I’m really loving listening to Death in the Spotlight. I’m so glad I stuck with this series as it is getting better and better. I have the next two requested on Borrowbox! I’m almost finished Mort which is different to anything I’ve read before, but is one I’m really loving.

Strictly speaking, I finished A Spoonful of Murder last week, but I forgot to include it in my WWW Wednesday last week! I’ve also read The Rewilders which is a wonderful story of unlikely friendships and re-wilding a beautiful lynx in the Highlands. I will be posting my review as part of the Blog Tour later in the month.

I’ve loved A M Howell’s last three books historical mysteries, so I’m really looking forward to reading this one next.

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

Thank you so much to Chicken House for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour for this exciting adventure , and for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Boy in the Post is a charming, heart-warming and humorous fantasy adventure that took me aboard an enthralling venture brimming with excitement, daring and danger.

At the start of their summer holiday, siblings Orinthia, Séafra and Taber spot an advertisement for paid work, so decide to apply.  When they arrive at Tupenny Mill, they are met by the brilliantly eccentric, and utterly wonderful, Grandy Brock.  Grandy, and his crew of adopted orphans, are creating a postal service with a difference:  a postal service staffed by animal posties!  I absolutely loved meeting the fascinating assortment of animails from baboons franking envelopes to toucans transporting postcards and Sphynx cats licking stamps to – my favourite –snakes spelling out postcodes, and insults!  Just magical!  Grandy offers the children a job training Geronimo the pelican and her son Gungho to deliver mail, a job which the children readily accept.  Who could resist?

The youngest Shalloo sibling, six-year-old Taber, has a real affinity with Geronimo and begins training her; however, when she does not return from her first international voyage to New York, Taber is incredibly upset.  He is determined to find his new friend and leaves a note for Orinthia and Séafra to tell them that he is posting himself to New York to search for Geronimo.

Orinthia and Séafra are determined to rescue their young brother, so decide to follow his lead by posting themselves to New York.  And so begins a fantastically fast-paced, action-packed adventure across land, over sea and through air, as the siblings steal a stamp from the local Post Office and use it to have themselves posted to New York in a freight crate.  Will they be able to keep themselves from being discovered aboard the Royal Mail Steamship sailing across the Atlantic?  Will they find their young brother and his new friend if they make it to New York in time? Could danger be following them from home?

I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers; suffice to say that there are some first-class and unexpected twists and turns which kept me on the edge-of-my-seat.  This is such a thrilling adventure with the sense of anticipation and danger increasing as the plot unfolds, but there are also some wonderful moments of humour.

One cannot discover new oceans unless one has the

courage to lose sight of the shore

The Shalloo siblings are incredibly likeable children.  They have quite different personalities, but have a wonderfully natural and honest sibling bond.  Orinthia wants to be an explorer like her heroine, Ophelia Pearcart, and has a real sense of adventure.  Her brother, Séafra is more cautious and a worrier, yet he shows strength and courage as he faces his fears.  Youngest brother Taber is a nature- lover who has a natural affinity with animals.   All three children are resilient and resourceful, attributes which help them on their incredible adventure.   

An enchanting, exhilarating adventure with courage, friendship and family at its heart, perfect for readers of 9+.

Please do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour.

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 green covers. I took this opportunity to look through my bookshelves and find some books with green covers that are still on my TBR.

Here are the first six I found:

Have you read any of these? What would you recommend?

I have just started listening to Death in the Spotlight. I am about half way through Mort. Why haven’t I read this before? I’m absolutely loving this, and will definitely be picking up more.

I’ve read The Tide Singer which is a wonderfully atmospheric novella that I really enjoyed. I also finished Sisters of the Lost Marsh. This is an utterly mesmerising read that kept me utterly gripped.  There is a real sense of danger, brilliantly tense scenes and an eerily atmospheric portrayal of the marshland.   It is a story of the strength and bonds within female relationships, between sisters and Grandmother and of the sacrifices they make for each other. I also finished The Boy in the Post and will be posting my review next week as part of the Blog Tour.

