1st October middle-grade releases

There are so many wonderful middle-grade books being published on 1st October that I am looking forward to adding to my bookshelf, reading and then adding to my class library. I’m looking forward to a great reading month with these new books. I have been lucky enough to read some of these already on NetGalley, but will be buying the physical copies. I have also been lucky enough to get early access to physical copies of a few of these, so my October reading will start in September! I have included the Goodreads or Waterstones synopsis for each of these. And can I just add … look at the covers … aren’t they amazing … and irresistible!

Here goes …

In an Italian city ravaged by plague, Sofia’s mother carves beautiful mementoes from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn’t return home. Did her work lead her into danger? Sofia and her little brother Ermin are sent to the convent orphanage but soon escape, led by an enigmatic new friend and their pet crow, Corvith. Together they cross the city underground, following clues in bones up to the towers of Siena, where – circled by magpies – the children find the terrible truth …

I’ve read all Kiran’s books including those for children (The Island at the End of Everything, The Girl of Ink and Stars, The Way Past Winter), young adults (The Deathless Girls) and adults (The Mercies), and have loved them, so I’m really, really looking forward to this one.

Olia lives with her parents in an old crumbling castle, filled with hidden turrets and secret doorways. When she follows a mysterious cat to one of the castle’s roof domes, she finds herself stepping through one such doorway into a magical land filled with wonders… But everything is not quite as it seems: the land is under threat from a scheming magician, Chernmor, and the magic is fading away. With the help of an enchanted band of new friends, can Olia find a way to save both her own home, and the land of forbidden magic? 

I’ve been lucky enough to read this on NetGalley, and it is absolutely wonderful. I’ve pre-ordered a signed and stamped copy, so am really looking forward to a re-read. I loved both of Sophie’s previous two books, The House with Chicken Legs and The Girl who Speaks Bear.

Eleven-year-old twins, Fox and Fibber, have been rivals for as long as they can remember. Only one of them will inherit the family fortune and so a race is afoot to save the dwindling Petty-Squabble empire and win the love of their parents. But when the twins are whisked off to Jungledrop, a magical Unmapped Kingdom in charge of conjuring our world’s weather, things get wildly out of hand. An evil harpy called Morg is on the loose. And if she finds the long-lost Forever Fern before the twins, both Jungledrop and our world will crumble. Suddenly, Fox and Fibber find themselves on an incredible adventure in a glow-in-the-dark rainforest full of golden panthers, gobblequick trees and enchanted temples. But, with the fate of two worlds in their hands, will the twins be able to work together for once to defeat Morg and her dark magic?

I’ve been lucky enough to read this on NetGalley, and I loved it so much. I will be posting my review this week. This is the next in the Unmapped Chronicles series following the World Book Day book, Everdark and Rumblestar. I have also read some other fantastic books by Abi including Sky Song, The Dreamsnatcher series and The Snow Dragon (picture book).

Ebenezer Tweezer is a youthful 511-year-old. He keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion, who he feeds all manner of things (including performing monkeys, his pet cat and the occasional cactus) and in return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful. But the beast grows ever greedier, and soon only a nice, juicy child will do. So when Ebenezer encounters orphan Bethany, it seems like (everlasting) life will go on as normal. But Bethany is not your average orphan …

I was lucky enough to take part in The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for this, and got sent a proof copy by the publisher. This is a brilliantly witty read, with great messages. I loved it! My review is here.

Henry is the new boy at Halbrook Hall – a crumbling boarding school in the Scottish Highlands. He thinks the rumours of yeti lurking in the misty hills are nothing more than stories. Until one day he gets lost in the forest… As a young yeti, Tadpole loves living in Shadowspring. But now the precious spring water is disappearing and no one knows why. The situation is serious – surely there’s something she can do to help… When Tadpole accidentally reveals the top-secret location of Shadowspring to Henry, the lost boy she saves, she knows she’s in deep trouble. But what if this human actually has the power to help the yeti not harm them?

This is the second book in the series. I have been lucky enough to have been sent an early copy of this one for review, so am really looking forward to reading it within the next couple of weeks. I really enjoyed the first book in this series – especially the brilliant yeti naming system!

