Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Favourite Book Cover Competition - THE GRAND FINAL 2022/2023

Welcome everybody to the 13th GRAND FINAL of Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books' favourite book cover. We have already run five fantastic heats so all the winners and highest runners-up are now ready for your VOTES once again. This is your chance to choose your favourite to be crowned the ultimate winner. So get your fingers ready as it all starts NOW. Who will win this YEAR?  

This week's voters' prize is a £10 National Book Token, a book (Fleur Hitchcock - Murder at Snowfall), and a bar of chocolate. (Voters prize is open to the UK Only) 

If you are interested all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll HERE  (or at the bottom of the post)
• Leave a comment through this post/poll or #RT our Pinned tweet on @Enchantedbooks or you could do both for a better chance to win.
• This poll will end on 16th JAN 2023 at Midnight (UK). Have fun and share with the world through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Watch the voting develop, and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed).

Here are all the fantastic book covers to vote for: 

BOOK ONE: Jo Clarke - Libby and the Highland Heist - Published by Firefly Press (19 Jan. 2023) - Illustrated by Becka Moor - VOTE HERE 

BOOK TWO: Eve McDonnell - The Chestnut Roaster - Published by Everything with Words (27 Oct. 2022) - Book Cover Illustrated by Holly Ovenden - VOTE HERE 

BOOK THREE: Andy Sagar - Yesterday Crumb and the Teapot Chaos - Book Published by Orion Children's Books (16 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by MARINE GOSSELIN/Jen Alliston - VOTE HERE

BOOK FOUR: Levi Pinfold - Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment - Published by Walker Studio (3 Nov. 2022) - Book Cover Illustrated by Levi Pinfold - VOTE HERE  

BOOK FIVE: Holly Webb - The Story of Greenriver - Book Published by Orion Children's Books (1 Sept. 2022) - Illustrated by Zanna Goldhawk/designed by Lynne Manning - VOTE HERE

BOOK SIX: Jodie Garnish - The Spectaculars - Published by Usborne Publishing (29 Sept. 2022) - Illustrated by Nathan Collins - VOTE HERE

BOOK SEVEN: Penny Chrimes - WILDER - Published by 

Orion Children's Books (16 Feb. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by - Manuel Šumberac - VOTE HERE 

Happy Voting!

The Best Children's Book Picks January 2023 - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Abi Elphinstone - Saving Neverland -  Puffin Children's Books (5 Jan. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241473320 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

Number 14 Darlington Road, looks like a perfectly ordinary townhouse - at first glance, anyway, but magic is good at hiding . . . when it's waiting for the right person to discover it . . .

Martha Pennydrop is ten, and desperate to grow up. But growing up is a tricky business. It means turning your back on imagination, fun and magic, because those were the things that led to the Terrible Day when something awful nearly happened to Martha's younger brother, Scruff, which would have been All Her Fault.

But when Martha and Scruff discover a drawer full of mysterious gold dust in the bedroom of their new house - along with a window that's seemingly impossible to close - it's the start of an incredible adventure to a magical world: Neverland! The Pennydrop's new house used to belong to another family - the Darlings - who once visited this world themselves. Now Peter Panis back, and in need of their help. Neverland is in the icy grip of a terrible curse - cast long ago by Captain Hook. And only Martha and Scruff can save it . . .

A reluctant Martha and excited Scruff are swept off to Neverland and into the company of the Lost Kids. But when Scruff is kidnapped, Martha must rediscover all the imagination, magic and belief she has buried deep inside herself for so long, to save him - and Neverland itself.

Sarah Ann Juckes (Author), Sharon King-Chai - The Night Animals - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (5 Jan. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398510920. - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Uncover the ghost animals within in this moving and uplifting story about finding help where you need it, from the highly acclaimed author and illustrator of The Hunt for the Nightingale.  

Nora's mum has good days and bad days, but the bad days are getting worse.  It's been just the two of them for always, and they don't need anyone else.  When the rainbow-shimmering ghost animals Nora used to see when she was small start to reappear, she's convinced that they hold all the answers.  Along with new friend Kwame, Nora follows a glittering ghostly fox, hare, raven and otter on the adventure of a lifetime, helping her to find the strength she needs to help her family.

