October anticipated releases …

There are LOTS of books due for release in October which I am really looking forward to reading. I’ve taken the synopsis for each of these books from the Waterstones website. Some of these are continuation of series I’ve loved; some are by authors whose previous books I’ve really enjoyed; and, others are by new-to-me or debut authors whose books have caught my interest!

Release Date: 7th October

I’ve absolutely loved following the adventures of Podkin and Uki, and can’t believe that this is the last one!

After capturing Charice, there is only one spirit left for Uki to find: Mortix, the most dangerous of all. With his friends Jori, Cole and Kree, Uki heads to Eisenfell – the greatest city in Hulstland – only to find that Mortix has taken control of Emperor Ash and is plotting to conquer the whole Five Realms with her terrifying army. Uki must dodge the Endwatch, the Shrikes, Clan Septys and the guards and find a way to complete his quest before all is lost. 

I really enjoyed reading Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters which is a fast-paced, action-packed and humorous adventure with wonderful messages about the importance of friendship and family, so I’m definitely looking forward to her next adventure!

After facing down an evil hag, a thieving skele-crow and an army of the undead, ten-year-old Theodora Hendrix is certain she can handle anything – that is, until she meets the unpleasant Inspector Shelley and her even more unpleasant pet rat. Shelley and Ratsputin have come to spy on the MLM, and are determined to make trouble at every turn. Then Theodora makes a discovery of her own: a cursed beetle. She needs to destroy it without attracting the attention of the inspector – and fast. The stakes couldn’t be higher: if Theodora fails, her beloved monster family will rot in the dankest, darkest prisons of Transylvania…

I adored By Ash Oak and Thorn earlier this year which is the most delightful wander through, and celebration of nature and the environment, and the need to appreciate and look after it. It follows the adventures of three tiny, ancient beings – Moss, Burnet and Cumulus who have to leave their home in the ash tree when it is destroyed and travel to find others like them, taking them through the countryside and into the city. 

As autumn arrives, Moss, Sorrel, Burnet and Dormer decide to return home to Ash Row to unravel a riddle that might explain why their kind are fading from the Wild World. When you’re only one-hand high, it’s a journey filled with both danger and delight: golden leaves, shiny conkers and the brightest of berries, but also storms and the first frost of winter. They have friendship, good sense and humour on their side, but will it be enough to secure a future for the Hidden Folk? Or will they need to go further, and find a way to work with the most unreliable of creatures … humans? 

This is a new-to-me author but, when I read the synopsis, I couldn’t resist this as I absolutely love Christmas stories!

What would you do if Santa put you on his Naughty List? A magical Christmas adventure like no other, with an Elf called Jiggles, a race to save Christmas, and lots of cat food! When Aisling and Joe antagonise their tough new babysitter, she writes to Santa asking for them to be put on the “naughty list”. Determined not to be denied their Christmas presents, the pair seek help from the school bully – who always gets presents, no matter how badly he behaves! Unfortunately this leads to them stealing the Santa List. After all, if Santa doesn’t have the list then he can’t tell if you’ve been naughty or nice, can he? But when the kids have a change of heart, they face a race-against-time adventure to return the list to Mr Claus, before Christmas is ruined. And when they are stopped by someone who absolutely hates Christmas . . . Christmas may not be saved after all! 

This is written by a debut author and is one I have been lucky enough to win on Toppsta. I’ve been hearing lots of wonderful things about it and it has certainly captured my interest!

Kidnapped and forced to shovel coal underneath a half-bombed, blackened power station, 12-year-old Luke’s life is miserable. Then, he discovers he can see things others can’t. Ghostly things. Specifically, a ghost-girl named Alma. Alma, who can ride clouds through the night sky and bend their shape to her will, befriends Luke. And with Alma’s help, Luke discovers he is in fact a rare being – half-human and half-something else … Then Luke learns the terrible truth of why children are being kidnapped and forced to work in the power station, and he becomes even more desperate to escape. Can Luke find out who he really is … and find his freedom?

I’ve read The Midnight Library (for adults), Evie and the Animals and The Girl Who Saved Christmas. I’m definitely looking forward to reading another by Matt Haig!

The epic adventure of a teeny-tiny hero. This is a tale of mice and magic. It is also a tale of great love (of cheese) and great danger. And learning the lesson that what matters most – when it comes to cheese and life – is not how strongly you smell but how strong you are on the inside.

I have been lucky enough to take part in a poetry workshop with Joseph Coelho and have a signed copies of If All the World Were and A Year of Nature Poems. I enjoyed Zombierella, the first book in this fun series, and am looking forward to the next one.

Joining the family business, animal-lover Bryony proves to be an extraordinary taxidermist, whose tender fingers create displays which comfort, educate and astound. But when Byrony’s proud father boasts of her skill, who should come calling but the secretive King of all Mythica. Locking her away, he gives her three horrible tasks … three impossibletasks! It’s only then that a strange, sinister creature emerges from the shadows of the castle, offering Bryony a helping hand… But at what cost?

I read Another Twist in the Tale last year, an absolutely wonderful twist on the story of Oliver Twist, so am really looking forward to reading a re-imagining of Frankenstein.

