It’s time for my May anticipated books – another fantastic month for children’s book releases. I have been lucky enough to get a pre-read of a few of these and am really looking forward to adding them to my class library.

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

Release Date: 5th May

The exciting conclusion to the Brightstorm twins’ adventure-packed story!  Arthur, Maudie, and the rest of the Aurora crew are going on a mission to the Volcanic North, where years before their parents discovered the moth that is their family symbol. But their scheming, ambitious aunt, Eudora Vane, is still dedicated to destroying the Brightstorm family name, and the further north the Aurora travels, the more long-buried secrets are revealed…

Is Oakmoss Hornbeam the unluckiest boy in the world? Or has someone cursed him? When a black cat crosses his path, mysteriously blown in by a storm, Oakmoss believes it’s his worst omen yet. But Nightshade, a cat of considerable talents, knows when it’s game on or game over. With the help of newshound Veena Vale and magical crime investigator Dexter Stormforce, she sets out to become a lucky charm for one very unlucky boy.

A fantastical, botanical adventure about friendship, bravery – and finding home in a new place. Fern has spent her whole life in the rainforest, and loves nothing more than climbing, exploring and talking to the trees. When she suddenly has to leave all that behind and move to London, with only an eccentric uncle for company, Fern feels entirely uprooted. But when she meets a little plant that can understand her every word, it seems that things are looking up! That is until strange things start happening in the city: giant lily pads on the Thames, monkey vines on the London Eye, and now her new friend is starting to wilt… Can they solve this growing mystery together – before it’s too late?

Set in a world where plants talk, friendship is hard-won and adventure is around the bend of every river… Orla has lived on her own since Ma died, with only her beloved garden for company. When sickness comes and nature is blamed, Orla knows she must find a cure. Armed with her mother’s book of plants and remedies, she steals away on a river boat with two other stowaways, Idris and Ariana. Soon the trio must navigate the rapids of the Inkwater to a poisonous place from which they may never return…

Years ago, the Emperor used dark magic to steal all the colour from the world. Now he keeps it for himself, enjoying its life-giving power while everyone else must exist in cold shades of grey. That is, until a miracle baby is born – everything she touches turns to colour. But the child’s life is in danger from her very first breath. Soon the Emperor’s murderous Ripper Dogs and Black Coats come hunting.  Can the girl and her adopted father survive in the forest – and what will it take to return colour and hope to the world?

It’s not every day that you find a famous weather woman bound by magic to a tree deep in the woods. Or discover that the weatherwoman is in fact Sunna, the Norse Goddess of the Sun, and one of the seven day guardians who keep time in order. But that’s just what happens to new friends Buzz and Mari–and it’s only the start of their adventure. Now, as humanity are forced into a lockdown called the Unmorrow Curse and are forced to repeat the same Saturday over and over again, Buzz and Mari must journey to collect the Runes of Valhalla and awaken the other day guardians, before vengeful god Loki can get to them first.

Arthur, Ren and Cecily are transported hundreds of years into the future once again, where a brand new in-reality adventure game, featuring famous legends from around the world, is the new gaming obsession. But the friends soon uncover a sinister plot by a mysterious raider called Deadlock, who wants to re-create dangerous time-way technology. With the fate of the universe in their hands, the friends must enter a dangerous iSports tournament, that will take them from the lost city of Atlantis to Viking battlefields and subterranean Incan tunnels. Can the friends stop the evil Deadlock and play their way home before time runs out?

It is 1940 and Britain is at war with Germany. Robert has been evacuated from London to his grandparents’ farm in Scotland. While exploring the rugged coastline, he finds a boy living in the caves. The boy is called David and he is a Kindertransport child. David had to leave his mother and grandmother behind in Berlin, and has now run away from his cruel foster family nearby. Meanwhile, at the Gestapo Headquarters in Berlin, it is discovered that an Enigma codebook has been hidden in David’s suitcase. A Nazi secret agent in the UK is instructed to find David, retrieve the codebook and kill the boy …

Release Date: 12th May

Zeina Starborn spends her days dreaming of adventure in the sky and escaping the smog-filled city of Ravenport. So, when she wins the chance to visit the famous Willoughby Whale Hotel – a ginormous structure built on the back of a flying whale – Zeina grabs it. Even clashing with Jackson, spoiled heir to the Willoughby fortune, can’t dampen her excitement. But a series of clues makes her question what she’s been told about this dazzling world of inventors, explorers and mighty sky whales. Zeina and Jackson must put aside their differences to uncover the secret plot around them as they embark on the journey of a lifetime.

