There are so many books I’m looking forward to in April. I have already read a proof copy of The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie and am looking forward to getting the final copy for my class library. Lots of these will be released during my Easter holiday, so I’m definitely going to be enjoying lots of these over that time.
I have taken the synopsis for each of these from the Waterstones website.
Wendington Jones has her world abruptly up-ended when her adventuring mother dies in a car crash in late 1920. Left in the care of her Grandmamma and her valet Rohan, Wendington receives a parcel in the middle of the night, seemingly from her dead mother. It’s half of a manuscript from a book her mother was writing, and describes a mystery surrounding the mythical Tree of Life. When Wendington reads that the tree could have the power to bring her mother back to life, she throws herself into finding the remainder of the manuscript and solving her mother’s mystery. However, her initial attempts are laced with danger. Other people also seek to find the Tree of Life and Wendington has to trick, fight and talk her way out of many perilous situations. Does Wendington have what it takes to complete her mission?
Rowan starts to embrace her gifts as a magical wildsmith who heals and speaks to animals. But saving a young pegasus brings difficult decisions. Danger comes closer than ever, threatening her family and even Rowan’s own life. When she is betrayed, which friends can she trust? With her family divided and war still raging, where does Rowan belong now?
‘Once was, once wasn’t.’ So began the stories Marjan’s father told her as a little girl – tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder: Griffons. Unicorns. Dragons. But Marjan is not a little girl anymore. After her father’s sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friendships and her dad’s struggling veterinary practice. But a mysterious visitor soon reveals that Marjan’s father was no ordinary vet. The creatures from his stories are real – and he travelled the world to care for them. Stepping into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped, Marjan must take her father’s place. The deeper in she gets, the closer she comes to a shocking truth that will put both humans and beasts in terrible danger.
When Delores Mackenzie is chased home by a restless spirit, she is sent to the mysterious Uncles in Edinburgh Old Town to learn how to control her unusual ‘gifts’. Scared and alone, she finds her new home at the Tolbooth Book Store is full of curious surprises: some welcome, others less so. But when a sinister apparition threatens the lives of her strange new housemates, Delores must gather all her strength to save them.
When lonely Vincent is forced to go on an outdoor activity weekend with three other kids from his class, he’s counting the seconds until he can escape home. But one of his classmates is hiding a secret: she’s convinced there’s pirate treasure buried deep within a nearby mountain. Suddenly, this boring trip becomes an exciting adventure! But a thief is hot on the trail, intent on stealing the loot for themselves… can the Treasure Hunters work together to stop them?
A tense, page-turning story that sensitively deals with themes of family upheaval and kleptomania. Ren’s family lose their home in a fire. They’re living with her grandmother now and things are a bit tense. Ren lost her collection of things, her clothes; her brother lost his little bear and is inconsolable. So Ren starts replacing things with other people’s possessions. They’ve got loads of stuff, after all. But she gets caught and has to strike a terrifying deal to avoid detection…
All legends start somewhere . . . After defeating the evil Grendilock and saving Cadno, the last firefox, Charlie Challinor is looking forward to a well-earned rest. But when a familiar face appears from the realm of Fargone, Charlie’s family is once again swept up into adventure. Along with Lippy, Roo and new magical friend Blodyn, Charlie must travel to Fargone to face the dreaded Draig, the shadowy monster that is slowly draining the life from the land – and uncover the lost secret that links Draig’s history to Charlie’s own.
Flick is a magician who needs answers. Her father is still missing, and top illusionist the Great Fox doesn’t seem interested in finding him, despite his promises. Meanwhile, she and her friend Charlie must represent the Great Fox in a new competition in the Swiss town of Linth. The Global Order of Magic is electing a new chancellor, and the Fox insists that if he wins, it will help – but Flick isn’t so sure. Determined to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance and of The Bell System, his greatest and most mysterious magic trick, Flick must pull off an impossible diamond heist to win. But danger lurks around every corner, and nothing is what it seems.
It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool – like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much – like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbour. All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of… to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.
Shaman by name and shaman by nature – Billy just hasn’t found his magic … yet. His selfish, globetrotting parents abandon him for yet another summer in Charles Darwin’s strange, museum-like house, where Billy stumbles across a 200-year-old giant talking tortoise named Charles Darwin, by the famous man himself. Charles D, the tortoise, knows every inch of the house and every artefact in it, and he’s keen to help Billy realise his powers and set him on the path to adventure. A beautifully carved Inuit ivory necklace is the first object that whisks him back in time to the shrieking chaos of an Arctic blizzard to meet its rightful owner, a girl called Ahnah, her shape-shifting grandmother and the mysterious explorer Pytheas.
Skandar Smith has achieved his dream to train as a unicorn rider. But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises. Immortal wild unicorns are somehow being killed, a prophecy warns of terrible danger, and elemental destruction begins to ravage the Island. Meanwhile, Skandar’s sister, Kenna, longs to join him – and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what. As the storm gathers, can Skandar discover how to stop the Island tearing itself apart – before it’s too late for them all?
After the defeat of her cruel father, Emba Oak’s nights are haunted by strange dreams with beckoning dragons calling her to faraway mountain peaks. With an ever-flowing stream of questions about her nature, her dragon fire and fury, Emba knows she must go. But can Emba control the growing powers inside her or will everything fall apart along the way?
There’s an egg snatcher in Aves Wood – the Twitchers are on the case! It’s spring, and Aves Wood is alive with migrating birds returning to build their nests. But eggs are going missing. Could someone be stealing from the nests of the wild birds? Horrified, the birdwatching detectives set up a stakeout, patrolling the woods to protect the nesting birds and hunting down the despicable egg thief. But the Twitchers are soon caught in their own trap. Can they work together to prove their innocence and catch the real criminal before any more birds get hurt?
A boy and a bear meet, become friends and have the adventure of their lives! The fourth thrilling adventure set in a fictional Sri Lanka is jam-packed with peril, thieves and a Nuwan works at the library, delivering books. One day, he accidentally takes away a very valuable key that’s been hidden inside one of the books, and in the process thwarts the plans of some very dangerous thieves. On the run, he hides in a cave, only to discover in the middle of the night that he is sharing it with a big, hairy, terrifying bear! After some hair-raising moments, he and the bear reach an understanding and they travel on together, evading the bad guys and hoping the key will unlock the answers to the mystery so that they can stop running and return home…
Samia, Ava and Frankie are thrilled to win a whirlwind trip of European capital cities. But when the Euro Metro rumbles through the night to their first destination and shots are fired, it becomes crystal clear that this is no ordinary school trip. Their enigmatic chaperone, Miss Watson, is forced to admit that the children are being used as cover for a spying mission. Her colleague in M16 has vanished-presumed dead-and has left behind a trail of cryptic clues leading to vital information. On their arrival in Paris, Samia, Ava and Frankie are catapulted into a world of art, espionage and terrible danger. Can the children solve the fiendish clues hidden on famous European landmarks and avoid the scary strangers who are stalking their every move?
When Lark’s mum takes her family with her on a research trip to Cambodia, Lark never expects that she’ll end up stranded on a deserted island! But that’s exactly what happens when her boat is shipwrecked. With her only companion a baby gibbon, Lark faces many dangers – brutal storms, scorching sunshine and jellyfish-infested waters. And with dwindling food and water, she must make a plan to find her way off the island before it’s too late…
Do any of these catch your interest? What are your most anticipated books for April?
Book Craic 
Skandar 2 and Clutch are great!
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