I haven’t got very far with The Owl Tree as I haven’t been driving to work due to car troubles. I’ll probably start this one again when I’m on holiday and can listen to it when I’m out for a walk. I’m just about to start The House on the Edge which is one I’m really looking forward to.

I’ve finished three books this week. The Way to Impossible Island is just as brilliant as The Wild Way Home and I love its associations with the first book. It now makes me want to visit the real Rathlin Island when I go over to Northern Ireland to visit my sister as she lives really close to it, but I’ve never been! I will post my review for this one early next week. I also read The Beast of Harwood Forest which I really enjoyed even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but in a good way. I liked the twist in this one and can see it being very popular with upper school. I also read Edie and the Box of Flits which is a magical story with the most wonderful tiny winged creatures, the flits who are utterly brilliant. Edie is also a really likeable character who finds new friendships after a difficult move to secondary school. I will be writing my review this weekend.

I’m hoping to read The Midnight Thief next. It is being release on 5th August.

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

Written and Illustrated by Hannah Peck

Published by Piccadilly Press

on 8th July

Kate on the Case is the first book in this delightful, new illustrated adventure series for younger readers.

Young aspiring investigate reporter Kate is boarding a train to visit her scientist mother in the Arctic alongside her Dad and best friend, Rupert who just happens to be a mouse. 

Kate is not long aboard the train when passenger’s possessions begin to disappear … gymnastic trophies, ginger nut biscuits and some ancient scrolls.  Who could be stealing such a seemingly unrelated range of objects?  Luckily, Kate has brought her idol’s Special Correspondent Manual with her, and is determined to take on the case and solve the mystery …

She soon finds a credible culprit, Madame Maude, but will Kate be able to confirm her initial suspicions, or will a twist in the tale lead her in a rather different direction?

This is a charmingly captured mystery with plenty of action and lots of giggles.  It has a brilliant cast of both human and animal characters.  I especially enjoyed Master Mimkins, Madame Maude’s pedigree cat who is the source, although unwittingly, of plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.  I also really liked conductor-in-training Simon who has a heart of gold but is prone to accidents. 

Kate is an incredibly likeable young girl who is quick-witted, determined and not at all averse to a little ‘sneakery’ to aid her investigation.  Her friendship with Rupert is just gorgeous:  they make a brilliant team. 

This story has wonderful messages about not judging others because of preconceived opinions, and the importance of finding out all the facts rather than jumping to conclusions. 

I absolutely loved that this story included extracts from Kate’s Special Correspondent Manual written by her idol, Catherine Rodriguez.  Just as I did, I can imagine readers poring over these detailed entries.  Adding Kate’s notes to these is genius!  The full- and partial-page illustrations are full of energy and humour complementing the story perfectly, and will be incredibly appealing to young readers as will the detailed character and train illustrations at the start of the book.

This is the perfect adventure for younger readers served up with plenty of action, humour and a real sense of mystery with a deliciously unexpected twist that is sure to bring gasps of delight. 

Thank you to Piccadilly Press for a proof 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!

Aleja cursed in Croatian. Her face was already itching under the paint that had scrawled whiskers across her cheeks and turned her lips and nose black. A mask that gleamed in red and gold wound round her dark-green eyes. Tonight Aleja was a fox.

Any ideas?

I loved the first book in this series, The Ship of Shadows, and I’m so looking forward to this one. The cover is stunning.

Waterstones Synopsis:

Aleja and her fellow pirates are eager to embark on a new adventure to find the second piece of the missing magical map. But they soon find themselves panicking, bewildered by a series of confusing clues. And time is running out – fast.

When she starts experiencing strange visions, Aleja realizes that someone is trying to tell her something. But can this new knowledge be trusted? And what will it cost her to find out? 

With the crew’s loyalties tested and more secrets to unlock than ever, Aleja must find a way to beat the clock and prove herself truly worthy of her place on the ship’s crew . . .

Have you read this? What did you think?

Tiger Warrior:  Attack of the Dragon King is the start of an exciting, magical new series for younger readers of 6+.  It is a fantastically action-packed, fast-paced and humorous adventure that will appeal to young fans of both gaming and fantasy adventures.

