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!

It wasn’t a sin to steal if you only took forgotten things. Leander had been watching the ugly mutton pie in the bakery window for hours. It was lopsided and slightly squashed. All day customers had ignored it in favour of plump loaves, golden apple pies and sugar-sprinkled shortbread. The pie was left alone, unwanted and forgotten. Leander knew how that felt.

Any ideas?

This is my current read, and I’m loving it – think it might be a late reading night!

Goodreads Synopsis:

Madame Augustina Pinchbeck travels the country conjuring the spirits of dearly departed loved ones… for a price. Whilst her ability to contact ghosts is a game of smoke and mirrors, there is real magic behind her tricks too – if you know where to look. Through a magical trade, she persuades children to part with precious objects, promising to use her powers to help them. But Pinchbeck is a deceiver, instead turning their items into enchanted Cabinets that bind the children to her and into which she can vanish and summon them at will. When Pinchbeck captures orphan Leander, events are set into motion that see him and his new friends Charlotte and Felix, in a race against time to break Pinchbeck’s spell, before one of them vanishes forever…

This is the second week for my new weekly feature celebrating amazing middle-grade books. I hope others will enjoy taking part in this too! Thank you to those who have already taken part – I loved reading your posts and appreciate that you took the time to give this a go.

How to take part:

• Post a picture of the front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.
• Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence. 
• Write three words to describe the book.
• Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

This week, I’m celebrating …

Favourite Sentence from Page 11:

I press my face to the glass again, so hot it almost burns my skin, at the same time as a bloody hand thumps against the window from the other side.

This book in three words:

CREEPY, FUNNY, ACTION-PACKED

I had pre-ordered a copy of Crater Lake from the publisher Firefly Press who are an independent children’s and YA publisher based in Wales whose books I am loving! I absolutely devoured the fantastic Crater Lake when it arrived! I will definitely be getting copies of this for our school library as I think it will be a huge hit with the children.

The Year 6 children of Montmorency School are the first students to stay at the newly opened Crater Lake Activity Centre.  Even before arriving at the Centre, events take a sinister turn as their bus is stopped by the figure of a bloodstained man and, on arrival, Digger, the Centre Manager, does not provide them with the welcome they were expecting.  From this point on, the creepiness and fright levels keep on escalating as Lance and his friends find themselves on a daring mission to save themselves and their classmates from a frightening enemy.

Crater Lake is a perfect blend of jump-inducing scariness, brilliant characters and fast-paced action laced with a good dollop of humour and warmth!  It kept me gripped and on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Here’s a link to my full review: Crater Lake.

I’d love if anyone who wants to give this meme a go would comment in the comments box and include a link to your post so I can visit, comment and find some great middle-grade recommendations. If you do create a post and are on Twitter, and would like to share your post, please use the hashtag  #MGTakesOnThursday so I can find it, read it and share it!

This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.  It asks three questions:

1.       What are you currently reading?

2.       What did you recently finish reading?

3.      What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m just about to start The Vanishing Trick which I have been approved to read by the publisher via NetGalley. This sounds like it will be a darker read, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Any attempt at planning my reading seems to have gone out the window! I decided to read a couple of books that I’be had on my TBR pile for a while. The Star Outside my Window is such a powerful, beautiful and sensitively written story that tore at my heart, but I just couldn’t put it down. I also read Dragon Daughter which I enjoyed, but I didn’t love as much as I thought I would. I took part in the Blog Tour for Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable which was a very short, but fun magical read. Finally, I’ve just finished Gargantis which I devoured in a day – the first book I’ve read via PDF as Walker Books approved me to read it via NetGalley but there was no Kindle option! I absolutely loved it – a wonderful return to Eerie-on-Sea for another edge-of-the-seat adventure with the brilliant Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma.

I’m hoping to read The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods next. This one has been on my TBR for far too, long. I’ve just looked at the blurb again – it sounds exactly my kind of book.

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

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this Blog Tour and for providing me with an e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s Charlie’s first day at high school, his blazer is too big and his shoes are too small, but that’s the least of his worries. He’s been missed off the class lists and is now enrolled in a new school called Brittle’s Academy with a magical and mysterious head teacher. But to stay at Brittle’s Charlie must pass one of the tests…otherwise he’ll be sent to Oblivion!

