Mr Ripley's Adult Book Review: Enter Wildthyme by Paul Magrs

I'd like to think that this book came from The Great Book Exchange in Darlington, but to be honest it was Oxfam in York. They are not worlds apart really, unlike the galactic voyages that take part in this little adventure. One of the main characters in the book has been around for some time, but this is the first full length appearance for them in this trans-temporal adventure. Iris Wildthyme might be familiar to some, as a character from Paul's first book, as well as appearing in the Dr Who escapades but to me, she will always be a special character in fantasy. She's the  feisty granny that you would have loved to have been related to. The gin and tonic drinking time traveller with a mysterious past.

The first part of the book is set in a dusty secondhand bookshop in Darlington. Add in to the mix a celestial red, route master double decker bus and the scene is set for a normal life, but how wrong you would be.  Undeniably, Paul has the most amazing world building skills at his finger tips in this book - the story writing is very cleverly executed. Immediately, the reader is thrown into the action with a whole host of crazy and well imagined characters.  There is Iris, as well as her sidekick (a stuffed panda) originally known as Panda who is about 10 inches high and cooks a very mean breakfast. As well as a talking vending machine called Barbra, an evil poet called Marvelle and many more crazy folk.

I've never had so much fun reading an adult novel before; this was a perfect read for me. It's so crazy and surreal that it was an absolute joy to read. The story is about an object; a glass jar filled with mysterious contents which soon form the focus of a chase. It takes then to the outlandish world of Hyspero, the throne room of the Scarlet Empress and the very brink of the strange pocket dimension called . . . . . The Obverse.

This story is an adventure of good and evil - it is a book to read with a very large gin and tonic. It's fast paced; in a blink of an eye the story moves from the mundane life in Darlington to Montmartre in Paris where an alien invasion is witnessed. Never mind being catapulted to the Hammersmith Odeon to a glam rock concert in the 1970's.  It really is a breathtaking read; a roller coaster ride of mayhem and madness.

This book is very cleverly written and highly imaginative - it is full of zany off-the-wall moments. I connected with this story through the music references as well as the ideas behind the events. I found myself deeply immersed in this adventure; it is a read that I will savour until the next instalment. Five star entertainment - looking forward to the next book very soon ....

Mr Ripley's New Children and Teen Book Book Picks - June 2014 - UK Post

Nigel McDowell - The Black North - Published by Hot Key Books - (5 Jun 2014)

The Divided Isle, once a place of peace and tranquillity, has been ravaged by war. Twins Oona and Morris live with their grandmother in a stone cottage in the quiet southern county of Drumbroken, but the threat of the Invaders of the Black North - the ravaged northern part of the island - is coming ever closer. When Morris, fighting against the Invaders, is kidnapped by one of the evil Briar Witches, Oona must journey to the unknown realms of the Black North in search of her brother. She is accompanied only by Merrigutt, a jackdaw with mysterious transformative powers, and a treasured secret possession: a small stone in the shape of a plum, but a stone that reveals truths and nightmares, and which the Invaders and their ruler, the King of the North, seek more than anything. Oona must keep the stone safe at all costs, and find her brother, before the King of the North extends his evil hold over the whole island and destroys it forever.

Amy Plum - After the End - Published by HarperTeen (5 Jun 2014) 

Juneau grew up fearing the outside world. The elders told her that beyond the borders of their land in the Alaskan wilderness, nuclear war had destroyed everything. But when Juneau returns from a hunting trip one day and discovers her people have been abducted, she sets off to find them. And leaving the boundaries for the very first time, she learns the horrifying truth: World War III never happened. Nothing was destroyed. Everything she'd ever been taught was a lie.
As Juneau comes to terms with an unfathomable deception, she is forced to survive in a completely foreign world, using only the skills and abilities she developed in the wild. But while she's struggling to rescue her friends and family, someone else is after her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about her secret past.

