmhouse in Herefordshire, England's wildest and most beautiful county, with their two sons, vast garden, and collection of boats in various states of disrepair. For several months most years, Llewellyn goes sailing to research his novels. He has sailed in most places from Turkey to the Baltic, in Maine, the West Indies, and the Pacific Northwest. In pursuit of fact and anecdote he has hunted pirates in the Philippines, crossed the Pacific in a rustbucket freighter, and rowed from North Wales to London, the rowing trip being the worst of the lot. For pleasure, he makes an annual trip to the West Coast of Scotland, where he cruises an open boat among the whales and mountains.


Published by Scholastic Children's books - 9 April 2009

Michael Grant - Gone

Mr Ripley's Review

Lord of The Flies for the Heroes generation.

Gone by Michael Grant is a fascinating read. One moment Sam is sitting in school listening to the teacher and the next minute everyone over 15 has disappeared. Sam then takes a journey not only to find out what has happened, but a journey to overcome his own short-coming and fears.I was hooked after just a few pages.The story flows really well, as the pages turn very quickly. Twists and turns are in abundance, I was left guessing until the very end; leaving a wide open void for the next book entitled Hunger. This will be published in June in the U.S. Mature themes like leadership, death, growing up, survival, and others make for wonderful character development and an excellent story. This book has just about everything you need in a great novel. I highly recommend this one; everyone who has read this book has said amazing things about it. Five out of Five.



Synopsis


Suddenly there are no adults, no answers. What would you do?In the blink of an eye, the world changes. The adults vanish without a trace, and those left must do all they can to survive.But everyone's idea of survival is different. Some look after themselves, some look after others, and some will do anything for power...Even kill.For Sam and Astrid, it is a race against time as they try to solve the questions that now dominate their lives...What is the mysterious wall that has encircled the town of Perdido Beach and trapped everyone within? Why have some kids developed strange powers? And can they defeat Caine and his gang of bullies before they turn fifteen and disappear too?It isn't until the world collapses around you that you find out what kind of person you really are. This is a chilling portrayal of a world with no rules.


Published by Egmont Books - 6 April 2009

New Paperbacks Books For May 2009

Some more new titles for the great month of May 2009

Elizabeth Laird - Lost Riders - Macmillan Children's - 1 May 2009

Taken from their home in Pakistan to work in the Persian Gulf, eight-year-old Rashid and his little brother Shari cling to each other. Then they are separated and forced to become jockeys in the lucrative camel-racing business. Rashid is starved and worked to exhaustion by harsh supervisors - but he has a talent for racing and quickly becomes his stable's star jockey. Soon he begins to forget what life was like when he had a proper home. He almost begins to forget about Shari.

Kenneth Oppel - Starclimber - Faber Children's - 7 May 2009

Matt Cruse is back for his most dangerous expedition yet - into outer space! Boy-pilot Matt Cruse is looking forward to spending a peaceful summer with Kate de Vries. Until they are offered the chance of a lifetime to join the first expedition into space aboard the incredible ship Starclimber. But many challenges stand in the way: passing the gruelling tests to become astralnauts; facing attacks by fanatical Babelites opposed to the space race; and the unknown dangers that could be lurking in space. They will have to fight all the way. And even if they survive the journey into space, will they be able to return?


David Miller - Shark Island - Oxford Children's - 1 May 2009

Hanna, Ned and their parents are on the holiday of a lifetime on the paradise island of Kaitan. But the idyll is shattered when pirates come in the night, burning their house and kidnapping their mother and father. The children are stranded, and don't even know if their parents are alive or dead . . . In this action-packed adventure, there is no one to help. Survival and escape are up to Hanna and Ned.


