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!

Once upon a time in a beautiful, dirty, exciting city full of people and chocolate and possibilities, there was a girl so fearless and so daring that … No, wait. I’ve always been good at telling stories. But this time, I want to tell the truth.

Any ideas?

I loved reading The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart earlier this year. Silke was one of my favourite characters in it, so I’m really looking forward to reading her story.

Goodreads synopsis:

Once upon a time, in a beautiful city famous for chocolate and protected by dragons, there was a girl so fearless that she dared to try to tell the greatest story of all: the truth.

Silke has always been good at spinning the truth and storytelling. So good that just years after arriving as a penniless orphan, she has found her way up to working for the most splendid chocolate makers in the city (oh, and becoming best friends with a dragon). Now her gift for weaving words has caught the eye of the royal family, who want to use her as a spy when the mysterious and dangerous fairy royal family announce they will visit the city. But Silke has her own dark, secret reasons for not trusting fairies …

Can Silke find out the truth about the fairies while keeping her own secrets hidden?

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’ve just started A Witch Alone by James Nicol. I read The Apprentice Witch earlier this year, and absolutely loved it, so I’m really looking forward to visiting Ariawyn again. This is my ‘A Book featuring Magic’ prompt for Believathon.

I read The Gift of Dark Hollow as my ‘Book with an animal character’ prompt for Believathon. I was completely engrossed by it, and immediately read The Beasts of Grimheart as I really wanted to continue the story. I then read a short picture book, Angel on the Roof by Shirley Hughes which was beautifully magical with gorgeous evocative images. I finished off my reading this week with The Velvet Fox which was my ‘Seasonal Book’ prompt for Believathon.

I am hoping to read my final book for Believathon this week, The Hunt for The Mad Wolf’s Daughter. It is my ‘Book set in the past’ prompt. I really enjoyed the first book in this series earlier this year.

I adored this incredible adventure which completely drew me in with its rich and wonderful world-building and gorgeous descriptive language, not to mention the depth of the character-building which made getting to know the protagonists a heart-warming experience.  The children really captured my heart.

Stella Snowflake Pearl is the adoptive daughter of the explorer fairyologist Felix.  She was found on the Icelands as a toddler, and wants nothing more than to be an explorer and, in particular, a navigator.  There’s only one problem:  girls are not allowed into the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club.  Luckily for Stella, her father is enlightened and decides to fight against the restriction of the Club in order to take Stella on her first expedition shortly after her twelfth birthday rather than have her sent to finishing school by his sister.  Her father is full of sage advice:

It doesn’t do to be too afraid of life and taking chances.

Stella looks unlike any of the other children as she has very white skin and hair.  Yet again, her father offers her excellent advice:

It is no great achievement to be the same as everybody else, Stella.  Being different is a perfectly fine thing to be, I promise you.

Stella joins the Expedition to the Icelands where she soon finds herself separated from the adults when the Ice Bridge which they are crossing collapses, leaving the adults behind.  Her only companions are the three other children on the Expedition. Shay is a wolf whisperer with his own protector, a shadow wolf; Ethan is a magician from the Ocean Squad Explorers’ Club who finds making friends difficult; and Beanie is a neuro-diverse trainee medic with a penchant for jellybeans.

The children go on the most incredible adventure across the Icelands, full of danger and excitement and meet some brilliantly imaginative creatures including frosties and a carnivorous cabbage.  Secrets are revealed and friendships blossom as the children battle to return to the rendezvous point, but will they make it in time, or find themselves trapped in the Icelands?

Whilst this story is full of fast-paced action and dangerous situations which kept me irresistibly turning the next page, I also loved how beautifully and realistically it portrays the relationships between the children, who all have past heartache, as they get to know each other, reveal their secrets and fears and come to trust and rely upon each other to survive.

I loved this story so much that I immediately bought the next two in the series, Explorers on Witch Mountain and Explorers on Black Ice Bridge.  I am really looking forward to continuing the adventures of these wonderful explorers!

The November theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot, is Winter Books and today’s wish is for: I wanna snuggle with. I have quite a lot of winter-themed books on my TBR that I’ve been saving for December, and they are all definitely books I want to snuggle with as the weather gets colder.

I got Nevertell for my birthday, and can’t wait to start it. I run an Authorfy writing club in school, and this is one of the books the children have been using as inspiration for their own writing. I read them the first chapter – they were completely entranced, as was I. It is set in a Russian wilderness where two children escape from a prison camp, chased by a sorceress and a pack of shadow wolves … sounds just perfect!

