The Rescue of Ravenwood is just sublime storytelling:  an incredibly special story that weaves together nature, home, family and friendship, keeping me utterly captivated throughout. 

Bea and Raffy share a deep-seated love for the special place that they found as young babies.  Bea arrived first with her father and, when he left, she stayed with her uncle Leo.  When Raffy’s mum was looking for somewhere to live, Leo offered to let them stay at Ravenwood.  Eleven years later, and both adults and children have grown into a close family unit with a heartfelt love for their idyllic, sprawling home, surrounded by ancient trees and close to the sea. 

Bea is expecting a visit from her parents, with whom she has a rather fractured relationship, and is disappointed when they change their minds.  Her hurt causes her to uncharacteristically lash out at Noa, a young girl who has been invited to stay with them for the summer as her mother has gone abroad.  Whilst Raffy loves Bea, he can see that she has been unkind to Noa and offers his friendship. 

When Bea’s dark mood lifts and she sees Noa’s appreciation for nature, she finds herself offering to show her something very special:  Yggdrasil, an ancient ash tree, perfect for climbing.  The children envisage a wonderful summer spreading out before them where they can build a tree house in the branches of Yggdrasil, where they can hope to see more seals when they swim in the cove, and where they can hang out in Skidbladnir, their Viking ship. 

But changes are coming, and the children are in danger of losing their precious Ravenwood.  Can they work together to save it when others are conspiring to separate them from each other? Do they have the strength and courage to fight for their home when another is equally determined to take it from them?

This is such a thrilling and deeply satisfying adventure, and one that kept me eagerly turning the pages, completely invested in the children’s mission to save Ravenwood as they faced dangers, manipulations, separation and loss.  I can totally understand their affinity with Ravenwood and their determination to save it, no matter the risks they had to take.  This wonderful home has endured through many, many years; it has changed and witnessed much; and, along with the natural environment surrounding it, offers comfort and joy to those who live there. 

Bea, Raffy and Noa are incredibly sympathetic characters.  They unite in their love for Ravenwood, in their pleasure at enjoying the simpler things in life when other parts of their lives are more complicated and cause pain.  They have a real connectedness with nature that brings them together, a connection that sees them work together to try to save the place that means so much to each of them.

This is a truly fantastic adventure:  exciting, heartfelt and empowering with family, friendship and the importance of nature at its heart.  A definite must-read and one I cannot recommend highly enough!

Thank you to Bethany Carter and Faber Children’s Books for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m currently reading Valentine Crow and Mr Death as my evening read. I’m really hoping to get it finished by the end of the month so that I can take part in The Primary School Book Club on Twitter. I haven’t got too far yet, but I’m really enjoying it, and am just wondering if it will remind me of Mort!

I read The Nowhere Thief which is a fantastic fantasy sci-fi which was fast-paced and action-packed. I really enjoyed the portals to parallel worlds, and think this has lots of scope for a series. I will be posting my review before publication next Thursday. I also read The Rescue of Ravenwood which is just wonderful – a real ode to nature and the importance of saving the places we love. I am hoping to post my review tomorrow – just need to get it written this evening! I also finished listening to The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair which was such a magical, heartfelt story. The enchanted frost fair was both beautiful and terrifying. Thomasina lives with the grief and guilt of her younger brother’s death due to an asthma attack and is drawn into the world of the frost fair due to her sorrow, something that Father Winter craves. She is in danger of losing everything she holds dear unless she can thwart him. A truly wonderful story.

I really enjoyed the first in this series, so am aiming to pick up Alex Neptune: Pirate Hunter next.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these?

The Swifts is a wickedly humorous, action-packed whodunnit with the most brilliant opening that perfectly captures the quirky playfulness and delicious darkness that makes this a dazzlingly mesmerising read, and one that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Shenanigan Swift is named – like all her family members – from a revered Family Dictionary on the day that they are born.  This Dictionary gives a name and definition and it is rather expected that the recipient will live up to their aptronym.  After all, it’s already been engraved on their headstone in the cellar!  And, to be fair, Shenanigan is rather mischievous as her sister Felicity will attest but, when real trouble visits the family, she proves herself to be much more than chief mischief-maker …

Now, what trouble could I be referring to?  Only a spot of murder and mayhem with a dash of treasure-hunting thrown in! When Aunt Inheritance, the Family Archivist, calls a family reunion to once-again search for the much-needed lost family fortune, the wonderfully eccentric family descend on the house intent on locating the hoard.  However, plans for their search are brought to an abrupt pause – not end as there is treasure to be found after all – by the small matter of the attempted murder of Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude.    