Jack loves gaming and is enjoying defeating some virtual dragons.  Imagine his surprise, and disbelief, when his Grandad, who he calls Yeye, asks him if he has the courage to face real dragons!   His Grandad gives him his deceased father’s Jade Coin, a magical item with the power to summon the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and reveals that he is the next Tiger Warrior and must fight evil in the realm of the Jade Kingdom.  Naturally, Jack thinks Yeye is teasing him … until he meets the spirits of some of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac whose power he must learn to harness. 

His Grandad encourages him to travel to the Jade Kingdom to introduce himself as the next Tiger Warrior to the Jade Emperor, and opens a portal with the Coin which Jack travels through …   Far from enjoying visiting a Kingdom at peace, he finds it under attack from a terrifying dragon …

Can Jack and his new friend, Princess Li, work together to defeat the dangerous Dragon King before he destroys the Jade Kingdom and sets his sights on Earth? 

Jack is a brilliant young boy.  He clearly adores his Grandad and I loved their close relationship which is wonderfully natural and filled with humour.  He enjoys the thrill of gaming, but does not feel brave enough to take on the role of Tiger Warrior in real life.  However, Jack learns to make use of his gaming skills in the Jade Kingdom and finds strength, courage and self-belief from his new friends:  the Zodiac animals and Princess Li. 

The zodiac creatures are absolutely fantastic and I adored the bond they form with Jack.  They provide plenty of opportunity for laughs as they jostle good-naturedly for Jack’s attention.  They all have magical powers which they can transfer to Jack as long as he is touching them, and what amazing powers they are:  invisibility, super strength, control over fire and water, and telepathy.  These creatures are drawn from the myth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and I really hope this story will encourage children to find out more about this part of Chinese culture.

The full page and partial page illustrations are wonderfully energetic,  and complement the action and humour in the story perfectly. 

This is an electrifying, exciting adventure, with just the perfect frisson of danger, that will keep young readers entranced from start to finish. I have no doubt they will be eager for the next adventure, The War of the Fox Demons. 

Thank you to Holly Stott and Hachette Children’s Group for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and for providing me with a copy of Tiger Warrior in exchange for my honest opinion.

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

I’ve just started listening to The Owl Tree on Borrowbox which I’m enjoying. I love that the Owl Tree seems to have feelings, and am curious to find out more about Mr Rock who wants to cut it down. I’m about a third of the way through The Way to Impossible Island which I’m really enjoying. I love how cleverly links are made between Dara and Mothgirl before they’ve even met. I’d love to be able to sit down and read this one in one sitting, but it has been a very slow reading week as work has been hectic. We’ve had 4 of our team isolating which has meant my wonderful LSA and myself are holding the fort with extra duties and near exhaustion by the end of the day. Fingers crossed my class make it to the end of term without anyone having to isolate!

I’ve read Tiger Warrior: Attack of the Dragon King which is a fantastic, action-packed read for younger readers. I will be taking part in the Blog Tour. I also read Street Child and can’t believe I hadn’t already read it. I really enjoyed this book which tells the story of a young boy, Jim Jarvis, who is separated from his sisters and whose mother dies. He is sent to the workhouse, but escapes and finds himself on the streets. This is a powerful and hard-hitting read that I read in a single sitting over the weekend. It is one I’m considering using as part of our Year 6 Victorian topic next year. I also finished listening to Demelza and the Spectre Detectors which I absolutely loved, and would highly recommend. The narration was fantastic. Demelza is a scientist at heart and likes nothing better than inventing, so imagine her shock when she finds that she is a spectre detector whose role is to summon the deceased to spend time with loved ones. Demelza, her Grandma and friend Percy are just fantastic characters who I really liked. And the twists were brilliant!

I didn’t get to this one last week, so I’m hoping to get to it as my next read.

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

Between Sea and Sky is a profound, powerful and thought-provoking story set in a dystopian future where Earth has been devastated by an environmental catastrophe in a period known as The Decline when the land had been flooded and poisoned.  The habitable land has been split into districts which must follow strict rules, enforced by Central District, including a one-child policy; control of resources and food; and, strict punishments, meted out by peacekeepers, for even minor infringement of rules leading to ‘civil disobedience points’ which could lead to internment on a prison ship at sea.

