This is the link to my original post for the Believe in the Impossible Readathon (Believathon). I can’t believe I actually finished this one – and slightly ahead of time. The only other Readathon I’ve taken part in was the #20BooksofSummer which I didn’t manage to complete although I did manage 14 books. I enjoyed every second of this one as it was a celebration of middle-grade books which I adore reading. I decided to read books in series for each of the challenges. Altogether, I read 12 books and have managed to post reviews for eight of them.

I intend to write reviews for the other four books as I really enjoyed them all, and will post them as soon as I can. I do have quite a lot of reading commitments at the moment including for some Blog Tours coming early in December, and I really need to catch up with my NetGalley approvals as I have some fantastic books waiting to read.

The books I have posted reviews for are:

1. The Group book: Frostheart.
2. A book featuring a myth or legend: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
3. A book with a strong sense of friendship:  The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club by Alex Bell
4. An atmospheric or creepy book: Potkin & Stubbs by Sophie Green
5. A classic children’s story: The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston
6. Re-read childhood favourite: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis
7. A book with real life issues: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
8. A book set in the past: The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras.

The other prompts I completed, in the order I completed them are:

1. A book with an animal character: The Gift of Dark Hollow by Kieran Larwood. I also read The Beasts of Grimheart as I just had to continue Podkin’s story
2. A seasonal book: The Velvet Fox by Catherine Fisher
3. A book featuring magic: A Witch Alone by James Nichol

Altogether, I read 3308 pages, an achievement I’m rather proud of! I really hope this is an annual Readathon as it is such a lovely way to celebrate middle-grade books and, whilst I’m already a fan, it has been lovely to see others who may not have read middle-grade in a while taking part in this challenge and really enjoying reading them. It has also made me want to take part in more Readathons as it brings a wonderful sense of belonging to this wonderful reading community.

Have you taken part in Believathon? How did you do? Do you have any other Readathon suggestions I can take part in?

This is the companion novel to The Mad Wolf’s Daughter which I really enjoyed reading earlier this year, the events of which take place shortly following the dramatic events of the first book. This story is set in the lowlands of medieval Scotland, with its wonderfully evocative wild landscape of forests and coast, and features one of the strongest, most heroic protagonists I’ve ever come across in middle-grade. She really does deserve her status as a legend!

Drest has been reunited with her father and brothers, a local warlord (known as the Mad Wolf of the North) and his war band of sons, but trouble has a way of finding her and it does this time as the most dire sentence has been placed upon her – a wolf’s head – normally reserved for the worst of criminals, but placed on a young girl who is feared by the local Lord of Faintree Castle who is intent not only on seeking her death, but also that of her family and his nephew, Emerick, the rightful ruler of Faintree. Luckily for Emerick, he has the protection and loyal friendship of Drest!

As there is a bounty on her head, Drest is in constant danger; however, this does not stop her single-minded determination to protect her friends, Lord Emerick and Tig, and to restore Emerick to his rightful place as Lord of Faintree Castle. So begins an incredibly action-packed and exciting mission as the hunted becomes the hunter, as Drest uses her quick wit and agility to escape her enemies … but will one young girl be able to defeat a cruel Lord, intent on using all the considerable resources in his power to defeat her? Goodness, this story fair fizzes with action, tension and edge-of-your-seat moments that truly made it unputdownable!

Drest really is the MOST incredible young girl. She is fiercely independent, determined to follow her own chosen path, incredibly courageous and a wonderfully loyal friend. She has been brought up by a fierce warlord father who, whilst he loves her, expects her obedience, but Drest has a mind of her own, and makes her own decisions. She chooses her own path and follows it with a single-minded determination that is truly admirable. It is no wonder that her friends are devoted to her and that her brothers dote on her. She might be referred to as a wee lass, but she has a warrior’s heart, and uses it to forge her own destiny.

The author, Diane Magras, grew up in Maine, but has a love of all things medieval and Scottish! I loved the Author’s Note which gave an historical context for the story which I found fascinating.