On a small island off the Scottish coast, Isla and her family are grieving the loss of her older sister Flora, who died three years ago. Then they’re offered the chance to be part of a top-secret trial, which revives loved ones as fully lifelike AI robots using their digital footprint.  Isla has her doubts about Second Chances, but they evaporate the moment the ‘new’ Flora arrives. This girl is not some uncanny close likeness; she is Flora – a perfect replica. But not everyone on their island feels the same. And as the threats to Flora mount, she grows distant and more secretive. Will Isla be able to protect the new Flora and bring the community back together?

Marty doesn’t have much. Unlike his mum, who has billions of things: newspapers, holey shoes, rusty lawnmowers, broken picture frames – she keeps EVERYTHING! It’s hard to leave the house. Marty does his best to look after her and wonders if anything will ever change. But on Marty’s birthday, Grandad, with a glint in his eye, gifts Marty a very special seed. Grandad hasn’t been this excited since he invented the bum scratcher 2000 or thought he’d brewed wonder fuel from rhubarb leaves! The seed grows bigger and bigger, and launches Grandad, Marty and his best friend Gracie on an impossible, wondrous plan fuelled by love, hopes and dreams.

Uprooted by her single mum along with her troublesome older brother, eleven-year-old Prune Robinson is trying to settle in a new town. She figures she can’t burden her hard-working mother with the fact she’s being bullied. Or the fact that her drawings have started coming to life. But with her brother soon in danger, Prune comes to realise that she can’t hide her power forever; in fact, it might just be the one thing that brings her family back together and saves them all.

Josephine Williams is a future-focused, internet-loving eleven-year-old who is desperate to explore the world beyond her cul-de-sac – and her browser. When she learns about Josephine Holloway – a woman who started the first Girl Scout Troop for Black girls in America – she’s certain she must start her own. Enlisting her friends Margot Anderson and Wesley Evans, the trio begin their quest for their Camping Badge. Drawn to an abandoned factory nearby, they stumble across something strange. A square, ancient television and two tatty armchairs. Beside it, a wooden sideboard with an old photograph of a young, happy couple. What is this? Who, or what, lives here – and why?

Release Date: 19th May

In a digital world it’s hard to know what’s real. Imagine a world where your only friends are virtual, and big tech companies control access to food, healthcare and leisure. This is Jess’s world. But when she turns fourteen, Jess can go to school with other children for the first time. Most of them hate the ‘real’ world, but Jess begins to question whether the digital world is ‘perfect’ after all. Back home, her sister Chloe’s life-saving medication is getting ever more expensive. Determined to help, Jess risks everything by using skills forbidden in the cyber-world, only to stumble on something explosive. Something that will turn her whole world upside down. It’s up to Jess to figure out exactly what is real, and what is fake – Chloe’s survival depends on it.

Release Date: 26th May

After a rather strange encounter with a seagull on her first day of boarding school, Alice Tonks is left with a lot of questions. Why does the bird need her help? And WHY can she talk to seagulls?  Alice is used to being by herself but she can’t solve the mystery alone. With new friends behind her, can Alice harness her magic powers and become the hero she never imagined?

The year is 1726 and the Royal Sorcerer of England is on the hunt for those who are magicborn. When Tempest is captured after accidentally unleashing a power she didn’t know she had, she is taken to Kensington Palace alongside a boy like her, Peter.  Trapped, Tempest and Peter find their magic flickering to life – and with it, long-buried memories. For they are the lost prince and princess of Fairyland, bound by a deadly curse… and now the fairies are coming to get them. A battle is building – one only they can end. But who will survive?

