Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - April 2016 - UK Post Three

Frank Cottrell Boyce - Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (7 April 2016)

Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth by award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce, with illustrations by Steven Lenton, will send your imagination into orbit!

The Blythes are a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word.

Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik.

As Prez dithers on the doorstep, Sputnik strolls right past him and introduces himself to everyone in the household. Prez is amazed at the response. The family pat Sputnik on the head, call him a good boy and drop food into his mouth. It seems they all think Sputnik is a dog. It's only Prez who thinks otherwise.

But Prez soon finds himself having to defend the family from the chaos and danger unleashed by Sputnik, as household items come to life - like a TV remote that fast-forwards people: 'Anyone can do it, it's just that people don't read the instructions properly'; and a toy lightsaber that entertains guests at a children's party, until one of them is nearly decapitated by it - and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself.

It turns out that Sputnik is writing a guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, and he takes Prez on a journey to discover just those ten things. Each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by. But they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . . 

Peter Jay Black - Counterstrike (Urban Outlaws BK4) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (7 April 2016)

The Urban Outlaws face their biggest challenge yet. They have to break into the Facility and find the ultimate weapon - Medusa - before Hector does. But there are five levels of security to crack and a mystery room that has Jack sweating whenever he thinks about it.

But the clock is ticking. Hector is determined to have the weapon and release doomsday, and it is down to the Urban Outlaws to stop him. Can Jack come up with a plan in time?

The tension is high and the shocks are breathtaking in the fourth book of this high-octane adventure series for fans of Robert Muchamore, Anthony Horowitz and Alex Scarrow. urbanoutlawsbunker.com

Chris D'Lacey - The Erth Dragons: 1: The Wearle - Published by Orchard Books (7 April 2016)

The Wearle came to Erth to find out what happened to their previous group, who never returned. Gabrial, a young blue dragon, is desperate to prove his worth. But the dragons aren't alone in the mountains.

Down beyond the scorch line, Ren, a young hom boy, is fascinated by the 'skalers'. But when he creeps into their territory, he sneaks out again with a wriggling baby wearling...

Dragon and boy's fates combine in this stunning new fantasy series.

Oskar Jensen - The Wild Hunt (The Stones of Winter) - Published by Hot Key Books (7 April 2016)

A thrilling tale of Norse Gods and a terrifying hunt ...Astrid - a Viking Princess - and Leif (a poet) are on the run, having been banished from Denmark. They are trying to escape to Sweden. But Grimnir, a cold blooded assassin, has been sent to kill them. And that is the least of their worries, for Leif has managed to offend Odin, the king of the Norse Gods, which means the dreaded Wild Hunt - Odin's hunt - is after them, and ready to take their lives in revenge ...An epic tale of battle, bloodshed and the terror of being hunted.

Caleb Krisp - Are you ready for Ivy Pocket? What do you mean, not again?

Are you ready for Ivy Pocket? The wickedly funny, completely unreliable maid of no importance returns—this time as a coffin maker’s daughter—in this action-packed sequel to Anyone but Ivy Pocket. Published by Bloomsbury 05/05/2016(UK) Greenwillow Books 05/31/2016(US)

Caleb Krisp: Miss Pocket, being a twelve-year-old lady's maid of no importance, it must have been a great shock when I chose to write a book about you.

Ivy Pocket: Not really, dear. You're hardly the first.

Caleb Krisp: You . . . you would have me believe that there have been other books written about you?

Ivy Pocket: I'm practically positive.

Caleb Krisp: Name them.

Ivy Pocket: It's shocking that you even have to ask, for they are awfully well known. Ivy Pocket and the Sorcerer's Whatsit was a great hit. Followed up most spectacularly with Ivy Pocket and the Chamber of Thingermajigs. And Ivy of Green Gables is a classic. Diary of a Whimsical Kidwas the best-selling book of 1889, based entirely on my journals. Second only to The Lion, The Witch and the Windmill, which chronicles my perilous journey across the badlands of Holland armed with just two hairpins and a honeypot.

Caleb Krisp: Forget I asked. Somebody call my agent!

Ivy Pocket: Mr. Krisp, you're scowling in a most unattractive fashion and your double chin is all atremble. What's the matter?

Caleb Krisp: What's the matter? I am a serious author, Miss Pocket, and yet when I sat down to write my great masterpiece, the very stuff of my soul, who was it that appeared? You, that's who!