Curtis Jobling - Haunt - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books (5 Jun 2014)
When Will finds himself in hospital, but unable to make anyone see or hear him, he realises that he never made it home from his first kiss with the school hottie. Knocked off his bike in a road traffic accident, Will is now officially dead - and a ghost. But somehow his best mate, Dougie, can still see him, and, what is more, increasingly Will seems bound to Dougie, going only where Dougie goes. Once they've exhausted all the comic possibilities of being invisible, they set about unravelling the mystery of Will's predicament. Is it something to do with that kiss, or the driver of the car that killed him and didn't stop? Maybe they will find an answer by investigating the rumour that there is an unhappy spirit haunting the ruins in the school grounds, and if so, why? What they discover is a long-buried mystery, which stretches its fingers right into the present…

Tim O'Rourke -  Flashes - Published by Chicken House (5 Jun 2014)
Charley has visions: flashes of things she can't explain. A girl in trouble. The sound of trains in her head. She feels certain they are clues to a crime. But no one will believe her. Until she meets Tom, a young policeman on his first case: an accidental death on railway tracks, not far from where Charley lives. Their attraction is instant, but can they discover what has happened? Accident, suicide or murder: and will it happen again?

Mr Ripley's Horror Book Picks Published In June 2014 - UK Post

Will Hill - Department 19: Zero Hour - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (5 Jun 2014)

Department 19 still stands against the darkness. But for how much longer? Book four in the explosive series from bestselling author, Will Hill.

As Dracula continues his rise, the men and women of Department 19 wait for good news. But hope is in short supply – the country is beginning to fall apart as the public comes to terms with the horror in their midst; a cure for vampirism remains years, even decades away; and their supposed ally Valentin Rusmanov has not been heard from in weeks.

Jamie Carpenter and his friends are working hard to keep the forces of evil at bay, but it is beginning to feel like a lost cause…Until familiar faces from the past bring news that could turn the tide. News that takes Matt Browning to America on a desperate search for a miracle, and sends Jamie and Larissa Kinley into the darkest corners of eastern Europe, where something old and impossibly powerful waits for them.

Something that could stop Dracula for good.

But the clock is ticking.

Night is falling. And Zero Hour is almost here…

James Dawson - Say Her Name - Published by Hot Key Books (5 Jun 2014)

Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear...But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it? Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror...five days...but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before...

Jon Mayhew - Monster Odyssey: The Wrath of the Lizard Lord (Monster Odyssey 2) -  Published by Bloomsbury Children's (5 Jun 2014)

Prince Dakkar and his mentor Count Oginski discover a plot by arch-enemy Cryptos to kill Napoleon. Arriving on their revolutionary submersible to intercept Cryptos, they glimpse a terrifying monster that seems to escape back into the bowels of the Earth. It leads them to discover an amazing underground world, and a plan more nefarious than they could ever have believed - even from Cryptos.

The stage is set for an epic showdown complete with a giant reptilian cavalry and the Battle of Waterloo, in another breathlessly paced and endlessly inventive adventure for fans of Percy Jackson.

Emerald Fennell - Shiverton Hall: The Creeper - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (5 Jun 2014)

Don't look behind you. Resist with all your power. He'll go away, perhaps, as long as you don't look.
Arthur Bannister is back for another term at Shiverton Hall, where eerie events are unfolding. First, a burned stranger shows up in the middle of the night uttering dire warnings. Then a young boy disappears, leaving behind only an ancient book as a clue. And then there's that dreadful feeling Arthur has that he's being watched . . .

Book Review: Steve Cole - Aliens Stink! - (Recommended Read May 2014)

Book Review:

Here comes another madcap adventure from Steve Cole flying high into the crazy world of Space and back. It is a mission of a rather unusual nature, if you ask me. If you carefully sniff the pages of this book you may get a faint whiff of wet fish. As one brave goldfish takes centre stage in this rather hilarious adventure that had me in stitches. 

Seriously weird stuff is happening on planet earth. Like pollution being cleaned up overnight. A sweet smell fills the air, SMELLY Vision AGAIN… Strange lights are seen in the skies. Could it be UFOs? Have aliens come to fix our world? I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read the book….

Only one boy and his dad, and possibly his goldfish, might just save the world from DOOM. Over dramatic I know, but stay with me! Kidnapped and taken to a super-secret base, Tim soon discovers the full extent of the alien threat. Tim Goosheart, his highly intelligent friends and a babbling alien, called little G, take the battle to the aliens. Remember that goldfish? Well he also has a big part to play in this. 

