Sarah Govett - The Territory - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books )

Book Synopsis: Limited Space requires limited numbers: Noa lives in what's left of a Britain where flooding means land is scarce. Everyone must sit an exam at 15. If you pass you can stay in the Territory, if you fail you must go to the Wetlands. Rich families can buy their children an upgrade to help, but Norms like Noa must succeed on their own merits. Noa is a bright funny teenager, not sure which boy she likes, devoted to her friends. The book follows her as she and her friends face the exam. Who will pass and who will fail?

Book Review: If you are looking for a book purely on the quality and uniqueness of the story then this is a great one for you. The team at Firefly Press Ltd are publishing some cracking reads at the moment. Slightly different from other mainstream publishers, this is a super example of one of them. The Territory is an immersive dystopian thriller set in future Britain. It takes a look at how the world would function if land became very scarce due to climate flooding. This kind of topic is very much in vogue and poses many questions for the reader to consider.

In this book it's all about the survival of the intelligent - everyone must pass an exam at 15 years old to stay in The Territory. If you don't, then you are exiled to the disease-ridden Wetlands. The system in place is in the favour of the more wealthy kids, who have the advantage of uploading information through a node in the back of their neck. This concept brings about a brilliant story of family, friends and friendship within a global futuristic world. 

Noa, the main character, is very likeable and has many humorous qualities that I really liked. Following her daily life, her heart and loyalty become pulled in two directions, leaving the average teenage having to think on her feet. It is a story that many readers will be able to relate to, in my opinion. I love dipping my toe into this crossover type of book as it makes the imagination juices overflow. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it. 

The story is well plotted; depicting an interesting and disturbing vision of what could be in years to come. It's convincing and sometimes tense. The ending is particularly climatic. Once you've read the last page, you will certainly want to find out what happens next. Please bring out book two fairly quickly so that we can find out soon!

Published by Firefly Press Ltd (14 May 2015)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Lydia Syson Q&A ( Liberty's Fire) Publication Day

I'm really pleased to be sharing with you the following Q&A with Lydia Syson, the author of three historical YA novels. Her new novel Liberty's Fire is being published today by Hot Key Books. 


Tell us a little bit about Liberty's Fire?

Imagine Les Mis, nearly forty years on. When the people of Paris rose to claim their rights in 1871, they were full of hope for the future – hope that was horrifically dashed. Liberty’s Fire is about four young people caught up a revolution that became a civil war, and the story takes place in palaces and opera houses, soup kitchens and cemeteries, on rooftops and in cellars, amid blossom and barricades. The book is full of music, photography, politics and passion.


How much of the book is realistic?

ALL of it! Quite seriously. Unbelievable as it sounds, there’s nothing that happens in Liberty’s Fire that either didn’t or couldn’t have happened in Paris in 1871, to the very best of my knowledge. It’s always a bit of a problem for writers of historical fiction – which I’ve written about before (http://www.lydiasyson.com/unbelievable/) - you’re drawn to the most extraordinary, incredible stories, and then people wonder if they could really be true.

Is travel an important aspect in your books?

Yes and no. I’d say a sense of place is hugely important, but I’ve not always been able to travel to achieve that. I’d already been to Spain quite a few times when I wrote A World Between Us, set during the Spanish Civil War, so to begin with I used a mixture of memory, maps, Google Earth, other people’s memoirs and then in fact we did a family housewap in the Basque country just before I was doing my final revisions and we all went to Guernica and Bilbau – though it was another year before I made it to the cave hospital. (http://www.lydiasyson.com/the-cave-hospital-at-last/) 

That Burning Summer was easy because we spend a lot of time on Romney Marsh and it’s the kind of place that gets under your skin. But for Liberty’s Fire I owe everything to an Arts Council grant – I really couldn’t have written the book without it – which allowed me both time to research and visit and revisit Paris, and that was crucial to getting all kinds of things right, from geography to atmosphere to point of view. As you might have guessed from the book, I’m a great believer in public funding for the arts.

Has your PhD influenced your writing style?

I think it’s influenced my research style more than my writing. It made me confident about using archives and academic papers and journals and following trails in footnotes, and taught me the value of tracing things back to their original source. But I can’t really do a before and after test because though I used to write stories all the time at school, I made the terrible mistake of stopping when I left. It took me decades to get the courage to write fiction again, which is why my best piece of advice to young writers is terribly simple: don’t stop!

Has your PhD influenced your writing style?