I’m hoping to read The Rewilders next.

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

February came with a much-needed half-term break which has re-charged my batteries, ready for next term. I’ve read about the same this month as last, and have managed to keep to my resolution to read at least one adult book each month!

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 11 books this month, 9 physical copies and 2 audiobooks – exactly the same as January! My adult book this month was an audiobook: The Lamplighters.

NetGalley:

My Feedback Ratio is at 96%. I’m edging closer to my 100 Book Reviews Bade, having reviewed 77 books now. I’m still waiting to see if I get approved for While The Storm Rages but no luck yet! I have been approved to read the final book in The Strangeworlds Travel Agency series, The Secrets of the Stormforest which I’m really excited to read.

Books sent by publishers:

I have been lucky enough to have been sent these books by publishers this month. I have reviewed two of them, Nisha’s War and Carnival of the Lost. I have read The Boy in the Post.

Books bought:

I’ve bought 8 books this month and have managed to read one of them so far!

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

Thank you to Bethany Carter and Faber Children’s for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour for Carnival of the Lost. Today, I’ll be sharing my review and an exciting writing prompt from Kieran which I couldn’t resist having a go at doing!

Review

Carnival of the Lost is a dark, richly atmospheric and thrilling mystery set in a shadowy Victorian London that completely gripped me, and took me on an incredible action-packed adventure brimming with danger, excitement and intrigue. 

Sheba the Wolf Girl spends the majority of her time locked in a cage at a seaside curiosity show on the South Coast having been bought from an orphanage, and put on display for customers.  When she is sold to Plumpscuttle, she finds herself welcomed by an extraordinary group of performers – Gigantus, Sister Moon, Pyewacket and Mama Rat – and taken to the East End of London as part of her new owner’s carnival troupe.

On her first night at the Carnival of the Lost, she meets a young mudlark, Till, who shows her kindness, so when she discovers that Till has gone missing, she is determined to find her, and the other young mudlarks who have also been taken.  Could their disappearance have anything to do with sightings of a strange mechanical monster?

Together with her found family, Sheba begins a search, a search that will take them from the mudbanks of the River Thames, to a workshop aboard a warship to the Crystal Palace.  This brave, resourceful and unique group will face grave danger, make incredible discoveries and uncover a macabre plan … will they be able to solve the mystery and save the lost children that have been forgotten by all but their parents?

This is a real page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout as I was taken on a rollercoaster of emotions; swept into the fast-paced, rapidly flowing action, and becoming completely invested in what happened to the troupe and the missing children.  With elements of gothic horror, a vivid portrayal of the murkier side of Victorian Society and terrifying villains, I was completely engrossed in this mystery.

This adventure has lots of important messages relating to how the poor lived and were treated in Victorian London; forms of mass entertainment; popular culture; the effects of industrialisation; and, the interest in anthropology and technology. This really immerses the reader in this period of history and gives plenty of opportunity for discussion. 

But you really shouldn’t judge people by how they look, …

Those better off should always try to help the less fortunate.

At the heart of this story for me are the carnival troupe.  They are a fiercely loyal family who readily accept each other’s uniqueness.  They are talented, resourceful and have such a wonderful camaraderie.  I especially enjoyed Pyewacket’s sharp sense of humour.  Although, they are judged by society to be misfits, treated like monsters and forced by cruel owners to perform for entertainment and profit, this courageous family are a lesson to others in what it means to not judge by appearance, to accept difference, to be empathetic and to be true to yourself.  They turn a mirror on society:  who are the real monsters? 

The full-page, grayscale illustrations are absolutely stunning and complement the mood of the story perfectly.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  Kieran Larwood is a master storyteller.  He draws the reader wholeheartedly into the world he creates, and makes them care so much for the heroes he brings to life as he takes them on a heart-pounding adventure that brings danger, twists and hope.  I can’t wait to continue this remarkable adventure with this wonderful family who I’ve taken into my heart. 