This book delivers a yarn with the coolest possible intentions. The fantastic black and white embellishments by Jim Field and the great oversize character fonts will keep you focused on the plot. It is a perfect book for reluctant readers as it is so much fun. It's really fast paced with oodles of chaotic moments that everyone will love. In fact, it is a book that the family could read together as it is very interactive and engaging. Children will talk about this story long after the last page has been turned. This is Mr Ripley's recommended Younger Person read for May 2014.

Here is the new website:http://pages.simonandschuster.co.uk/magicink

Book Synopsis:
Some seriously weird stuff is happening on Planet Earth. Pollution is cleaned up overnight. A sweet smell fills the air. Strange lights are seen in the skies...Could they possibly be UFOs? Have aliens come to fix our world? Only one boy and his dad - and possibly his goldfish - know that the truth is stranger, scarier - and a whole lot smellier...Kidnapped and taken to a super-secret base, Tim discovers the full extent of the alien threat ...and the extraordinary kids fighting it. With the aid of a little huggy alien, and a depressed guard, Tim and his weird new friends take the battle to the aliens. Oh, and that goldfish has a big part to play...!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books (8 May 2014)

Mr Ripley's New Children's Fantasy Books Choices Published June 2014 - US Post Two

Heather Mackey - Dreamwood - Published Putnam Juvenile (June 12, 2014) Age 10+
Lucy Darrington has no choice but to run away from boarding school. Her father, an expert on the supernatural, has been away for too long while doing research in Saarthe, a remote territory in the Pacific Northwest populated by towering redwoods, timber barons, and the Lupine people. But upon arriving, she learns her father is missing: Rumor has it he’s gone in search of dreamwood, a rare tree with magical properties that just might hold the cure for the blight that’s ravaging the forests of Saarthe.

Determined to find her father (and possibly save Saarthe), Lucy and her vexingly stubborn friend Pete follow William Darrington’s trail to the deadly woods on Devil’s Thumb. As they encounter Lupine princesses, giant sea serpents, and all manner of terrifying creatures, Lucy hasn’t reckoned that the dreamwood itself might be the greatest threat of all.

John David Anderson - Minion - Published by Walden Pond Press (June 24, 2014) Age 8+

The world of superheroes he created in Sidekicked with an entirely new cast of characters in Minion, a funny and emotional companion to his first breakout tween novel—perfect for superhero fans who also love the work of bestselling authors Rick Riordan, Louis Sachar, and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Michael Morn might be a villain, but he's really not a bad guy. When you live in New Liberty, known across the country as the City without a Super, there are only two kinds of people, after all: those who turn to crime and those who suffer. Michael and his adoptive father spend their days building boxes—special devices with mysterious abilities—which they sell to the mob at a price. They provide for each other, they look out for each other, and they'd never betray each other.

But then a Super comes to town, and Michael's world is thrown into disarray. The Comet could destroy everything Michael and his dad have built, the safe and secure life they've made for themselves. And now Michael and his father face a choice: to hold tight to their life or to let it unravel.

Z. Fraillon - Monstrum House - Published by Hardie Grant Egmont (June 1, 2014) Age 9+

A bind-up of four Monstrum House series titles

Jasper McPhee has been expelled from schools countless times. The Monstrum House School for Troubled Children is his last chance. It looks like a normal school. All the parents who send their kids there think it's a normal school. What everyone doesn't realize is that Monstrum House is actually a place that trains kids to be monster hunters. And the monsters aren't cute and cuddly. They lurk under beds and in the school basement; some scare kids, some eat kids, and some morph them into stone. It's no use telling your parents that the school is making you catch monsters. After being expelled from schools time and time again, who would believe you?