I think it’s influenced my research style more than my writing. It made me confident about using archives and academic papers and journals and following trails in footnotes, and taught me the value of tracing things back to their original source. But I can’t really do a before and after test because though I used to write stories all the time at school, I made the terrible mistake of stopping when I left. It took me decades to get the courage to write fiction again, which is why my best piece of advice to young writers is terribly simple: don’t stop!


What helps you to be creative?
Sometimes I think it’s pressure, and sometimes the opposite. I do respond to deadlines – probably because I used to be a radio producer, and if you were a second out you either ‘crashed the pips’ or ‘fell off the air’. But it’s also fantastic to be allowed space and time to write – see Arts Council Grant above! – and not to have to juggle too many different kinds of work at once. The support of my family, near and far, helps a lot. Other things that I find helpful in a refreshing kind of way include being outside regularly - running and gardening and wild camping – and other art forms, like theatre and exhibitions, which give me ideas and help me make connections.


Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

I’m definitely more interested in meeting dead famous people than living ones, and right now it would probably be the legendary Communarde Louise Michel, also known as the Red Virgin of Montmartre. She’s not well known in this country but in France there are schools and streets and even a metro station named after her, a mark of the fact that ideas that might seem revolutionary to one generation can get taken for granted in another. I’d love to know what she thought of the state of the world now.

Author website: http://www.lydiasyson.com/ book published by Hot Key Books 7th May 2015. My book Review is HERE

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Middle Grade Book Picks - May 2015 - US POST ONE

Jonathan Auxier - The Night Gardener - Published by Harry N. Abrams (May 5, 2015)
The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its inhabitants are not quite what they seem. Soon, the children are confronted by a mysterious stranger—and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives.

A mesmerizing read and a testament to the magical power of storytelling, The Night Gardener is a spine-chilling fable in the tradition of Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe.

K . L . Armstrong & M . A . Marr -  Thor's Serpents (The Blackwell Pages) - Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 19, 2015)

For fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the thrilling conclusion to The Blackwell Pages, written by New York Times bestselling YA authors, K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr.

Thirteen-year-olds Matt, Laurie, and Fen have beaten near-impossible odds to assemble their fellow descendants of the Norse Gods and complete epic quests. Their biggest challenge lies ahead: battling the fierce monsters working to bring about the apocalypse.

But when they learn that Matt must fight the Midgard Serpent alone and Fen and Laurie are pulled in other directions, the friends realize they can't take every step of this journey together. Matt, Laurie, and Fen will each have to fight their own battles to survive, to be true to themselves, and to one another - with nothing less than the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Polly Holyoke - The Neptune Challenge - Published by  Disney-Hyperion (May 19, 2015)

Danger lurks beneath. . . . 

Genetically engineered to survive in the ocean, Nere and her friends are recovering from their treacherous journey to Safety Harbor, an undersea refuge founded by the scientists of the Neptune Project. But plenty of enemies prowl just outside the colony's boundaries, and when two of the children are kidnapped, Nere, her loyal dolphins, and the other Neptune kids must set out on an expedition even more perilous than their first.

Tasked with infiltrating the kidnapper's high-tech undersea base, Nere soon discovers that rescuing the missing Neptune kids isn't all there is to her mission: the secret to saving the world's oceans is hidden somewhere deep inside this vast fortress, and she and her friends will have to risk everything to find it. 

With bloodthirsty shark mutates and savage kids roaming the corridors, will Nere and her companions find a way to save their friends, themselves, and their underwater world? The stakes couldn't be higher in this thrilling sequel to the award-winning The Neptune Project. 

Claudia White - Servalius Window - Published by MP Publishing Ltd (May 18, 2015)
Servalius Window is a story of destiny, change, knowledge and time, combining the ancient story of Gilgamesh and Chinese Proverbs to tell the story of two worlds inextricably linked: Servalius and Earth. Written in three parts, with the first part on Servalius, the reader learns of a perfectly ordered world where everything and everyone lives according to their destined journey. Servalians have no knowledge of their celestial journey that began on Earth but celebrate the images of the Earth’s vibrancy through Enya Harding’s art and Alfred Canat’s music. But when twelve year old Mia learns that she does not fit into her destined path things change forever… In part two, the reader is introduced to Indigo Jasper, a friend of Felix Hutton who is gifted with strange and unexplained memories and extraordinary knowledge. Felix knows that Indigo is different from his other classmates but believes that her exceptional intelligence is what sets her apart until she and everything associated with her ceases to exist and only Felix and other Athenites can remember her at all. Part three involves the reappearance of Indigo’s ghostly form as she provides some of the answers to her mysterious disappearance, her travels on Earth and what awaits her when she returns to Servalius (as Mia) having completed this part of her destined journey…  