Ivy Pocket: No need to thank me, dear. It warms my soul that of all the writers in the world who might stumble upon my wondrous adventure, it was a bald, friendless fatso in desperate need of a hit. Well done!

Caleb Krisp: Tell me, Miss Pocket, why are you such an infuriating, disobedient, troublesome girl?

Ivy Pocket: Practice, I should think.

Caleb Krisp: Is it any wonder that from the first chapter, people are either trying to get away from you, or kill you?

Ivy Pocket: Well that's hardly my fault, now is it? You decided to leave me alone and penniless in Paris with no way of getting home. I would have been bonkers to reject Countess Carbunkle's generous offer to deliver that cursed diamond to Matilda Butterfield for her twelfth birthday. How was I supposed to know that the necklace she entrusted me with has the power to—

Caleb Krisp: Button your lips, Miss Pocket. We do not want to spoil things for our readers.

Ivy Pocket: Do I look like some sort of dimwitted nincompoop? I was simply going to point out that the great secret shadowing me for the entire book is that—

Caleb Krisp: Another word from you, Miss Pocket, and I will write you into a locked box and bury you beneath the sea. Do you understand?

Ivy Pocket: Hardly ever.

Caleb Krisp: Besides, your story is not yet finished. If you thought you had trouble in this book, just wait for the sequel, Miss Pocket.
Ivy Pocket: No thank you. I'll wait for the movie if you don't mind.

Caleb Krisp: Ugh. Hideous child.

Ivy Pocket: Happy to help, dear.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - April 2016 - UK Post Two

Charlie Fletcher (Author) Nick Tankard (Illustrator) The City of Beasts (Dragon Shield 3) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (7 April 2016) New allies and new hope leave siblings Will and Jo ready to face the dark force that lurks in the British Museum. It has frozen London, leaving the life force of the city's inhabitants to drain away. But with nearly all the animal statues of London and a nest of dragons against them, will they be able to save their mum - and the world - before time runs out?

With beautiful illustrations by Nick Tankard.

Amber Lee Dodd - We Are Giants - Published by Quercus Children's Books (7 April 2016) A brilliantly funny and wonderfully warm-hearted story about love, family, and what it means to be different. 

Sydney thinks her mum Amy is the best mum in the world - even if she is a bit different. When everyone else kept growing, Amy got to four feet tall and then stopped right there. The perfect height, in Sydney's opinion: big enough to reach the ice cream at the supermarket, small enough to be special. Sydney's dad died when she was only five, but her memories of him, her mum's love and the company of her brave big sister Jade means she never feels alone . . .

Julian Sedgwick - Shadow of the Yangtze (Ghosts of Shanghai) - Published by Hodder Children's Books (7 April 2016) Ruby - a Western girl who feels more Chinese than English - and her friend Charlie must follow the Yangtze hundreds of miles upriver, travelling by Chinese junk and rogue steamer, through bandit and ghost haunted countryside - doggedly tracking Moonface as he spirits Charlie's sister Fei off to his home village. Everything is in flux around them: civil war pulsing, with Nationalists, Communists and warlord bandits struggling for control. The river rises and falls, villages spring up and are gone again. 

Ruby and Charlie brave a shipwreck and a gunbattle and then take a perilous cliff path to Moonface's lair.

Julia Golding - Mel Foster and the Time Machine - Published by Egmont (7 April 2016) Mel Foster and the rag-tag heroes of the Monster Resistance are back in this exciting fantasy adventure from award-winning author Julia Golding. 

How do you catch an international treasure thief who can TRAVEL IN TIME?

That’s the fiendish challenge that faces Mel Foster, Eve Frankenstein and their friends when priceless items begin vanishing all over the world. The Mona Lisa . . . Queen Victoria’s Crown Jewels . . . nothing is safe!

But the next item on the thief’s list is no diamond. It’s Mel himself. Before Mel knows it he’s been kidnapped and stranded in the past. He’s back in time, and back in trouble!

On Mel’s second monstrously big adventure he encounters famous and unusual heroes, and more than a couple of villains: Quasimodo the Younger, Mowgli and his wolf pack, and a cheery young pickpocket by the name of the Artful Dodger.

The time-twisting follow up to Mel Foster and the Demon Butler, winner of a Primary Teacher Bronze Award 2015.