Luckily, Shenanigan is ready and mostly willing to find the culprit and turns her hand to sleuthing alongside her sisters, Felicity and Phenomena and cousin Erf.  As with all great detectives, they compile a list of suspects – and there are many – and then begin the process of elimination.  Shenanigan tends to go with her gut feeling, but Phenomena is a genius scientist who is intent on finding evidence.  But before they can find the culprit, there are more deaths in really rather unusual circumstances.  Can the young Swifts solve the case before more family members are killed off?  Could the lost treasure be a motive for the crime?

Oh my goodness:  this was brilliant – sheer brilliance of the glowing, dazzling and genius kind!  I loved the secrets hidden by both characters and the house, the wordplay, the delightfully quirky Family, the twistiness and cleverness of the whodunnit and John the Cat:  I really liked John the Cat!

Shenanigan is such a likeable character.  She is expected to be a troublemaker as decreed by the Family Dictionary at her birth and whilst, I suspect, she has enjoyed living up to this expectation, she is not defined by her name.  She is clever, courageous and tenacious as she helps her sisters and cousin catch the culprit.  Yes – she makes mistakes along the way, but she does what she thinks is right regardless of the consequences – mostly!  I loved the relationship between Shenanigan and her sisters.  They might annoy each other, but they are there to support when it is needed. 

The black and white illustrations are absolutely stunning and include chapter headings and full pages.  They really capture the dark gothic humour and quirkiness of the Family.  And there’s Shenanigan’s brilliant Map of the House with trapdoors, hidden rooms and Scrabble with a difference! 

The Swifts is a wickedly witty whodunnit that is guaranteed to enchant and entertain young readers of 9+.

Thank you so much to Ellen and Puffin Books for sending me a copy of the gorgeous hardback in exchange for my honest opinion.

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

The Deer people had no need of a stone circle: the mountains marked the turning of the year more accurately than anything humankind could construct. When the sun rose behind the tallest peak, pointing a finger of light across the upland plateau directly into the mouth of the sacred cave, it was midwinter.

Any ideas?

I recently read Midwinter Burning by Tanya Landman and loved it, so wanted to try some of her other middle-grade books. I found this one whilst in London, and am really looking forward to reading it, especially as it’s set in the Stone Age.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Oak, son of the Deer clan chief, hopes that this summer he will finally be allowed to join the hunt and make his father proud of him. But this year is not like other years – the rains have failed, his father has fallen out with the Bear chief, and everyone is mistrustful of the new creatures that have been spotted near their encampment: horses. Then Oak becomes separated from his clan with only a young horse for company, and it seems that surely the worst has happened. But perhaps not all animals are prey. Perhaps Horse can be clan too.

The Stickleback Catchers is a heart-breaking, yet hopeful, story of family and friendship which completely captured me.

Eleven-year-old Mimi lives with her Grandparents in a flat above their Bowling Club. It is clear that she adores them, and they her but, when she arrives home to a stranger in a suit visiting, she senses that they are hiding something from her.  Gran is wonderfully eccentric, a former opera singer who wears camouflage and waders to take Mimi shopping, so it breaks Mimi’s heart when she sees how forgetful Gran is becoming.  Coinciding with Gran’s deteriorating memory, Mimi sees cracks appearing around her home and meets a mysterious crow who is able to communicate with her.

Mimi finds two new friends in Titch who has replied to her Gran’s advert for a Stickleback Catcher and Nusrat who runs her own podcast solving puzzles.  These new friends become The Stickleback Catchers, determined to solve mysteries and seek adventure.

When Mimi and Titch visit the river where they find sticklebacks, they also find an unusual stone speckled with stars which leads to the opening of a doorway to another world:  a world of talking crows, of stored memories and of those charged with protecting these memories.  Can Mimi find the key to unlocking her Gran’s lost memories in this world? 

This is the most heartachingly beautiful story of family, of friendship and of finding the courage to accept change, to treasure memories and to support those we love through loss. 

Mimi is the most incredible young girl who is fighting through her fear, hurt and anger as the Gran who she clearly adores becomes lost to her through her memory loss.  Her fallability makes her such a sympathetic character. 