Lydia Syson - Liberty's Fire - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review

Book Synopsis: Paris, 1871. Four young people will rewrite their destinies. Paris is in revolt. After months of siege at the hands of the Prussians, a wind of change is blowing through the city, bringing with it murmurs of a new revolution. Alone and poverty-stricken, sixteen-year-old Zéphyrine is quickly lured in by the ideals of the city's radical new government, and she finds herself swept away by its promises of freedom, hope, equality and rights for women. But she is about to be seduced for a second time, following a fateful encounter with a young violinist. Anatole's passion for his music is soon swiftly matched only by his passion for this fierce and magnificent girl. He comes to believe in Zéphyrine's new politics - but his friends are not so sure. Opera singer Marie and photographer Jules have desires of their own, and the harsh reality of life under the Commune is not quite as enticing for them as it seems to be for Anatole and Zéphyrine. And when the violent reality of revolution comes crashing down at their feet, can they face the danger together - or will they be forced to choose where their hearts really lie?

Book Review: If you've ever walked the back streets of Paris, you'll know what I mean when I say about the sense of wonder and history that you feel. It's such an amazing place to visit; a cultural metropolis and one that I absolutely love. However, after reading this book (Paris 1871 setting) this brought my timeless memories crashing down on me.  

I was immediately transported back to the world, and time, when the Paris Commune was the radical municipal government elected to run the French capital (March 1871). This is a forgotten period in history which is brought to life through the magical words and detail used by Lydia. It's beautifully written and, in my opinion, both well researched and thought out. You can really feel the passion the author has for this period - the politics, the equality and rights for women. 

As you follow the four young characters along this compelling plot, it will leave you breathing and living both the sadness and happiness at this time. It depicts the seventy two days of madness, when Paris burned for a week and thousands of Communards were slaughtered on the streets of the city.  This is such a powerful telling of historical events that occurred that I really felt I was living them through the eyes of the characters. 

I felt both the romantic and naive side of the four main characters. They washed over me like blossom petals falling down from a tree on a warm summer's day. I felt every heartbeat through this winding tale of destiny - tragedy, violence and drama. It really made me think about current day life and freedom. This is a book that would be great to take on a trip to Paris as it will certainly open your eyes and connect you to this wonderful city. 

This book is a historical gem. It is a story that I would not normally read, but I'm really glad that I did! It would have been great to have incorporated some period photographs of the time perhaps, especially from the perspective of the lens of Jules. In my opinion, this would have just been the icing on the cake to what is already an amazing story.  

This book was tense, moving and written deeply from the heart. It is a great teenage/adult read that I think more people should be reading and talking about. As you follow the characters, you'll fall in love with the time, the place and them. Hope for a happy ending though as it may not come. Be inspired and read it....   

Paperback: 368 Pages - Publisher: Hot Key Books (7 May 2015) ISBN-13: 978-1471403675

EXCLUSIVE BOOK COVER REVEAL: Ian Johnstone - Circle of Stone (The Mirror Chronicles 2)

It's always exciting to be able to show off a book cover for the first time. In this case it's an absolute cracker; a fantastic eye catching book cover. The design of the book cover was by Matt Kelly of HarperCollins and the photograph by Eliz Huseyin what a great job they've both done. What do you think? 

Unfortunately, HarperCollins Children's Books will not be publishing this book until 2nd July 2015. I'm really SORRY to be teasing you this week with the book cover image and then next week with the chapter preview, but I hope you enjoy the quick look into what is still to come and perhaps put it on your wish list this summer. Thank you to HarperCollins and Ian/Ben for asking me to share this with everybody - it really is an honour. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Taran Matharu - Summoner: The Novice - Book Review

The online sensation, The Novice, has already reached the dizzy heights of 6 million reads so far. The story, a project that was started during the National Novel Writing Month, was shared on the website Wattpad. This in turn has also become a massive success in it's own right with over 35 million subscribers. If you ever get chance to take a look, you can find some fantastic stories on the site, which currently has more than 75 million stories. 

I'll start this review by first mentioning the book cover, I really love it! It gives a good reflection to the story inside and makes you want to pick it up and read it. It's brilliantly done by Malgorzata Gruszka and the Hodder Team and really stands out on the physical hardback copy. 