This is the first book in the series of Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable.  The books can be read and enjoyed in any order as long as you’ve read Charlie Makes a Discovery first, which introduces us to the magical world of Professor Brittle, his pupils, the teachers and, of course, the school.

My Review:

This is the first book in a new series which introduces a wonderful, magical new world as children attend Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable, a school for magicians.  I found this a really delightful and enchanting story with plenty of action, adventure and a brilliant magical system which is perfect for younger middle-grade readers who enjoy magical adventures.

The story opens with Charlie’s natural trepidation at starting secondary school.  On arrival, he is confused when he sees two entrance gates and doesn’t know which to choose, especially as his brother can only see one!  Things get even stranger when most of the children are sorted into form tutor groups, but Charlie and some others are left out – until they meet their new teacher, Professor Brittle, the Headteacher of Brittle Academy which is most certainly not the school they have enrolled in.  

They soon arrive at their new school, Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable which is hidden in plain sight from non-magical people.   Excitement replaces fear as the children enter the gates, and see their new school for the first time, although they soon discover that for some, their first day may well be their last.  The detailed description of the sights and sounds helps to immerse the reader in this new and fascinating world which blends the ordinary with the extraordinary for a magical combination. 

The children are set a series of tasks to see if they can become fully-fledged students in this new school which sorts them into different Houses, each with a different attribute.  If they are not sorted into a House, they are sent to oblivion!  I found this magical choosing system really charming and enjoyed reading about each of them, and seeing who got into each House.  This sets the series up perfectly for the next adventure as the children continue their magical education with their rather eccentric teachers!

Charlie is a really likeable character who is braver than he thinks, taking risks to help his friends and standing up for himself when it matters.  I was keen to see which House was his perfect match!

The illustrations are wonderful, full of detail with a magical quality of their own, and really complement the story.

This is a wonderful beginning to a series which will capture the hearts of younger readers of magical fantasy stories.

About the Author:

Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honor of her beloved Grandparents who also star in the Josie James series. She is married with two teenage children and two Huskies who are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books. Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories. Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up throughout the series. Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.

Social Media:

Twitter: @LilyMaeWalters1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiejames100

Facebook: Brittle’s Academy

Instagram: lilymaewalters

The April theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot is Taking on the TBR pile and today’s prompt is for Recent additions to your TBR pile.  I do love having a physical copy of a book, although I have found myself getting more e-books recently. I used to get my books from a book shop, so it is taking them longer to arrive now that they are coming through the post! The last six books I’ve added to my TBR pile include 5 physical copies and one e-book.

I haven’t read any Melinda Salisbury books yet, nor do I read very many adult books but this one interested me so I thought I’d try it to see what I think.

I love the cover of this one and having read and loved The Unadoptables about a group of orphans, I thought I’d read another story centred on a group of orphans – this one sounds like a great mystery.

I love spooky stories and this one sounds like a great mystery – and there’s a talking stag head and bear rug which captured my interest.

This was actually the last book I bought in a bookshop – a signed copy! I adored the first book, and this one was just as wonderful with old friends and new: a truly magical, heart-warming, humorous adventure.

This one sounds like a darker read for older children – might be one to read in daylight as I’m very easily spooked!

I haven’t read Nicola’s book Bloom yet, but I just had to get this one as the premise absolutely captured me – think I will read this one very shortly.

Have you read any of these? What books have you recently added to your TBR pile?

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!

I’ve always wanted to be a Star Hunter. Everyone else calls them astronomers, but I think ‘Star Hunter’ sounds much better, so that’s what I’m going to call myself. But I’m not going to be the kind of star hunter that looks for old stars. I want to find the brand new ones – the ones that have only just been born and are searching for the people they’ve left behind.

Any ideas?

I absolutely loved Onjali’s first book, The Boy at the Back of the Class. I started reading this one yesterday and I’m really enjoying it. It is a very emotional read and I think there will be lots of tears, but there is also a spark of hope.