Greetings! My name is Skeleton Keys and these fantabulant fingers of mine can open doors to hidden worlds… Join me for the curious tale of Gap-tooth Jack – thief, adventurer and champion of imagining! When Skeleton Keys banishes Wordy Gerdy from the present using his Key to Time, he thinks he’s seen the last of the troublesome unimaginary. But Gerdy uses her ghostly pen to wreak her revenge, and before Skeleton Keys knows it she’s written his precious keys out of existence. Skeleton Keys and his partner Daisy must follow Gerdy into the past to retrieve her pen and make her restore his keys. But Skeleton Keys has unknowingly sent Gerdy back to his own past and her pen is now in the hands of notorious thief Gap-tooth Jack. As they set off to find Jack, Skeleton Keys can’t help noticing that everything looks strangely familiar. Then he comes face to face with the thief – could it be that the two have met before?

This is the third book in the Skeleton Keys series. I’ve read and loved the previous two: The Unimaginary Friend and The Haunting of Luna Moon. Again, I have been lucky enough to have been sent an early copy of this one for review, so am really looking forward to reading it within the next couple of weeks.

With an invisible girl, a parliament of owls and a pen that writes by itself, the journey to the Garden of the Midnight Swan might be Seren’s most dangerous adventure yet. In this third book of the award-winning The Clockwork Crow series, Seren and Tomos must try to help the Crow find the way back to his human form. But why is Captain Jones enquiring about Seren’s past? How have the sinister Fair Family gate-crashed the Midsummer Ball, and what is the one desire of the mysterious Midnight Swan?

This is the final book in this gorgeous trilogy, following The Clockwork Crow and The Velvet Fox. I was lucky enough to read this on NetGalley, and it’s such a wonderful ending to the series. My review is here.

Ash and the rest of the Frostheart’s brave crew have finally arrived at the majestic stronghold of Aurora – and Ash’s mind is blown. It’s an extraordinary place – unlike anything he’s ever seen – and he can’t wait to solve the next clue that will lead him to his parents. But it’s quickly clear that even Aurora isn’t safe for Song Weavers. A fanatical Pathfinder captain has turned the city against Ash and his kind – and it’s not long before the Frostheart has to make another break for freedom. But when a vicious Wraith attack leaves Ash, Lunah, Rook and Tobu stranded on the ice, they will have to use all their strength and cunning to reach safety. But what they find is even more incredible.

This is the second book in the series. I loved reading Frostheart last year, and am really looking forward to joining the crew again on their next adventure.

George is about to spend his third Christmas without his mum. Since she died, George’s life has felt dull and grey; his dad has thrown himself into his work and has no time for family, and definitely no time for Christmas. Then, George stumbles across Marley’s Curiosity Shop. There he finds a mysterious snow globe, which – though George can’t quite understand how – appears to show a scene from George’s past. A Christmas in which he and his family were together, and happy… That night, George and his dad are swept on an adventure to three Christmases – past, present, and future. With help from new friends, and just a touch of magic, can they begin living life in full colour again?

I have loved Catherine’s Stormkeeper series, The Stormkeeper’s Island and The Lost Tide Warriors and am eagerly looking forward to the final part. I think this re-imagining of A Christmas Carol will be a magical read.

When two journalists are sent to Howlfair to write about the world’s scariest town, they want amateur historian Molly to be their guide. But there’s something creepy about them – they seem a little too interested in a local legend of a phantom known as the Silentman. And they want Molly to help them find a hidden crypt that was never meant to be opened… A madcap horror adventure with spooky tombs, flying skeletons, a wig-stealing cat and a phantom whose touch spells madness!

The first book in this series, The Ghouls of Howlfair is such a brilliant read: spooky and witty. I’m so looking forward to joining the wonderful Molly Thompson on her next adventure.

Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree. But then… who does what they’re told? Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time – helped by the spoiled prince of the kingdom, a dancing bear, a very grumpy hunter… and even the stars above them.

This is the first book in a series and sounds exactly like my kind of read, and it comes in gorgeous hardback too.