Claudia White - Key to Kashdune - Published by MP Publishing (June 10, 2014) Age 9+

Key to Kashdune picks up the year after Aesop’s Secret ends. An earthquake in the exotic countryside of Turkey has uncovered an ancient cave full of relics of the shape-shifting Athenite people, and two present-day Athenites, Dr. Harmony Melpot and her uncle Joe Wiltshire (previously Aesop the rabbit), are eager to discover its secrets. When they meet with disaster in the form of another frightening earthquake, Melinda convinces her family to go to her friend Joe’s rescue. In the process she discovers four mysterious journals that reveal the secret to traveling by the Earth’s music. Captivated by the melodies she hears, Melinda flies off as a kestrel to the fabled island of Kashdune, rumored to be a place where Athenites and humans live together in peace. Unfortunately, the Huttons’ old nemesis Professor Horace Stumpworthy has learned of the utopian island, and he attempts to use the ancient Athenite knowledge there to exact his revenge upon the Hutton family. The Huttons, Harmony, and Joe set off after Melinda, parting a veil of magical mist that hides Kashdune from the outside world. Jake is separated from the rest of the group, but the others successfully make their way to the hidden island.

Key to Kashdune--Spring 2014

PRESS RELEASE: THEAKSTONS OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR LONGLIST REVEALED 2014

(Last years book winner 2013 - Beasts and Gods, by Denise Mina)

Giants of the genre are pitted against each other as the longlist is announced for the tenth Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

One of the most prestigious crime writing prizes in the country, 2014 sees past winners Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Denise Mina in the running.

Lee Child who won the Award in 2011 returns to the longlist with his 17th Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man. Sizing up to the phenomenal bestseller is two-time award winner, Mark Billingham for his Tom Thorne novel, The Dying Hours.

Denise Mina, who has won the past two years’ could make it a hat trick and defend her title with her brilliantly plotted The Red Road, said to rival Ian Rankin’s best. Number one bestseller Ian Rankin also represents Tartan Noir, with Standing in Another Man’s Grave, his first new Rebus novel in five years.

A new Scot is on the block to take on the old guard, Malcolm Mackay is one of just two debut authors to feature on the longlist with The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter. The first in a trilogy, it’s been praised as an intriguingly odd, remarkably original debut.

South African author Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls was a phenomenal bestseller and after being praised by Stephen King, it’s a hot contender.

Irish author Stuart Neville’s first three novels were previously longlisted for this award, and he’s back this year with his hugely gripping thriller, Ratlines. Stav Sherez is also back on the longlist with Eleven Days, his superior police procedural and sequel to A Dark Redemption.

No stranger to awards Belinda Bauer is the CWA 2010 Gold Dagger Award-winning author; her latest novel Rubbernecker has received glowing reviews.

Elly Griffiths also makes an appearance with her intriguing crime story, Dying Fall, which effortlessly brings together neo-Nazis, New Age hippies in Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Now in its tenth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award was created to celebrate the very best in crime writing and is open to crime authors whose novels were published in paperback from 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2014. The 2014 Award is run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and Radio Times.

The long list, comprising 18 titles, is selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee and representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd and WHSmith.

The longlist in full:

Rubbernecker, Belinda Bauer, Transworld Publishers

The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes, HarperCollins

The Dying Hours, Mark Billingham, Little, Brown Book Group

Like This, For Ever, Sharon Bolton, Transworld Publishers

A Wanted Man Lee Child, Transworld Publishers

The Honey Guide, Richard Crompton, Orion

The Cry, Helen Fitzgerald, Faber & Faber

Dying Fall, Elly Griffiths, Quercus

Until You're Mine, Samantha Hayes, Random House

The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter, Malcolm Mackay, Pan Macmillan

The Chessmen, Peter May, Quercus

I Hear The Sirens In The Street, Adrian McKinty, Profile Books

The Red Road, Denise Mina, Orion

Ratlines, Stuart Neville, Vintage, Random House

Standing in Another Man's Grave, Ian Rankin, Orion

Children of the Revolution, Peter Robinson, Hodder & Stoughton

Eleven Days, Stav Sherez, Faber & Faber

Weirdo, Cathi Unsworth, Profile Books

From 22 May to 19 June, longlisted titles will feature in a four-week campaign across all 600 WHSmith stores and 80 library services, representing a total of 1645 library branches. The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist of six titles which will be announced on 30 June.