I loved both the fantastical elements in this story and the contemporary ones and thought they blended beautifully to show the confusion, fear, pain and desperation inherent in coping with a loved one’s illness, but also the hope and joy in memories of past times, in learning to accept change and in being there to offer love and support and a sense of belonging.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve just started reading The Rescue of Ravenwood which I’m absolutely loving, and have a strong feeling that this will be one of my top books of 2023 – it really is wonderful! I’m listening to The Miraculous Sweetmakers which is not quite what I expected, but is one I’m definitely enjoying. The opening was incredibly sad and I can totally understand the choice Thomasina has made, but I think the magical Frost Fair she is visiting may bring her all sorts of trouble and heartache.

I finished The Stickleback Catchers which is a beautifully told story of a young girl, Mimi, dealing with her Gran’s dementia. She finds her way into another world where memories are stored, and has to make a difficult choice about living in the past where her Gran knows who she is, or facing her present situation. I enjoyed the blend of fantasy and contemporary.

I also finished Beyond the Frozen Horizon which is another winner! Rory joins her mum, who is a geologist, on a work trip to the Arctic where she is completing a report on the environmental sustainability of a new mining operation. They are not made to feel particularly welcome by the miners still living there and, when it becomes apparent that the Company may be hiding something, Rory gets help from an unexpected source. Just brilliant!

I also finished the audiobook of The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks which I loved! Alice is sent to a boarding school where she discovers that she can talk to animals as she is a Switcher – and they need her help. I adored Alice who, together with her new friends, finds herself at the heart of solving a dangerous mystery. This is another one I didn’t know much about, but am so glad I read it and am looking forward to Alice’s next adventure.

I also read The Swifts which was such fun – Shenanigan is such a great character who I absolutely loved. And the opening – fantastic! I’ll be posting my review in the next few days.

I also devoured Midwinter Burning which is the first book by Tanya Landman that I’ve read, but I definitely need to pick up more of her work. Alfie is a boy who is not really wanted by his mother and who is bullied at school. He is the only one who doesn’t mind being evacuated at the start of the Second World War. He goes to live on an isolated farm in rural Devon with Aunt Bell (who is so wonderful) and her son Ted where he quickly learns what it is to have a real home and family. When exploring the area, he feels drawn to the standing stones where the annual Midwinter Burning is held as a village tradition. He meets a young boy, Smidge, who does not dress like him or speak his language, but it is the first time Alfie has a friend. This is one of the best timeslip books I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. It’s both heart-warming and heart-breaking. I loved Alfie’s life on the farm, his relationship with Aunt Bell and his friendship with Smidge. This is one I would highly recommend.

I’m hoping to read MoonFlight next.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these?

Thank you so much to Anne Glennie at Cranachan Publishing for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour for Rivet Boy, and for providing me with an early copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rivet Boy is an absolutely riveting historical adventure set in late Victorian Scotland:  a story of family and friendship; of courage and of danger that held me enthralled throughout.

12-year-old John Nicol does not want to leave school, but he must in order to become the breadwinner for his family as his Dey can no longer work and the charitable money being forwarded to the family following the death of his father 12 years before is coming to an end as John can now legally support his family. 

John and his mother take a train to the bridge being built on the Forth River where she intends to ask Mr Arrol, who is in charge of the construction, for a job for her son.  She is left disappointed when she is told that he is busy and does not deal with hiring.  However, John is not prepared to accept a rejection and his mother’s disappointment and, after stating his case to Mr Arrol, he offers him a job working on the construction of the Forth Bridge.  Not only does John know this is dangerous work, he has a fear of heights which makes working on the bridge a frightening prospect, but he has no choice as he must earn money to support his family.

Whilst initially John is not expected to work up on the bridge, it is not long before he finds himself having to face his fear of heights as he joins Cain Murdoch’s Rivet Gang who are far from welcoming.  Will John be able to survive up on the bridge when faced with a threatening gang?  What danger awaits him as he climbs the bridge ladders to work as a rivet boy?

Wow!  This is a real page-turner of an adventure that kept me utterly gripped throughout as the dangers of working on the bridge became all too real and as the sense of threat and peril escalated for John and those working on the bridge, leading to a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat adventure that was unputdownable.

John is an incredibly sympathetic character who most definitely found his way into my heart.  He has to give up his school life, which he enjoyed, in order to support his family by taking on an incredibly dangerous job, a job which has seen others fall to their death.  He shows incredible courage, resilience and determination when facing his fears and standing up to, and for, others, forging his own path to a better future.

