Book Review: Jon Mayhew - Monster Odyssey

                                           

A huge red tentacle gripped a sailor and whisked him above the deck. Dakkar caught the look of horror in his staring eyes as he vanished, dragged over the side and into the sea. Water rained down on the deck as more tentacles squirmed their way over the side and across the deck or through the rigging. Men's shouts of anger or terror mingled with the odd gunshot. 

This is the fourth book by Jon Mayhew - it is due to be published by Bloomsbury this month. This book is slightly different from Jon's previous books as it's not just about the frights and spills of horror. It is instead a pure epic fantasy from the bottom of the ocean. Jon, at an early age, was captivated like so may of us by the classic 1950 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This was of course originally written by the great man and author, Jules Verne. 

At the time, the film industry was making great leaps and bounds with new technology. This film captivated many watchers, just like the book. It has certainly inspired Jon to be very creative historically - additional embellishments through a creative vision creates a mix of 200,000 Leagues and The Mysterious Island. A memorable and enchanting read has been created that will have you in awe. You'll be gripped by the strongest tentacle and dragged down into the deepest depths of fantasy. 

The main character in the book, Prince Dakkar, will rejuvenate the memory of Captain Nemo in so many ways. I'm hoping that he may pave the way for many future stories. Son of an Indian Rajah, he certainly has issues with authority, as he was expelled from the world's finest schools and finally sent to an unconventional educator known as Count Oginski. Unsurprisingly, Dakkar plans his escape immediately and eventually sets off on a roller-coaster adventure. This is a seafaring-tale that will have you splashing about wanting much more.

Count Oginski is a genius inventor, as a character he works really well for me. Although, in my opinion, he might be a little bit stereotypical but nevertheless he is very mysterious and definitely interesting to read and follow. Another key character is the sinister Cryptos, who is hellbent on taking over the world. He's just like a super villain from a Bond movie as he lives in a fantastic hideout where he can be found plotting evil world domination.  

This book was brilliant - it has all of the classic ingredients that will take you back to your childhood. Assassins, espionage and a mind boggling adventure. There are pirates and a big giant squid, which is just pure magic as it creates some epic, high-octane, action sequences.  Whilst a whole host of deadly sea creatures produce a horrifying element that cannot be imagined. All of which is told at a blistering pace - the pure fantasy and imagination does not let up until the very end of the book.

Jon's new adventure has taken him into a new territory, but he has certainly come up trumps. I loved this book as much as his other stories. He has a great ability to conjure up something really special which transports the reader back to their childhood roots . . . . . just like the classic film all those years ago. Fantastic reading - I'm sure that you'll love this book as much as I did.

Published by Bloomsbury May 9th 2013

Jon Mayhew's Mayhem Month of Monsters - Unleashed Wednesday 1st May 2013

MAYHEW’S MONTH OF MONSTERS

Discover a different monster every day in May!

To celebrate publication of Jon Mayhew’s brilliant new beastly adventure Monster Odyssey: The Eye of Neptune Bloomsbury Children’s Books

has gone creature crazy and created an online, interactive calendar that will unleash a different monster every day.

The calendar will be hosted at www.jonmayhewbooks.com with a new door being activated each day throughout the month of May.

Here a whole menagerie of monsters ranging from giant sharks to classic dragons will be revealed.

The 31 creatures have been selected from myths, legends, classic stories and some even from our planet’s ancient history.

Each monster has been illustrated by the very talented Mike Love and comes with some short statistics and a word from Jon Mayhew.

Mayhew’s Month of Monsters is unleashed on Wednesday 1^st May 2013

www.jonmayhewbooks.com

Book review to follow on Thursday.........

Three Children's Books: For Reluctant Boy Readers - Out In May 2013

                                         

Chris Bradford - Bodyguard: Hostage - Published by Puffin (2 May 2013)

In a dangerous world, everyone needs protection.

Bodyguard: Hostage is the new thriller from Chris Bradford, bestselling author of Young Samurai. Bodyguard is a bulletproof action-adventure series that fans of Cherub and Alex Rider will love. This is Lee Child for younger readers - Jason Bourne for the next generation.

With the rise of teen stars, the intense media focus on celeb families and a new wave of billionaires, adults are no longer the only target for hostage-taking, blackmail and assassination - kids are too.