Goodreads Synopsis:

My mum is up there somewhere. She’s waiting — I can feel it. I just have to find her in time, that’s all … Because when I do, I’ll know the truth about who stole her. ‘ Told through the innocent voice of a child, this is a story that celebrates the power of hope and resilience, from the author of The Boy at the Back of the Class. On her tenth birthday, Aniyah makes a wish — a wish for her mum. After school that same day, Aniyah and her brother are rushed out of school and driven far, far away. So Aniyah sets out to find out the truth — about the wish and about what happened to her mother. And in doing so she ends up on an adventure she never could have foreseen…one that involves a very clever squirrel, a homeless man named Harry, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and the biggest star in Hollywood… 

Have you read this? What did you think of it?

This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.  It asks three questions:

1.      What are you currently reading?

2.      What did you recently finish reading?

3.      What do you think you’ll read next?

I had intended to read Gargantis this week, but my reading went off on a completely different track as I just wanted to read some books I’ve had on my TBR (apart for one) for a while rather than upcoming ones! I’m now just about ready to start this and, as I loved Malamander so much, I’m really hoping to enjoy this too.

I’ve read five books this week. I really wanted to read a book set in Ireland that I remember reading when I was younger so downloaded Under the Hawthorn Tree from the Library Service. This is a short book set during the Great Famine which follows three siblings making a journey from their home to find relatives. It was quite a harrowing read as there was so much hardship, but it also celebrated close family bonds. I also read The Middler which I’ve had on my TBR since first publication. I was spurred on to read it after reading TrooFriend by the same author. I absolutely loved this story set in a dystopian society and really enjoyed the exploration of Maggie’s relationship with Una. Her battle between choosing friendship and submitting to the town indoctrination created brilliant tension and, oh my, I did not see the twist until it was almost upon me – very clever! I decided to read a short adventure next, Clifftoppers The Arrowhead Moor Adventure and it was a wonderful Sunday morning lazing in bed read! It reminded me so much of my childhood and my adventures in the countryside with my siblings – but without the jewel heist! It has definitely made me want to read the next two in the series. On Sunday afternoon, I asked my husband to choose a book from my TBR and he chose Beyond Platform 13. I haven’t read Eva Ibbotson’s, The Secret of Platform 13. I loved that Lina believed in magic and that, through a case of mistaken identity, she got to go on such a wonderful magical adventure. Finally, I read the BRILLIANT Jungledrop which is the second book in the Unmapped Chronicles series. Oh my – this is special. Abi’s writing absolutely sparkles and she is a creative genius, but I think the part of her writing that really connects with me is the powerful messages she scatters in her writing which find deep resonance.

I intend to read The Vanishing Trick as I meant to read it this week. I know I’m likely to read more, but I haven’t decided what yet!

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

The April theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot is Taking on the TBR pile and today’s prompt is for Books that have been on your TBR forever. I only really started to build up a massive TBR when I started reading lots again – around Christmas 2019. This pile drew bigger and bigger as more and more new books came out, and I wanted them all. The only problem was that I couldn’t read as fast as my TBR pile was growing! I’ve had a look at my TBR, and below are six books that have been on it for far too long, so I intend to get reading them over the next couple of months – as well as try to clear my NetGalley approvals which is also getting rather large.

Scavengers by Darren Simpson was released in March 2019 and is currently very close to the top of my TBR. I’ve read lots of great reviews about this, and am really looking forward to reading it. The opening lines definitely intrigued me!

Tin by Padraig Kenny was released in February 2018. I got both it and his second novel, Pog on the same day. I read Pog really quickly but have still not got round to reading this one. I have really liked reading a few books with robots in recently, so this one definitely appeals.

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend was published in October 2018 (hardback) and in May 2019 (paperback). I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, and can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet!

The Wild Folk by Slyvia V Linsteadt was published in June 2018, and is another one that has been sitting on my TBR for too long. It sounds like a perfect escapist read for these times, and I’m really looking forward to diving in!

The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods by Samuel J Halpin was released in November 2018. I remember being really eager to read this one, and my final choice, at the time I picked it up. I don’t know how books I’m really keen to read end up bypassing me for so long!

