New Children's/Teens Books - Fantasy/Horror/Adventure - Picks November 2013 - US Post

          Book Cover Wars landing page is here, come and have a vote. Click the title....

MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 5 - HEAT ONE 2013/14 + ANGIE SAGE SIGNED BOOK COMPETITION

Andrew Post - Fabrick - Published by  Medallion Press (November 1, 2013) Age 12+ - 544 Pages

Clyde has worked for Mr. Wilkshire for a very long time. Life is comfortable in his keeper's chateau—until Mr. Wilkshire is attacked. Clyde goes into hiding and emerges to find his only friend dead.

Brokenhearted and clueless how to bring Mr. Wilkshire's killer to justice, Clyde accepts the help of a unique group of friends, including Flam the Mouflon treasure hunter and Nevele the royal stitcher. Throughout their adventure, Clyde learns he isn't alone in this world with his magical ability: there are others like him called fabrick weavers, and for all it is both a special gift and a curse. His gift is to ease the conscience of anyone who makes a confession to him, but the curse is that the person’s luck will be reduced in proportion to the severity of the offense.

Having left his pampered life behind to set things right, Clyde joins his new friends traveling into the razed city of Geyser, into the labyrinthine world beneath, and to the palace beyond. Along the way, the group deals with an unrelenting maniac pursuer, a corrupt king, a band of pirates, a small army of guardsmen, and just a few million dog-sized bugs—all while hopefully managing to avoid jinxing their own members.

Yeah, no problem.

                               

Andy Marino - Uncrashable Dakota - Published by Henry Holt and Co. (November 12, 2013) - Age 12+ - 320 Pages

In 1862, Union army infantryman Samuel Dakota changed history when he spilled a bottle of pilfered moonshine in the Virginia dirt and stumbled upon the biochemical secret of flight. Not only did the Civil War come to a much quicker close, but Dakota Aeronautics was born.

Now, in Andy Marino's Uncrashable Dakota, it is 1912, and the titanic Dakota flagship embarks on its maiden flight. But shortly after the journey begins, the airship is hijacked. Fighting to save the ship, the young heir of the Dakota empire, Hollis, along with his brilliant friend Delia and his stepbrother, Rob, are plunged into the midst of a long-simmering family feud. Maybe Samuel’s final secret wasn’t just the tinkering of a madman after all. . . .

What sinister betrayals and strange discoveries await Hollis and his friends in the gilded corridors and opulent staterooms? Who can be trusted to keep the most magnificent airship the world has ever known from falling out of the sky?

    

Robert Paul Weston - The Creature Department - Published by Razorbill (November 5, 2013) - Age 8+ - Pages 352

It’s a tentacled, inventive, gooey, world in there. . . .

Elliot Von Doppler and his friend Leslie think nothing ever happens in Bickleburgh, except inside the gleaming headquarters of DENKi-3000—the world’s eighth-largest electronics factory.

Beneath the glass towers and glittering skywalks, there's a rambling old mansion from which all the company’s amazing inventions spring forth. And no one except Uncle Archie knows what’s behind the second-to-last door at the end of the hall.

Until Elliot and Leslie are invited to take a glimpse inside.

They find stooped, troll-like creatures with jutting jaws and broken teeth. Tiny winged things that sparkle as they fly. And huge, hulking, hairy nonhumans (with horns). It is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

But when Chuck Brickweather threatens to shut down the DENKi-3000 factory if a new product isn’t presented soon, the creatures know they are in danger. And when Uncle Archie vanishes, it’s up to Elliot, Leslie, and every one of the unusual, er, “employees” to create an invention so astonishing it will save the Creature Department.

                               

Tim Lebbon - Contagion (Toxic City) - Published by Pyr (November 5, 2013) - Age 12+ - 210 Pages

Jack and his friends are in a race against time to save the remaining inhabitants of a postapocalyptic London from a nuclear bomb.
 
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the rest of the world, protected by a large force of soldiers (known as Choppers) while the rest of Britain believe that their ex-capital is a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. But that's not true. Jack and his friends know that the truth is very different--and incredible: the few remaining survivors in London are changing; developing strange, fantastic powers; evolving. And the Chopper force guarding London is treating the ruined city as its own experimental ground.