John gains great support and comfort from a wonderful group of friends.   He meets Cora on the construction site.  She is a strong-willed, outgoing girl who wants to become an engineer, and proves herself to be a supportive, much-needed friend for John.  John also has a rather unusual and adorable friend in Rusty, an injured squirrel who he rescues from the rail tracks and who visits him at work.  Whilst John can no longer go to school, he does visit the new Carnegie Library where he meets the librarian, Mr Peebles, who feeds his reading habit during his “book o’clock” evening reading time, and who encourages him in his love of autograph collecting, a new Victorian hobby that has come from America.

Whilst this compelling story immerses us in the life of John Nicol, it also gives a fascinating insight into late Victorian Scottish society’s social and engineering history.  I was given an understanding of the final stages of the construction of the iconic Forth Bridge with the scale of engineering prowess, but also an awareness of the terrible loss of life, and the fortitude shown by the briggers.  As a teacher, I found it heart-breaking that John was denied an education due to his family circumstances, but loved that he had Mr Peebles and the Carnegie Library!  The heart-warming ending is just perfect! 

I loved reading the Author’s Note where she shares her inspiration for the story based on real-life events and her association with the Forth Bridge.  She also shares a collection of wonderful photographs from the construction of the bridge to some of the famous Victorians mentioned in the story to the Carnegie Library – and even a picture of a young author visiting the bridge!

Rivet Boy reaches dizzying heights of brilliance:  an absolutely unmissable, inspirational historical adventure that will take its readers on a thrilling, moving and extraordinary adventure. 

Please do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour with the fantastic bloggers below:

Blanksy the Street Cat is a wonderfully playful, heart-warming and humorous story of friendship and the arts that completely charmed me.

Pete the busker travels around the country doing what he loves best: bringing a smile to people’s faces with his music. One day, he meets a stray cat and the two become friends. Blanksy has a talent for drawing and soon begins to brighten Pete’s guitar with his painting. After becoming frustrated with Pete’s musical talent not being recognised, Blanksy has an idea to get people to stop and listen, so he begins to paint murals where Pete is performing which quickly draws bigger and bigger crowds … and fame. But is fame really what Pete wants?

This is a gorgeous, fun-filled story that is perfect for younger readers. It has a dyslexia-friendly font and use of bold text and capitalisation which will encourage reading with expression. I loved the use of internal rhyme which makes it a joy to read aloud and is one younger children will want to read again and again. There will definitely be giggles at the warm humour and a real delight in the friendship between Pete and Blanksy.

The full and partial page black-and-white illustrations on every page are absolutely brilliant and complement the warmth and humour of the story perfectly.

Blanksy the Street Cat is an absolutely delightful story for younger readers, filled with warmth, friendship and humour and the most fantastic illustrations.

Thank you to Faber & Faber for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a fantastic month March promises to be for children’s book releases with the majority of these being released on 2nd March. There is a mixture of favourite authors with new books in a series I’ve loved, new-to-me and debut authors.

I have taken the synopsis for each of these from the Waterstones website.

Xanthe loves visiting her gran in her flat with its rooftop garden. But Nani is becoming forgetful – and Xanthe wishes she could help her, if only she knew how.  A mysterious cat shows her a way. It leads Xanthe to clues about Nani’s childhood, and how, long ago, she had to escape her old life in Africa for a new one in Britain … The fourth novel by bestselling, Costa Award-winning author Jasbinder Bilan follows archaeology-obsessed Xanthe as she uncovers her family’s secrets A tale of secrets, family, refugees, belonging and love Set in a tower block in Nottingham, bringing Jasbinder’s trademark magical realism to an urban, everyday setting.

Join Alex Neptune, the boy with the power of the ocean in his hands, on his second adventure – perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! Alex Neptune is struggling to get to grips with his new oceanic powers… so the last thing he needs is Haven Bay being attacked by pirates in a ship made of rubbish. The marauders are hunting for the missing egg of the elusive water dragon – and Alex is determined to reach it first to stop them stealing its power. Along with friends Zoey and Anil – plus a clumsy seal, a lock-picking hermit crab and some seriously menacing otters – Alex sets out on a treasure hunt to a secret shipwreck where they must face three monstrous challenges. Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean in this ultimate treasure-hunting, puzzle-solving ocean adventure!