The overall winner will be decided by a panel of Judges which this year comprises of Executive Director of T&R Theakston Ltd. and title sponsor Simon Theakston, Festival Chair Steve Mosby, Radio Times’ Alison Graham, and Head of Fiction at WHSmith, Dave Swillman, as well as members of the public. The public vote opens on 3 July and closes 15 July at www.theakstons.co.uk

Mr Ripley's New Children's Fantasy Books Choices Published June 2014 - US Post One

Leigh Bardugo - Ruin and Rising (Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone) - Published by Henry Holt and Co. (June 17, 2014) - BOOK 3

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Ruin and Rising is the thrilling final instalment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

Michelle Krys - Hexed - Published by Delacorte Press (June 10, 2014)

It's Bring it On meets The Craft in this spellbinding witchy series debut.
A stolen book. A deadly plan. A destiny discovered. 

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won't stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn't want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie's world, she learns that her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn't get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that's seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she's a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie is about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

S. E Grove - The Glass Sentence - Published by Viking Juvenile (June 12, 2014) - HOT PICK 

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.
 
Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

The Glass Sentence plunges readers into a time and place they will not want to leave, and introduces them to a heroine and hero they will take to their hearts. It is a remarkable debut.

Erika McGann - The Demon Notebook - Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (June 3, 2014) 

What will they do when their "harmless" curses suddenly start coming true?

Grace and her four best friends, Jenny, Rachel, Adie, and Una, are failed spell casters-and they have a notebook full of useless spells to prove it. But one night, when they use a Ouija board for the first time, they stumble upon real magical powers-and their notebook takes on a diabolical life of its own. The girls watch, helpless, as one by one, their spells start to work, moving relentlessly toward the worst one of all...Can Grace and her friends stem the wave of powerful magic before disaster strikes?

Guest Post: Emma Pass - The Fearless - Happy Publication Day

The end of the UK as we know it…

THE FEARLESS is set in the UK in the near future, imagining what would happen after the world is overrun by psychopathic super-soldiers – The Fearless – who want to turn everyone else into Fearless as well. Society as we know it has collapsed and small bands of survivors fight for their existence. While I wrote this book, I needed to imagine a UK very different to the one we currently live in…

First of all, I needed to create a refuge for Cass, THE FEARLESS's protagonist, and her family. After some searching on the internet, I found out about a tiny island off the coast of Japan called Hashima (or Gunkanjima) island. This island is man-made and was built in 1890 to house workers extracting coal from undersea mines. In 1974 it was abandoned, but many of the apartments still remain with people's posessions inside. Although I have never been (yet!) it really captured my imagination and inspired me to create Hope Island, a similar place off the coast of the UK. 

Another setting that features heavily in the book is the bunker where Myo and his group live. There are abandoned military bunkers all over the world, including in the UK, and again I did a lot of internet research and read several books such as this one to help me create Myo's bunker, which is located in the middle of the remote Staffordshire moorlands, an area I know quite well in real life.

As for imagining what the rest of the UK would look like once society had fallen apart and most towns and cities had been abandoned, that was a matter of combining imagination with more research. Luckily, I have a day job in a library, so I was able to source lots more interesting books about abandoned places and urban exploration to help me picture the ruin and neglect I wanted to describe. 

Finally, I needed a city location where I could place the Fearless lair, a place where these monsters have gathered to begin a new wave of attacks. London? Lots of potential there, but I'd already used it as a setting in ACID. Still, there were some great locations. Battersea Power Station, maybe? Or how about Buckingham Palace? Or Westminster?

In the end, though, I decided not to set this part of the book in London at all; I decided to look a bit closer to home instead. I'm not too far from Sheffield, and there was a certain location there that was just crying out to be used. Somewhere just outside the city; huge, and with plenty of places to hide. Somewhere which, if overrun by the Fearless, could turn into place of nightmares known as the Torturehouse. I won't say too much more about it here – I don't want to spoil it for you! But if you read the book, and if you've ever been, you might just recognise it, and agree that it makes the perfect monsters' hideout… 

Author Biography

Emma Pass has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. Her debut novel, ACID, is out now from Corgi/Random House in the UK, and from Delacorte in the US.  It won the 2014 North East Teenage Book Award, was shortlisted for the Doncaster Book Award, was nominated for the 2014 CILIP Carnegie Medal and has been longlisted for the 2014 Branford Boase Award and a Silver Inky Award in Australia. Her second novel, THE FEARLESS, is out on 24th April 2014 from Corgi/Random House and in early 2015 from Delacorte. By day, she works as a library assistant and lives with her husband and crazy greyhound G-Dog in the North East Midlands.