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!

Alva strained to make out anything in the pitch-black hut. The moon shone like a beacon outside. But here in the turf-covered hut only silvery streaks shimmered on the outlines of numerous eerie charms hanging from the low ceiling. A figure cackled and creaked in the far corner, but Alva wasn’t scared. She had come here with a purpose.

Any ideas?

I read the first book, Riddle of the Runes earlier this year and loved it. It’s taken me a while to find this one, but I was in Foyles in London last Saturday and managed to spot it!

Blurb from Book:

Alva clings to her sleeping wolf as the Viking longship pitches and rolls over the North Sea’s crashing waves. Soon she will reveal herself as a secret stowaway, but only when there’s no chance of turning back. This is her opportunity to put her shield maiden spirit to the test – exploring strange new lands, solving mysteries, and most importantly finding her father …

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in this Blog Tour and for providing me with a copy for review. My review is my own honest opinion of the book.

What if dreams are more real than waking life? Life is already complicated enough for Awa Bryant when she starts having weird dreams – waking dreams – and strange coincidences start appearing in her real life. She meets dreamcharmer, Veila, a quirky glowing creature who helps to guide Awa through the mysterious Dreamrealm. At first the Dreamrealm is a glorious escape from Awa’s daily struggles but something is not right… Soon Awa discovers she has a bigger quest, and everything she cares about is at stake. Will she be brave enough to face her fears and save her friends?

My Review:

The map at the start of Awa and the Dreamrealm gave me an insight into this beautiful story of self-awareness and hope before I even turned the first page as it has been created as a landscape within a brain!   I found this story a fascinating exploration into the power of dreams to heal the psyche in the real world, told in a refreshing and sympathetic manner through the eyes of a young teenager, Awa.

Awa is dealing with some big changes in her life from the divorce of her parents to the move to a much smaller apartment in the city of Wellington to separation from her old school friends.  She has struggled with anxiety in the past … will this follow her into her new life?

Following a disastrous start at her new school, where she is targeted by a racist bully, Awa begins to have lucid dreams.  Awa’s dreams have the ability to morph into nightmares which terrify her … and encroach into her real world. 

When she dreams, she enters the Dreamrealm where she meets a small, glowing creature, Veila who is a Dreamcharmer, and her guide.   This realm is a wondrous place, both terrifying and gorgeous.  Once fully immersed in it, Awa feels calm, peaceful and content, letting go of her worries.  Is this realm better than her reality?

Awa is soon desperate to spend more time in the Dreamrealm where Veila wants to train her to help with dreamwork.  She introduces her to Honu, a giant turtle, who is the Guardian of the Lake of Reflection.  Honu tells Awa that she is a Dreamweaver, a revelation that leads her on a dangerous quest to help herself, and protect her friends in the Dreamrealm from some terrifying people.

This story deals sensitively with some big issues such as bullying, racism and anxiety.  It also explores the awkwardness of fledgling relationships and the uncertainty that can arise from them as Awa develops friendships with two teenagers in her class, Ella and Evan.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully captivating story, set in a beautifully realised landscape.  A story about becoming self-aware and having the courage to take control of your worries. 

About the Author

Isa Pearl Ritchie is a New Zealand writer. As a child, she loved creating imaginary worlds. She has completed a PhD on food sovereignty in Aotearoa. Her second novel, Fishing for Māui, was selected as one of the top books of 2018 in the New Zealand Listener and was a finalist in the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction Book 2019. Awa and the Dreamrealm is her first book for young people.

www.isaritchie.com

www.facebook.com/isaritchie/

https://twitter.com/isapearlritchie

https://www.instagram.com/isapearlritchie/

Check out the rest of the Tour with these bloggers!

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 currently reading Starchild Book Two: The City of Souls for an upcoming Blog Tour. I read the first one earlier in the week, and really enjoyed it, so much so that I have now bought the third book in the series.