It’s 1939 and war has broken out. Everything has changed at Highbury House school. The pupils have to help cook, clean and wash up, for a start! Then a boys’ school is evacuated to Highbury House, and the girls have to share the building. Justice and her friends are delighted that there are still mysteries to solve, however. Like: why can they hear voices coming from an empty room? And how can there be a face at the window two storeys up?  Then Justice faces her biggest challenge yet. Could there be a spy in their midst?

Do any of these catch your interest? Have you read any already?

The Rema Chronicles:  Realm of the Blue Mist is the first in an enthralling new graphic novel fantasy series and, oh my goodness, it is breathtakingly stunning and completely entranced me from start to finish.

Tabby Simon is a loner who spends her time lying under a tree that leaks a mysterious mist, a tree which has been labelled as a biohazard, and blamed for the death of her scientist father seven years before.  Tabby does not believe this and is determined to discover the truth behind her father’s death.

When visiting her sanctuary, the tree, she sees a stranger with blue hair but, when she tries to speak to him, he disappears.  Drawn again to the tree by a strange light, Tabby finds herself unexpectedly pulled through a portal into another world, Rema, where she meets the stranger again.  Philip tells her that she is no longer on earth, but promises to help her return home.

So begins a thrilling, action-packed and explosive adventure as Tabby finds herself learning more about this magical, breath-taking world, a world that is filled with both wonder and peril.  Will Tabby be able to find her way home, or does she have a greater destiny to fulfil? What secrets is Philip hiding, and could they lead to danger for them both? 

I really liked how the adventure is written in four distinct parts:  Haunted, Geist, The Priestess and The Ghost which gave me a fascinating insight into this richly imagined world, and introduced me to the creation of the world, its political and religious systems, and both external and internal divisions.  I really enjoyed that this world-building was interspersed with plenty of fast-paced action, incredible revelations and character development. 

Tabby is a wonderful character:  curious, determined and courageous.  She finds herself pulled from a world where she feels alone into one where she finds friendship and, dare I say it, a dash of romance!

The manga-inspired artwork, with full colour illustrations, is incredibly beautiful and detailed complementing the mood and emotion of the narrative perfectly. 

This is a superb start to what promises to be a captivating series, and is one I am eager to continue in Kingdom of Water, especially after that ending! Perfect for those in Upper Key Stage 2 and beyond.

Thank you to Kiran Khanom and Scholastic for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to Dave at The Write Reads for inviting me to be part of this blog tour, and to the publishers, Farshore, for sending me a copy of Dread Wood in return for my honest opinion.

Dread Wood is an absolutely gripping page-turner that kept me utterly engrossed throughout:  horror, humour and heart blended together perfectly.  I’m glad I read it inside in daylight as I’m not sure I would have coped if I’d been reading it outside for reasons that will become clear when you read it – and you really must read this edge-of-your-seat, action-packed deliciously spine-tingling delight!

Classmates, but not friends, Angelo, Hallie, Gus and Naira are forced to spend their Saturday morning in school as they have all been given detention.  Yes – on a Saturday!  What could be worse?  Well, their teacher also expects some team bonding and confiscates their phones! NOW, how could it get worse?  Well, there is the matter of the terrified scream, the strange substance and the missing teacher …

And then things take a turn for the seriously scary and weird as the group begin their search locked inside the school grounds with the groundskeeper and his wife who keep humming Incey Wincey Spider; as they witness their teacher being dragged underground; and, as they find themselves being hunted, but by who, or what?

Will the children be able to work together to outwit the horrors that lurk underground, ready to attack as soon as they touch the ground?  Will they uncover the real reason they have been brought together on detention?

Now this is how you do middle-grade horror!  Tense, thrilling, twisting and oh so very, very creepy.  It gave me Stranger Things vibes.  I loved the cliff hanger chapter endings; the sudden and unexpected occurrences that made me jump; the real sense of the danger and threat that faces the team; and, the slow realisation that they have been brought together for a reason.  I also loved the sharp humour shown by the children which feels so genuine and really helped to relieve the tension in more scary moments.  Definitely needed to keep my nails from being bitten off! 