13-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he’s caught.But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven – a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students are trained in lock-picking, forgery and ‘crim-nastics’, all with the intention of doing good out in the world, by conning the bad and giving back to the innocent. But … can you ever really trust a thief? With a school wide competition to be crowned Top Crook and many mysteries to uncover, Gabriel’s first year at Crookhaven will be one to remember.

Twelve has become a hunter and chosen a new name to reflect her elemental power: Phoenix. Three months after the destruction of the Hunting Lodge, a witch arrives from the frost palace of Icegaard, desperate for Phoenix’s help. Icegaard is in grave danger from an evil force called the Shadowseam, and if the witch-palace falls, all the clans of Ember will fall with it. Travelling north, Phoenix and her friends, Five, Six and Seven, must battle frightening new monsters and find a way to defeat the Shadowseam. But as Phoenix learns to control her new power, the faceless Croke begins to haunt her dreams… Phoenix will have to fight with everything she’s got to save Ember from mortal danger. But the price of survival may be more than she can pay.

As soon as Alfred arrives at his granny’s cottage, he feels like he’s being watched. There are steep cliffs and dark forests all around, teeming with unfamiliar life – even odd little faerie creatures only Alfred can see. When free-spirited Saga bursts into his life, he begins to appreciate the beauty of these places that have always scared him. But this special world is under threat: Alfred’s dad is working on a project to dig a giant tunnel through the landscape for a motorway. As he joins Saga in the community protests against the plan, Alfred draws ever closer to the strange world of the faerie creatures, following a thread that seems to be leading him deep into secrets from his family’s past.

Angelo and his friends know that together they can handle any pretty much anything – including giant mutant spiders or snake-like parasites that burrow into your brain. But when a terrifying new enemy attacks from above it seems they have met their ultimate match . . . how can they defeat giant vampire birds that are after blood?  With summer term in full force – and sports day and prom night on the horizon – the whole school is in danger. The gang need a plan to bring safety to the skies!

Dido is reconciled to leaving the racing track and staying at home to train horses with Scorpus and Parmenion. But a storm is brewing. It brings with it a fiery black stallion, uncannily like Dido’s beloved Porcellus. Word arrives from Rome that her cousin, Abibaal, a talented young charioteer, has been recruited to compete for the evil emperor, Caligula. To save Abibaal, Dido must return to the great Circus Maximus track where she once drove to glory herself, confront her enemy Caligula, and face the toughest, most dangerous race of her life. 

Maggie Blue is adjusting to a quieter life, back living with her aunt Esme and hanging out with friends Ida and Will as well as her beloved Hoagy the cat. She tries to forget about the events of the previous year – but she’s being watched, and one day a small white bird appears. Where has the white crow come from, and why won’t it leave Maggie alone? Little does she know that the Dark World is waiting for her to return… and when Cynthia her mum is kidnapped and taken there, Maggie only has no choice but to go back. With the help of Hoagy and some new friends by her side, Maggie must go back to the place that she never wished to see again, if she’s ever to see her mum – or gain control of her own life – again.

Can a timid rat ever become a hero? Tilbury is about to find out on the adventure of a lifetime, journeying across the sea to the realm of the dreaded White Death, to return a priceless diamond to its rightful owners. A marvellous adventure begins and a truly intrepid hero is born.

A mind-bending multiverse adventure about theft, family, and finding your home.  Twelve-year-old Elsbeth has an extraordinary power: she can travel to parallel worlds and bring objects back with her. But as freak weather events become more frequent and a strange boy, Idris, starts to turn up everywhere she travels, she has to ask herself: does her gift come with a price?

Having uncovered head teacher Dr Doyinbo’s hidden agenda behind the Academy of the Sun, Onyeka and her friends are on the run. But they’ve got bigger problems to worry about – they desperately need to find a way to restore Niyi’s Ike superpower and they need to locate Onyeka’s missing parents. When their last safe house is uncovered, Onyeka turns to the only potential allies they have left; the Rogues, a group of rebels that have been trying to expose Dr Doyinbo’s lies for years. Joining forces, will the two groups be able to defeat their shared nemesis, or is there a new danger on the horizon for the Solari?

When Tourmaline’s mother goes missing on a search for precious artefacts, Tourmaline sets off to find her with her best friend George, her new friend (former foe) Mai and her limitless determination. On their adventure, they encounter a band of female pirates, a maze of talking trees and a series of challenges that test the children and their friendship. But will it be enough to reunite Tourmaline with her mother?