Author Links

Website: http://emmapass.com/

Blog: http://emmapass.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EmmaPass

Facebook: http://facebook.com/EmmaPassAuthor

Many thanks Emma for this guest post. I'm really looking forward to reading your book particularly after this fabulous introduction. HAPPY Publication Day - we raise a glass to you and your new book which has now been released in the wild. Go and purchase a copy today and don't forget to tell us what you think.

Mr Ripley's New Great Children's/ YA Books Published May 2014 - UK Post

Cameron McAllister  - The Tin Snail - Published by Jonathan Cape (8 May 2014) - See review: HERE

This is the story of a brave little car that helped to win a war.

In the 1940s world of elegant, luxury automobiles, the Tin Snail is no beauty. But it's facing a tough challenge:

to carry a farmer and his wife,

a flagon of wine

and a tray of eggs

across a bumpy field in a sleepy French village

- without spilling a drop or cracking a shell.

And then an even bigger challenge comes along - staying hidden from an officer of the occupying Nazi army, who is bent on stealing the design for the enemy!

Loosely inspired by real events, with ingredients from the best children's favourites (a dash of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, a pinch of HUGO, and a sprinkling of DAD'S ARMY) this debut novel from successful screenwriter Cameron McAllister is set to be a classic hit and a fun, big-hearted read for the whole family this summer.

Steve Feasey - Mutant City - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (8 May 2014) See review: HERE

Fifty years ago, the world was almost destroyed by a chemical war. Now the world is divided: the mutants and the pure, the broken and the privileged, the damaged and the perfect.

Thirteen years ago, a covert government experimental facility was shut down and its residents killed. The secrets it held died with them. But five extraordinary kids survived.

Today four teenagers are about to discover that their mutant blood brings with it special powers. Rush and three brothers and sisters he can't remember. Two rival factions are chasing them. One by one, they face the enemy. Together, they might just stay alive . . .

Gregg Olsen - Run (Vengeance Novels) - Published by Hot Key Books (1 May 2014)

What if you discovered that everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie? Rylee is fifteen. She comes home from school one afternoon to find the most shocking thing possible - her father dead, with a knife through his heart, and a key clutched in his hand. Her mother's purse is on the counter, but she appears to be long gone. A message in blood is written on the floor...RUN. With her brother in tow, Rylee begins a dark journey, one that will uncover horrific and chilling crimes and lead her to an unexpected and gruesome discovery about her real father and what - or who - is behind his insatiable desire to kill. By the journey's end Rylee's childhood is a long way behind her...RUN is the first title in the new Vengeance series, following Rylee as she begins to piece together the story of her life and to avenge unpunished crimes - starting with her own. This is DEXTER with a feisty female protagonist unlike any other in contemporary young adult fiction.

Chris D'Lacey - Ufiles #1: A Dark Inheritance - Published by  Scholastic Press (27 May 2014)

When Michael Malone discovers his supernatural ability to alter reality, he is recruited by an organization dedicated to investigating strange and paranormal phenomena. He joins in hopes of finding his father, who mysteriously vanished three years earlier. Michael's first task is to solve the mystery of a dog he rescued from a precarious clifftop -- a mystery that leads him to a strange and sickly classmate and a young girl who was killed in a devastating accident. Stakes are high as Michael learns to harness his newfound ability and uncover the deadly truth about his father's disappearance. A bold and thrilling tale of alternate realities, paranormal mystery, and extraordinary adventure.

EVENT UPDATE: UK'S FIRST YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CONVENTION - LONDON JULY 2014 - YALC

New York Times Bestseller Rainbow Rowell Completes YA Convention Line Up

Final list of names announced for Young Adult Literature Convention.