Now, Jack's powers are growing. His friend Lucy-Anne's powers are developing too, and Nomad--that mysterious woman who started it all--is close by. But the Choppers have initiated their final safeguard--a huge nuclear bomb that will wipe out London, and everyone still within its boundaries. Jack and his friends must spread the news of the bomb and save everyone they can. Before that can happen, Jack must face his father, the deadly Reaper, in their fin

MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 5 - HEAT ONE 2013/14 + ANGIE SAGE SIGNED BOOK COMPETITION

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars are back again for the fifth year - it is that time again where we are looking for a further worthy winner. If you are returning to the site for another exciting year or are new to this competition, then I send you a very warm welcome. It is a delight to have your company in the book cover war zone. Don't forget to share this exciting adventure with your friends and followers - everyone is welcome.

For any follower of this site then this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week, for the next 4 weeks, I am going to select five book covers for you to vote for. NEW RULES - the five book covers who get the most votes over the four weeks will go head-to-head in the final. You may not win the heat, but you could still get to the final of 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars 2013/14'. 

As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week. Therefore, in order to kick off the competition this week, we have an amazing collectable book which is a signed, hardback copy of Angie Sage - Fyre. This is a great read and a fantastic book for you to win.

If you are interested then all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll ( click any of the links  VOTE HERE and vote for your favourite book.
• Leave a comment through this post
• Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open Worldwide. Heat one ends midnight (UK TIME) 21st October 2013. 

So here are the five book covers to vote for this week:

Book One - Niel Bushnell - Timesmith ( The Timesmith Chronicles) - Published by Andersen - March 2014 -  Designed by James Fraser, art editor Kate Grove. VOTE HERE

                             

Book Two -  Andrew Beasley - The Battles of Ben Kingdom: The Feast of Ravens - Published by Usborne Publishing - September 2013 - Illustrated by David Wyatt , Design by Hannah Copley. VOTE HERE

Book Three - Patrick Carman - (Pulse) Tremor - Published by Katherine Tegen Books - 25 February 2014 -  Book cover designers - Joel Tippie and Amy Ryan. VOTE HERE

                        

Book Four -  Dawn Finch - Brotherhood of Shades - Published by HarperCollins - 26 September 2013 - Designed by Liam Relph. VOTE HERE

                         

Book Five - Ian Johnstone - The Bell Between the Worlds ( The Mirror Chronicles) - Published by HarperCollins - 6 June 2013 - Designed by Blacksheep UK. VOTE HERE

Let the voting commence on this years Book Cover Wars 2013/14. Please leave your comments on the post to win that signed book.  Also  if your really nice give us an RT or mention use #bookcoverwars or share on Facebook. 

Press Release: Steve Cole to Write Young Bond Series for Random House Children

This morning it has been announced that Steve Cole has been selected by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, to write four books in the Young Bond series. These books will pick up the story of the young James Bond where Charlie Higson's By Royal Command left off....

‘A thrilling privilege and an exciting challenge.’ Steve Cole to take on Young Bond.

Random House Children’s Publishers will publish a new wave of authorized

Young Bond titles.

  

www.ianfleming.com

Random House Children’s Publishers (RHCP) are delighted to announce that Steve Cole has been selected by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., the Fleming family-owned company, as the author of a new Young Bond series.

RHCP have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in four titles from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. and Curtis Brown will represent all foreign rights.

The author to accept this exciting mission is DOCTOR WHO and ASTROSAURS author, Steve Cole, has sold over three million copies of his RHCP books in the UK.

These new titles will pick up where Charlie Higson – the writer of the previous wave of Young Bond titles – left off and will follow teenage James in the aftermath of his expulsion from Eton. This time in Bond’s life has never been explored before and readers can expect all the thrills, action, glamour and tension that are the essential ingredients of a classic Bond adventure.

Cole’s first Young Bond novel will launch with a dynamic marketing and publicity campaign in Autumn 2014. It will be published in hardback on RHCP’s highly respected Jonathan Cape children’s imprint.  

Steve Cole says: ‘I first encountered Bond in print as a teenager, when I read From a View to a Kill. Fleming´s writing was so vivid and authentic, Bond and the world he inhabited seemed suddenly real to me – and the danger and glamour led me through book after book. It´s both a thrilling privilege and an exciting challenge now to be shaping a new era in the life of such an iconic character – with many firsts and surprises to come as James´s life in the dangerous 1930s develops.’