In a heartbreaking and hopeful narrative, Sarah Ann Juckes' stunning novel, illustrated by the award-winning Sharon King-Chai sees a brave young girl face down her ghosts.  For fans of The Last Bear and Julia and the Shark.

Nigel Baines - A Tricky Kind of Magic - Published by Hodder Children's Books (5 Jan. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1444960266 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Cooper is brilliant at magic tricks. Card tricks, clever illusions - he can do them all. His dad, also known as the Great Eduardo, taught him the tricks of the magical trade before he passed away. But the one thing Cooper can't do is see his dad again. 

So when a talking rabbit appears from his dad's top hat, and reveals there is a place where Cooper might find him, he jumps at the chance. Magic is about believing the impossible, after all. And Cooper desperately wants to believe that he can see his dad once more.

But what - and who - is waiting for them in the land where magic goes wrong?

Filled with humour and emotion, this is an action-packed graphic novel about finding magic when you need it the most.

Peter Lantos - The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die - Published by Scholastic (5 Jan. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0702323089 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

A story of survival, of love between mother and son and of enduring hope in the face of unspeakable hardship. An important read. 

The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die describes an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn Europe in 1944 and 1945. Peter and his parents set out from a small Hungarian town, travelling through Austria and then Germany together. Along the way, unforgettable images of adventure flash one after another: sleeping in a tent and then under the sky, discovering a disused brick factory, catching butterflies in the meadows – and as Peter realises that this adventure is really a nightmare – watching bombs falling from the blue sky outside Vienna, learning maths from his mother in Belsen. All this is drawn against a background of terror, starvation, infection and, inevitably, death, before Peter and his mother can return home. 

The Best Children's Book Picks January 2023 - US Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Pam Muñoz Ryan - Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs - Published by Disney-Hyperion (January 31, 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1368078443 - Paperback - Age: 8+

"I advise you to tell no one about the gift unless you trust them implicitly."

Ever since Solimar was a little girl, she has gone to the ouamel forest bordering her kingdom to observe the monarch butterflies during their migration, but always from a safe distance. Now, on the brink of her quinceañera and her official coronation, Solimar crosses the dangerous creek to sit among the butterflies. There, a mysterious event gives her a gift and a burden--the responsibility to protect the young and weak butterflies with her magical rebozo, or silk shawl. 

Solimar is committed to fulfilling her role, and has a plan that might have worked. But when her father, the king, and her brother, the prince, leave on an expedition, a neighboring king overthrows the kingdom and holds everyone left in the village hostage. It takes all of Solimar's courage to escape and then embark on a dangerous journey to save her kingdom, but she's not alone. Her pet bird, Lázaro, the butterflies she protects, and a magical rag doll, Zarita, are with her. Then, at a precarious moment, she meets a river boy who knows the rapids. 

Even with help, can Solimar save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the monarchs from a greedy king?

Megan Reyes - Heroes of Havensong: Dragonboy - Labyrinth Road (January 24, 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593482377 - Hardback - Age: 7+ 
This timeless fantasy debut follows four unlikely heroes—a boy-turned-dragon, his reluctant dragon rider, a runaway witch, and a young soldier—bound by the Fates to save their world, and magic itself, from being destroyed.

Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli grew up on different sides of a war they didn’t start. Their land has been torn apart over centuries of conflict, with humans taught to fear all things magical, dragons driven to near extinction, and magic under attack. But an ancient prophecy has put the four of them on a collision course with destiny—and with each other—in a mission to heal the fractured realm once known as Haven. 

All of them must follow the threads of Fate, leaving behind the lives and homes they know to discover the truth about the seemingly endless war—and the truth about themselves. As the barriers between them begin to crumble, can they unravel the lies they’ve been taught to believe in order to restore the balance between humans, dragons, and magic before it’s too late?

John David Anderson - Riley's Ghost - Published by Walden Pond Press (January 11, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062985972 - Hardback - Age: 8

From John David Anderson, acclaimed author of Posted, comes a ghost story pulled from the darkest shadows of middle school.

Riley Flynn is alone. 

It feels like she’s been on her own since sixth grade, when her best friend, Emily, ditched her for the cool girls. Girls who don’t like Riley. Girls who decide one day to lock her in the science closet after hours, after everyone else has gone home.