That's why they need a young bodyguard like Connor Reeves to protect them.

Recruited into the ranks of a covert young bodyguard squad, 14-year-old Connor Reeves embarks on a rigorous close protection course. Training in surveillance, anti-ambush exercises, hostage survival and unarmed combat, he's put through his paces and wonders if he will actually survive the course.

But when the US President summons Connor to protect his impulsive teenage daughter, Connor's training is put to the ultimate test. For Connor discovers that the First Daughter, Alicia, doesn't want to be guarded. She just wants to have fun. And with no clue Connor is her bodyguard, Alicia tries to elude her Secret Service agents and lead Connor astray. But unknown to her, a terrorist sleeper cell has been activated.

Its mission: to take the president's daughter HOSTAGE...

                        

H. L Dennis - The Knights of Neustria (Secret Breakers) - Published by Hodder Children's  (2  May 2013)

Team Veritas are back at Bletchley Park where a secret message hidden in a Shakespeare Portfolio pulls them into a new code-cracking adventure. Their investigations lead them to the writings of Sir Francis Bacon. Soon, they uncover the history of the Knights of Neustria, a brotherhood that goes back to the time of King Arthur charged with protecting a legendary secret. 

But are they any closer to their goal - to unravel the secret behind the ancient coded Voynich Manuscript? 
The stakes are getting higher as our young trio chase their quest from Cambridge to a terrifying struggle along the currents of the surging River Wye. Only one step behind them is the secret organisation who will stop at nothing to block them from discovering the truth ... 
Join the Secret Breakers team to crack the code in this highly original puzzle-solving series - The Da Vinci Code for kids.

                                        

Darren Shan - Hagurosan - Published by Barrington Stoke Ltd (15 May 2013)

When Hagurosan is told to take an offering to the shrine, he reluctantly begins his trek up the mountain. But when he gets hungry and eats the cake meant for the spirits, things take a turn that no one could have expected. Now Hagurosan must face the consequences of his actions. Terrific adventure from a master of fantasy. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 8+

Will Hill - Animated Department 19 Comic Strips by Tom Percival

The first and second instalment so far for the animated Department 19 comic strips which has just been released recently - written by Will Hill, everything else has been brilliantly done by Tom Percival. Includes weapons, vehicles, the inside of the Loop, and remarkably high levels of awesome... Hope enjoy them, as they are super cool....

Mr Ripley's One to Watch: Aesop's Secret By Claudia White - May 2013

At the age of ten, Melinda Hutton enjoys a dreamy world where she imagines transforming into animals. Her brother, serious minded, twelve-year old Felix scoffs when their mother, Elaine, explains that to transform is normal for Athenites. She explains that their ancestry is often disguised in stories and fables, but it isn’t until their father Jake demonstrates this talent that they begin to understand that their ancestry is anything but mythical…

 Felix looked horrified as he stared at the wolf in his father’s clothing. While Melinda had greeted her father’s transformation with delight, Felix had turned a ghostly white and his mouth hung open as he gasped for breath. He looked like he might faint, throw up or both. Instead, he stood up,

moved backwards then ran out of the room and out of the house.

Understanding their heritage is only one of the challenges that Melinda and Felix must contend as they discover that treachery and greed impact their family’s lives. Melinda uses the skills of her ancestors (with strange and less than perfect results) to uncover Professor Horace Stumpworthy’s frightening plans…

Melinda panted under the heavy fabric of her bed clothes. She was dizzy after the quickest transformation of her life, leaving her feeling the way she might have having plummeted down in an elevator after the cable snapped. Her heart was racing as the floor vibrated while the professor walked closer. An involuntary shiver rippled along the length of her rabbit-shaped body and a single droplet of sweat trickled down her tiny freckled human face. She knew that if he turned on the lights he would see the pile of clothing and it would take only a second or two to discover her underneath.

Professor Stumpworthy’s brilliance in using his Athenite skills has made him a rich and powerful man. He had exploited humans, as well as his own kind, with ease until the Huttons got in the way…

Feeling the professor go limp, Melinda released her grip and leapt free while Felix leaned closer to the professor’s prone body. “There you go Professor…Burungo, the strongest sedative known to modern science.” But the professor didn’t stay quiet for long. His body writhed and shrank; white hairs exploded out of his skin, covering his entire body. Felix pushed backwards as the professor melted into a furry mass. Seconds later all that was left of him was a small white animal now occupying the space where he had fallen. It was only then that Felix noticed Joe kneeling alongside. Joe smiled as he held up a tiny syringe. “So it really does work,” he said in amazement. “Let that be a lesson to all of us to stay as far away from Wolfbane as we possibly can.”