Sometimes I was jealous of the monster of Frankenstein. I grew up believing my father cared more for him than he did for me. And was I wrong? Maggie Walton’s father has dedicated his life to a single pursuit: hunting down the monster created by Victor Frankenstein. It has cost Maggie and her family everything – and now her father is staking everything on one last voyage to the Arctic, with Maggie secretly in tow, where he hopes to find the monster at last. But there they make a shocking discovery: Frankenstein’s monster has a son…

Release Date: 14th October

I recently read the first book in this series: A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth, a magical read which I devoured in a day, despite it being one of the longest middle-grade books I’ve read in a while. I’m so looking forward to this next one!

Imogen and Marie return through the door in the tree to a whole new Yaroslav. Miro is king, but hates it. Anneshka is no longer Queen. . . and hates it. When Anneshka hears a prophecy that she will rule the Greatest Kingdom, she seizes Marie, believing her to be key to fulfilling it, and heads over the mountains. Imogen and Miro chase after them, in hot pursuit. But what they find in the lands beyond will change everything again, and see them facing dangers they could never have imagined, both human and otherwise.

Another Christmas story by a wonderful debut author. I have been sent a copy of this through our Authorfy creative writing club, run by Mel. I’m resisting reading it until I can purchase my own copy as the book is a prize for a child in the Club!

Wish it could be Christmas every day? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, it is! Living her merriest life in a house with year-round fairy lights and Christmas trees, a carol-singing toilet and a diva donkey who thinks he’s a reindeer, home-schooled Holly tries to spread cheer wherever she goes. But when she goes to a new school with a singing Santa backpack and first day Christmas cards (during a heatwave in September!), she realises not everyone shares her enthusiasm for spreading cheer. In fact, when the neighbours try to remove the Carrolls from the street and Holly discovers a group of children that may not get a Christmas at all, her snowglobe world begins to crack. Is the world’s most Christmassy girl about to lose her Christmas spirit?

Release Date: 22nd October

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Abbey Mystery, and have been lucky enough to get a proof copy of this one, so I will be reading it very shortly.

When the headmistress invites her past favourite pupil to attend their end of term ball, Cassandra brings her younger sister, Jane, along too. Cassandra plunges into the feverish excitement of preparing for the biggest event of the year – the dresses, the dances and the boys expected from the neighbouring school. Feeling rather excluded, sharp-witted Jane unearths the reason for the fuss – the headteacher wants to impress a rich family returned from India as the school is at risk of going bankrupt. Jane also befriends the dancing master’s assistant, a former slave, called Brandon, who is as quick to notice things as she. At the ball, a diamond necklace is stolen from a locked room and they are propelled into a race to uncover the burglar and save Brandon from gaol. With the ever-present Austen spirit, Jane with notebook in hand, boldly overcomes the obstacles to finding the truth.

Release Date: 28th October

I’ve read and enjoyed stories by so many of the 13 authors in this book, so I’m really looking forward to this collection which sounds perfect in the run-up to Christmas!

Sleuthing through the snow, on a merry mysterious day, in disguise we go, investigating all the way . . . This gorgeous Christmas hardback gift of a collection brings together thirteen of the bestselling, award-winning and exciting debut authors: Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, E.L. Norry, Elle McNicoll, Dominique Valente, Joanna Williams, Maisie Chan, Nizrana Farook, Patrice Lawrence, Roopa Farooki, Serena Patel and Sharna Jackson. Join them as part of the Very Merry Murder Club as they lead you on a snow-covered wintery journey of Christmassy crimes, festive foul play and murderously magnificent mysteries!

This is written by a debut author and is one I am very excited to read as it sounds like exactly the type of magical wintery story I will enjoy.

When Bela’s mother dies, she is summoned to deepest Siberia to stay with an uncle she’s never met. Exploring his strange scientific workshop, she uncovers a secret she was never meant to find – a doorway that opens an to icy land, frozen in time and full of legends come to life. But this frozen land is in danger, and it’s up to Bela to find a way to save it. To succeed, she must join forces with the impossible: a long-lost sister she never knew she had, born 40,000 years before . . .

I haven’t yet read any of this author’s books although I do have A Most Magical Girl on my bookcase. I can’t resist a book with a dragon, and this sounds like it will be a beautiful read.

Pip never wants to be at home nowadays. There’s no laughter anymore and her mum isn’t happy. She spends most of her time alone, daydreaming and digging for treasure by the dirty creek. But one night, Pip finds something incredible – a dragon. Tiny, possibly dying, but definitely a dragon. She quickly realises that dragons don’t come with instructions: what do you feed a dragon? Where could it have come from? And how can Pip cope with the enormous changes this creature will bring into her life? Full of enchanting magic and poignant truths, Dragon Skin is a moving story of friendship, family and finding a way to fly.

As well as dragons, I can’t resist book with witches! I’ve been lucky enough to have been sent an early copy of this one by the publisher, and am really looking forward to reading it soon.

In 1771, Robert Burns, future national poet and folk hero of Scotland, has big problems. 12-year-old Rab spends all of his time doing backbreaking work on his family’s farm instead of attending school, but when he finds a hag stone in one of the fields, everything changes.
Looking through its circular hole, he sees witches gathering in a coming storm, and they’ve set their sights on his family. Can Rab save his sisters from the clutches of the witches’ coven before their Halloween ceremony in the old kirk?

October is going to be a wonderful month for middle-grade releases! Do any of these pique your interest?