After the frantic sales rights this book has received, is it worth a read? In my opinion, most definitely. My expectations were high and I believe that this is a great platform to a great series. I really enjoyed every page of this epic action fantasy. Stories like this give me hope for the future in finding a new voice in a genre that's become a little subdued at the moment. The first three or so chapters of the book are slow going, due to a lot of world and character building which is needed, as it sets up a good plot. After that the book has wings as you fly through a dramatic escapade of adventure, magic and brutal mayhem. 

This style of writing reminded me of some of my favourite authors, a blend between Jonathan Stroud's amazing ability to bring good characters to life and Trudi Canavan's fantastic fantasy vision. This book infuses these strengths to make a memorable and creative bubble. It's a journey of hope, violence and humble beginnings as the reader follows the main character Fletcher. 

Fletcher is put through gruelling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully whilst training alongside children of powerful nobles; the power hungry, those seeking alliances and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces with only his demon, Ignatius, for help.

The characters are well written although somewhat stereotypical of this genre. Nevertheless, they are very engaging as you follow them on a stark journey of class and race division. Underpinning this are the themes of the importance of friendship, loyalty and overcoming adversity. I loved this aspect.  

The story contains many clever plotlines that will keep you immersed. The fantastical action battle scenes are all delivered in a film-like quality. The ending is very impressive and leaves you on an inquisitive cliffhanger; it will make you yearn for the next book. A great solid young adult fantasy which is a classic example of this genre. 

Published by Hodder Children's Books out 5th May 2015. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Young Adult Fantasy Book Picks - May 2015 - UK Post

Sarah Govett - The Territory Published by Firefly Press Ltd (14 May 2015)  - (Book review to follow)             
Limited Space requires limited numbers: Noa lives in what s left of a Britain where flooding means land is scarce. Everyone must sit an exam at 15. If you pass you can stay in the Territory, if you fail you must go to the Wetlands. Rich families can buy their children an upgrade to help, but Norms like Noa must succeed on their own merits. Noa is a bright funny teenager, not sure which boy she likes, devoted to her friends. The book follows her as she and her friends face the exam. Who will pass and who will fail?

David Owen - Panther - Published by Corsair (7 May 2015)

Life isn't going terribly well for Derrick; he's become severely overweight, his only friend has turned on him, he's hopelessly in love with a girl way out of his league, and it's all because of his sister. Her depression, and its grip on his family, is tearing his life apart. When rumours start to circulate that a panther is roaming wild in his south London suburb, Derrick resolves to turn capture it. Surely if he can find a way to tame this beast, he'll be able to stop everything at home from spiraling towards disaster?

Panther is a bold and emotionally powerful novel that deals candidly with the effects of depression on those who suffer from it, and those who suffer alongside them.

David Greygoose - Brunt Boggart: A Tapestry of Tales - Published by Hawkwood Books (4 May 2015)

Brunt Boggart is a tapestry of folktales, myths and storytelling. The connecting thread follows Greychild, abandoned in the woods by his mother. Mistaken for a wolf, he is taken to Brunt Boggart, a village of primal energies where people live close to the land - but sets off along the Pedlar Man's Track to the city of Arleccra. The harbour fills with ships of fire, stars spin and wheel - and he is back in Brunt Boggart again, out under the season's moon. His mother is not there, but Greychild finally discovers the identity of his father.

Taran Matharu - Summoner: The Novice (BK1) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (5 May 2015) (Book review this week) 

Fletcher was nothing more than a humble blacksmith's apprentice, when a chance encounter leads to the discovery that he has the ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, he must travel with his demon to the Vocans Academy, where the gifted are trained in the art of summoning.

The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside.

Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ...

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Cathy MacPhail - Devil You Know - Book Review (Kelpiesteen)

Book Synopsis: "Baz was the kind of friend I wanted. Everyone seemed a bit afraid of him." Forced to move away from his dad in Aberdeen to a run-down Glasgow council estate, Logan thinks he's pretty lucky to have made any friends -- let alone Baz and the boys. Baz might have a bit of reputation, be a bit mouthy, but he's the kind of friend who'll stick up for you; who'll make life interesting -- or should that be dangerous? When Logan, Baz and the boys get caught up a local turf war Baz is the first to fight back. But the aftermath leads Logan and his friends deeper into a world of real-life gangs, threats and lethal revenge. How far will Baz go, and will Logan follow him?

Book Review: This is another interesting and challenging take on teenage life from the award winning author Cathy MacPhail. This is the second book that I have read written by Cathy. I really connected with this story. It brought back a flood of childhood memories; the feeling of freedom and the naive outlook on the world.   