WRITING PROMPT from Kieran Larwood

Think of a character with a unique ability, trapped in a Victorian sideshow. What powers do they have and how can they use them to escape? What sights, scenes (and smells) from Victorian London would your character experience?

As a teacher, I love writing with my class, so couldn’t resist having a go at this prompt. After half-term, I’m keen for my class to have a go too!

Fear choked Meera as she was thrown roughly into the cage, the door slamming viciously against her scarred back, drawing flecks of blood through the scales.  Just half an hour before, she had been close to snitching a loaf of bread, but had felt a sudden sharp sting in her neck, and now she was trapped in this prison. 

An overpowering stench of stale sweat assaulted her as someone approached the cage, the sound of a stick tap, tap, tapping irritably against the cobbles.

“’Tis a stroke of luck that I found ye.  Ne’er thought I’d see the like. Ye’ll fetch me a pretty penny when I shows ye.” 

Thick, grubby fingers, with a blackened thumbnail, grasped the bars and cold, grey eyes stared greedily.  The man pulled something from his pocket, and flung it into the cage. Like a frightened colt, Meera scrabbled to the back and sank to her knees, trembling uncontrollably. 

“Suit yerself.  I’ll not be givin’ ye anymore ‘til that’s gone!”

As he turned and left, Graspernin kicked a pail over, a stream of water flowing into the cage. 

Twisting her head slightly to the side, Meera saw what had been thrown:  a lump of stale bread with a pool of mould beginning to form on its tiny craters.  Hunger forced her fingers toward the bread, and hunger demanded that she eat.

She had to be gone before her captor returned.  How could he have known that in knocking the pail over, he had given her just what she needed to escape.  She inched towards the damp straw, lowering her back into its soothing coolness, feeling her scales smoothen and her limbs soften.  Crawling to the door of the cage, Meera grasped the bars, twisted her shoulder sideways and forced her arm through, feeling her bones melt and flow as she slowly and carefully twisted and turned, as fluidly as a ballerina, until she was no longer inside.  She sank to the ground and waited; as her skin dried, her scales returned and her bones solidified.   Tiredness overcame her.

A sudden tapping brought her to instant wakefulness.  Meera sprang to her feet, stretched her limbs and took off towards her home:  the sewers.

Do check out the other stops of the Blog Tour:

This is my weekly meme celebrating amazing middle-grade books, now with a re-vamped banner!

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:

“You mean you know him?” he stammered at last, as if to say, what’s a nice young widow like you doing with a stinking gutter thief like him? “But he’s a roll-pincher, ma’am.”

This book in three words:

ADVENTURE, MYSTERY, HEART-WARMING

The Misadventures of Nicholas Nabb is a wonderfully action-packed, heart-warming historical adventure sprinkled with lots of humour, plenty of danger and a cast of brilliant characters.

 
Nicholas Nabb lives in the sewers of Victorian London after having run away from the orphanage where he was left as a baby.  In order to survive, he is not averse to a little food theft but, of course, this is frowned upon by the law.  When Nicholas is caught re-handing stealing a bread roll, he is rescued by the most unlikely person:  a kind-hearted, veiled widow who seems to know who he is!  The mystery deepens when Annie presents him with a locket but, unfortunately, before he can unearth the truth, she disappears, leaving him determined to find her, and the answers to his questions.
 
When trying to discover the whereabouts of Annie, Nicholas finds himself entangled in a mystery, and meeting a rather intriguing boy, Edwin, who is not at all what he seems … 

Together these two new friends embark on a mission to find Annie which leads them into danger, into uncovering dark secrets and into the promise of a new life for each of them.
 
This is an utterly wonderful, fast-paced, thrilling adventure with plenty of twists, humour and peril which will be thoroughly enjoyed by older middle-grade readers.  Nicholas is an incredibly sympathetic young boy – courageous, resilient and astute – who is desperate to find love and family and, once he feels that these might be within his grasp, he is determined to chase his dreams, no matter what …
 
There is lots of opportunity to open discussion around the treatment of those with physiological differences through the Victorian institution of the freak show which became part of popular culture; Victorian entertainment; and, the lives of children in Victorian times. 
 
Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced adventure that is perfect for fans of historical fiction and mystery, wrapped up in a good sprinkling of humour.

Thank you to Toppsta and the Publisher for a 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 currently listening to A Spoonful of Murder which is the sixth book in the Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series. This time Hazel has been called back to Hong Kong after the death of her Grandfather and Daisy goes with her only to discover that there is a new member of the family! I’m really enjoying the build-up of the mystery in this one, and am wondering if it will involve baby Teddy! I’ve read The Ghost of Gosswater and The Mermaid in the Millpond by Lucy Strange, and loved them both, so I’ve started reading Sisters of the Lost Marsh. I’m really enjoying it, and am looking forward to finding some time to curl up with it again later today.

I’m on half-term, and it shows in my reading this week!

I finished listening to Aftershocks which is a powerful, gripping, atmospheric story of dealing with family and community grief.  It is a blend of dystopia and supernatural and kept me engrossed throughout.  Louie’s family have been torn apart by the unexpected death of his older brother.  His mother and father deal with grief in different ways which has led to a separation.  When his engineer father is called to a distant province of the Federation, Louie goes with him; however, once there, a devastating natural disaster occurs which decimates the coastal region they have been sent to.  Louie is taken home whilst his father volunteers to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.  When his mother is away from home, Louie returns to his father where he witnesses how the Endlanders deal with their grief and loss through telling the stories of their loved ones deaths.  Will this help Louie and his father deal with their own ghosts? This is an incredibly poignant, hard-hitting story that addresses issues of both family and community loss, and how grief is dealt with on an individual and societal level embedded in beliefs and customs.  The other-worldly, strange quality sent shivers down my spine, and my heart ached for the loss suffered, but there is also hope that facing grief can lead to healing and remembrance.

My Life as a Cat is a beautifully told, heart-warming adventure told from the viewpoint of Leonard, an alien who has come to earth to experience life as a human but, instead of becoming a forest ranger in Yellowstone National Park as he had intended, he finds himself in the body of a cat and needing to be rescued after a storm.  He is rescued by a young girl called Olive who is staying with her Grandmother.  Olive has lost her Dad and does not have a good relationship with her mother’s new partner.  She is desperately in need of a friend, and finds the perfect friend in Leonard.  Will she be able to help him find his way home, or has he already found a home with her?  I adored the warm relationship which develops so naturally between Leonard and Olive and the risks Olive is prepared to take for her new friend.  I loved the honesty and trust that develops between them, and thought that the ending was just perfect! This is an incredibly touching, humorous and poignant story with wonderful messages about friendship, family, belonging and having the strength and courage to be yourself.  

I also finished Hedgewitch which I absolutely loved. Cassie Morgan runs away from her boarding school to find her mother who has been missing for seven years, and finds that she has an aunt in the village of Hedgely who is the Hedgewitch, a protector against the magical creatures who live in the nearby forest. This is a really exciting, mesmerising adventure with wonderful characters, plenty of surprises and a gorgeous evocation of the natural world. I will post my review later.

I read Darwin’s Dragons which I’ve had on my TBR for a while with a view to making it my next class read – and I definitely will be! This is a brilliantly fast-paced, exciting adventure:  a blend of history, science and fantasy that kept me utterly gripped throughout.  Syms Covington, who becomes a friend and assistant to Charles Darwin, aboard the HMS Beagle finds himself lost at sea after trying to save Darwin’s life when he falls overboard during a storm.  He washes up on one of the Galápagos Islands where he makes an unbelievable discovery: this island, with its active volcano, is home to a creature that only exists in myths and legends, and it is not happy that he is there! Syms also meets a lizard who he names Farthing.  The lizard seems eager to help him survive on the island, but also needs his help to rescue something precious from the dragon’s lair … And so begins a truly remarkable story that I found completely unputdownable.  The short chapters and cliff hanger endings kept me turning the pages, eager to follow Syms’ adventure.  Will he be rescued from the island?  Why is his new friend Farthing prepared to put him in danger?  I really enjoyed the well-searched historical and scientific elements of this story which focus on Darwin’s discoveries as well as the fantasy element which merged perfectly with the science and history. 