Waterstones Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman and the London Film and Comic Convention (LFCC) are delighted to announce the final list of authors joining the UK’s first Young Adult Literature Convention. Heading them is US author Rainbow Rowell, whose first YA title Eleanor & Park spent six weeks in the New York Times Bestseller chart, was voted Goodreads’ best young adult fiction of the year and was chosen by Amazon as one of the 10 best books of 2013. The first draft of her second YA novel Fangirl was written as part of the National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) and was chosen as the inaugural Tumblr Book Club selection.

There are also a host of other names from the YA writing world joining the line-up, including 18 year old author Beth Reekles, who was recently named by Time magazine as one of the 16 most influential teenagers in the world. Publisher and award-winning author of In Darkness Nick Lake and Heart Shaped Bruise author Tanya Byrne are also announced today. Joining them is Robert Muchamore, whose books have sold in their millions and been translated into 27 languages.

The full list of names announced today:

•                     Holly Bourne

•                     Tanya Byrne

•                     Alexia Casale

•                     Lucy Christopher

•                     Cat Clarke

•                     Steve Cole

•                     Sarah Crossan

•                     Kim Curran

•                     Phil Earle

•                     Ian Edginton

•                     Garen Ewing

•                     Frances Hardinge

•                     Catherine Johnson

•                     Nick Lake

•                     Andy Lane

•                     Julie Mayhew

•                     Sarra Manning

•                     Amy McCulloch

•                     Anthony McGowan

•                     Sarah McIntyre

•                     Robert Muchamore

•                     Beth Reekles

•                     Tim O'Rourke

•                     Bryony Pearce

•                     Non Pratt

•                     Andy Robb

•                     Rainbow Rowell

•                     Lucy Saxon

•                     Marcus Sedgwick

•                     C J Skuse

•                     James Smythe

•                     Emma Vieceli

YALC will form a highlight of Malorie Blackman’s campaign as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate. It will take place at the London Film and Comic Con (LFCC), at Earl’s Court, London on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July 2014. YALC will bring together all the UK’s YA publishers to provide a host of author events in a dedicated Book Zone, with talks, workshops, signings, a book sales area and publisher stands promoting new and upcoming titles. Blackman will act as a curator for the two-day convention, uniting authors and publishers throughout the UK community. 2014’s YALC event will be the first time a large scale public convention around YA books has taken place in the UK, and its setting among the fans of cultish film and TV will set books at the heart of entertainment for teens and young people.

YALC is supported by Prudential plc and the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

For more information about the London Film and Comic Con, visit their website here: http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/ and follow @YALC_UK on Twitter for all the YALC news.

Names previously announced:

•                     Holly Black

•                     Malorie Blackman

•                     James Dawson

•                     Sally Gardner

•                     Sally Green

•                     Matt Haig

•                     Isobel Harrop

•                     Will Hill

•                     Charlie Higson

•                     Derek Landy

•                     Sophie McKenzie

•                     Patrick Ness

•                     Natasha Ngan

•                     Meg Rosoff

•                     Darren Shan

•                     Holly Smale

•                     Jonathan Stroud

•                     Ruth Warburton

Michael Owen Carroll - Hunter (Super Human) - Out in May 2014

The defeat of the near-invincible villain Krodin has left a void in the superhuman hierarchy, a void that two opposing factions are trying to fill. The powerful telepath Max Dalton believes that the human race must be controlled and shepherded to a safe future, while his rival Casey Duval believes that strength can only be achieved through conflict.
Caught in the middle is Lance McKendrick, a teenager with no special powers, only his wits and the tricks of a con artist. But Lance has a mission of his own: Krodin's ally, the violent and unpredictable supervillain Slaughter, murdered Lance's family, and he intends to make her pay.
Hunter will be published in the US on May 1st, 2014.

Novel #1: The Quantum Prophecy / The Awakening
Novel #2: Sakkara / The Gathering
Novel #3: Absolute Power / The Reckoning
Collection #1: The New Heroes: Superhuman
Novel #4: Super Human
Novel #5: The Ascension
Novel #6: Stronger

About the Author:
Michael Carroll lives in Dublin, Ireland, with his lovely wife Leonia and two extraordinarily cute kittens called Dora and Wulf.
He has written a large number of books, short stories, comic strips, articles, reviews and interviews, some of which have been quite well received despite the fact that he doesn't have much hair any more.