The town of Spindrift is frequented by pirates, Shadow Mages and charlatans. It’s also home to the Orphanage School, where Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley. When the two schools compete at the Spindrift Tournament, stakes are high, tensions are higher, and some people are out to win at any cost. Before long, the orphans and the boarding school are in an all-out war. And then Whispering Wars break out, and Spindrift is thrust onto the front lines. Children are being stolen, Witches, Sirens and a deadly magical flu invade the town, and all attempts to fight back are met with defeat. Finlay, Honey Bee and their friends must join forces to outwit the encroaching forces of darkness, rescue the stolen children, and turn the tide of the war. But how can one bickering troupe outwit the insidious power of the Whisperers? And who are the two mysterious figures watching them from the shadows?

I loved the first book in this series, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone which I read over the summer. I loved the writing style so am really looking forward to this one.

Sam might be half-monster and half-fairy, but since finding a loving family with the Kavanaghs, his daily life has been all human. And now he’s facing one of the greatest human challenges – starting secondary school. But Sam barely has time to worry about the strange stuff teachers say (why do they call it the Great War when it sounds like was anything but great?) before he is thrust back into the world of monsters. Sam’s school friends Amira, Hazel and Wilfred reveal that they are shifters: noble twin-souled beings who live half their lives as humans and the other half as dogs. When his new friends are kidnapped one by one, Sam is dragged into an adventure that will force him to confront both halves of his own identity, monster and fairy, if he wants a chance at saving their lives … 

I loved the first book in this series, The Monster Who Wasn’t and am really looking forward to seeing what happens next with Sam.

For Aiden, Chloe, Ava and Josh, holidays at their grandparents’ cottage mean wild beaches, no curfew, Bella the dog, and most of all – adventure! The lead actress in Frost Castle’s winter play is sure she’s cursed! A break-in, a car accident, and now her precious locket is missing. But the cousins suspect a ruthless thief. With a blizzard raging outside and a legendary ghost in the castle corridors, unmasking this villain will take all their bravery and skill… 

I’ve love the Clifftoppers series, and am looking forward to reading this fourth book. I love how wintry the cover is!

There’s something fishy going on at St Halibut’s Home for Waifs and Strays . . . Life at St Halibut’s Home has been idyllic for two months, ever since the children buried their matron (don’t look like that – it was an accident!) Helpfully, the not-so-dear departed matron left behind a surprisingly large stash of money, which will keep them in black-market lemon sherbets for the rest of their lives. Tig, Stich and Herc just have to make sure nobody finds out they’re on their own. But when they find out that St Halibut’s is to be inspected by DEATH (the Department for Education, Assimilation, Training and Health), they start to panic. They’ll need to convince the inspector that everything is peachy or they’ll be sent to the Mending House – where badly-behaved orphans go, never to return. As the big day approaches, the children start to think they might just pull it off. But when the inspector arrives, things don’t just go wrong, they get spectacularly out of hand . . .

I love stories about orphans, and this one sounds a really fun read which I won’t be able to resist!

1899. The Earl of Gosswater has died, and twelve-year-old Lady Agatha has been cast out of her ancestral home – the only home she has ever known – by her cruel cousin, Clarence. In a tiny tumbledown cottage, she struggles to adjust to her new life and the stranger who claims to be her real father. And on the shores of Gosswater Lake, the spirit of another young girl will not rest. Could the ghost of Gosswater hold the key to Aggie’s true identity? 

I love historical fiction and ghost stories, so this sounds like a perfect read for me.

Elsie is not looking forward to the long summer holiday with her creaky, old Uncle John. But then the unimaginable happens as Time unravels and Elsie tumbles back to 1940s India to meet her Uncle John as a young boy on a tiger hunt. Can Elsie stop him from doing what he’s already told her is a wrong he can never right?

I have been lucky enough to have this one on NetGalley so will read it in September, before getting a physical copy for my class library. This sounds like a great historical mystery.

Wow! There you have it! There are some incredible middle-grade books being published on 1st October. Are there any of these you want to read? Have you already read any of these?