When Riley is finally able to escape, however, she finds that her horror story is only just beginning. All the school doors are locked, the windows won’t budge, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working. Through halls lit only by the narrow beam of her flashlight, Riley roams the building, seeking a way out, an answer, an explanation. And as she does, she starts to suspect she isn’t alone after all. 

While she’s always liked a good scary story, Riley knows there is no such thing as ghosts. But what else could explain the things happening in the school, the haunting force that seems to lurk in every shadow, around every corner? As she tries to find answers, she starts reliving moments that brought her to this night. Moments from her own life...and a life that is not her own., acclaimed author of Posted, comes a ghost story pulled from the darkest shadows of middle school.

Riley Flynn is alone. 

It feels like she’s been on her own since sixth grade, when her best friend, Emily, ditched her for the cool girls. Girls who don’t like Riley. Girls who decide one day to lock her in the science closet after hours, after everyone else has gone home.

When Riley is finally able to escape, however, she finds that her horror story is only just beginning. All the school doors are locked, the windows won’t budge, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working. Through halls lit only by the narrow beam of her flashlight, Riley roams the building, seeking a way out, an answer, an explanation. And as she does, she starts to suspect she isn’t alone after all. 

While she’s always liked a good scary story, Riley knows there is no such thing as ghosts. But what else could explain the things happening in the school, the haunting force that seems to lurk in every shadow, around every corner? As she tries to find answers, she starts reliving moments that brought her to this night. Moments from her own life...and a life that is not her own.

Dianne K. Salerni - The Carrefour Curse - Published by Holiday House (January 31, 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0823452675 - Hardback - Age: 8

The Addams Family meets The Westing Game in this exhilarating mystery about a modern magical dynasty trapped in the ruins of their once-grand, now-crumbling ancestral home.

Twelve-year-old Garnet regrets that she doesn’t know her family. Her mother has done her best to keep it that way, living far from the rest of the magical Carrefour clan and their dark, dangerous mansion known as Crossroad House.

But when Garnet finally gets summoned to the estate, it isn’t quite what she hoped for. Her relatives are strange and quarrelsome, each room in Crossroad House is more dilapidated than the last, and she can’t keep straight which dusty hallways and cobwebbed corners are forbidden. 

Then Garnet learns the family secret: their dying patriarch fights to retain his life by stealing power from others. Every accident that isn’t an accident, every unexpected illness and unexplained disappearance grants Jasper Carrefour a little more time. While the Carrefours squabbles over who will inherit his role when (if) he dies, Garnet encounters evidence of an even deeper curse. Was she brought to Crossroad House as part of the curse . . . or is she meant to break it?

Written with loads of creepy atmosphere and an edge-of-your-seat magical mystery, this thrilling story reads like The Haunting of Hill House for preteens. Perfect for late-night reading under the covers.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Best Book Cover Illustration Competition - Round 5 - 2022/23

 HELLO Everybody! It's a big MASSIVE and warm welcome to the 13th annual Children's Book Cover Competition (check out the previous winner's HERE). This year we are looking again to find your favourite book cover for 2022/2023. We do this to support the creative unsung heroes of the children's book world; the illustrators and the brilliant creative teams behind all the books we love. Please share this exciting adventure with your friends and followers on social media. Everyone is welcome to vote so share the FUN with others. 

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Competition Rules 

There will be five weekly heats; each with six books to vote for. (In this last one we have just gone for it!) Although there will be 7 book covers in the final to vote for. All heat winners will make the grand final plus two book covers as the highest runners-up from all the heats. 

ROUND ONE WINNER: Jo Clarke - Libby and the Highland Heist - Published by Firefly Press (19 Jan. 2023) - Illustrated by Becka Moor.

ROUND TWO WINNER: Eve McDonnell - The Chestnut Roaster - Published by Everything with Words (27 Oct. 2022) - Book Cover Illustrated by Holly Ovenden. 

ROUND THREE WINNER: Andy Sagar - Yesterday Crumb and the Teapot Chaos - Book Published by Orion Children's Books (16 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by MARINE GOSSELIN/Jen Alliston

ROUND FOUR WINNER: Levi Pinfold - Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment - Published by Walker Studio  (3 Nov. 2022)- Illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Each week you vote you will be in with a chance to win an exciting prize. 