I had a great time relating to the characters in this story as it really took me back to my own childhood. I was immediately immersed into the world of Logan and his friends. I felt every heartbeat of this story pulsating with the reality of human life. Set on a challenging Glasgow council estate, perhaps not the most exciting place you might be thinking, but it is certainly one that will get you thinking. The themes will have similarities to those that young people will be facing today as they try to navigate their teenage lives through these. 

The book creates a large imprint in the friendship department. It focuses on the daily outlook on life and families and the fact that they are never perfect. It depicts many social problems and fears that we may have about ourselves and the world around us. 

This book is an adventure full of thrills and spills where the characters get involved in the proper gang culture, and not just kid ones. This brings about some dark and deadly serious plot turns as threats and revenge have their price. How dangerous will it get for Logan, Baz, Mickey, Gary and Claude ( don't forget Ricky the dog) "just a bunch of boys" looking for something to do at night? 

I think teenage boys will love this book. The plot is very clever and well thought out. Towards the end of the story you will be faced with a killer twist. I did not see this coming, so I will not say anything else, but the clues are there. This story is fast paced and well plotted; full of action and equal amounts of tension that will have you gripped throughout. 

This is another book that I would not normally pick up but I really loved it. Mnay thanks to Floris Books for sending me a copy.  

Paperback: 240 Pages  - Publisher: Kelpies 6 Mar. 2015 - ISBN-13: 978-1782501794

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Caleb Krisp - Anyone but Ivy Pocket Guest Blog Tour ( THE BIRTH OF AN ANTI-HEROINE )

Many thanks to Caleb Krisp for dropping by Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books to tell us about the THE BIRTH OF AN ANTI-HEROINE. What a character she is.....what do you think?


How I came to write IVY POCKET is actually a heartwarming tale - for years I had devoted myself to writing. I lived and breathed my work, crafting stories that were heartbreakingly moving, bone shatteringly brilliant and entirely in Latin. Naturally, it was a cruel shock when the publishing world rejected one book after another. At the very moment I was struggling with my latest literary failure - a nine hundred page masterpiece on the history of butter - my beloved housekeeper, Mrs Cuttlefish, took a creative writing course via correspondence. The deluded fossil was convinced she had a gift for writing and from time to time she would ask for my expert opinion. Her stories were terrible. Until last winter, when Mrs Cuttlefish presented me with the first five chapters of a new novel - the tale of a twelve year old maid by the name of Ivy Pocket. To my amazement, it wasn't completely awful. In fact, it was rather good. 

A few months later she showed me the finished manuscript. What she had written needed work, but it was fresh and funny and slightly wicked. Here was a character who was plucky and optimistic, but also incorrigible, delusional, loose with the truth, infuriating and utterly bonkers. I knew that with my help, my bone-headed housekeeper was destined to find great success with "Anyone But Ivy Pocket" Was I jealous? Not at all! I was delighted for the haggard old bat.

Mrs Cuttlefish confessed she hadn't showed her manuscript to a soul, apart from me. Which was frightfully interesting. One evening I decided to do a little gardening - digging and whatnot. It took several hours, but I managed to dig a rather impressive hole. By a remarkable coincidence, it matched the exact dimensions of Mrs Cuttlefish. 

Unfortunately, my watch must have fallen off as I was gardening. So I asked Mrs Cuttlefish to come outside and help me find it. She seemed to have misplaced her glasses, which was regrettable. She stumbled about in the dark for at least fifteen minutes, before plummeting into the hole. What are the odds?  

I shone the torch into the hole, fully prepared to rescue the kind-hearted nincompoop. Which was terribly selfish of me. For as I watched her lying there, I couldn't deny how remarkably contented she looked. And as she was old and had a vast collection of ceramic frogs, I felt the kindest thing to do was cover her over with some soil and plant a rose bush (which is flowering beautifully, by the way)

Being a magnificent sort of person, I quickly decided that the only way to honour Mrs Cuttlefish's memory was to make a few improvements to her book, remove her name from the manuscript and replace it with my own. Then send it out into the world. The rest is literary history. And I know for a fact that Mrs Cuttlefish is delighted by my success, for she haunts my cottage with great enthusiasm. In fact, I am hoping that once she stops shaking the walls and throwing pots at my head, she will help me write the next adventure of Ivy Pocket. A happy ending all around.