This warm and witty gothic tale from the author of the Costa award-winning Cat Royal series will be perfect for 9+ fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl and Terry Pratchett's Dodger, and lovers of historical adventure.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: M. A. Griffin - Lifers - Book Review

Fear haunts the streets of Manchester: a schoolgirl has disappeared. Preston is drawn to investigate, exploring the city in the hunt for his missing friend. Deep in the bowels of a secret scientific institute, he discovers a sinister machine. Captured and condemned to a cavernous space filled with problematic teens, Preston is determined to escape - but this is no ordinary jail. Friendships are forged and lives lost in a reckless battle for freedom, revenge - and revolution.

This is the second book written by Martin Griffin, a former Times/Chicken House children's fiction competition winner in 2012 with Sleepwell and Fly. His first book "The Poison Boy" was written under a pseudonym of Fletcher Moss, named after Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, but this is known locally as Fletcher Moss. I think that this is a really cool thing to do. 

Lifers will be his first book written for a teenage audience. It takes you down the familiar streets of Manchester. As you wander along the famous city centre landmarks, you will be easily led to believe that things are going on as normal. However you'll be sadly mistaken, as behind the back streets there is definitely a different story being written portraying the darker and sinister side of Manchester. You will be gripped and engrossed the more that you read and explore it. 

The city skyline is dominated by creaking steel rigging. Something strange is brewing in the city at night. A different world of secrets and a mysterious building turns the lives of the main characters upside down, literally. A group of kids fight back against a twisted government plot, which involves the plan to contain problematic teens within an undercover and underground secret prison. The plot really makes the story very unpredictable; teenagers will really love and relate to the characters and the ongoing actions that unfurl along this epic read. 

It's a seriously well plotted thriller. It contains just the right amount of dialogue and detail to keep the reader on their toes. It gives a great insight into a fantastically atmospheric world which is both surreal and deeply absorbing. With a fantastic blend of technology and Sci-fi elements, it is well balanced against a believable reality and backdrop. A world full of adult corruption, a fight for justice (instilling a massive dollop of tension) which is all fuelled by non-stop action. This is a high octane, adrenalin- fuelled ride that you will not be able to put down. 

My favourite part of the story was inside the sinister machine. This produced a captivating and contemporary vision with children all battling for survival and desperately seeking to find a way out. It's a very gritty, super dark and easy to follow prison break out, which reads really well on paper. This is another cracking read from Chicken House which is due to be published early April 2016. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Ali Benjamin - The Thing About Jellyfish - Book Review

It's peculiar how no-words can be better than words. How silence can say more than noise, or a person's absence can occupy even more space than their presence did. 

Suzy is 12 when her best friend, Franny, drowns one summer at the beach. It takes two days for the news to reach Suzy, and it's not something that she can accept: Franny has always been a strong swimmer, from the day they met in swim class when they were just 5. How can someone all of a sudden, just no longer be there?

Suzy realizes that they must have got it wrong: Franny didn't just drown - she was stung by a poisonous jellyfish. This makes a lot more sense to Suzy's logical mind than a random drowning - cause: a jellyfish sting; effect: death. 

Suzy's journey to acceptance is quiet - she resolves to either say something important, or say nothing at all. But it's also bursting with bittersweet humour, heart-breaking honesty, big ideas and small details.

Suzy is haunted by the loss of her former best friend due to a final argument that passed between them before she died. As a result, she retreats into the silent world of her own imagination. This is a thought provoking and striking read which will make you think from the very first footprints that you take into this brilliant and creative plot. The narrative strikes a natural voice deep inside your head and heart; you will easily be drawn into the mindset of a child. The main character makes a number of incredibly painful and socially awkward choices which leaves the reader with much to talk and think about. 

Suzy embarks on a quirky plan to prove the truth about Franny's death. There might be another and more logical solution to her best friend's death, rather than it being a random drowning. The deep fascination for jellyfish in this book sparkles and shines its way to the heart of the book. This part of the book is written exceptionally well. Science and logic is used factually, in a detective sort of way, to prove a theory which is really well researched and works very well, in my opinion. It makes this book a magical experience for me and stands out to everyone who reads it. The thought process and the character's journey is heartbreaking and truly gripping to read. 