This week's prize is a £10 Waterstones Book Voucher + The Secret of Ragnar's Gold by Mark Dawson and a bar of Chocolate. 

If you are interested all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll HERE  (or at the bottom of the post)
• Leave a comment through this post/poll or see pinned Tweet for more details on @Enchantedbooks
• This poll will end on Tuesday the 13th of December 2022 at Midnight (UK). 

Have fun and share with the world through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Watch the voting develop, and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed).

Here are all the brilliant book covers to vote for this week: 

BOOK ONE: Ian Eagleton - The Woodcutter and The Snow Prince - Book Published by Owlet Press (3 Nov. 2022) - Illustrated by Davide Ortu - VOTE HERE

BOOK TWO: Peter Bunzl - The Clockwork Queen - Published by Barrington Stoke (2 Jun. 2022) - Illustrated by Lia Visirin - VOTE HERE

BOOK THREE: Holly Webb - The Story of Greenriver - Book Published by Orion Children's Books (1 Sept. 2022) - Illustrated by Zanna Goldhawk - VOTE HERE 

BOOK FOUR: Stuart White - Ghosts of Mars - Published by Penobi Press (16 Jan. 2023) - Illustrated by Jennifer Jamieson - VOTE HERE 

BOOK FIVE: Honor and Perdita Cargill - 

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Unexpected Guests - Published 

Stripes Publishing (2 Feb. 2023) - Illustrated by Katie Saunders and designed by Sophie Bransby - VOTE HERE 

BOOK SIX: Lucy Ann Unwin - The Octopus, Dadu and Me - Published by UCLan Publishing (5 Jan. 2023) - Illustrated by Selom Sunu/Lucy Mulligan and designed by Amy Cooper - VOTE HERE 

BOOK SEVEN: Laura Ellen Anderson - Rainbow Grey: Battle for the Skies - Published by Farshore (2 Feb. 2023) - Illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson - VOTE HERE 

BOOK EIGHT: Fleur Hitchcock - Murder at Snowfall - Published by Nosy Crow (3 Nov. 2022) -  Illustrated by Robert Ball - VOTE HERE 

BOOK NINE: Jaclyn Moriarty - The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere - Published by Guppy Books (2 Mar. 2023) - Illustrated by Karl James Mountford - VOTE HERE 

BOOK TEN: Elizabeth Lim - The Dragons Promise - Published by Hodder & Stoughton (30 Aug. 2022) - Illustrated by Kelly Chong - VOTE HERE 

HAPPY VOTING! 

Ryan Hammond - Villains Academy - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Villains Academy is Ryan's first author-illustrated book to be published by Simon & Schuster Children's. It is not available to buy at the moment as it isn't due to be published until February 2023. This is the first book in a planned series featuring no cute animals but only bad ones at the school full of villains (or is it?). The book is a really light-hearted and fun read that might just give you a boost producing an upbeat feeling. It is an excellent choice for particularly the younger but also the older reader with a big heart.

On the first day at Villains Academy, we are welcomed into class Z with Master Mardybum and his group of students. Each student is hoping to be crowned VILLIAN of the Week. The book follows a group of things - this is really the best way to describe the motley class of characters. One team is called The Cereal Killers and comprises of A Werewolf called Bram, Mona the elf-witch, Bryan the lion, Shelia the ghost, and Tony the skeleton. The other team is called The Overlords and includes Mr Toad, Spike the Snappy Croc, Jeeves, The Tooth Hairy, and MAL the lost. 

The teams compete in a mayhem plot that fills the reader with joy, sadness, and a rollercoaster of emotions. Bram needs to find his inner badness to become the villain he's always dreamed of being to win. However, everyone has to work as a TEAM which is easier said than DONE! The book is written in a fantasy, dream-like way as the quirky characters take you on the most wicked and nastiest adventure you could ever think of. It's a school adventure where it's always good to be bad or just to be able to leave in one piece. It's a cracking story full of laughs, wit, sarcasm, and huge dollops of bad smells. 