I’ve finished reading my last two books for #Believathon this week: A Witch Alone which I absolutely adored (and now need to read the final book in the trilogy) and The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter which has another brilliant heroine. I also read the first book in the Starchild series: The Age of Akra which I have really enjoyed.

I’m going to start Wild Sky at the weekend as I was sent a copy by the author, Lexi Rees, for an upcoming Blog Tour. I read the first in the series, Eternal Seas to my class last summer and we all loved it, so I’m really looking forward to reading this one. Not sure if I’ll get any other books read this week as I need to catch up on reviews over the weekend.

This is the incredibly uplifting story of a young teenager who has had a very difficult, heart-breaking start in life, yet through his strength and resilience and the support of some important role models in his life, turns a corner which sees him giving himself the opportunity to realise his potential.

Castle Cranshaw (Ghost) learned to run the day something terrible happened at home so, when he sees another boy on the running track, he is confident he can do better than him, even though he has no training and has never even heard of Usain Bolt!  Ghost is soon joining the Defenders track team, coached by Coach Brody who has spotted something in Ghost that he hopes to harness, but it will not be an easy task for him as Ghost has a lot of issues to deal with which makes it difficult for him to trust and to believe in himself.

You can’t run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be.

Ghost is used to people treating him differently as he doesn’t fit in, he gets into trouble in school and makes some poor choices, yet he is an incredibly likeable character, and one who I was rooting for throughout the story.  Running becomes an outlet which gives Ghost the impetus he needs to begin to take control of his life.  I loved both the male role models in Ghost’s life, Coach Brody and Mr Charles, who gave him the support and encouragement – and the hard messages – he needed.

The strong friendships he develops with the other three newbies on the team – Sunny, Lu and Patina – are wonderful as he feels that he is accepted and belongs within a team. I loved the sense of belonging that Ghost feels as he learns to trust his friends and accept responsibility for his choices, even though this is incredibly difficult for him.

Overall, this is a beautifully heart-warming story told with real heart with an incredibly sympathetic protagonist who battles to overcome the odds stacked against him. I was certainly cheering him on in the final race …

Lil Potkin is a wannabe reporter, living in Peligan City, a city seething with corruption.  She is not easily scared and hunts the streets, looking for a major scoop, but with little success, until she has a rather unsettling encounter with a young boy who has brought her a missing persons case:  his!  Every time she is around Nedly, she feels a chill in the air.  She soon discovers the reason:  Nedly is a ghost, having been murdered a year previously – and Lil is determined to bring the perpetrator to justice. 

But I don’t want to be dead!

Lil’s investigation leads her to the local library Reading Room where she and Nedly pore over old newspapers until he finds his own missing person report.  This also leads her to former detective, Abe Mandrel, who was hired to investigate the disappearance.  Abe is a man who has been let down by life, who has given up, but he has not had the single-minded determination of Lil to contend with before.  She wants to become Abe’s partner, and will not take no for an answer, and is not averse to a little well-intentioned subterfuge to help in her sleuthing.

This story has skilfully captured film noir vibes with its rain-soaked streets, dark undertones and neon streetlights, not to mention the shady characters and downtrodden former detective.  This really adds to the darkly atmospheric feeling which permeates the story, and creates an incredible amount of tension as Lil, Nedly and Abe find themselves in more and more dangerous situations as they get closer and closer to finding Nedly’s killer, a killer who often seems to be one step ahead of them …

Lil is an amazing young girl.  She is brave, resilient and tenacious in her drive to see justice done, no matter the cost.  She is instrumental in forcing Abe to live up to his responsibilities, and in fighting against the corruption in Peligan City. The friendship between Lil and Nedly is beautifully portrayed as Lil quickly accepts Nedly into her life and helps him come to terms with what has happened to him whilst also showing her anger at the injustice of his death, and her determination to find the perpetrator.

This is a wonderfully tense and atmospheric story which was full of twists and turns, keeping me engrossed from start to finish. 

