Ophelia Bottom's teachers call her "O-failure" - they have no idea just how wrong they are... Brave, determined and not afraid to be true to herself, Ophelia Bottom is a force to be reckoned with. Having spent many years with her cringeworthy, louder-than-life parents in their travelling theatre with disastrous plays, she wishes for an… Continue reading The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom by Susie Bower ~ Blog Tour & Guest Post
Emma Carroll's storytelling is consistently outstanding. Whenever I pick up one of her books, I know I can count on becoming completely lost in a wonderful adventure - the kind of reading experience that takes you away from everything else, shutting out the world and all its worries entirely. The Tale of Truthwater Lake is… Continue reading The Tale of Truthwater Lake by Emma Carroll
The Club Loser gang are back in Jennifer Killick's funniest, scariest book yet. She truly is the master of the comedy-horror genre for readers in that crucial primary to secondary school transition. I laughed - I shuddered - I couldn't put it down. Then I passed it on to my 12-year-old son (who'd been hovering… Continue reading Fear Ground by Jennifer Killick
Operation Nativity is everything a Christmas story should be: light-hearted, innocent, and fun with a powerful message about the importance of family and love. Peace on Earth? Not this year for Oscar and his costume-loving little sister, Molly. Their family has been summoned to their wealthy grandparents huge house for the annual family nativity. Their… Continue reading Operation Nativity by Jenny Pearson
The Extraordinary Voyage of Katy Willacott celebrates extraordinary women doing extraordinary things. Constantly underestimated by her father and told she can't do things just because she's a girl, Katy dreams of a life where she isn't treated differently than her older brother and is able to explore, discover and make a real difference in the… Continue reading The Extraordinary Voyage of Katy Willacott by Sharon Gosling
Stories of people getting caught up with the faerie world have always called to me so when I saw The Blackthorn Branch, I knew I had to read it. In a Welsh village where everyone knows everyone else, Cassie and her cousin Sian are trying to cope with the sadness, silence and anger that envelopes… Continue reading The Blackthorn Branch by Elen Caldecott
The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name is something totally different. I was intrigued by the amazing proof box that arrived last week and it jumped up my reading pile. I wasn't disappointed. This story is a very special combination of creative characterisation, magical evil, a captivating mystery and ever-evolving relationships. Told from the… Continue reading (A Girl Called Corpse) The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name by Reece Carter
What's your 'Spark bird'? I think mine was probably the Golden Eagle I saw while sitting on top of a hill north of Fort William in 2000. We saw an Osprey from kayaks on Loch Lomond this week and it doesn't become any less magical spotting such beautiful creatures soaring overhead. Spark by M.G. Leonard… Continue reading Spark by M.G. Leonard
Sometimes you come across a story that jumps off the page so visually that it seems like you're watching a film instead of reading words on a page. Mia and the Lightcasters is one of those books. Packed full of action, mystery and personal struggle from the very first page, readers will be swept up… Continue reading Mia and the Lightcasters by Janelle McCurdy ~ Blog Tour
I love how Barrington Stoke historical fiction whisks readers away on wonderful journeys into the past. Without a wasted word, we find ourselves right at the centre of a new time and place. Peter Bunzl's The Clockwork Queen is another of these masterpieces. Eighteenth century Russia, Catherine the Great, high-stakes chess and Trojan horse style… Continue reading The Clockwork Queen by Peter Bunzl
Scope for Imagination 