I also spent a lot of yesterday finishing Carnival of the Lost which completely gripped me. I will be posting my review as part of the Blog Tour later in the week.

I’m hoping to read The Tide Singer and The Boy in the Post next.

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

Libby and the Parisian Puzzle is an utterly charming, joyous mystery that kept me entranced and intrigued as I joined some daring young sleuths on their first Travelling School Mystery. 

Libby is used to travelling with her photographer Mum but, when her Mum goes to Ecuador, Libby is sent to stay with her Aunt Agatha who runs a rather unconventional boarding school.  Libby is both excited and nervous to travel to Paris as it is her first time away from her Mum, and she has never attended school before.

When she arrives in Paris, she is upset to find that her Aunt is not there to meet her but, after speaking to her on the phone, she takes a taxi there with a new member of staff who has travelled in the same train carriage.

Libby soon meets the other students, including her roommate Connie, and begins her education – in a class room?  Mais non!   The students who are enrolled in Mousedale’s Travelling School learn about the culture and history of the places they visit by exploring their sights, sounds and tastes, so Libby finds herself on a boat trip on the Seine, visiting the Louvre and Montmartre not to mention enjoying the taste of freshly baked bread, pastries and macarons.  I can’t deny that this made me crave another visit to Paris! 

Libby is enjoying getting to know Paris and her new school mates but disaster strikes when her aunt is accused of a jewellery theft and arrested.   As Libby and her friend Connie search for clues, solve puzzles and uncover secrets, will they be able to unravel the mystery and prove Aunt Agatha’s innocence?

This is such an exciting, fast-paced and cleverly woven mystery that kept me turning pages as I was as desperate as Libby to find the culprit.  I can just imagine young readers finding and following the clues with Libby; wondering if they have discovered the identity of the thief.  I’d love to keep a sleuthing journal on a re-reading of this mystery!

I absolutely adored Libby who is such a likeable young girl.  She loves reading mysteries, is outgoing, determined and naturally curious.  She makes a wonderful friendship with the more reserved Connie who has her own secrets, and together they form a perfect partnership! 

I absolutely love the idea of a Travelling School which is such a clever concept and offers so much opportunity for the naturally inquisitive, gregarious Libby to visit and learn about new places, to make new friends and to solve other mysteries … and I have no doubt that she will have lots of young (and older!) readers eager to follow her adventures.

There are a few illustrations sprinkled in my proof copy which are just gorgeous and so expressive.  I have pre-ordered a finished copy, and am really looking forward to enjoying all the illustrations.

This is a sparkling jewel of a mystery:  action-packed, exciting and intriguing, and I absolutely cannot wait to join Libby on her next sleuthing adventure in The Travelling School Mysteries.

Thank you to Firefly Press for a proof copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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!

Midnight. The heart-of-summer sky was black; filled with stars, the cloudy sweep of the Milky Way. A waxing moon slowly rolled across, showing off her pockmarks and craters, looking down at a smaller, man-made galaxy: the gas and oil lamps, candles and lanterns of old London town, twinkling their brightest and – through a haze of smog – bravely trying to outdo the heavens themselves.

Any ideas?

I’m a huge fan of The Five Realms series, so am really looking forward to this as my next read.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sheba the wolf girl joins an unusual troupe of performers that includes Pyewacket, a witch’s imp; Gigantus the giant and Sister Moon, a knife thrower. For the first time in her life she feels she might make true friends, and learn a real stage craft. But soon that’s not all she has to think about . . .

Children are being sucked into the Thames and there have been strange sightings of a mechanical monster. The carnival troupe know first-hand that looks only tell half a story – they become determined to find these forgotten children. Perhaps they will unravel the mystery that has defied even the law!