Angelo, Hallie, Gus and Naira are brilliantly written protagonists, portrayed with a genuineness that I found really refreshing.   They all have different motivations, strengths and vulnerabilities, and are dealing with a range of difficult issues including parental pressures, poverty and disability.  As they find themselves facing terrifying danger, they learn the value of teamwork and, through that, open themselves to friendship.  I love how the four learn to trust each other enough to share their secrets, admit their mistakes, and to find real value and strength in their friendship.

Dread Wood is an absolute corker of an adventure, brimming with just the right amount of scariness, edge-of-your-seat tension and humour that is sure to keep older children engrossed, giggling and freaked out! 

About the Author

Jennifer Killick is the author of Crater Lake, the Alex Sparrow series, and middle-grade sci-fi adventure Mo, Lottie and the Junkers. She regularly visits schools and festivals, and her books have three times been selected for The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge. She lives in Uxbridge, in a house full of children, animals and Lego. When she isn’t busy mothering or step-mothering (which isn’t often) she loves to read, write and run, as fast as she can.

Twitter: @JenniferKillick

This is my new weekly meme celebrating amazing middle-grade books. I hope others will enjoy taking part in this too!

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:

The warden wore a long black cloak, studded with badges, and carried a sword.

This book in three words:

ADVENTURE, BEWITCHING, FRIENDSHIP

Hedgewitch is a gorgeously bewitching adventure that completely enthralled me:  an adventure brimming with witchy delights, Faerie tricks and nature-inspired magic.

Twelve-year-old Cassandra Morgan is not allowed outside the boundary of Fowell House, a boarding school where she is unpopular, bullied horribly and alone.  Cassie’s mother had left her there seven years previously, asking her to wait for her return.  When she is called to the Headmistress’s office, Cassie is informed that she is being sent to an orphanage the next morning as her mother is presumed dead.

Booklover Cassie has always found adventures from between the pages of her secret library of books, but is now determined to seek her own adventure by escaping from Fowell House and finding her missing mother.  However, could she be entering a world of danger as children from all over London, including a first former from Fowell House, have gone missing?

It is not long before trouble finds Cassie when she is chased by a gang of creatures carrying knives and nets.  Just as she is about to be kidnapped, she hears a voice telling her to get on the broom she has lifted to defend herself.  Imagine her surprise when she discovers that the voice comes from a cat who has been sent to find her, and that the broom is a witch’s broom which flies them both to safety.  Montague informs Cassie that he has been sent by her aunt, Miranda who has only just learned of her existence.  Oh – and her aunt just happens to be a witch.

Cassie soon finds herself in the village of Hedgely where her aunt is the current Hedgewitch, protecting humans from the faeries who live on the other side of the Hedge, the largest and oldest wood in Britain, situated at the edge of the village.  Whilst Cassie is welcomed by the friendly housekeeper, Mrs Briggs, her aunt Miranda is unfriendly and cold and sets out some rules she is expected to follow, including not entering the Hedge alone.  When she asks about her mother, it is clear that her aunt is not willing to help, so Cassie determines that she will search for her mother on her own.

So begins an incredibly exciting, action-packed adventure as Cassie is drawn inexorably towards the Hedge which holds both nature-filled magic and mesmerising danger.  She finds both friends and enemies in the local coven where she begins her witch-training.  In her search for her mother, will Cassie uncover the truth behind the missing children?  Will she find something that has been missing in her life:  a home, friends and family?  In searching for what she has lost, can she find herself?

Just wow!  This is an utterly captivating story that completely entranced me, reaching the tendrils of its magic from the pages and drawing me into a world that felt irresistibly real.  I adored that the magic was imbued with the beauty and wonder of nature; and, I loved that the Faerie creatures were tricksy and deliciously dark. The unexpected twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat; the danger and deceit gripped me; and, the revelations – oh my goodness:  the revelations!

Cassie is a wonderful young protagonist.  She is determined, curious and courageous.  She is prepared to break the rules for what she believes in, and take risks to help others.  Her kindness towards others is rewarded when she needs help.  I loved the friendships that she forms with her coven friends, Rue and Tabitha. And what can I say about Montague – tetchy, sarcastic – and brilliant! 

The chapter header and interior illustrations are absolutely stunning and really capture the symbiosis between nature and magic, complementing the story perfectly. 