Thirteen-year-old Nat lives in one of these controlled districts, in a concrete and steel compound on metal stilts, along with his scientist mother.  Whilst taking part in a dare to climb an unused windmill and plant a flag, he witnesses two people collecting something on behalf of Central.  On further investigation, he makes an exciting discovery, a discovery that brings hope of the longed-for Recovery.  Nat knows that he should hand over his find, but instead he makes a decision that could put both himself and his mother in great danger …

Meanwhile, Pearl and her younger sister, Clover, live on a floating oyster farm at sea.  Their mother got sick whilst working on the land, and has died, leaving the girls in the care of their grieving father.  When not helping on the farm, the girls spend their time mud-larking, making wishings using their finds, and swimming with their porpoise friend, Grey.  Pearl blames the land for her mother’s death and is suspicious of ‘landlubbers’.  However, her ten-year-old sister is desperate to go to school on the mainland and find new friends, but this could see her taken from her family as she is an illegal second child. 

Pearl, Clover and Nat are brought together when Nat and his mother are sent by the District Controller to spend the summer on the oyster farm, investigating the viability of another food source.  Nat brings his secret find with him and soon shares it with the sisters, but this knowledge may well lead to great danger, danger that risks everything they hold dear …

This is an incredibly vivid evocation of a society and landscape that is fighting to survive years after an ecological cataclysm.  At its heart, it is the story of three children battling for freedom, battling to allow nature the opportunity to renew, and battling to bring about change. 

I absolutely adored all three children who are so well-developed as characters that I was completely invested in their lives and desperate for a better future for them.  I loved how the relationship between Nat and Pearl developed which felt completely natural as they are wary of each other at first, but gradually find a wonderful, supportive and trusting, friendship. Pearl is incredibly protective of her younger sister and is determined to keep her safe; having outsiders encroach on her home makes her angry and frustrated as she fears she may lose her sister.   I loved both the fragility and strength in Pearl as well as her spirituality evoked through her wishings.  Clover is just gorgeous:  inquisitive, kind-hearted and honest with real joie de vivre. 

This is an engrossing ecological story, told from a dual perspective, that heartachingly portrays the devastation caused by environmental catastrophe with its impact on both the landscape and survivors, but there is also a heart-warming message of hope, that nature will fight for survival and find a way to regenerate if only it is given a chance.  Another resounding hit from Nicola!

Thank you to Little Tiger for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my third book for my 20 (10) Books of Summer Reading Challenge which is hosted by Cathy Brown on her blog at 746Books.com. 

The July theme for Six for Sunday, hosted by A Little But a Lot is Sounds of Summer and today’s prompt is for Books set somewhere warm. I had a look through my Goodreads to check on books I’ve read which are set somewhere warm, and below are six of those I found:

Have you read any of these? What books have you read set somewhere warm?

This is my 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:

She had no intention of being sent to the poorhouse and she’d move heaven and earth to make sure Sadie and Nell didn’t end up in an orphanage.

This book in three words:

MYSTERY, FRIENDSHIP, SISTERHOOD

My recommendation this week is for The House of Hidden Wonders, a book I read back in April 2020. It is a superbly gripping historical adventure set in a richly detailed and immersive Victorian Edinburgh which immediately captured me in the richly atmospheric and intriguing prologue, and kept me enthralled until the final page.

Zinnie and her little sisters, Nell and Sadie, scrape a meagre living on the streets of Edinburgh, and live in the tunnels beneath it.  Zinnie has taken both of the younger girls, who are orphans, into her heart and is determined to protect them and keep them safe:  the strength of their sisterly bond is beautifully portrayed throughout.  These unbreakable bonds of sisterhood are a strong theme within the story, and the relationships between the sisters was incredibly touching, especially in Zinnie’s absolute commitment to saving her youngest sister when she becomes desperately ill.   

Zinnie’s life changes forever when she attends a séance, on behalf of none other than a young Arthur Conan Doyle, being organised by the independently wealthy widow Lady Sarah Montague.  It is not long before she finds herself at the centre of a dark and utterly intriguing mystery: uncovering hidden secrets within the House of Wonders museum;  revealing the true story of the ghost haunting the tunnels; and, uncovering the perpetrator of a crime from the past that has come to the streets of her home … The plot is intricate, action-packed, heart-stopping, and so very, very clever:  I was utterly compelled to follow Zinnie who proves to be a rather brilliant sleuth in her own right.