Philippa Dickinson, Managing Director of RHCP says, ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Ian Fleming Publications to publish a new quartet of Young Bond adventures. The period when James Bond would have been a teenager was an extraordinary time – a perfect setting for thrilling storytelling for young adults.  Steve Cole is an exceptional storyteller with a wonderful ability to connect with his readers.  A winning combination.’

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., says, ‘Steve Cole is an imaginative and engaging author whose plots are addictive and gripping, so we were thrilled when he agreed to steer Young Bond through his mid-teen years. As publishers of Ian Fleming’s original Bond books and William Boyd’s new Bond continuation novel, SOLO, Random House are the perfect partner to work with us in bringing the next generation of Young Bond books to life. On behalf of Ian Fleming Publications and the Fleming family, I’d like to welcome Steve Cole to the exciting world of 007 – we can’t wait to see what scrapes James gets into next.’

New Children's/Teens Books Published in November 2013 - UK Post

                        

Marie Lu - Champion (Legend Novel) - Published by Penguin (5 Nov 2013)

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic - and each other - and now their country is on the brink of a new peaceful existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government's elite circles while Day has been assigned a high level military position.

But when a plague outbreak, deadlier than any other, causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic's border cities, the two are thrown back together. June is the only one who knows the key to her country's defence. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu's bestselling trilogy, a brilliant re-imaginging of Les Miserables, draws to a stunning conclusion.

                          

Sally Gardner & David Roberts - Tinder - Published by Indigo (7 Nov 2013)

Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half beast half man gives him shoes and dice which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire - pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires?

Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; in this exquisite novel Sally Gardner writes about great love and great loss.

                        

Jessica Khoury - Origin - Published by Razorbill (7 Nov 2013)

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. She was raised by a team of scientist who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds the compound andsneaks out. Free in the jungle, she meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin, a truth that will have deadly consequences.

                           

Marcus and Julian Sedgwick - Dark Satanic Mills - Published by Walker (7 Nov 2013)

Set in a near-future Britain, Dark Satanic Mills tracks a young girl's journey from the flooded landmarks of London to the vast, scorched and abandoned hills of the north. Framed for a murder she did not commit, the innocent and beautiful Christie has no other choice but to run for her life. Both a cautionary tale and a rip-roaring road trip, Dark Satanic Mills is altogether an intelligent, captivating and thrilling ride – The Wizard of Oz for a new generation, told in exhilarating shades of light and dark.

Book Review: Sandra Greaves - The Skull in the Wood

                           

This book looked really good when it arrived through the post - it  definitely looked and sounded like my kind of read. As always with books published by Chicken House, it had a reputation to live up to, so I was really pleased to get stuck into this story and to find out more.

Sandra is a prize-winning poet who has now turned her hand to writing books for children. Her first outing is aimed at the 9+ audience which is suitable and appealing to both boys and girls. It really is an impressive start - she is definitely an author that has serious potential. 

The creepy plot is based around the atmospheric backdrop of Dartmoor; desolate, bleak and wild but yet also beautiful. The story ambles along at a steady pace. Mysteriously you become drawn into the storyteller's power - a superb blend of dark imagination that will have you running away in delicious fright. You will never see a spooky wood in the same light once you have experienced Old Scratch Woods. 

As the mist rolls in off the moor, dark things start to happen when a buried skull is found by Tilda and Matt. These two quarrelling cousins soon find themselves cursed by the gabblerachet - a fantastic name but a deadly nightmare. Dreadful things start to happen as the curse thrives on the bad blood between Tilda and Matt. As it feeds off their emotions, black things start to happen such as animals turning bad, dogs turning wild and other unimaginable events. The only way to break the curse is to work together, but will it be enough.... or will the curse end up taking them all?

This is an original ghost story that is both imaginative and enjoyable, which is  a refreshing change. It is a down-to-earth, old-fashioned tale set in a real place but in modern day life. It is a tale of a family full of complications and unpredictabilities that we all can relate to. The flesh and bones of life and emotional turmoil e.g. sadness, happiness, anger and joy. Everything that makes us human is sophisticatedly portrayed in this book.  Psychologically, this page turner will stay with you for a while. It is a book that you will be glad to have read. 