Alison Allen-Gray - Lifegame - Oxford Children's Books - 7 May 2009

Fella and Grebe have grown up on an island, believing that the world beyond its shores is toxic and that the islanders are the lucky survivors of a cataclysmic disaster. And then Fella, an orphan, discovers a diary, hidden fifteen years ago by his mother - a woman who seemingly came from the Outside, from a world not run by the Officiate. This revelation seems incredible, but it gives the two friends hope that they can escape the brutality of their lives. Yet when, after a gripping chase, they manage to get off the island, what they discover is a shock. Not only is the Outside alien and frightening, it forces them to understand the appalling truth about where they have come from, and why they were there. An up-to-the-minute thriller about what makes us who we are.


Rebecca Promitzer - The Pickle King - Chicken House - 4 May 2009

Recipe Ingredients: A small town called Elbow; rain; five loony kids; one bad dog; a jar of Herman's Red Devil Chilli. Bring ingredients together, add a real-life dead body and a missing eyeball, and have yourself one crazy, red-hot adventure. The Pickle King is about that wonderful belief children have in finding something extraordinary behind even the most boring. It's a terrific, highly original, sometimes scary, deadpan funny read. It stars a gang of unl ikely friends thrown together one wet summer in the small town of Elbow, famous for only two things: chilli pickle and rain. Already bored, they hope something will turn up, but what noneof them expect is a real-life dead body with a missing eyeball! Soon the mystery of who killed Herman, owner of the giant pickle factory becomes a crazy adventure. That these kids have guts will take on a different meaning in this fabulous, zany debut.



Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams - Freefall (Tunnels) - Chicken House - 4 May 2009


As he plummets down a subterranean void, it looks like the end for Will Burrows. But it’s just the beginning of a new adventure as he comes up against giant carnivorous spiders and the deadly Brights, and far worse than any of these ... a pair of twelve-year-old girls with a score to settle.



Melissa Marr - Fragile Eternity - HarperCollins - 28 May 2009


Mortal affections and faery rivalries continue to collide in the town of Huntsdale, as New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr takes urban fantasy to new heights. After the terrible events of Ink Exchange, the Dark Court has a new ruler. But will Niall's kindness survive his new responsibility to the most violent of Faerie courts? Meanwhile, Seth and Aislinn attempt to mend their relationship. But Aislinn is the Summer Queen and Keenan is her king -- and as summer approaches, their chemistry sparks. Will Seth's mortality lose him the one thing he loves above all others? As Niall seeks to control his new Court, Aislinn attempts to resist the seduction of summer, and Seth searches desperately for the gift of immortality, a delicate balance is threatened, and a terrible plot is revealed!

New Hardback Books For May 2009

I have a had quick look into the new books coming out in May and picked some of the best titles to be published.


Hardback releases

Philip Reeve - Fever Crumb - Scholastic Children's books - 4 May 2009

Huge armoured fortress are advancing towards London.Buried in the city's past is a terrible secret that may safe it from destruction.Only one key can unlock it-an odd-looking orphan named Fever Crumb.


Patrick Ness - The Ask And The Answer (Chaos Walking) - Walker Books - 5 May 2009

We were in the square, in the square where I’d run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren’t no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men…



Gayle Forman - If I Stay - Doubleday Children's - 7 May 2009


'Just listen,' Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. 'Stay,' he says. Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning ...a snowy road ...and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all. Gripping, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, "If I Stay" will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be.


Bernard Beckett - Genesis - Quercus Publishing - 7 May 2009

Anax is about to face her examination for the Academy, the institution which safeguards her society. The subject is close to her heart: Adam, a man whose struggle transformed the course of her country. But the examination by the panel will reveal new twists to Adam's history. Twists that will undermine Anax's assumptions about her country and who she is. But why is the Academy allowing Anax to open up the enigma at its heart? All young people will identify with Anax as she faces the most important examination of her life; she is on the brink of her future and discovering a new world. Beckett unlocks this beautifully wrought story about the human soul and artificial intelligence in an ingenious and devastating denouement.