The portrayal of strong adult female characters in this story is wonderful.  Lady Sarah Montague is an independent widow who uses her wealth to fulfil her sense of adventure by undertaking intrepid expeditions, and is quite capable of standing up for herself, and woe betide any man who thinks she should be doing otherwise!  Dr Sophia Jex-Blake is a real historical figure, being the first female doctor in Scotland:  I found the Author’s Historical Note regarding her fascinating.

This is an utterly compelling historical adventure with its inspirational female characters, realistic setting, and gripping mystery with all of its superb twists and turns.  A brilliant read for year 6+.

You can read my full review here.

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 The Way to Impossible Island and, having loved Sophie’s first book, The Wild Way Home, I’m very much looking forward to this. I’m also listening to Demelza & the Spectre Detectors on Borrowbox which is a wonderfully fun read. I’m loving the narration by Charlie Sanderson, especially that of Grandma Maave. Demelza is a brilliant character who loves science and inventions so she is rather shocked to discover that she is part of a family of spectre detectors, able to summon the dead. Unfortunately for Demelza, someone is very interested in her special talent, and she soon finds herself in danger … this is a heart-warming, humour-filled read with really likeable main characters.

I’ve finished reading Between Sea and Sky which I absolutely loved. I am almost finished writing my review and will post it in the next few days. I’ve also finished the delightful Kate on the Case for younger readers which I really enjoyed. I am writing my review.

I’m hoping to read The House on the Edge next and listen to The Owl Tree.

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

What an utterly spellbinding story!  This is an engrossing historical adventure, set in the Edwardian era at a time when the arrival of Halley’s comet acts as the catalyst for an incredibly intriguing mystery that kept me utterly enthralled throughout.   

Twelve-year-old Nancy cannot help but notice that her mother is acting strangely and, when she tells her daughters that they are taking a trip away for a few days, she finds herself leaving Leeds behind and travelling to her birthplace, Suffolk.  They are to stay with her maternal Grandfather whose existence has been kept a secret from her.  Not only that, but the girls are forbidden from leaving his home, Cupola House, and must remain hidden from any prying eyes.  Her Grandfather is an apothecary and keen astronomer who has an observatory on the roof which the girls are not allowed to visit.

Nancy cannot resist breaking this stipulation and, after visiting the rooftop observatory, she discovers that the telescope is pointing to the rooftops of the town rather than the sky and, when she sees her mother and Grandfather creep out of the house at night, Nancy’s curiosity is immediately aroused.  She is determined to find answers to her questions:  what is the real reason for their visit to her Grandfather’s house?  What secrets are being kept from her?

And so begins a thoroughly absorbing, fascinating mystery as Nancy, her sister and their new friend, Burch, work together to untangle family secrets that have been kept hidden; as they make breath-taking discoveries that made me gasp out loud; and as they fight to thwart a villain whose accusations and avarice has caused a family to be torn apart. 

I really enjoyed finding out more about people’s divided reactions to Halley’s Comet, some viewing it with fear and superstition, and others eagerly anticipating its arrival with a sense of wonder and excitement.

Nancy is such a wonderful young girl.  She has a strong moral compass and cannot abide people being treated unfairly. Her strength in standing up for what she believes in helps others to face their own fears.  Nancy is courageous, curious and determined to unravel the mystery surrounding her family.  I adored the relationship between Nancy and her younger half-sister Violet.  They seem to have been growing apart in Leeds, but their visit to Suffolk has brought them closer again and I loved not only how Nancy looks after her sister, but also how forthright and curious Violet is.

This is a gripping adventure with a brilliantly evoked sense of mystery, that kept me entranced throughout as secrets were revealed and lies unravelled against the backdrop of a wonderfully depicted Edwardian Society both in fear of, and excited by, the arrival of Halley’s comet.  Perfect for younger, and older, fans of historical fiction.

Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Usborne for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second book for my 20 (10) Books of Summer Reading Challenge which is hosted by Cathy Brown on her blog at 746Books.com.