Move over you badly behaved chickens as there is a new voice in town to recommend. This book had now been published in clucking paperback glory and can be found in a hen house near you. 

Andy Serkis (The Lord Of The Rings - Brand New Q&A about The Bone Season By Samantha Shannon

                   

                   

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books is really pleased to share the Q&A with Andy Serkis (The Lord of The Rings) on his acquisition and development of Samantha Shannon's internationally bestselling debut novel, THE BONE SEASON, which was published by Bloomsbury in August.

Serkis, whose Imaginarium Studios are currently in the process of adapting the book for the big screen, talks specifically about THE BONE SEASON - the first novel in this phenomenal new seven part fantasy series, which flung 22 year-old author Samantha Shannon into the spotlight when she was hailed as 'the next J K Rowling' by the international press.

'We all immediately saw its potential as a fantastic feature film,' Serkis told us of THE BONE SEASON. 'She’s very warm and a passionate storyteller - dedicated beyond belief. We’re working very closely with her on all aspects of bringing the world of the book to the screen. We’ve been involving her with all the early concept artwork that we’re beginning to put together. Obviously it’s her world so we want to make sure we bring it to life in the way that she wants.'

Serkis also talks about other upcoming projects, how working with Peter Jackson has influenced his career, and of course, about Gollum and The Hobbit

ANDY SERKIS Q&A

1. What is it about The Bone Season that compelled you to include it in The Imaginarium Studio's very first slate of films?

We first came across the manuscript at the London Book Fair and immediately fell in love with the scope, the scale and the exceptional detail of the world Samantha had created. It’s a really compelling story with such a great central character – we all immediately saw its potential as a fantastic feature film.

2. Have you met Samantha Shannon and how involved will she be in the film's production?

Yes of course – she’s a delightful, incredibly intelligent person. She’s very warm and a passionate storyteller- dedicated beyond belief. We’re working very closely with her on all aspects of bringing the world of the book to the screen. We’ve been involving her with all the early concept artwork that we’re beginning to put together. Obviously it’s her world so we want to make sure we bring it to life in the way that she wants.

3. Can you tell us about how the creative process for adapting a story like The Bone Season begins?

It begins with knowing the story you want to tell. There are thousands of stories contained within the world that Samantha has created- we have to be very disciplined about opening up the world in a way that will lead us on to further investigation in the rest of the series. We need to find the emotional heart of the story; the relationships; the tension; the suspense and the drive, and of course working closely with Samantha is going to make it much easier.

At this very early stage it’s about finding the right writer and the right approach to telling the story. Hand in hand with developing the screenplay it’s also about developing the visual world and bringing that to life, finding the right visual effects team who understand Samantha’s concepts.

4. You have been part of bringing some of the world's most famous and well-loved fantasy worlds to contemporary audiences. Which of your experiences across film, tv, stage and video games would you say has been most helpful in preparing you to produce The Bone Season?

It would be impossible to single out any one single experience, it’s an accumulation of all my experiences to date, but obviously having worked on The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s extraordinary world with Peter Jackson is incredibly useful. Peter basically gave me the opportunity to work on a lot of extraordinary characters in a lot of extraordinary worlds and has opened up my eyes to a genre that I knew very little about before.

5. Will performance capture will come mostly into play when portraying Shannon's Rephaim race on screen in The Bone Season? Can you give us any insight into how you'd like these characters to appear?

We’re in very early stages of designing how we want to portray these characters, and are exploring a variety of avenues to bring these characters to life. We’re certainly not tied to any one production technique at this early stage.

6. Animal Farm is the other film on your inaugural slate. What can you tell us about this project?

We’re extraordinarily excited about Animal Farm. We have been working on the methodology this year, the development of the characters and the story. We’re working with a wonderful character designer and very pleased with how the animals are developing as visual characters.

In terms of story, we’re remaining very truthful to the original book however we are relocating the setting as if Orwell were writing in the present day - we’ve been working very closely with the Orwell estate on this.

7. You're talents are very varied! If you could only do one thing for the rest of your career, which would you choose (stage/tv/film/video game roles, voice roles, director or producer)?

Mountain Climber.

                    

Even a dreamer can start a revolution.....