 Publisher: MP Publishing (14 May 2013)

Book Review: Rick Yancey - The 5th Wave - Published by Puffin - May 2013

                                     

The 1st Wave: a power cut and the world is in complete darkness

The 2nd Wave: a tidal wave wipes out three billion people and only the lucky escape 

The 3rd Wave: a deadly virus clears a further four billion - only the unlucky survive 

The 4th Wave: the few remaining survivors begin killing each other. Only one rule applies: trust no one

The 5th Wave: No one knows. But it is coming......

With the hype mounting and the movie rights already sold, will this book deliver a Hollywood blockbuster? Riding on the success of 'The Hunger Games' and 'I Am Number Four' this genre is really hot at the moment and this book is definitely seeking a slice of the action. Rick Yancey's terrifying dystopian vision is a great story. It is one that I feel people will love and say great things about. Even though I actually had a couple of issues with the book, but I will say more about this soon.

The start of the book felt a little bit slow going to me, although I was still able to really enjoy what I was reading. The story has all of the key ingredients that I love to read about. A dystopian setting and a terrifying alien invasion with a sting in its tale. All of this is set in a well-written and well imagined sci-fi setting which has a bleak outlook and an even bleaker future. It's scary, it's violent and it's psychologically gripping - this story is brilliant. It is full of originality and full of big time heroics as the characters fight for survival - the underlying theme in this story is what it means to be human. 

However, at this point, the plot then came crashing down for me. The middle part of the story just stopped and I found myself wading deeper and deeper into the character emotions and feelings of Cassie. These ran strongly between trust and despair, defiance and surrender and between life and death etc. It was far too deep for me and became rather annoying. It felt as if the story was only based around two or three characters in the book, but it really could have been so much more than that. In my opinion, this section really just took the fantastic edge of a great story.  

The book did recover towards the end. All of the story segments were expertly woven together to make it a particularly intense and epic ending. It is an action-packed story which is full of great ideas. However these are wrapped up in with some rather big surprises. I was definitely superglued to the final outcome, which made the whole reading experience enjoyable and captivating. This was the ending that I was hoping for - the author delivered this in a really big way. It is an outstanding finish which, in my opinion, made up for the middle section.

This book is the first part of a trilogy. It is a story, in my opinion, which should work well as a movie. The book is due to be published on the 7th of May by Puffin. With a UK author tour confirmed in early June, this is definitely an opportunity worth looking out for. I look forward to your comments, as always.

Here is the book trailer....

Guest Post By Teresa Flavin - Behind the Cover - The Shadow Lantern

Behind the Cover: The Shadow Lantern

By Teresa Flavin

I’m very pleased to be a guest on Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books, especially because Mr R hosts the ever exciting ‘Book Cover Wars’ feature where readers vote for their favourite design of the year. I’m always impressed, but not surprised, with how many people register their opinions. Book covers can inspire delight, disdain, awe and even controversy. They are analysed, categorised and compared. We may pick up a book just because we like the cover – and avoid a book for the same reason. And that’s why book cover design is such a tricky and important business. 

When Templar Publishing acquired The Blackhope Enigma, my fantasy-adventure novel about a magical Renaissance painting, one of the things I thought about most was how the cover would look. It felt a bit odd (but good) to know that a designer was creating a look for my debut book, deciding what elements to highlight and which font would catch the reader’s eye. When I saw the design for the first time, it was as if my story had been distilled into a gorgeous, mysterious image and reflected back at me. The Parish, the design consultancy that created the cover, had most definitely ‘got’ it. Everything from the ravens to the thorny border to the fragments of the painting in the background worked for me. And it was extra nice to have my labyrinth drawing included.

With The Crimson Shard, the second book in the trilogy, The Parish cooked up an even darker look to go along with the story’s setting in an eighteenth-century London underworld of art forgery, alchemy and body-snatching. I provided the illustration of the shard and the designer made it into a creepy silhouette. 