The November theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by Steph at A Little But a Lot, is Winter Books and today’s wish is for: Books you’d throw in the fire. No!!!! I couldn’t think of any books I’d throw in the fire (no surprise there!), so I’ve decided to choose books with my favourite fire-breathing characters – dragons – even if they don’t all actually breathe fire!

I’ve chosen four picture books (but counted them as one choice!). Sorry – couldn’t help it. They’re just all so gorgeous! I used to do a unit of work on ‘Dragons’ with Year 4, and the first three were some of the books I used: they are brilliant for stimulating creative writing and poetry. I’ve recently bought The Snow Dragon which I am looking forward to reading in December.

I read The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart earlier this year, and adored it. Perfect to cosy up to with a KitKat and hot chocolate – my favourite combination! My review for this story is here.

I don’t think Spark is very well known in the UK. It was one of the first books I was approved to read on NetGalley. I really enjoyed the telepathic bond between Mina and her Lightning dragon, Pixit. My review is here.

This is definitely one of my favourite reads this year. I read it over the summer, and it was the first story I shared as a class read with my class who absolutely loved it too, so much so that over half of them bought a copy. My review is here.

This is a wonderful story of a girl who does not enjoy reading, or libraries, but all that changes when she makes an incredible discovery in her local library. My review is here.

I couldn’t just choose one as my final book as there are two books featuring dragons on my TBR which I am really looking forward to reading, and I can’t choose between them, so I’m choosing both!

Have you read any of these books? What other stories with dragons would you recommend?

Greta and the Giants is inspired by the young climate change activist, Greta Thunberg:  there is further information about Greta’s campaign to have the damage caused by climate change taken seriously at the end of the book, as well as ways to help her. 

This allegorical story is aimed at 4-7-year olds:  the simple, descriptive language and bright, colourful pictures will really capture the imagination of this age group. The story is told just as much through the pictures as through the text.

Greta lives in the heart of a beautiful forest where she is friends with the animals who also live there. However, Giants (humans) are destroying their home, so the animals beg Greta for help.  The Giants are portrayed as the destructors of the forest, taking more and more trees in their greed and desire to build more and more.  There is a stark contrast between the bright and colourful images of the forest and the darkness and ugliness of the city. 

Greta is unafraid of the Giants and is determined to help her friends by taking a stance, even though she is only a child herself.  At first Greta is ignored, but as more and more people and animals join her, they discover that, by working together, they can make a difference.

This is a story tinged with sadness, but with a strong sense of hope that is uplifting.  The message of the empowerment to be gained from working together to force others to listen to an important message regarding the environment is a powerful one. 

I really liked the happy ending and was pleased that it was a happy ending for everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a beautifully illustrated new translation of The Little Mermaid from the original by Hans Christian Anderson.  The descriptive language is beautiful and evocative, and the black and white illustrations are stunning with the mermaids picked out in black ink whilst the surroundings are mostly detailed outline drawings.

Deep in the sea stands the idyllic castle of the Sea King where he lives with his six daughters and their Grandmother.  His youngest daughter’s favourite possession is a marble statue of a handsome boy; she yearns to join the human world, yet she is not allowed up to the surface until she is 15.

When her fifteenth birthday finally arrives, she sees a young Prince celebrating his birthday.  A sudden storm leads to her rescuing the Prince as his ship is destroyed but, of course, he doesn’t know who his saviour is, which causes heartbreak later.

The young mermaid is so determined to be with the Prince and gain an immortal soul that she seeks the help of the terrifying Sea Witch who takes her voice and gives her a potion that will make her human.  If she cannot make the Prince fall in love with her, she will be doomed to death …

The youngest mermaid is a sympathetically drawn character who yearns for both human love and an immortal soul.  When given the opportunity to save herself, she is not prepared to sacrifice her love which leads to a re-awakening after facing terrible hardship and disappointment.  This was not an ending I was expecting, but it felt satisfying.

This is certainly not the Disney version of the story, but it is a rich re-telling which I really enjoyed. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Children’s Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.