I also got The Tzar’s Curious Runaways for my birthday. This is another story set in Russia. Katinka and her friends are part of Peter the Great’s Circus of Curiosities. But, when he dies, they must escape the Winter Palace and run for their lives … this sounds like an amazing and magical adventure.

I’ve had Shadows of Winterspell since its publication, and am so looking forward to reading it as I’ve loved Amy’s other books: A Girl Called Owl and Snowglobe. The cover tells me this will be a magical winter read … can’t wait to snuggle up with it.

North Child was another birthday treat! Part of the blurb just makes me know I will love this: A beautiful, epic story of destiny, magic and love, North Child will take you on an unforgettable adventure. I am so looking forward to going on Rose’s dangerous journey to reveal her destiny …

I read The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club as my friendship prompt for Believathon. I loved it so much that I just had to get the next two books. I can’t wait to continue Stella’s adventures with her friends.

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!

Katinka Dashkova wanted to live, so she held her breath. She had no choice. If she was to survive, she must be quiet as stone, as still as the statues decorating the great rooms of the Winter Palace. One ripple of the curtain behind which she crouched and he would find her.

Any ideas?

I have a few books on my TBR set in Russia, and this one’s opening really captured me. I’m definitely reading a lot of books set in Russia and Russian fairytales in December!

Goodreads Synopsis:

A magical, captivating tale of adventure set in imperial Russia. St Petersburg, Russia 1725. Katinka Dashkova is running for her life because everything she knows is changing. Katinka, a dazzling ballerina with a hunched back, and her friends Alexei the Giant and Nikolai the dwarf are different. That’s why they are part of Peter the Great’s Circus of Curiosities. But the Tzar is dead and they must flee the Winter Palace. Guided by a special map, they set out across Russia running for their lives. An enthralling and delicious blend of history and fiction.

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’ve just started The Gift of Dark Hollow which is my 8th book for Believathon. It is my ‘Book with an animal character’ prompt. I read the first book in this series, The Legend of Podkin One-Ear earlier this year and loved it, so I’m looking forward to going back to this series.

This week I’ve finished reading four more books for Believathon. The Book of Three was my Myths and Legends prompt; The Children of Green Knowe was my Classic Children’s Story prompt; and, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was my Re-read a Childhood Favourite prompt. I also read The Little Mermaid, a new translation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale (approved via NetGalley) and Ghost which was my Stories with issues prompt for Believathon. I’ve reviewed the first four, and will post my review for Ghost this weekend.

I hope to read The Velvet Fox as my Seasonal prompt for Believathon and Angel on the Roof which I got from my local library.

I have two favourite books that I still remember vividly from childhood: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Secret Garden. I chose the former for this prompt, although, if I get time, I am going to try to re-read The Secret Garden as well.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is special to me because I have a vivid recollection of my Dad reading it me and my brothers and sisters on Christmas Eve. My Dad now has dementia and no longer recognises any of his family, so I guess I treasure this memory even more. It is the book I have re-read most often, both as a child and an adult.

I have really enjoyed reading this both for myself and to my classes. It always gives me great pleasure to see children fall in love with this magical story. I even had a boy last year who got his Mum to buy the whole series so he could read it over Christmas.

The story begins with four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who are evacuated from London to a large house in the countryside during the Second World War. On a wet day, the children are stuck inside and decide to explore the house. They soon find a room containing a large wardrobe. The youngest, Lucy, decides to explore the wardrobe, and finds herself wandering through fur coats and feeling fir trees instead. She enters the magical world of Narnia, a land trapped in an endless winter, but with no Christmas, by an evil White Witch who professes herself to be the Queen of Narnia. Once there, Lucy meets Mr Tumnus, a faun who, despite the danger to himself, hides her presence from the Witch.

Of course, none of the other children believe that Lucy has been to Narnia and Edmund is particularly mean and nasty to her, until he too finds himself there but, instead of meeting Mr Tumnus, he meets the White Witch who promises him more Turkish Delight and to make him King in return for bringing her his brothers and sisters.

When the four children find themselves in Narnia, they discover that Mr Tumnus has been taken by the White Witch. They are found by Mr and Mrs Beaver who take them to their home and tell them something of the history of Narnia. They also tell them that the mighty lion, Aslan is in Narnia and they are to meet him.

Edmund betrays the other children and goes to join forces with the White Witch whilst the rest of the children travel with the Beavers to meet Aslan. Even though the Queen’s reign seems to be coming to an end with the arrival of Spring, this makes her even more dangerous as she fights to retain her power and control over Narnia. Will the children have the courage to stand together and defeat the evil Queen?