So it was with great anticipation that I waited to see what The Parish would make of The Shadow Lantern, which will be published in the UK on 1 May. In the final story, it’s Halloween and my two teenage characters, Sunni and Blaise, are pulled back to the Scottish castle where their adventures began. They encounter a strange old oil lantern that projects painted slides made by artist-magician Fausto Corvo - and there is far more to these projections than the eye can see. Sunni and Blaise must decipher the cryptic messages hidden inside these images, but enemies, alive and dead, are watching their every move. 

I couldn’t have asked for a more striking cover to end the trilogy. As soon as it was revealed, I received enthusiastic comments about the dancing skeleton under the full moon. And, as is often the case, I was asked whether I designed the cover since many people know about my background as an illustrator. I always answer no and that I am happy to have design wizards like The Parish take my stories and work their magic with them, especially when they let me draw the skeleton!

I guess the only big unanswered question is whether The Shadow Lantern has a chance in Mr Ripley’s Book Cover Wars. But that, dear readers, is up to him and to you! 

Thank you so much to Teresa for taking the time to write this post. I hope that this has piqued your interest to read the series. As for the book cover, if I get five or more comments stating that it should be in this years Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars 13. Then it may find itself being added to a heat - what do you think?

New Children's Fantasy Books: Published In May 2013 - US Post

                                        
                                          

Viviane Schwarz - The Sleepwalkers - Published by Candlewick (May 14, 2013) - Age 7+ 
Nightmares are turned around with the help of The Sleepwalkers, a dreamlike graphic-novel adventure by Vivane Schwarz. When you are afraid to fall asleep, when all your dreams are nightmares, write us a letter, put it under your pillow, we will rescue you...It is almost time for the old and tired Sleepwalkers to return to the waking world. But before they go, they must conjure and train three new replacements. Who else will look after the Sleepwalking House and be there to answer the call of a child frozen with fear, trapped in a nightmare? Faced with a series of cliff-hanging dream predicaments, the three brave new heroes tackle the weird and the wild in this tale about pulling together as a team and having the confidence to stand up to your fears.

Marianne - Malone - The Pirate's Coin: A Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure - published by Random House Books for Young Readers (May 28, 2013) -Age 8+

Fans of magic, mystery, and adventure will love the third The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure—a perfect next step for kids who love the Magic Tree House series, and just right for readers who love Chasing Vermeer, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Wonderstruck. Sixth Graders Ruthie and Jack return to the Art Institute of Chicago's magical Thorne Rooms. During a school presentation, Ruthie and Jack discover that their classmate Kendra is descended from Phoebe Monroe, the young slave they befriended when they traveled to 19th-century South Carolina. Kendra tells them that long ago her family lost their good name and their business selling herbal remedies when mobsters accused them of stealing the recipes! Only Ruthie and Jack know the truth--because only they know about the secret ledger that Phoebe wrote the recipes in long ago! Ruthie and Jack's mission to clear Kendra's name takes them back to the Thorne Rooms, where a mysterious old coin leads them to 1753 Cape Cod and to Jack's own ancestor . . . the pirate Jack Norfleet! But playing with history can be dangerous! Suddenly, Jack's very existence is in jeopardy! Can Ruthie and Jack find the proof they need to help Kendra? And can they fix the past and save Jack's future . . . before it's too late?
     
                                           

Anne Nesbit - A Box Of Gargoyles -  Published by HarperCollins (May 14, 2013) - Age 8+
In this sequel to The Cabinet of Earths, twelve-year-old Maya is feeling more at home in Paris, a city filled with old magic. Her little brother, James, is safe, and the terrible man with purple eyes is gone. At least Maya believed he was until a person-sized column of dust and leaves with hints of purple where its eyes should be begins following her.
 
Maya suspects the strange, shadowy column is what’s left of the purple-eyed man, and that it—he—is behind the eerie changes in Paris, including the appearance of flying, talking stone gargoyles. She’s right. Worse, he has bound Maya to make him whole again, even if it kills her.

                                            

Anne Cameron The Lightning Catcher - Published by Greenwillow Books (May 7, 2013) - Age 8+
The Lightning Catcher, the first in a funny four-book fantasy / adventure series by Anne Cameron, is a must-read for middle-grade fans of The Underland Chronicles series and the Savvy books.
 