Hedgewitch is a thrilling, magical adventure that is sure to become a firm favourite with readers of 9+.  I absolutely cannot wait for Cassie’s next adventure, Woodwitch.

Thank you to Toppsta and the Publishers, Welbeck Flame, for sending me a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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!

I’m just about to start Dread Wood which I’m really looking forward to as I’ve loved Jenifer’s Crater Lake books. Not so sure about the spiders though!

I finished listening to The Wee Free Men just as we broke up for the Easter holiday. I absolutely loved this, and have reserved A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith ready to listen to when I go back to work. I also finished The Lost Apothecary which is an adult book which I really enjoyed. The tension between past events and present day is incredibly well portrayed. Even though I was away for the weekend, I just had to keep picking this book up. I found it utterly gripping and powerfully written with a wonderfully satisfying ending. I also read The Hunt for David Berman which is an exciting historical adventure set in Scotland during World War II where a young evacuee has been sent to live with his grandparents, and discovers a Kindertransport boy living in a cave who is unaware that he is being hunted by the Nazis. I will be taking part in the Blog Tour later this month. I also couldn’t help picking up The Ogress and the Orphans and I am so glad I did. I absolutely adored this and loved the writing style which felt magical and left plenty of food for thought. The joy of story-telling, of books and their importance in holding a community together and in making connections really shone through and I loved it for this!

I was so excited to come home today to find I had been sent an early copy of the final book in the Brightstorm trilogy, FireSong. It has immediately jumped to the top of my TBR as I’m so looking forward to seeing how Arthur and Maudie’s adventure ends.

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

I’m currently listening to the audiobook of The Wee Free Men which I’m loving. The narration is brilliant, and it is such a ridiculously fun story! I really like Tiffany and the ‘Jocks’ made me giggle every time their name is said in the gorgeous Scottish accent. I’m reading The Lost Apothecary as my adult novel this month, and have only just started it. I think I’m going to like it!

I finished Once We Were Witches which was one I’d been looking forward to for ages. I really enjoyed this which is a brilliant witchy fantasy with some historical elements. I have pre-ordered the next one.

I didn’t get to start The Hunt for David Berman this week, but I’m hoping to read it when I start my Easter holidays this weekend. I’m also hoping to read Dreadwood.

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

What a month March has been! It was the month I finally caught COVID. I was lucky that I wasn’t really unwell – a heavy cold and tiredness. I’ve still got a light cold and cough, but not sure that is related to COVID! It’s my Easter holiday soon and I’ve booked a few days away with my husband in the Cotswolds (first time away since the pandemic started, apart from visiting family in Ireland) to celebrate our wedding anniversary and to say I’m looking forward to it is putting it mildly! On to my reading for the month …

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 14 books this month, 6 physical copies, 3 e-books and 5 audiobooks – a few more than February and probably the most audiobooks I’ve listened to in a month.

NetGalley:

My Feedback Ratio is at 94%. I’m edging closer to my 100 Book Reviews Badge, having reviewed 79 books now. I’ve been approved to read three books this month.

Books sent by publishers:

I have been lucky enough to have been sent these books by publishers this month. I have read and reviewed The Secret of the Treasure Keepers. I will post my review shortly for The Rema Chronicles which is a graphic novel that I really enjoyed. I will be taking part in Blog Tours for The Hunt for David Berman and Dread Wood later this month.

Books bought:

I’ve bought 9 books this month although I haven’t managed to read any of them yet!

How has your reading month been? Have you read any of these? Have you any of them on your TBR?

There are so many books I’m looking forward to in April. I have been lucky enough to get a pre-read of The Secrets of the Stormforest and Hedgewitch which are both fantastic. I have already bought The Great Fox Illusion and The Girl Who Lost a Leopard as they have either arrived early as part of book subscriptions or they’ve appeared early in my local bookshop.

I have taken the synopsis for each of these from the Waterstones website except for Day of the Whale which is taken from the Publisher’s website.

Release Date: 7th April

Ed and his sister Roo are faced with the most boring half-term holiday in history: five days spent in the company of their elderly neighbour Miss Filey, and her ancient, smelly cat. But when they find a box of birthday candles in a cupboard in Miss Filey’s house, their world is changed completely. These are no ordinary candles, every single one of them comes with a wish. There’s only one problem: some of those wishes actually belong to someone else . . .

