Sherlock Holmes meets Dickens in this heart-stopping Victorian mystery. It is the perfect book for anyone who loves to explore the dark, haunted side of a historic city. There are new twists at every turn as Zinnie strives to uncover the truth. This is a wonderful story of challenging female stereotypes and finding strength in… Continue reading The House of Hidden Wonders by Sharon Gosling
Baller Boys by Venessa Taylor is the book every football-crazy child has been waiting for! Aimed at children who absolutely love football, especially boys, this exciting, heart-warming story will encourage even the most reluctant reader to give it a try. Soon they will be swept away in the play-by-play action. I can think of numerous… Continue reading BLOG TOUR: Baller Boys by Venessa Taylor & illustrated by Kenneth Ghann
Mystery and intrigue step up a gear in Kidnap on the California Comet, the highly-anticipated sequel to The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. This second Adventures on Trains story doesn't disappoint as 12 year-old Hal Beck is back riding the rails with his Uncle Nat. This time, they’re in America on… Continue reading Kidnap on the California Comet (Adventures on Trains) by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman
Even when things seem at their darkest, there is always a flicker of light. The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery is so much more than a story about the Second World War. It explores darkness, light, hope and love within layers and layers of meaning. Both the internal and external battles portrayed in this story… Continue reading The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery
Dark, mysterious, captivating… The Vanishing Trick pulled me in from the very first moment Leander spotted the strange, black carriage and met the eerie Madame Pinchbeck. “It wasn’t a sin to steal if you only took forgotten things” and this lost, forgotten, empty boy needs nothing more than to belong – to someone, to something.… Continue reading The Vanishing Trick by Jenni Spangler & illustrated by Chris Mould
In April 2019, I went to Waterstones for an Easter holiday treat. I chose The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf. I picked it up because the plain cover had all the writing on the back of a boy’s rucksack. When I turned it over and read the blurb, I… Continue reading The Day We Met the Queen by Onjali Q Rauf – Book Review by Lucy, age 10
Reading this, I felt like I had travelled back in time to when I first read and loved Austen in high school. The writing is so similar in style - Lucy Worsley has really captured the essence of Austen and what her stories were all about. The charm of the characters jumps off the page… Continue reading The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
The Wild Way Home is a captivating story of self-discovery and realising what is truly important in life. In the stillness of the forest, twelve-year-old Charlie and her friends explore the ancient paths and walk where many people have come before. When Charlie discovers a special deer tooth, she has no idea to whom it… Continue reading The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley
Get ready to be carried away on a heart-stopping adventure of secrets, airships, maps, stolen jewels and pirates! Sky Pirates by Alex English joins the ranks of Brightstorm (Vashti Hardy) and Cogheart (Peter Bunzl) as a brilliant science fiction airship adventure with a strong, clever girl at its centre. Eleven-year-old Echo lives in the palace… Continue reading Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond by Alex English
Fierce, Fearless and Free is a wonderful collection of powerful girls in myths and legends from around the world. From Armenia to Lithuania to Scotland to Mexico to China to Siberia, heroines in thirteen tales from across the globe will inspire children with their strength and wit. There is something for everyone and plenty to… Continue reading Fierce, Fearless and Free by Lari Don & illustrated by Eilidh Muldoon
Scope for Imagination 