Any kid who has dreamed of having magical powers will want to follow the thrilling story of eleven-year-old Angus, an ordinary boy who discovers he is a Storm Prophet. That means Angus can predict and control extreme weather! While learning about his powers at the Perilous Exploratorium for Weather and Vicious Storms on the island of Imbur, Angus finds out his parents are also far from ordinary. His mom and dad are Lightening Catchers—and they’ve been kidnapped.

Andrew Lane - Lost Worlds - Chapter One Preview......

                       

I was hoping to post all of chapter one onto my blog. Unfortunately, blogger will not allow me to publish the PDF file that I was sent. Therefore this is the start of chapter one for you to enjoy. If you would like to read the rest of this chapter then please click on the link at the end of the post.  I hope that you all enjoy this little taster and that it will encourage you to buy a copy of the book, once it has been published on the 25th April. Please also read my review for it HERE

You can also check out the great new website at (www.thelostworlds.co.uk)

Calum Challenger gazed in awe at the image on the computer screen. Well, to be fair, he gazed in awe at the image on the central one of the ten screens that hung, at different heights, suspended from articulated arms, in front of his work desk. The image was blurred and grainy, but that wasn’t the screen’s fault. His multi-screen, high- definition, hex-core computer system was the best that money could buy – and despite the fact that he was only sixteen he had access to a lot of money. An awful lot of money. No, the image was blurred and grainy because it had been blown up from a photograph taken with a mobile phone camera at long range while the subject was moving. Even so, he could just about see what it was.

He leaned back in his chair. Five years he’d been waiting for an image like this to turn up. Five years. Now it was here, captured in colour on his computer screen, he wasn’t sure how he should react.

A cold breeze from the darkened expanse of the warehouse behind him caressed the hairs on the back of his neck. He didn’t turn around. He knew that it was just a random gust of wind through a ventilation grille – the alarm systems would have gone off if anyone had actually broken in to the warehouse. He was, as he almost always was these days, alone. 

The screen showed a figure against a background of grass, bushes and rocks. Judging by the figure’s shadow the background was slanted – perhaps a hillside or a slope. The interesting thing – the thing that had made Calum catch his breath in wonder – was that the figure didn’t look human. 

It was difficult to tell its size, with only the heights of the bushes to compare it with, but Calum got the impression that it was about the size of a large man. It was stooped, with rounded shoulders and bowed arms that dangled in front of it. Its skin seemed to be covered with short, red hair, with the exception of pale lines up its spine, down the inside of its forearms and beneath its jaw. He could have been looking at a big, hairy man with a stoop, except that the face was different. A thick ridge of brow pushed out over the eyes, like a chimpanzee, and the teeth and jaw were pushed out slightly, but a distinct nose projected out beneath the eyes. Chimpanzees didn’t have noses.

He drew a box around the figure’s right hand with a couple of clicks of his trackball, and flicked the section of image inside the box to another of his screens. The result was pixelated almost to the point of incoherence, but he could just make out what looked like a thumb that was separate from the rest of the fingers, and angled so that it could close against them. An opposable thumb – that was another thing that ruled out the possibility that it was a chimpanzee. Calum knew that their thumbs were much shorter than the rest of their fingers, making it easier for them to climb trees. Gorillas had opposable thumbs, but this wasn’t anything like a gorilla. Some Old World monkeys, like mandrills, also had opposable thumbs, but they were all small – the size of a dog – and there was no way they could be mistaken for human. No, this thing was unique.

He ran his fingers through his long hair and interlaced them at the back of his neck. He supposed it could be a man in a mask and a hairy suit – like that 1967 footage taken in California which was supposed to show an ape- like creature locally known as the sasquatch but which had turned out to be a hoax. That was the problem with these blurry photographs or jerky video clips – they could so easily be hoaxes. And yet . . . its forearms seemed longer in proportion to its upper arms, and to the rest of its body. Reduced to a silhouette, it just didn’t look human. If the creature was a hoax then it was a very well constructed one.