The year is 2059 and nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, employed to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige has an unusual gift, she is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and in her world she commits treason simply by breathing. But outside the repressive boundaries of Scion, a powerful, otherworldly race waits in the shadows. The Season has come and Paige’s life is about to change for ever.

New Children's/Teen Fantasy Adventure Books: Published October 2013 - Published US Post Two

                           

Catherynne M. Valente - The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two - Published By Feiwel & Friends (October 1, 2013) - Age 10 - 14
September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers. 

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two is another rich, beautifully told, wisely humorous, and passionately layered book from New York Times–bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente.
                             

James Ponti - Blue Moon (Dead City) - Published By  Aladdin (October 1, 2013) - Age 9 - 13
When Molly Bigelow discovered that zombies shared New York with humans, she didn’t think life could get more shocking. Then she learned that her mother was once one of the greatest zombie killers ever—and she discovered that her dead mother is not technically dead at all (although she isn’t alive, either).

Molly’s efforts to keep these secrets and to help her Omega team track down the identity of the original thirteen zombies will take her from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Her loyalties to friends and family will be put to the test. And her life will be changed in ways she never could have imagined.
            

John Bemelmans Marciano & Sophie Blackall - The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield - Published By Viking Juvenile (October 3, 2013) - Age 10+ 

Alexander Baddenfield is a horrible boy—a really horrible boy—who is the last in a long line of lying, thieving scoundrels.  One day, Alexander has an astonishing idea.  Why not transplant the nine lives from his cat into himself?  Suddenly, Alexander has lives to spare, and goes about using them up, attempting the most outrageous feats he can imagine.  Only when his lives start running out, and he is left with only one just like everyone else, does he realize how reckless he has been.

With its wickedly funny story and equally clever illustrations, this is dark humor at its most delicious.
                               

Kazu Kibuishi -  Explorer: The Lost Islands - Published By Amulet Books; (October 8, 2013) - Age 9+
The highly anticipated second volume to the critically acclaimed Explorer series, The Lost Islands is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places. Edited by the New York Times bestselling comics creator Kazu Kibuishi, this graphic anthology includes well-written, beautifully illustrated stories by Kazu (the Amulet series), Jason Caffoe (the Flight series), Raina Telgemeier (Drama and Smile), Dave Roman (the Astronaut Academy series), Jake Parker (the Missile Mouse series), Michel Gagné (The Saga of Rex), Katie and Steven Shanahan (the Flight series), and up-and-coming new artist Chrystin Garland.

Lana Krumwiede - Archon (The Psi Chronicles)  - Published By Candlewick (October 8, 2013) - Age 10+ 
Having used his unique connection with the Heart of the Earth to terminate the use of psi, or telekinesis, in the secluded city of Deliverance, twelve-year-old Taemon bears the burden of responsibility for the fate of its people. With society in disarray, his family missing, and tensions looming with the mysterious Republik, Taemon confronts the startling discovery that he alone can still use psi — and that it comes with a price. In an attempt to find his father and prevent war, Taemon and his friend Amma set out on a dangerous journey to the Republik. But what they find there is far from what they expected, and Taemon’s understanding of the world is challenged. Will his psi and his courage be enough to conquer the obstacles standing in the way of peace?

Guest Post: My Top Five Sci-Fi Films By Jennifer Ridyard + Conquest Book Competition

                              

CONQUEST by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard is the first in a new sci-fi series for young adults. To celebrate the publication day, you can win a hardback copy of the book. All you need to do is to write something interesting about the book ,in the comments section, and I will pick a winner on the 10th October. I look forward to reading your comments ..... this competition is open worldwide. Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to write the follow post.

My Top Five Sci-Fi Films by Jennifer Ridyard

The best science fiction films ever made? You’re asking me? Are you sure?
Well, there’s obviously the canon (Alien/s, Star Wars, et al), and then there are the ones with cannons (Riddick, Mad Max, etc), but these are not necessarily my own favourites, or the ones that made me laugh, or cheer, or sob into my popcorn, or that have simply stayed with me.

So then here they are, my top five sci-fi movies, with no nodding to canons or even cannons, and no apologies either. If you expected more from me then, to quote Ripley, “I’m happy to disappoint you”:

5) Donnie Darko – yes, we’re veering into noir fantasy here, but this has that sci-fi staple of time travel, a rabbit from the future, schizophrenia, and the end of the world too. And love. And a very dark heart.