When Paisley Fitzwilliam escapes the clutches of the Dark Dragon, she has just one thing on her mind – getting her brother Dax back from the icy Northern Realms, where he was whisked away by the fierce and mysterious dragon riders, the Krigare. It’s clear that Paisley’s track is unique, but with the Dark Dragon and the King’s Guard now on her trail, she faces danger at every turn. To rescue her brother and keep the Heart Stone from the clutches of the Dark Dragon, Paisley must harness her power and seek new and dangerous alliances. . .

Thirteen-year-old Flick Lions has won a place on a new television show, in which young people compete to win the legacy of the Great Fox, one of the world’s most famous magicians. But Flick isn’t interested in uncovering the Great Fox’s tired old magic tricks – she’s after something much more important. The magician destroyed her family, and this is Flick’s only chance to put things right. Inside the Fox’s house is a secret that will change the world of magic for ever, and Flick will go to any lengths to find it.

Abandoned on the Mumbai railways, Ajay has grown up with nothing but a burning wish to be a journalist. Finding an abandoned printing press, he and his friends Saif, Vinod, Yasmin and Jai create their own newspaper: The Mumbai Sun. As they hunt down stories for their paper, the children uncover corruption, fight for justice and battle to save their slum from bulldozers. But against some of the most powerful forces in the city, can Ajay and his friends really succeed in bringing the truth to light? Not to mention win the most important cricket match ever…

Selvi is a wild child who loves climbing in the beautiful mountains behind her home. She is often joined by Lokka, a leopard with a beautiful coat and huge golden eyes. When hunters come for Lokka, Selvi is determined to fight. But what can she do against such powerful enemies? Turn to her friends, of course! Now they just need the perfect plan…

Grace and her friends must protect a newly hatched dragon from mysterious evildoers. When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mum and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real – especially when the egg hatches overnight. The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the dragon’s power. And now it’s up to Grace and her school friends to uncover the sinister plot threatening the entire city! 

Release Date: 14th April

When mysterious footprints appear in the Stockholm snow, ten-year-old Kara must discover where they’ve come from – and who they belong to. They lead Kara to Rebecca, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, and her younger brother Samuel. Kara realises they are refugees – from another time, World War Two – and are trying to find their way home.

Flick and Jonathan have faced countless dangers in their roles as part of the Strangeworlds Society and come out alive on the other side. But what do they really know about the Society they are risking their lives for? Why does it exist? Who is Strangeworlds there to protect? And what in the worlds is happening to the multiverse now? With worlds everywhere under threat of collapse and mysteries abounding, it’s up to Flick and Jonathan to discover the answers to these questions. And only if they can uncover the secrets of Strangeworlds and the secrets of a new mysterious world called ‘The Stormforest’, will they have any hope of defending their world – and others – from the threat that is facing them all.

Cassie Morgan has run away. After seven years spent waiting for her mother to return, she flees her dreary boarding school and sets out to find her. But the world outside her school is full of hidden magic and children have been going missing.With the help of a talking cat and a flying broom, Cassie escapes to the enchanted village of Hedgely. There she will begin her training in the practical skills of witchcraft with the Hedgewitch, who watches over the Hedge, the vast forest that marks the border between England and Faerie.

Release Date: 26th April

It is early spring, a turbulent, perilous time of sudden storms, frozen river fractures and drifting ice. Fleeing from a demon intent on devouring his souls, Wolf is swept out to Sea far from the Forest and his pack. The ocean too teems with danger: sea wolves, sharks and hunters of the deep, and the demon is gaining ground. Torak and Renn must race to save their pack-brother, battling the harsh, icy waves and merciless torrents. If they can’t find Wolf in time, the bond between them will be severed for ever…

Release Date: 28th April

Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider. To be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn. To bond with it for life; to train together and race for glory; to be a hero. But just as Skandar’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined. A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever…

Silverthorne is a place of secrets. A forest of twisting paths and tangled thorns. A castle with locked towers and whispers of tragedy. A village trapped between terrors known and unknown. But something is stirring in the leaves… Saffy is a good girl, tired of being told to stick to the forest paths, and always follow the rules. Aurelia is a hidden girl, locked in a castle tower, dreaming of escaping the fate she’s told awaits her. Wild Rose is a fierce girl, raised by wolves, full of spells and fearlessness and cunning. Together, they will change life in Silverthorne forever.