The creature. He laughed suddenly, and the laughter echoed back to his ears from the cold brick walls of the warehouse. He was already thinking of it as the creature. Just a few moments ago it had been the figure. Somewhere in his mind, it seemed that he had already made a decision about the photograph’s likely authenticity.

http://www.panmacmillan.com/devpanmacmillan/media/panmacmillan/Activities/Book extracts/LostWorlds-chapter1.pdf?ext=.pdf

Mr Ripley's Enchanted: Fab Four Books - Published in May 2013 - UK

                                           

Holly Black - Doll Bones - Published by Doubleday Children's 9 May 2013

Twelve-year-old Zach is too old to play with toys. Or at least, that's what his father thinks. But even though he stops hanging out with Poppy and Alice, stops playing with his action figures, it's no good. There's one toy that still wants to play with him. A doll that's made from the bones of a dead girl.

The only way to end the game is to lay the doll to rest forever. It's time for a journey to Spring Grove cemetery. It's time to grow up.

                                              

                               

Isobelle Carmody - Metro Winds - Published by Allen & Unwin - 2 May 2013

Enter a universe of yearning and transformation. Herein, find a girl who seeks a lost sister in a park where winter lasts forever, and another sent across the world to discover her destiny in the dark tunnels of the Metro; a young man who travels to meet a woman in place of a man who has died, and a mother who works magic to summon a true Princess for her son; a man who seeks an ending to his story, and an old man who travels in search of his shadow…

Metro Winds reflects Isobelle's own exotic, adventurous life, and features stories set in Paris, Sydney, Venice, Prague and the Greek Islands. Ideal for transporting readers away from everyday life into a world where anything is possible, these stories are glimpses into a world we inhabit and recognise, but with a beguiling magical twist. They explore the interface between old cultures and new, innocence and wisdom, danger, adventure and coming home, the natural world and the dark beating heart of wise women and shape-shifters. Anything is possible.

Carmody's stories are rooted in the present, but have a medieval atmosphere. They wind their way through cityscapes, familiar and not, simultaneously revealing and concealing the characters and their fates. Metro Winds is fantasy as metaphor – sensuous, gritty, sometimes dark though seldom bleak. The stories are redemptive, journeys leading to metamorphosis and transformation.

                                          

Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Watcher in the Shadows - Published by Orion Children's - 9 May 2013

A mysterious toymaker who lives as a recluse in an old mansion, surrounded by the mechanical beings he has created... an enigma surrounding strange lights that shine through the mists that envelop the small island on which the old lighthouse stands... a shadowy creature that hides deep in the woods... these are the elements of a mystery that bind 14-year-old Irene to Ismael during one magical summer spent in the Blue Bay. Irene's mother has taken a job as a housekeeper for the toymaker, Lazarus, but his house contains more secrets than Irene and Ishmael have bargained for.

                                              

Chris Wooding - Silver - Published by Scholastic - 2 May 2013 

Perfect for fans of Michael Grant and Charlie Higson, this thrilling novel about a mysterious virus spreading through a boarding school is like 28 DAYS LATER meets ASSAULT ON PRECINCT THIRTEEN. Who will turn silver next? When a boy is bitten by a strange silver beetle, he becomes the first victim of a mysterious infection. But this is no ordinary virus. It turns flesh into metal, and pupils into machines. As the virus spreads and more terrifying, blood-thirsty machines appear, a small group manage to barricade themselves inside the school Can they keep the machines at bay long enough for help to arrive? Is help even coming? Meanwhile the virus is spreading and its vctims are changing... evolving... becoming stronger... The world as our heroes know it is turning silver. Will any of them survive?

Michael Grant's - Gone Online - Will Be Gone...... Plus Light Book Trailer

One week of play left in the game based on Michael Grant’s best-selling series of books, GONE

www.gone-online.com

There is just one week to go until the prize-winning period of Gone Online comes to an end. The game is based on the bestselling GONE series by Michael Grant and celebrates LIGHT, the sixth and final book in the series, which was published on 28 March.  It has already topped the bestseller lists in both the UK and Ireland.

So far the game has been a hit with over 2,000 people playing more than 35,000 games between them, since the launch on 11 March.  People are playing Gone Online all over the world, from the UK and Ireland to the Ukraine and Uganda. To date, players are based in just under 70 countries.

Over 200 players have already won prizes, including limited-edition wrist bands, book tokens and full sets of the books.  However, the final prize, an Apple iPad and the chance to meet Michael Grant in a private capsule on the EDF Energy London Eye on 4 May, is still up for grabs.  The winner will be the highest scorer when the game finishes, on 22 April.