4) The Terminator – the first of a great series, because you just can’t argue with Arnie. “I’ll be back,” he said, and he didn’t let us down. See also: Total Recall for more Schwarzenegger splendour as well as that sci-fi chestnut, the three-boobed woman.

3) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – because Steven Spielberg has never been sweeter and neither has an alien.

2) District 9 – because sci-fi is often social commentary, and sometimes it can be really witty, but very occasionally it’s both, and this has calorific dollops of spectacular violence thrown in for good measure too. Yes please.

1) Men in Black – watch all three of them. I insist. You’ll pray for a fourth. I laughed until my stomach hurt, and I still do every time. I even love the maligned number two – and quit sniggering at the back, please. What’s not to love about a tiny alien world inside a storage locker at Grand Central Terminal?

Book Review: Philip Caveney - Watchers

I first started this blog back in 2008, if you search back that far you will actually find a post for Philip Caveney's 'Watchers' as an unpublished version. Five years on, I never thought that I'd actually get a chance to read the full book or even see it published. I've been watching, waiting and even flapping my wings waiting to read this. Fortunately, the wee independent  Edinburgh based publisher Fledgling Press have done the honours of publishing it and rightly so. They've commissioned a fantastic front cover by Kylie Tesdale that might just make it on the list of this year's 'Book Cover Wars' perhaps . . . . what do you think?

After all of these years, was the book worth waiting for? Well, the answer is a resounding YES!

I loved every page of this book, in fact so much so that I would have liked to have read even more. It has a really good feel factor to it; a brilliant family read that everyone will enjoy from eight to eighty. It will lift your spirit and soul to enjoyable levels but, at times, it will also take you on a ride that may drag you down to hell. 

This book is very cool - kids will relate to it on many levels. They will discover a ripping good story behind the book cover. It's very funny and witty - you will find yourself chuckling along to some of the antics from each character. However, it's also sad as well as Will Booth has to come to terms with the death of his father in a fatal car accident. Struggling to come to terms with his life, he has a chance encounter with a mysterious tramp called Ari. Will discovers that Ari is a member of a band of new age travellers - The Watchers - a group of fallen Angels that have been cast out of heaven in the "great war". The characters are very well written and somewhat quirky. 

These angels have been sentenced to travel the earth, making up for their past sins, by helping mankind. However the second band of angels, led by the dark and sinister Lou, bring an evil and cruel element to the story. They devote themselves to causing mischief and have their sights on adding to troubled times for Will and his friends. I loved the idea of 'Hells Angels' being real angels and riding Harley Davidson motorbikes causing mayhem - this was really fun to read. 

I would love for many people to read this book, so you may need to track a copy down.  Philip has a great skill of blending his imagination which he uses to great effect in all his books. He really grounds the story in reality whilst also adding a large dollop of strong idealistic ideas which make the whole story sing. It reads like lightning; it is  an adventure with wings that will keep you entertained throughout the journey. This is a fantastic and memorable piece of fiction which was well worth waiting for. It is one that I hope you will also enjoy.

Be a devil and pick up a copy. Read it and let me know your thoughts.....

 

Published by Fledgling Press (16 Sep 2013)

New Children's/Teen Books: Published October 2013 - Published US Post One

Peter Lerangis - Seven Wonders: Lost in Babylon - Published by HarperCollins - 29, October 2013 - Age 8+

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Timesbestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! Lost in Babylon is the second book in a seven-book series, chronicling the adventures of Jack McKinley and his race to find the Loculi that have been hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In Lost in Babylon, Jack travels to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, where he discovers a world out of time and is faced with a dilemma unlike any he'd ever imagined.

Rick Riordan calls Seven Wonders "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. The Colossus Rises is Lerangis's most gripping work yet. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!        

James Dashner - The Eye of Minds - Published by Delacorte Press - 8, October 2013 - Age 12+

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

                               

Ann Aguirre Horde (Enclave) - Published Feiwel & Friends - 29, October 2013 - Age 12+

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Alexandra Bracken - The Darkest Minds, Never Fade - Published by Disney-Hyperion - October 2013 - Age 12+

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children's League call Ruby "Leader", but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children's League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America's children-and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts-has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future-and who now wouldn't recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam-and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart-she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.