As well as the New Heroes / Quantum Prophecy series, his novels for younger readers include thePelicos trilogy (The Last Starship, Reclaiming the Earth and The Dead Colony), Moonlight, She Fades Away and Renegade. More information on his books can be found on his other website.

Among his favourite authors are Harry Harrison, Michael Scott, Philip Jose Farmer, Tanith Lee, Robert Rankin, John Wagner, Alan Moore, Alan Grant, Garth Ennis, Fabian Nicieza, John Sladek, Bob Shaw, Stan Lee, Christopher Fowler, Pat Mills, Joss Whedon, J. Michael Straczynski, Gordon Rennie, Frank Miller, James Morrow, Carl Hiaasen, Brian Michael Bendis, and all the people who like his books.

Michael's favourite artists include such geniuses as John Higgins, Patrick Zircher, Dave Gibbons, Al Davison, Carlos Ezquerra, Brian Bolland, Alex Ross, Gary Erskine, Steve Dillon, Jim Burns, Jeff Smith, Mark Bagley, PJ Holden, and almost everyone who ever drew Judge Dredd.
In his spare time (of which there is very little), Mike dabbles with programming, computer graphics, website design, and a lot of other things that don't involve any physical labour.
Don't forget to check out Mike's not-very-frequently-updated Weblog! Mike can be contacted via e-mail at the address on theQuestions page.

Book Review: Steve Feasey - Mutant City - Published by Bloomsbury

Book Synopsis:

Fifty years ago, the world was almost destroyed by a chemical war. Now the world is divided: the mutants and the pure, the broken and the privileged, the damaged and the perfect.

Thirteen years ago, a covert government experimental facility was shut down and its residents killed. The secrets it held died with them. But five extraordinary kids survived.

Today four teenagers are about to discover that their mutant blood brings with it special powers. Rush and three brothers and sisters he can't remember. Two rival factions are chasing them. One by one, they face the enemy. Together, they might just stay alive . . .

Book Review:  
We are not walking down the traditional route of vampires and ghosts here. There is no lurking werewolf or Zombie or any of the old tried and tested scary beasts, so to speak. In this book, Steve leads the reader down the pure fantasy horror path which is brimming full of pure imagination. It escapes the bounds of the horror genre with a great plot and a new deadly functioning monster to deal with, the Mutants. This is the type of book that I love to sink my teeth into - I'm always looking for more.

I've been a very big fan since the first book in the Changeling series, but this is, in my opinion, a new start which is really special. I read this book so quickly that I wasn't sure where the time went. I was gulping down the story like a thirsty man stuck in the Sahara Desert.  

Great dollops of action have been dropped into a fantasy world of devastation after a chemical war that has taken place. Fifty years on, the world is now a very different place. It is a dark and bleak vision of experimental government projects that will change the world for ever. 

Four teenage characters find their mutant blood, with special powers, that lead to a journey that will captivate the reader and give many hours of reading pleasure. This is an amazing idea that I really connected with. It was very interesting following the characters through a journey of a new world. A world that poses moral issues that will definitely get you thinking - a great combination for fans of Michael Grant and Darren Shan. 

This is the best read in the teenage horror genre that I have read for some time. It will make you hair turn green. It has got everything that I look for in a story and more. It's very cool and one that boys will love and girls will come to love. In my humble opinion, this is a really well delivered story set in a fantastically dark and futuristic world with imagination and creativity at the height of the genre. This is amazing stuff; I am really looking forward to the next instalment.

If the cover hasn't already sold it to you, then hopefully my review will. Buy it, borrow it, read it,  share it....  ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH?  ARE YOU PURE? ARE YOU MUTANT?

Also if you would like to check out the first chapter visit this page here: http://www.wattpad.com/44908820-mutant-city-the-farm

Book Details: 

• Paperback: 368 Pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's (8 May 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140884303X