When Felix makes a very special wish, he doesn’t expect to be offered a job as an apprentice to wishkeeper Rupus Beewinkle. Now Felix must save the town’s wishes from the wishsnatcher, who wants to destroy hopes and dreams everywhere.

Cassie has settled into life in Hedgely when, out of the blue, her troubled cousin, Sebastian, comes to stay for Hallowe’en. Sneering and scornful, Sebastian trails after Cassie and her friends, interfering with their coven projects and belittling the dangers of the faery world. But Cassie, Rue and Tabitha have bigger problems – as the nights grow longer, a dark shadow creeps out of the Hedge and villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the desire to find a mysterious object. When the Hedgewitch is called away, the girls decide to investigate and discover that whoever is controlling the villagers is seeking a faery relic: an ancient and dangerous weapon, hidden somewhere in the village. Their magical training will be put to the test as they venture deeper into the Hedge and race to find the faery treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

Hush Quiet is a girl with an infinite baseball cap and certain views on love and kindness. Her sister, Matilda, carries around a shotgun full of bees, and doesn’t need much excuse to fire it. Hush and Matilda have been hiding out in a pocket world, ever since the war started. Ever since Dustbowl fell. Ever since what happened to Ma. But when a boy with no memory crosses into their reality, the sisters must confront their past, each other, and the intoxicating power that has torn their lives apart . . . the power known as worldweaving.

Dragons don’t exist. But they used to… Discovering the magic of dragons flows through your veins is frightening – and liberating! But with the powers of Dragonkind comes a desperate quest: siblings Finn and Tula must travel to a hidden island fortress to help save their father – and the world they know; and discover the truth about their incredible Fireblood heritage.

Yesterday Crumb is in London to watch The Wild Feast, a magical cooking competition. But when the teashop Yesterday and her friends call home is stolen by the Faerie Queen, she must join the competition to win it back.
Except the Faerie Queen is not going to make winning easy for her and blames Yesterday when members of the Faerie Court start disappearing. Yesterday must prove her innocence but, as she and her friends investigate, they discover that something much more sinister is at play…

It’s February 1974 and working class families have been hit hard by the three-day week. The reduced power usage means less hours for people to work, and less money to get by on. Thirteen-year-old Jason feels the struggle keenly. Ever since his parents died, it’s just been him and his older brother Richie.  Richie is doing his best, but since he can’t make ends meet he’s been doing favours for the wrong people. Every day they fear they won’t have enough and will have to be separated. One thing that helps distract Jason is the urban legend about a beast in the valleys. A wild cat that roams the forest, far up the river from their bridge. When Jason’s friends learn of a reward for proof of The Beast’s existence, they convince Jason this is the answer to his and Richie’s money problems.  Richie can get himself out of trouble before it’s too late and the brothers can stay together. And so a quest begins … Starting at the bridge of their village and following the river north, the four friends soon find themselves on a journey that will change each of them … forever.

Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all.

Twelve-year-olds Lizzie Sancho and Dido Belle are from different worlds – Lizzie lives in Westminster in her dad’s tea shop, while Belle is an heiress being brought up by her aunt and uncle at grand Kenwood House – but they both share a love of solving mysteries. And after saving Lizzie’s father from attempted murder surely there is no threat too dangerous for the detective duo?  It’s the summer of 1777, the night of the grand unveiling of the Sancho-Mansfields family portrait – a groundbreaking step towards representing friendship, family, and freedom. But soon enough things take a chaotic turn – the painting has been stolen! This theft is only the start, revealing a much bigger, more terrifying secret that haunts the cobbled streets of London. A conspiracy is underway, one that has links to the kidnapping of Lizzie’s friend Mercury, and leads all the way to a series of attempted poisonings, all at the hands of an ominous organisation pulling the strings from the shadows. These villains lurk everywhere, even in the very homes they call safe. And their desire for power is only growing.  When anyone could be involved in this Brotherhood of Masters, who can Lizzie and Belle trust? Once again it is up to the two girls to unveil the truth and put an end to the corruption that plagues the city.

Do any of these catch your interest? What are your most anticipated books for February? What have I missed that you would recommend?

Today’s prompt for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot, is for Pink/Red covers. I’ve had a look through my recent buys and those books which have been sitting on my shelves for a while, and have found six with red/mostly red covers.

Have you read any of these? Do you have any books with red covers on your bookshelves?