Sarah Prineas - The Magic Thief:Lost - Quercus Publishing - 7 May 2009

Conn's quest to save his city's magic has become urgent: his power stone is lost and Shadowmen, ruthless assassins, are stalking the city's people. But when Conn blows up Wizard Nevery's beloved home, he is banished by his own master. Determined to return and save Wellmet, he travels to Desh, a glittering city in the desert, home to the Shadowmen and run by a mysterious Sorcerer-King.



James Rollins - Jake Ransom And The Skull King's Shadow - HarperCollins - 7 May 2009

When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents - on the expedition from which they never returned - leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance.

But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake's new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist - the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady - dead or alive



Some good reading to look forward to in May.I will also list the best paperbacks to be released in May Soon.

Rebecca Promitzer - The Pickle King

Mr Ripley's Review

Another great debut author from Chicken House in the way of Rebecca Promitzer with her book "The Pickle King."

It's a fantastic but unusual read with lots of interesting ideas. I found it very original (an aspect of story writing that is getting harder to find in a book). The setting is in a small town called Elbow where it rains alot - a bit like in Yorkshire! The main characters include five misfit kids and one mad dog.
The book encompasses a real-life dead body; a missing eyeball and bag of intestines. These unusual ingredients add up to create a red-hot adventure that grip you from page to page. Especially when you include the dark and chilling moments that give an extra dimension to the book. Plus the jar of Herman's Devil Tongue chili, one crazy hospital full of mad people and a pinch of mystery and that just about sums up this book. All in all a super book and well worth a read. Four out of Five for a book that offers something different to the reader.

Published by Chicken House, out in May 2009 as a paperback

Just a Few Words

I have been away for the last two weeks on a training course which left me unable to update the blog. I have had no time to do anything than learn, eat and sleep. So I will now try and catch up with the emails, the reading and the updating of the blog.
In the meantime, here's a thought I came across:

Anyone can slay a dragon but try getting up every morning and loving the world all over again, that's what makes a real hero.

Tracey Morley - Unravellers - Illustrations by Kevin Morley

Ripley's Review

Firstly I have to say that this book cover is just great. The bright watercolour picture, featuring the main characters of the book sells itself well. This talented wife and husband team have done a very good job on the overall book. It's a great bedtime story for kids.
I loved reading this book with its great imaginative ideas. Sam and Danny find themselves on a mission to find the key. This unlocks the cabinet which holds an adventure that is written in a non-fussy way; keeping to the story and leaving a warm cosy feeling right through to the last page. A super easy read which is recommended to everyone.
The other great feature of this book is Kevin's amazing pen-ink drawings which sets the book apart from other books. I would buy this book just for these, especially being a big collector of pen and ink drawings myself. Also check out some of the great drawings on the Unravellers website I have listed.
I give this book four out of five. I hope you'll give it some support and buy this book as it is published by a small publishing company.

Published by Book Guild 23 March 2009 - Hardback



Grandad Bob died before he could put everything right. We’ve got to act in his place.’ Sam and Danny have gone to stay at their aunt’s inn in the sleepy, run-down fishing village of Travin Cove. But it’s not all sunbathing and paddling and prodding around in rock pools. They’re also on a secret mission – to hunt for a mysterious object discovered by their grandad many years before and in doing so somehow to bring the village back to life … The only clues Sam and Danny have are a rather puzzling letter from their grandad and the key to a dusty old cabinet at the inn. Then, when the key goes missing on a trip to the beach, an encounter with Winkle, the ‘thief’, plunges the children into the weird and wonderful world of the Beachcombers and the mystery begins to unravel at last … Beautifully told and superbly illustrated, The Unravellers will make you see a trip to the seaside in a whole different light!
To see more, please visit www.unravellers.co.uk

Michael Buckley - National Espionage,Rescue and Defense Society Books to Watch out for.