When Ravian’s father doesn’t return home from sea for his son’s birthday, Ravian is certain he must be in danger. Hearing tales of a cursed ship that captures fishermen, Ravian goes in search of his father accompanied by his only friend Marvin the seagull. Before long, the pair find themselves trapped on the ship with a kindly boy and a bad-tempered pirate for company. The ensuing voyage is beset with battles with giant squid and fierce storms, and Ravian despairs of ever finding his father.

“Follow Big Blue”. These were the last words that Cam’s father said to him. So Cam follows Big Blue, the giant whale-god, as does everyone else on Cetacea, an island in the flooded future. The islanders’ lives play out under Big Blue’s rules, which are communicated to them by the enigmatic whale-talker, Byron Vos. Byron was once a marine scientist and is now organising an epic clean-up operation to revive the ocean after centuries of human greed and neglect. But, as the story unfolds, Cam begins to wonder if all is not quite as it seems. Could there be a more complex truth behind Byron’s actions? A truth that may be connected to Cam’s father’s disappearance? Cam’s quest to understand life under Big Blue leads him to new friends and shared adventures – but the truth, when he discovers it, turns out to be far more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

Do any of these catch your interest? Have you read any already?

I’m currently reading Once We Were Witches. I haven’t got too far in to it yet, but I already know its going to be one I’m going to really enjoy!

I’ve just finished listening to Death Sets Sails. What an ending to this series! I wasn’t sure when I first started this series, but I’m so glad I’ve stuck with it. My favourites were definitely A Spoonful of Murder, Death in the Spotlight and this one. I also finished the last in the Strangeworlds trilogy, The Secrets of the Stormforest. I really enjoyed this which is a brilliantly fast-paced, exciting story with wonderful characters.

I’m hoping to read The Hunt for David Berman next. I was totally drawn in by the blurb, and am really looking forward to this historical adventure.

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

The March theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot is Springing into life and today’s prompt is for Books with nature themes. There were quite a few books which would have fitted this prompt, but these are the ones I’ve chosen:

By Ash, Oak and Thorn is the most delightful wander through, and celebration of nature and the environment, and the need to appreciate and look after it. Three tiny, ancient beings – Moss, Burnet and Cumulus have to leave their home in the ash tree when it is destroyed and travel to find others like them, taking them through the countryside and into the city.

This is a recent read which I loved with its journey through the stunning Scottish Highlands, and the focus on rewilding with the issues this might raise.

I loved Crowfall with its focus on the balance between technology and nature and the wonderful sentient Eard trees. It juxtaposes the two islands of Ironhold and Natura. Ironhold is an island of technology, invention and industry where nature has been denigrated for the sake of progress. In contrast, Natura is an island abundant with nature – wild and mesmerising – whose Eard (takes a very active part in the lives of the islanders.

This is a heartachingly stunning, powerful and thought-provoking story set in a dystopian future where the majority of humans are forced to live in Cities whilst outside nature is given the opportunity to flourish unchecked and unhindered, growing wild. Two siblings, Juniper and Bear escape the City and begin a long and desperate journey through the Wild in an attempt to be reunited with their parents … 

This story opens a window into the breath-taking Louisiana wetlands landscape with a mesmerising view of the marshlands, the bayou, the wildlife and climate, a wetlands that is under threat due to rising sea levels and human threats.

The story is set in the dystopian aftermath when society is drastically changed by the catastrophic environmental damage caused by Hurricane Chronos. The story’s central message is a very current one around the potential devastation that could be caused by inertia in tackling climate change.  It really crystallises the effects this could have not only on the environment but also on the people who have to live in the aftermath, with the innocent bearing the brunt of mistakes made by their elders.  Children are both the victims, and the redeemers, of this dystopian society.