If you dare to enter Villian's Academy be prepared to expect lots of farting as well as illustrations that will delight an explosion of nightmares. It's a fast-page, evil adventure with the most frightening word, are you ready to hear it? "SHUBBLEMEGUMP" .... There, you have been warned. If this sounds like your kind of tasty toes to read then grab a copy as soon as you can. We may see you next time Soony Peeps or will we? 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's Best Book Cover Illustration Competition - Round 4 - 2022/23

 HELLO Everybody! It's a big MASSIVE and warm welcome to the 13th annual Children's Book Cover Competition (check out the previous winner's HERE). This year we are looking again to find your favourite book cover for 2022/2023. We do this to support the creative unsung heroes of the children's book world; the illustrators and the brilliant creative teams behind all the books we love. Please share this exciting adventure with your friends and followers on social media. Everyone is welcome to vote so share the FUN with others. 

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Competition Rules 

There will be five weekly heats; each with six books to vote for. Although there will be 7 book covers in the final to vote for. All heat winners will make the grand final plus two book covers as the highest runners-up from all the heats. 

ROUND ONE WINNER: Jo Clarke - Libby and the Highland Heist - Published by Firefly Press (19 Jan. 2023) - Illustrated by Becka Moor.

ROUND TWO WINNER: Eve McDonnell - The Chestnut Roaster - Published by Everything with Words (27 Oct. 2022) - Book Cover Illustrated by Holly Ovenden. 

ROUND THREE WINNER:  Andy Sagar - Yesterday Crumb and the Teapot Chaos - Book Published by Orion Children's Books (16 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by MARINE GOSSELIN/Jen Alliston

Each week you vote you will be in with a chance to win an exciting prize. 

This week's prize is a £10 National Book Token + David Farr - The Book of Stolen Dreamsbar and a bar of chocolate. 

If you are interested all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll HERE  (or at the bottom of the post)
• Leave a comment through this post/poll or see pinned Tweet for more details on @Enchantedbooks
• This poll will end on the Monday 28th of November 2022 at Midnight (UK). 

Have fun and share with the world through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Watch the voting develop, and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed).

Here are the six brilliant book covers to vote for this week: 

BOOK ONE: Ruth Lauren - Tourmaline and the Island of Elsewhere - Published by Stripes Publishing (2 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by Sharon King-Chai/Pip Johnson - VOTE HERE Or Below. 

BOOK TWO: Sally Doherty - Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven - Published by Soaring Skies Publishing ( 31 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by Sarah Jane Docker - VOTE HERE  or Below. 

BOOK THREE: H.S. Norup - Into the Faerie Hill - Published by Pushkin Children's Books (2 Mar. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by Thy Bui - VOTE HERE or Below.

BOOK FOUR: Hannah Foley - The Tiger Who Sleeps Under MY Chair - Published by Zephyr (2 Feb. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by Lucy Rose - VOTE HERE or Below.

BOOK FIVE: Levi Pinfold - Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment - Published by Walker Studio (3 Nov. 2022) - Book Cover Illustrated by Levi Pinfold - VOTE HERE  or Below. 

BOOK SIX: NANCY TANDON - The Ghost of Spruce Point - Published by Aladdin Paperbacks (2 Aug. 2022) - Book cover Illustrated by Kristina Kister - VOTE HERE  or Below. 

Happy VOTING! 

The Best Children's Book Picks November 2022 - US Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Jaclyn Moriarty -  The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere - Published by Levine Querido (November 15, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1646142026 - Hardback - Age: 9+ 

A unique blend of humor, suspense, and magic, unfolding through the instantly recognizable rivalries, affections and foibles of her characters, from Jaclyn Moriarty 
During a sleepover, a letter comes to five children begging for the urgent assistance of Esther Mettlestone-Staranise, the newly-realized Rain Weaver; she must arrive before 10am on Monday to save an entire town of elves. When they arrive, the children find two incredibly odd things: first, the town of elves, buried under layers of silver; and second, a regular-size boy who, soon after seeing the children, dies.

Oscar is that boy who skipped school in our world on Monday to skate, and found himself in the city of the elves at just the wrong moment: He fled as fast as he could, but not fast enough because the silver wave struck him and he fell down dead.

And that’s just the beginning! At breakneck pace the cousins and friends (and a six-year-old stowaway elf named Gruffudd, who’s a troublemaker) try to stop the clock and rewind the tragedy. Can they do it?

The pleasure is all in the adventure, as only Jaclyn Moriarty can tell it.