Gone Online comprises a series of mini-games released on a weekly basis and inspired by content from the books.  Some of the games test knowledge of the books while others can be played by anyone – and they can be highly addictive!  To date, players have clocked up over 500 hours of game play.  Gone Online is available on all devices and incorporates the latest in location-based marketing and social sharing, with players picking up extra points by checking in with their smart phones at specific locations – libraries and bookshops - and sharing the game with their friends.

After the 22 April, fans of Gone Online can continue to play, though no prizes will be available.

Book Review: Andrew Lane - Lost Worlds - Published by Macmillan Children's

                                     

Arthur Conan Doyle has been a great influence on many writers both past and present, but none more so than on Andrew Lane, who was greatly inspired to write his first series for children entitled "Young Sherlock Holmes". This has now been published in thirty seven different languages - highlighting the ever increasing popularity of the series with over 200,000 copies having been sold so far. Book six, "Knife Edge", is due to be published in the UK in September, so it is certainly not the end of this brilliant series.

Andrew has kept the Conan Doyle connection alive in spirit through his new epic adventure series. The main character in the book, Calum Challenger, is the grandson of Doyle's protagonist, Professor George Edward Challenger. He is featured in a similarly titled book 'The Lost World' hence a new name is born. It is certainly a fantastic opening book which I'm sure you will all be eager to read - just like I was.

Calum's character is very stereotypical in many ways apart from the fact that he is paralysed. The author portrays Calum in a rather unique and endearing way as a teenage boy coping with a disability. Whilst this is featured as only a small part of the story, it certainly added an unexpected outlook. Calum Challenger is on a quest to find a cure to help him walk again and to live a normal life. His mission is to track down the supposedly mythological creatures that are so rare, that most people don't believe that they even exist. However Calum does. It is imperative that he finds them for two reasons: to take their DNA to use it to help protect these species and also to search for a cure for his paralysis. The only problem is that he's confined to the high-tech virtual world where he lives on his own in a converted warehouse. 

As the story unfolds, the solution literally falls from the sky as Calum finds an unlikely team of friends. He finds some by luck and others by circumstance. There is a goth computer hacker, a freerunner, an ex-marine and a girl with a chip on her shoulder. Together they set off on an expedition to the Caucasus Mountains in search of a mysterious creature, which has supposedly been sited. However, when a pharmaceutical corporation called Nemor have conflicting interests, the team find themselves both under pressure and in danger. Can they locate the mysterious creature first and stay one step ahead of their enemy.

This is a fast-paced, high-tech story full of great characters that teenagers will easily engage with and relate to. Gecko was easily my favourite character in the book. He certainly brought a new dimension to the story with his free running - this is a really cool sport to watch if you ever get the chance to do so. 

In my head, I was confidently certain that I knew how this story would end. Surprisingly, it took a very different route. A turn of events proved to be very unpredictable and kept me guessing right up until the very end.

I found this a very refreshing story to read. Both the ideas and the creativity transpose well into the story. They keep the reader hooked in a fantastic bubble of action and plot line. The literary influence of Willard Price, in my opinion, helped to lead the author to deliver a slice of both factual and historical writing which again made the story shine out proud like a host of golden daffodils.   

I absolutely loved this book - it is a brilliant and enjoyable read. Full of old-style action, within a hi-tech world, it is hair raising (just like the cover!) You can check this out with the free app that you can download. This book has easily sky rocketed to being my favourite book of the year so far. It is an amazing start to a fantastic new series......... I'm lost now for any further words! 

An extract of the first chapter, will be also be available to read later this week. Thanks for reading all.

Published by Macmillan Children's Books; 25 April 2013

NEW BOOK COVER REVEALE: Sarah J. Maas - Crown of Midnight - A Throne Of Glass Novel - Bloomsbury

                                                     

                                     

If you haven’t already seen it, take a look at the stunning UK and US covers for Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. The highly anticipated fantasy sequel to the Throne of Glass. The book will be published by Bloomsbury Children's on the 15 Aug 2013. 

What do we think readers, which cover do you like?

Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.
 AUTHOR'S BLOG HERE - http://sjmaas.livejournal.com/