I read this book in super quick time as it's a wonderful book for 8+ age. It is one that would be amazingly good to read out loud in a classroom or book group, so that everyone can talk about it and discuss the topics within the book. It's sensitively told through a strong and believable main character. This debut story focuses on acceptance, despair, grief and wonder. It is a fantastic read for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, especially from the perspective of a child. It is not depressing, but shines with a deep undercurrent of hopefulness and has some uplifting moments of humour. 

This book pulsates like a jellyfish; the beating transparent heart will resonate deep into your fantasy brain and stay with you for a very long time. It's very sad through its brutal and honest look at friendship and family. It is an extraordinary view of the world through the eyes of Suzy, as she realises that life can be scary, but if you look hard enough there's also beauty there too.

This is another brilliant read and is Mr Ripley's recommended read for March 2016. It is published by Macmillan Children's books and is available now. Thank you to Macmillan for sending this to me to review...

How can someone all of sudden, just no longer be there? 

Press Release: Simon & Schuster Children's Books - Commissioned Two Middle Grade Fiction Anthologies!

Holiday Ha Ha Ha! and Winter Magic, both to publish in 2016.

Get ready to laugh your summer socks off with Holiday Ha Ha Ha! The collection contains eight sunny, funny reads from bestselling authors Steve Cole, Joanna Nadin, Jeremy Strong, William Sutcliffe, Steven Butler, Candy Harper and Jonathan Meres. David Solomons, whose debut children's book, My Brother is a Superhero, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016, is also a contributor.


From disastrous car journeys to super-powered grannies to gruesomely funny ghost hunters there's something for everyone in this side-splitting anthology. The cover is illustrated by Jamie Littler, known for his illustrations in Danny Wallace's children's books Hamish and the WorldStoppers and Hamish and the Neverpeople.


Holiday Ha Ha Ha! publishes in paperback, 30 June 2016.

Poised for Christmas, Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher and The Shadow Keeper has curated and contributed to a gorgeous collection of wintery stories in Winter Magic, featuring ice queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers. Classic children's writers Michelle Magorian, Michelle Harrison, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jamila Gavin, Berlie Doherty, Katherine Woodfine, Piers Torday, Lauren St John, Amy Alward and Emma Carroll have created an unmissable, enchanting treat of a collection.

Abi Elphinstone has worked as a teacher in the UK and Africa, and is now a full time author and explorer. She volunteers for Beanstalk, and runs the children's book blog www.moontrug.com. Elphinstone says: 'I truly believe that the calibre of books being published for 8-12 year-olds at the moment is outstanding. The adventures are vast, the sense of wonder is unparalleled and I am so excited that a portion of this brilliance will be captured in Simon & Schuster's Winter Magic anthology.'

Winter Magic publishes in hardback, 3 November 2016.
Combined sales for contributors to both anthologies amount to nearly 7 million since records began.

Holiday Ha Ha Ha! and Winter Magic are the first anthologies of this kind to be published by S&S Children's. Each anthology showcases the finest UK authors currently writing middle grade fiction.
Conceived in-house, S&S hold world rights to both anthologies.

Jane Griffiths, Senior Commissioning Editor for fiction says:
'Whether it's stories that have children laughing out loud or magical tales that transport them to another time and place, the appetite for fantastic middle grade books has never been higher. Here at Simon & Schuster we wanted to celebrate the wealth of talent in the UK writing for this age group. These two anthologies bring together some of the most-loved authors writing today and we're absolutely thrilled with both collections.'


Alexandra Maramenides, Managing Director, S&S Children's says:

'I am delighted to announce these two anthologies on the Simon & Schuster list. The collections champion middle grade children's authors in the UK, and I am thrilled that we have brought together such a talented mix of writers.'

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Book Picks: Children's/Teens - April 2016 - UK Post One

Georgia Pritchett - Wilf the Mighty Worrier is King of the Jungle - Published by Quercus Children's Books (7 April 2016)

  

1) Fish sucking his toes when he goes for a paddle 

2) Garden gnomes coming to life 

3) Losing his 'How to Stop Worrying' leaflet

Things Wilf is worried about now:

1) Alan coming on holiday with him

2) Alan raising an army of terrifying animals in his quest for world domination

3) Being the only person who can stop Alan. As usual.

Shane Hegarty - Chaos Descends (Darkmouth, Book 3) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (7 April 2016)

The third book in the monstrously funny and action-packed Darkmouth series. It’s going to be legendary.