I can’t not mention the wonderful collection of creatures in this story from the kind-hearted faun Mr Tumnus to the motherly Mrs Beaver to the polite giant Mr Rumblebuffin who all help this such a gorgeous story.

This is a magical story of good versus evil, of sacrifice and redemption and of taking responsibility for choices made and the growth that ensues. This story still makes me cry and smile, and feel content with the world. It is the perfect cosy read to curl up to and always reminds me why I love children’s stories.

I read this for the Classic Children’s Story prompt. I had never read the whole story before, but I had read an extract with my class for a comprehension lesson and it intrigued me, so I decided to read it for this prompt.

Seven year-old Toseland is going to live with his maternal Great Grandmother Oldknow who lives in a castle in Green Noah, formerly known as Green Knowe. His mother has died and his father and stepmother are in Burma, leaving him rather unhappily in a boarding school until he is taken in by Mrs Oldknow.

I love the fact that Toseland immediately feels comfortable with his Great Grandmother and at home in Green Noah from the start, even though he has never met her before. It is not long before he begins to hear whispering and laughter, yet he can see no-one. Then, items start to move of their own accord. This does not frighten him in the least, perhaps because he has had a rather lonely existence in his boarding school, and is desperate to have friends, even if they are not living! It also helps that his Great Grandmother is aware of the existence of the castle’s ghostly family members, and tells him wonderful stories of these children who had occupied the castle over 300 years previously: Toby, Alexander and Linnet.

At first the children tease Toseland (Tolly), and keep themselves hidden but eventually he is able to see them and communicate with them. I adored that Tolly is able to develop friendships with his long deceased relatives without any of the fear and apprehension often associated with ghost stories. They give him the companionship he so desperately craves as there is a real sense that Tolly was a rather sad, lonely boy before coming to Green Noah.

The natural world plays such an important role in the story. The depiction of both the flooded and snowbound landscapes is beautifully evocative. Woodland birds and animals play a pivotal role in the story as they link Tolly and his Great Grandmother with the castle’s past inhabitants. The children and Mrs Oldknow are clearly animal lovers, and many real and ghostly creatures are welcome in Tolly’s room.

As Christmas arrives, the sense of family and celebration deepens as it is clear that Tolly and his Great Grandmother delight in each other’s company, giving them both a real sense of contentment as they work together to find the perfect present for their relatives who, although no longer living, are not ready to pass from Green Knowe.

The story of how Green Noah got its name through a curse is beautifully woven into the story and gives a sense of danger as Tolly finds himself caught up in this curse, a curse that is waiting to be broken …

This is such a wonderfully gentle and heart-warming story of the beautiful relationship between a Great Grandmother and her Great Grandson cemented in their bond and love for their long deceased young relatives.

I read this for the Myths and Legends prompt. The Book of Three is the first story in The Chronicles of Prydain.  It is a fantasy quest inspired by Wales and its legends.  A few of the characters are drawn from legend:  both Gwydion and Arawn, the Lord of Annuvin come from a classic collection of Welsh legends called the Mabinogion. 

As with many quest adventures, it has an amazing map which is brilliant for helping follow Taran’s journey through the Land of Prydain.

I really enjoyed The Book of Three which, in the story, is a book of knowledge kept in Caer Dallben where Taran lives. It reminds me of The Lord of the Rings but more appropriate for a younger audience. Since I devoured The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I knew I was going to love this, and I did! It’s a good old-fashioned quest, full of heroics, great deeds, peril, companionship, fantasy creatures and self-discovery.

Taran is a newly appointed Assistant Pig-Keeper, living in Caer Dallben in Prydain, who has been given the responsibility of looking after the oracular pig, Hen Wen.  After a period of peace, a new war lord, The Horned King, has arisen. He takes his orders from Arawn, the Lord of Annuvin who is determined to bring darkness to the world.  The animals in Caer Dallben are disturbed and Hen Wen escapes, leaving Taran with no choice other than to search for her …

So begins an amazing, action-packed quest to find Hen Wen before she is captured by The Horned King who is quite terrifying.  Of course, no quest would be complete without peril, close encounters with the enemy, and meeting companions leading to the formation of strong friendships. 

The first companion Taran meets is Gwydion, a war leader and hero from Caer Dathyl who rescues him from his first encounter with The Horned King.  He is also tasked with finding Hen Wen who holds the secret to The Horned King’s defeat.  They soon meet Gurgi, a creature who is desperate to belong and adores ‘munchings and crunchings’.  He is a wonderful character who grows so much throughout the story from a rather pathetic, ingratiating nuisance to a brave warrior, ready to sacrifice himself for those who have shown him friendship.