ABOUT JACLYN MORIARTY

Jaclyn Moriarty is the award-winning author of uniquely creative and readable books for adults and young readers including The Year of Secret Assignments, the Colors of Madeleine trilogy, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, and The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst. One of the talented and popular Moriarty sisters (including Liane and Nicola), Jaclyn lives in Sydney, Australia. She is very fond of chocolate, blueberries, and sleep.

Roland Smith - The Switch - Published by Scholastic Press (November 1, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0545803502 - Hardback - Age: 8+

A thrilling dystopic story from Roland Smith about how far people will go to survive -- perfect for fans ofDry and Distress Signal.

On the morning of Henry Ludd's thirteenth birthday, the power goes out. No phones, no news, and planes are literally falling out of the sky. Henry's father was away from the family farm and he has not returned. It's worrisome as people descend into lawlessness.

Four months later, the electricity still hasn't come back. While Henry's family is protected in their walled compound with wind turbines fueling their electricity, the rest of their area has suffered. Henry's father still hasn’t been found. Determined to find him, Henry ventures out with a trading crew to the zoo where his dad was last seen. After the truck is hijacked and Henry is left behind, he's forced to travel alone through the unruly world of the Switch. But his journey home will lead him to cross paths with the people who took his dad and have been trying to take over his family's land and resources ever since.

Esme Symes-Smith - Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston - Published by ‎Labyrinth Road (November 8, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593485774 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

In a magical medieval world filled with dragons, shape-shifters, and witches, a twelve-year-old nonbinary hopeful knight battles for the heart of their kingdom. A thrilling middle-grade series opener that explores identity and gender amid sword fights and magic, and proves anyone can be a hero.

When their ex-hero dad is summoned back to the royal capital of Helston to train a hopeless crown prince, Callie lunges at the opportunity to finally prove themself worthy to the kingdom’s "great and powerful." Except the intolerant great and powerful look at nonbinary Callie and only see girl. But Callie has always known exactly what they want to be, and they’re not about to let anything stand in their way.

Trapped in Helston’s rigid hierarchy where girls learn magic and boys train as knights, Callie discovers they aren’t alone—there’s Elowen, the chancellor’s brilliant daughter, whose unparalleled power is being stifled; Edwyn, Elowen’s twin brother desperate to win his father’s approval; and Willow, the crown prince who was never meant to be king.

In this start to an epic series packed with action, humor, and heart, Callie and their new friends quickly find themselves embedded in an ancient war—and their only hope to defeat the threats outside the kingdom lies in first defeating the bigotry within.

"Young readers will find a worthy hero in Callie, who displays boundless courage in defending both their convictions and their friends...In clear and simple terms, Sir Callie assures readers that, no matter what anyone else might say, a real fairy-tale ending means finding the space and support to thrive exactly the way you are."
—Bookpage

Marthe Jocelyn (Author), Isabelle Follath (Illustrator) - Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse - Published by Tundra Books (November 1, 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735270824 - Hardback - Age: 9+ 

For young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, an opportunity to dig up fossils becomes even more thrilling when a corpse washes ashore in this fourth book in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series, inspired by the life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Enola Holmes.

After an invigorating but not exactly restful trip to a Yorkshire spa during which she survived a near brush with death and foiled a murderer, aspiring writer Aggie Morton and her friend Hector are thrilled to have the opportunity to stay at a camp by the sea and watch real paleontologists at work. The famed husband and wife team of the Blenningham-Crewes are about to become even more famous with the recovery of the fossilized bones of an ichthyosaur from the sea by Lyme Regis. This news has already caught the attention of an American millionaire, a British museum and a travelling circus owner, who each want the bones for their own collections. Tensions are running high throughout the camp, from the cook, to the collectors, to the Blenningham-Crewes themselves, and become downright dangerous after Aggie and Hector make a discovery of their own: a body on the beach. Not a fossil, but a human body. 

ISABELLE FOLLATH has been a freelance illustrator for advertising agencies, magazines and book publishers for over fifteen years, but her true passion lies in illustrating children's books. She uses pen and ink, watercolor and pencil alongside digital techniques to create her work. She loves drinking an alarming amount of coffee, learning new crafts and looking for the perfect greenish-gold color. Isabelle lives with her family in Switzerland.