The adventures of the most unfortunate Legend Hunter ever to don fighting armour and pick up a desiccator continue…

Finn's been through so much, he'll now be allowed do what he wants with the rest of his life, right? Wrong.

Whether he likes it or not, he's going to be made a proper Legend Hunter. But then suddenly people start disappearing, Legends are appearing where they shouldn't, Broonie's complaining, and an attack so big is coming that Finn has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Dave Rudden - Knights of the Borrowed Dark (Knights of the Borrowed Dark Book 1) - Published - Puffin (7 April 2016) - See book review here.

The first book in a new series about an orphan boy who discovers he is part of a secret army that protects the world from a race of shadowy monsters.

Grey placed his finger in the middle of the shadow.

'What's this?' he asked.

Denizen frowned. 'It's a shadow.'

'No, it isn't,' Grey said. 'It's a door.'

Denizen Hardwick doesn't believe in magic - until he's ambushed by a monster created from shadows and sees it destroyed by a word made of sunlight.

That kind of thing can really change your perspective.

Now Denizen is about to discover that there's a world beyond the one he knows. A world of living darkness where an unseen enemy awaits.

Fortunately for humanity, between us and the shadows stand the Knights of the Borrowed Dark.

Unfortunately for Denizen, he's one of them . . .

Andrew Lane - Night Break (Young Sherlock Holmes) Published by  Macmillan Children's Books (7 April 2016)

Sherlock's mother has died, his father has disappeared in India and his sister is acting strangely. The Holmes family seems to be falling apart, and not even brother Mycroft can keep it together. But while Sherlock is worrying about all of this, a man living nearby vanishes in his own house while Sherlock and Mycroft are visiting. Where did he go, and what is the connection with a massive canal being built in Egypt? The answer will rock the world, and tear the Holmes family apart!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Official Trailer (2016) Eva Green Fantasy Movie HD

Really looking forward to Tim Burton's latest offering, Ransom Riggs Ya fantasy book "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" which has been made into a epic looking movie by the man behind Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish. The only problem, we will have to wait until September 30th to see it. 

When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.

Director:

 Tim Burton

Writers:

 Jane Goldman (screenplay),  Ransom Riggs (novel) 

Stars:

 Eva Green,  Ella Purnell,  Asa Butterfield  

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Guest Post - Eugene Lambert - The Sign of One (Electric Monkey)

When somebody asks what my novel, The Sign Of One, is about - I start out by telling them it’s a ‘twins are evil story, with a twist!’ If they don’t back away, or start babbling about the weather in an attempt to steer the conversation to safer subjects, I gleefully elaborate. It’s the first in a science-fiction trilogy for Young Adult readers, I say, set on a world called Wrath where identical twins are considered evil. Only one twin is human, the other a monster with ‘twisted blood.’ But how to tell them apart? 

Sooner or later, I always get asked the question: ‘How did you come up with that then?’ Well, one answer is because I am an identical twin so it really was the clichéd case of ‘write what you know.’ Another answer is ‘because I had to!’ But the real answer is because of a silly t-shirt!

I’ve always been a twin, apart from fifteen minutes of temporary uniqueness before the midwife was heard to say: ‘Hang on, Mrs. Lambert, there’s another one coming out!’ Martin joined me out in the world, and ‘I’ became ‘we.’ That’s how I grew up, as one of ‘the twins.’ And I wouldn’t change it for the world. You got noticed. You were fussed over. You’re different (by not being different), but in a good way. We were so alike that in older pictures of us, your guess as to who’s who is as good as mine. But as we grew up, we both started to notice that people are not just fascinated by identical twins but also challenged by them. There seemed at time almost a desperation to be able to tell us apart, and an urge to deny our similarities. Which one of you is the clever one? (Martin, sadly, but only by a hair!) No, you’re a bit taller/thinner/, aren’t you? Personally, I think that identical twins freak people out because they confront them with questions of difference and identity, and nature vs. nurture. 

Anyway, in 2011 I had completed a very different middle-grade manuscript (World War One, airships) and had half-heartedly tried to secure representation and get it published. Alas, no joy. All was not lost, however, as this played its part in getting me onto the excellent MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. The major output from said programme is a completed manuscript, in my case to be written over two part-time years. So that’s the ‘I had to’ part of the answer, and illustrates the miraculous and mysterious role that deadlines play in inspiration! 