Taran and Gwydion are attacked and captured by the Cauldron-Born, a terrifying group of undead warriors, and taken to The Spiral Castle which is ruled by Achren, an evil sorceress. This is where Taran meets his next two companions, Eilonwy, who is a feisty, fierce and quick-witted young girl who does not suffer fools lightly. She helps Taran escape and also attempts to rescue Gwydion only to discover that it is not, in fact, him she has rescued, but a Bard called Fflewddur whose harp strings break every time he tells exaggerates/lies – which is often! But always with good intentions!

Assuming that Gwydion has been killed, Taran decides to give up on the quest to find Hen Wen and instead travel to Gwydion’s home, Caer Dathyl to warn them of the threat from Annuvin and the Horned King. As they travel, they are in constant fear of the Cauldron-Born and the Horned King, and desperately try to outrun them until they have no choice but to make a final stand …

This may be a short book (230 pages), but it is brimming with action, adventure and well-drawn, likeable characters, so masterfully orchestrated that I was completely drawn into the story-telling.

I loved the quote by the author, Lloyd Alexander, at the back of the book:

I never became a world traveller, an explorer, an adventurer. But I did become a writer, which is pretty much the same thing.

The November theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot, is Winter Books and today’s wish is for:  Books with Blue Covers.  Looking at my bookshelves, I have a LOT of books with blue covers! I’ve decided to go for books on my TBR which have blue covers, but are not typical ‘winter books’, and share the blurb.

I loved Onjali’s first book, The Boy at the Back of the Class, and I am currently reading it to my class. I bought The Star Outside my Window on publication day, and know it will be another tearjerker as it deals with a very difficult subject.

Blurb: I’ve always wanted to be a Star Hunter. Grown-ups call them astronomers, but I think Star Hunters sounds much better. I was going to become one when I finished school, but I can’t wait that long any more. You see, I have to find my mum. Everyone says she’s gone, but I know she’s turned into a star. She’s breaking all the rules of the universe to find me again. And I’m going to break all the rules I know to help her do it.

Perijee and Me appealed to me as it is science-fiction, and I don’t tend to find many middle-grade books in this genre.

Blurb: I pointed up. ‘That star is called Sirius. See?’ Perijee glowed, like a candle in a jar. He grew more fingers, tens of them, wrapping them round my hands and wriggling. ‘Home,’ he said. When Caitlin finds a tiny alien on the beach, she teaches him everything she knows. He’s like the brother she’s always wanted. There’s only one problem: Perijee won’t stop growing. A stunning story about friendship, a heart-stopping adventure, and the power of kindness when faced with an alien invasion.

I picked this one up a while back as I love the sound of this fantasy adventure with. It is part of a trilogy.

Blurb: In the sky, the fire spirits dance and ripple. Grandma says they showed our Tribe that I’d be a captain before I was even born. Ever since Ma died, Mouse has looked after her little brother, Sparrow, dreaming of her destiny as captain of The Huntress. But now Da’s missing. Sparrow is in danger, and a deathly cold is creeping across the world …

I picked this one up at the start of October when I went to Reading Rocks South.

Blurb: He wasn’t an alien. I was sure of that. It was more like he’d walked in through an ancient door from the past … except he was here, in my bedroom, and his misty forest home was somewhere real on our planet Earth. What would you do if you discovered a strange being on a supermarket roundabout? Run? Hide? Or maybe you’d do what Kofi does in this story. Maybe you’d take him home …

I have a lot of Emma Carroll books on my TBR. She writes historical fiction. I’ve read Frost Hollow Hall and The Snow Sister. I first heard of this when I was trying to find books related to extreme weather via a Facebook Group and Emma told me about this one.

Blurb: Somerset, 1616. A sinking boat … A girl in disguise … A disappearing sea … When Fortune Sharpe carves a boat from a tree with her beloved brother, Jem, she’s only having a bit of fun. But now is not the time for a girl to be drawing attention to herself and she is sent away to find work dressed as a boy. Luckily a rich manor house is hiring. Yet Barrow Hall’s inhabitants harbour dangerous secrets of their own, the suspicious owner is hunting for witches, and the house itself is a little too close to the sea …

Michael Morpurgo was the first Children’s Laureate, and I’ve always enjoyed his stories which often make me cry. Two of my absolute favourites are Listen to the Moon and Private Peaceful. His latest story is a re-telling of Gulliver linked to a refugee’s journey.

Blurb: A little hope makes a big difference. War has forced Omar and his mother to leave their home in Afghanistan and venture across the sea to Europe. When their boat sinks, and Omar finds himself alone, with no hope of rescue, it seems as if his story has come to an end. But it is only just the beginning …