A Darkness of Dragons by S A Patrick was published in September 2018. I think I picked it up at the same time as the one above. This sounds like a great fantasy adventure, which is my favourite genre so, again, I don’t know how it has been buried in plain sight in my TBR for so long!

This prompt has been a really good opportunity to remind me to look at the older books on my TBR and to catch up on some of these books as I obviously wanted to read them enough to buy them at the time.

What a month this has been – I couldn’t have imagined at the start of the month how much life would change in such a short space of time. I can’t believe how much I miss the small pleasures in life, such as going for a coffee, browsing in a bookshop and meeting up with friends. These were things I took for granted: I will definitely have a newfound appreciation for them when I am eventually able to enjoy them again.

One of the hardest things for me has been how much I miss teaching my class, and how much I miss the wonderful children I taught. For the last couple of days before schools closed for the majority of children, we read lots, we coloured and we chatted and the children made cards for each other for when times might get difficult – a reminder that we may be apart, but we are still a team, thinking about each other. Goodness, reading these made me cry. I really, really hope that I get to teach my class all back together again this school year. I do go into school once a week to supervise the children of key workers, but there haven’t been many. It has been lovely to see a couple in my class though!

I’ve also just had news that my Dad has been taken into hospital in Ireland, with a very high temperature. He has dementia and is lost without my Mum (even though he doesn’t know her most of the time) who is not allowed to visit him. This really breaks my heart, and I just feel so helpless.

My reading has been very up and down this month. Some times, I’ve been able to take myself into a book and, at others, I just couldn’t focus on anything other than endlessly following the news, worrying and refreshing Twitter! I know that reading books is good for my mental health, and I do feel grateful that I’ve got this wonderful hobby/lifeline to keep me occupied – if only I can let it occupy me more often! This is something I am definitely working on!

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read nine books this month, which is less than I normally would. I’ve reviewed five of them and hope to also write a review for TrooFriend shortly. The books I’ve reviewed are:

1. Toto The Ninja Cat and the Superstar Catastrophe.
2. Viper’s Daughter.
3. The House of Hidden Wonders.
4. Starfell: Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale.
5. Crater Lake.

I was sent Girl 38 by Ewa Jozeekowicz to review, and loved her writing style so much that I immediately read The Mystery of the Colour Thief which I enjoyed even more! Her books certainly seem to deal with difficult friendships and making new friends. This one also dealt with a heavy guilt which was expressed in the most ingenious way. I’d been wanting to read The Magic Place for ages and, when I saw the e-book, was available through my library, I jumped at the chance to read it. I read it early one morning in one sitting and, oh my goodness, it was a wonderful, if sometimes emotionally difficult read. The ‘Aunt’ and ‘Uncle’ villains are terribly cruel, yet Clementine never gives up hope of reaching her magic place. I’ve heard so many people talk about The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane so decided to give it a read as I had bought it a while back to read to see if I could use it as a class text with Year 4. This story was not what I was expecting, but it was an incredible read! Edward, a china rabbit, who is vain and self-centred, is loved dearly by his young owner, Abilene, but he does not return that love. One day, Edward finds himself separated from his young owner, and so begins his journey of self-discovery, and the opening of his heart to love as he is passed from owner to owner and learns to love. Edward also suffers a great deal of humiliation, pain and neglect, but he rises above this to find love and connection.  He endures a great deal, but engenders love in others, and learns to return that love. This story is heart-achingly tender and beautiful and absolutely tore at my heartstrings … and the ending is just perfect!

Books I’ve bought:

This month, I’ve bought 12 books: 10 physical copies and 2 e-books. I’ve only read one of them, Starfell, though! I really need to get better at reading the books I have before I keep buying more – probably not going to happen though! I’ve actually bought a couple of books which aren’t middle-grade this month: Havenfall and Hold Back the Tide! I’m still waiting for Storm and Orla and the Serpent’s Curse to arrive – but they have now been dispatched.

NetGalley Approvals:

There have been so many good books on NetGalley recently. I was approved for these four in March. I should have three of them read by the end of the week!

What books have you read this month? Have you read any of these?