This leaves the t-shirt. A few months before I started the MA, it was getting towards ‘our’ birthday and I was on the lookout for a present for Martin. In Oxford’s covered market (I think) I saw a shop selling t-shirts emblazoned with witty messages. One had the line: ‘I can’t remember if I’m the good twin or the evil one.’ I bought us each one, mine in blue, Martin’s in black. And to cut a long story short that set me thinking. 

What is this about one twin being good, the other evil? Could there be a world where that was actually the case? So when I had to come up with an idea for my MA manuscript, the ‘evil twin’ premise popped into my head … 

Of course, like any book, The Sign of One is riddled with many other inspirations. For a start, I wanted to write science fiction. When I was a Young Adult reader (not that YA had been invented yet) I was a massive fan of science fiction, in particular the older ‘pulp’ stories with bug-eyed women and scantily-clad monsters1 and rocket ships, etc. The delicious sense of wonder, the thrilling adventures, the glimpses of weird alien worlds, these books lifted me out of my mundane growing-up-in-the-Midlands life. 

And then there were the original Star Wars films, the seismic SF event of my youth. Need I say more? No, but I will. Although I had enjoyed Star Trek, I absolutely loved Star Wars (and the slightly later Alien). Why so? Because these movies pioneered the gritty end of the ‘sliding scale of shiny versus gritty’, the so-called ‘Used Future’ trope. The spaceships were rusty and battered, and so were the hard-bitten characters that flew them. In other words, even though it was SF everything felt more real. And, for me, this is so-o-o-o important. To give you one final example: Aliens. Apart from the clever plotting that allows this sequel movie to pick up from where the excellent Alien left off, the thing I still rave about to this day is how the Marines go into the colony all macho only to get their butts well and truly kicked. And then they’re scared. Not square-jawed and stoic, but really scared. Shitting-themselves scared, like you or I would be!

There are also more recent sources of inspiration lurking within the pages of The Sign of One. During my MA, I read plenty of mind-blowing contemporary YA and that inspired me. Think Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, Moira Young’s Blood Red Road, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, and so forth. I could go on and on, but I won’t. 

Thing is, I have another book to write… 

Eugene Lambert

THE SIGN OF ONE, which will be published on the 7th April 2016, published by Egmont's Electric Monkey Imprint..... Grab a copy and read it......

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's/Teenage US Published Book Picks For March 2016 - Post Two

Brandon Mull - Death Weavers (Five Kingdoms Bk4) - Published by Aladdin (March 15, 2016)
Cole is about to face his biggest peril yet.
Since arriving in the Outskirts, Cole and his friends have fought monsters, challenged knights, and battled rampaging robots. But none of that has prepared them for Necronum.
In this haunting kingdom, it’s hard to tell the living from the dead, and secret pacts carry terrifying risks. Within Necronum lies the echolands, a waystation for the departed where the living seldom venture.
Still separated from his power, Cole must cross to the echolands and rely on his instincts to help rescue his friends. With enemies closing in, Cole risks losing everything to find the one thing that might save them.

Ted Sanders - The Keepers #2: The Harp and the Ravenvine - Published by HarperCollins Children's (March 1, 2016) 
IN THE WORLD OF THE KEEPERS, IT'S BEST NOT TO SPEAK IN TERMS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Horace F. Andrews, Keeper of the fabled Box of Promises, knows that nothing is impossible. After all, he has the ability to see into the future, and his friend Chloe can walk through walls. But before either of them can master their Tan'ji--their talismans of power--a new threat looms over all Keepers, and they must prepare to battle their eternal enemies--the Riven.

Far away, drawn by an irresistible summons, a mysterious girl is making her way to the Warren, the Keeper stronghold. She wears the Ravenvine and is learning to wield its fascinating power; but this Tan'ji is damaged. There's no telling what will happen to the instrument or its Keeper if it cannot be made whole again. April's journey is long and dangerous, with strange new companions at her side and a pack of sinister hunters tracking her. Will she reach the Warren in time, and is it a safe haven, or will it offer only more danger?

Ted Sanders's magical series began with The Box and the Dragonfly and continues with this powerful sequel that expands the extraordinary world of the Keepers, where nothing is ever ordinary and three words rule: Curiosity. Discovery. Possibility.