Other blog tour posts: Caleb Krisp - Author Interview - My Book Corner 
John Kelly, the illustrator for Anyone But Ivy Pocket - MinerrvaReads
You can read my review of Anyone But Ivy Pocket - HERE

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Interview with Eve Ainsworth - Seven Days

I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome Eve to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books website and to thank her for taking the time out to answer questions about her latest book called Seven Days. This is available now to purchase from all good bookshops and websites. 

Tell us a little bit about Seven Days?

Seven Days is book about bullying, but from two sides of the story. You see the week in the life of a bully and victim, leading to a climatic ending. 

Sometimes there can more than one victim.

Give us an insight into your main character?

I have two main characters as it is a dual narrative novel. Jess is a sweet girl, who lacks confidence in herself. She sees the good in people and has a lovely soul, but is awkward in her skin. Kez is fiesty and popular. You think that she is nasty and cruel - but she has lots of insecurities  that creep deeply within her.                                               

How much of the book is realistic?

I hope a lot. I witnessed so much bullying when working in schools and saw the impact it had on students. I also spoke to bullies, I heard their stories. I wanted a story that teens could relate to. I need it to be real. 

Do you have a specific writing style?

Not really. I write fast and straight on computer. I edit as I go. I do carry a notepad around but most of my ideas are locked firmly in my head until I write. I think my style is pacy and fairly gritty.

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Yes! I know I'm attracted to covers. A good cover draws you in, it makes you want to open the book and explore. When I received the design for 7 Days from Scholastic I screamed in the street. I was so happy. I love the way the words, the abusive words, are printed all over the book. It shows how exposed a victim feels - like your life is view for everyone to see. 

What are your current projects? 

I am just finishing my second book with Scholastic, Crush - which will be published early 2016. This focuses on abusive and controlling relationships.             

What do you think makes a good story? 

Characters you believe in and care about.   

                                                                    

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?  

From life experience. From the issues I witnessed in schools and my memories of being a teen. I also read lots and lots of magazines (true stories can spark some great ideas) and eavesdrop on lots of conversations.                                                                         

What books have most influenced your life most?                                      
The L Shaped Room was the first book to make me really, really want to be a writer. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole was the first book to be re-read again and again The Stand was the first book to make me go WOW

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?   

Can I have 3? Please?

John Lennon - no reasons needed Julie Walters - my hero and Rik Mayall - ;)

What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

Read! Lots. Listen to music. Play with my kids. Get lost in the woods.

Is there anything that you would like to share with us?                             

I can't ride a bike, but I'm planning to learn (I may need stabilisers) 

Authors web site:http://eveainsworth.com/ 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Picks: Children's and Teens May 2015 - UK Post One

Jason Rohan - The Shield of Kuromori - Published by Egmont (7 May 2015)

Science meets Myth when ogres armed with high-tech weaponry steal a huge telescope as part of an insane plan to cast the world into permanent darkness. With global catastrophe looming, Kenny and Kiyomi take the fight to the enemy, even if it means going out of this world.

But all is not well between the friends. Kiyomi's behaviour is growing increasingly erratic and it soon becomes clear that her life - and her humanity - are in danger. Kenny is faced with an impossible choice - does he save his friend or fulfil his duty?

A . F. Harrold - Fizzlebert Stump and the Girl Who Lifted Quite Heavy Things - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (12 Feb. 2015)

It's the great Circus of Circuses competition, and Fizzlebert Stump has no act. He's no longer the Boy Who Puts His Head In The Lion's Mouth (the lion retired) and putting his head in a crocodile's mouth instead didn't work out for some reason. Can Fizz find a new act in time? Can the Bearded Boy find his long-lost parents? And can their new friend Alice, professional flower-arranger and secret Strongwoman, find her rightful place in the circus?

Paul Magrs - Lost on Mars - Published by Firefly Press Ltd (14 May 2015)

With the scale and scope of the great science fiction epics, Lost on Mars tells the story of Lora and her family, third generation human settlers on the red planet who are struggling to survive in incredible circumstances. The family clings to life on a smallholding in the desert landscape, surviving storms and sinister rumours of un- explained disappearances until one night Lora sees the Dancers. When her father and grandmother disappear themselves, Lora's family is driven out to seek a new life across the plains. But none of them are ready for what they find the beautiful, dangerous City Inside.

Heather Brewer - The Cemetery Boys - Published by HarperTeen (7 May 2015)

 Part Hitchcock, part Hinton, this first-ever stand-alone novel from Heather Brewer, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, uses classic horror elements to tell a darkly funny coming-of-age story about the dangerous power of belief and the cost of blind loyalty.

When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.

Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood—and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end. . .