More great books making the deals and Highlights for 2009-2010


Michael Buckley's high-concept YA series, N.E.R.D.S. The acronym--it stands for National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society--refers to five awkward kids who run an underground spy ring out of their middle school. The book deal which will encompass five books are to be published by Amulet some time in Sept 2009. Michael Buckley, who wrote the Sisters Grimm series, has peppered the work with whimsical touches--the kids access their secret lair through a portal in their lockers-- which will translate well to screen;the books also have a "part James Bond, part Goonies element to the story."

James Dashner - The Maze Runner
Another manuscript that's just begun making the rounds in U.S is the first title in James Dashner's YA fantasy series, The Maze Runner. The film rights to the book, about a teenager who wakes up in an alternate universe filled with other boys called The Glade--it's a large open space surrounded by a stone wall that ominously drops each morning and erects each night. With boys arriving every 30 days, the community is jolted when a girl is suddenly thrown into the mix. Reps from the Gotham Group said they's pitching the book as Lost meets Pan's Labyrinth.Three books so far in this great new sereis which should hit the shops sonme time in October this year.

Michelle Harrison - The Thirteen Treasures - Winner of the Waterstones book prize 2009

Debut author Michelle Harrison has been named winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, with her fairy story The 13 Treasures. Also the winner of our blog vote early this year which was a close race with Steve Feasey "Changeling". I am so pleased for Michelle and I know it will encourage her to write more great books in the future. Michelle Harrison is a great new talent and I am looking forward to reading her next book.

Harrison, 29, wrote the first few chapters of her book, about a teenage girl who can see fairies, while at university in Stafford in 2002.
Harrison's book has already been sold in the US, Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, Serbia and Spain, and has drawn comparisons with The Spiderwick Chronicles and the classic fairy tales of The Brothers Grimm.


Harrison, who works as an editorial assistant in children's publishing and is also a keen illustrator, beat books by seven other authors to the prize.

If you not had the pleasure of reading this book. Why not give it a try...........

Synopsis

While visiting her grandmother's house, an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker's son, is tormented by the girl's disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see fairies. And, after disturbing an intruder in the night, it emerges that someone else shares her ability ...The manor's sinister history is about to repeat itself ...

P B Kerr - Children of the Lamp - Eye of the Forest

Ripley's Review

The U.S covers for this series are so much better than the UK's version, which might explain why they sell better in the U.S. When marketing childrens' books, one of the key factors is a great eye-catching book cover. It should entice the reader to pick up the book and read the synopsis, sometimes that is half the battle.

This is book five in the great children's series Children of the Lamp entitled "Eye of the Forest". It's another action packed magical adventure for the Gaunt Family.
After an incident in the Peabody Museum, the adventure gathers pace when a trip to the Amazon is called for. Another great read in this series of books. P B Kerr writes with great detail which gives the story something special. Only a handful of authors can do this. Four out of Five.

Synopsis

An ancient Incan prophecy leads the Gaunt twins deep into the heart of the Amazon, in search of a cursed portal that has remained hidden for centuries. Along the way, they come across their old friend Dybbuk, but it's not a happy reunion. Dybbuk has lost all his djinn powers and is desperate to get them back - even if it means destroying the world. Can John and Philippa stop him before it's too late?

Biography

Children of the Lamp:

1. The Akhenaten Adventure - Scholastic 15 Aug 2004

2. The Blue Djinn of Babylon - Scholastic 19 Sep 2005

3. The Cobra King of Kathmandu - Scholastic 7 Aug 2006

4. The Day of the Djinn Warrior - Scholastic 6 Aug 2007

5. The Eye of the Forest - Scholastic 6 April 2009


Novels:

One Small Step - Simon & Schuster Children's 2 Jun 2008




About P B Kerr

Philip Kerr is a British author born in Edinburgh. He studied at the University of Birmingham and worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer. He has written for the Sunday Times, Evening Standard and the New Statesman. Kerr has published eleven novels under his full name and a children's series, Children of the Lamp, under the name P.B. Kerr. He is married to novelist Jane Thynne.