Marina Cohen - The Inn Between - Published by Roaring Brook Press (March 22, 2016) 

Eleven-year-old Quinn has had some bad experiences lately. She was caught cheating in school, and then one day, her little sister Emma disappeared while walking home from school. She never returned.

When Quinn's best friend Kara has to move away, she goes on one last trip with Kara and her family. They stop over at the first hotel they see, a Victorian inn that instantly gives Quinn the creeps, and she begins to notice strange things happening around them. When Kara's parents and then brother disappear without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lurking beneath the floorboards. 

Andrew Brumbach - The Eye Of Midnight - Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 8, 2016)

A cross between Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code for kids, you won’t be able to put down this classic adventure set in 1920s New York City with an Arabian twist!

 
On a stormy May day in 1929, William and Maxine arrive on the doorstep of Battersea Manor to spend the summer with a grandfather they barely remember. Whatever the cousins expected, Colonel Battersea isn’t it.
     Soon after they settle in, Grandpa receives a cryptic telegram and promptly whisks the cousins off to New York City so that he can meet an unknown courier and collect a very important package. Before he can do so, however, Grandpa vanishes without a trace. 
     When the cousins stumble upon Nura, a tenacious girl from Turkey, she promises to help them track down the parcel and rescue Colonel Battersea. But with cold-blooded gangsters and a secret society of assassins all clamoring for the same mysterious object, the children soon find themselves in a desperate struggle just to escape the city’s dark streets alive.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Eugene Lambert - The Sign of One (Sign of One 1) - Book Review

One for sorrow, two for death…

On Wrath, a dump-world for human outcasts, identical twins are feared. Only one will grow up human, while the other becomes a condemned monster with ‘twisted’ blood.

When sixteen-year-old Kyle is betrayed, he flees for his life with the help of Sky, a rebel pilot with trust issues. As the hunt intensifies, Kyle soon realises that he is no ordinary runaway – although he has no idea why he warrants this level of pursuit.

Here is the first book in an exciting new trilogy, THE SIGN OF ONE, which will be published on the 7th April 2016. Published by Egmont's Electric Monkey Imprint with book two, INTO THE NO-ZONE & and book three hopefully following 9-12 months apart. This is the first gallop into Eugene's fantasy mind; a dystopian adventure that will gravitate you towards a barbaric world known as the world of Wrath. So welcome one and all to the world of Wrath......

It's a place like no other in the fantasy universe. The setting is pitch perfect; a bleak scene of neglect and isolation, where the dregs of humanity were evacuated a long time ago. What adventures lie within this world when most things here are out to kill you, even the wildlife? As you move around and through this brilliant plot you may want to keep your whits about you, as you may get caught up in the deadly grasp of the longthorn trees, with deadly finger length barbs. I would always recommend you stay well away from the 'razor' grass - I'm sure you don't really need me to tell you why. 

The theme of this book is that twins are seen as evil. As Eugene (the author) is a twin, I'm not sure who is the evil one at home, but in this book you are sentenced to death. This brings about an interesting and thought provoking question with results that will surprise the readers, especially later on in the story. However, say no more "Mr Ripley" I hear you shout - we will have no spoilers here. The book does have a feeling of Mad Max which the press release identified and, for once, I agree with this comparison, but it is definitely not similar to Hunger Games, in my humble opinion.

The main character Kyle was not the best character for me in this book. I never really identified with him as well as I would have liked, maybe it was his weaker personality. However, the other characters were brilliant and Sky, a fiercely independent  glider pilot, has been written particularly well. I really wanted the best for her, as she was really likeable. I wanted to find out more about her and her past life. She is the great battler of the narrative with her own hidden agenda which swung their reluctant adventure along some great twists and turns. 

This book is basically a Sci-fi collision of all of Eugene's favourite films from his younger days which have been thrown into a fantasy melting pot and, to me, it really works. I really loved reading this wonky and not so perfect world of flying machines as well as robotic destructive machines. The characters have to survive the best that they can by foraging and scavenging though the industrial forgotten landscape which is all very atmospheric. Written with a very real like quality,  you will be really captivated to read the story for this reason alone. I believe that this is the best Young Adult read so far this year... It is a great start to a trilogy and probably the best that I have read in a long time, so well done Eugene, this book has lived up to my expectations. 

One for SORROW, Two for Death and Three for Readers JOY! 
Author's guest post will follow next week, make sure you check that out as well!