Molly Thompson and the Crypt of the Blue Moon was one of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year as I adored Molly Thompson’s first sleuthing adventure in The Ghouls of Howlfair.  Molly’s second adventure is spine-tinglingly good:  fast-paced and action-packed, sparklingly witty, and with just the perfect dollop of scariness and tension to keep me on tenterhooks as I eagerly devoured every page. 

12-year-old Molly Thompson, Howlfair’s self-appointed sleuth and historian is not completely convinced that Howlfair has rid itself of their ghoul problem.  But she has another problem to solve:  she is determined to save her Mum’s Guesthouse from going out of business. 

When an opportunity to save the guesthouse comes knocking, Molly finds herself agreeing to become tour guide to a couple of journalists who intend to put Howlfair on the map! It just may not be a map the town wants to be on!  Journalists, siblings Lucinda and Orson Corches are not quite what Molly was expecting, and seem to have an insatiable appetite to investigate an old legend which originated in Howlfair, one relating to the sinister phantom known as the Silentman.  Of course, Molly is the perfect choice to help them in their mission, but will her desire to save her home put the town in danger?  And do the deliciously creepy siblings have more on their agenda than writing a feature on the world’s scariest town?

Oh my racing heart!  This was such an exhilarating and fast-paced read with tantalising twists and revelations that kept me utterly gripped as I ventured through Howlfair with Molly and her friends as they unravelled the truth behind the legend whilst discovering some other truths closer to home. Dark prophecy, the threat of old adversaries, swinging skeletons and a hidden crypt waiting for unsuspecting readers:  humour, horror and heart … sheer brilliance!

Molly is the most amazingly strong young girl!  She is brave, tenacious and clever and is determined not only to save her Mum’s Guesthouse from financial ruin, but also her town from ghoulish disaster.  This does not mean that she doesn’t make mistakes along the way which made me like her even more!  Luckily, she has help along the way from her wonderful friends Lowry and Felicity who each offer her support and honesty in their own inimitable styles!  Cue some brilliantly hilarious moments!  Molly also has to decide whether or not she can forgive and learn to trust another former friend, but I won’t say too much about that in case some readers have not yet read The Ghouls of Howlfair and, if you haven’t read it, you need to and then read this!  Of course, there is another important friend in Molly’s life and that is the adorable Gilbert who has an uncanny way of sensing trouble, warning Molly and coming to her aide just when it is needed.  I need to know more about Gilbert!

This is a brilliantly spooky, humorous read surrounded by the warmth of friendship and family which is just perfect to cuddle up with on a cold evening – just be prepared to be giggling one minute and spooked the next!  I so hope there’s going to be another mystery for Molly to solve – the ending makes me so yearn for another adventure!

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!

In the grounds of a ruined monastery, on the outskirts of Siena, a girl awoke in a charnel house.

All about her were skeletons: by the thin shafts of light flitting in from the slits in the ribcage shutters she could see the bed about her, built from tibias and fibulas. A moon-white skull still warm from last night’s fire was cupped over her feet, for here the nights were clear and cool.

Any ideas?

I’ve adored every book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave who writes for middle-grade, young adults and adults. I am so looking forward to reading this one – what an opening! I’ hoping to read it this week.

Have you read this? What did you think?

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:

Hal had never seen an adult so in love with a train before, and he found himself smiling as his uncle enthusiastically spouted facts about it.

This book in three words:

MYSTERY, ADVENTURE, TRAINS

I must admit that I’m not much of a train enthusiast, but I fell in love with the Highland Falcon Thief in this brilliant mystery. I really, really enjoyed this clever, old-style mystery which kept me utterly entranced throughout, and was completely absorbed by the intriguing mystery unfolding on board. 

I really liked the pacing which has the perfect balance of slower paced exploration and fast-paced, exciting discoveries, allowing me to become absorbed in the story-telling and the adventure aboard the train. The artwork is brilliant and so cleverly incorporated into the story.

The Highland Falcon Thief is a brilliantly clever, exciting, old-fashioned mystery that kept me guessing to the end:  a thoroughly enjoyable read!

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 currently reading Molly Thompson and the Crypt of the Blue Moon which I’m loving. Just as with the first book, I’m loving the writing style and wit. I’m listening to The Subtle Knife on audio after having enjoyed Northern Lights over the summer.

I’ve read three shorter books this week and finished an audiobook. I adored Michelle Harrison’s new verse chapter book for younger readers, Midnight Magic which follows a rather mischievous magical black kitten as she looks for a new home.

I’ve also read The Griffin Gate, Vashti Hardy’s first book for the wonderful Barrington Stoke who focus on publishing dyslexia friendly books. I’ve posted my review.

I read Zombierella by Joseph Coelho which is another story in verse, and the start of a new series.  The premise of this story is wonderful as fairy tales that have not been read go bad and change … this one tells the story of Cinderella whose fairy godmother brings her back from the dead to attend the prince’s ball. There is plenty of humour and gore to keep children entertained, but I’m not sure if perhaps it will be a little too much for more sensitive readers. 

I finished listening to The Ghost’s Child by Sonya Hartnett, and it has quickly become one of my favourite YA books ever, although it is perfectly suited to adults too!  I’m definitely going to be reading more of her books.  The Children of the King and The Silver Donkey are on my radar.  The writing is superb and I was quickly drawn into Matilda’s world as she recalled a life lived, a life worthy of living despite the pain and loss.  75 year old Matilda is visited by a teenage boy, and reminisces about her life.  There are some painful moments and some difficult parts to listen to (which could be triggers) but it was worth every second.  It is hard to categorise this into any genre but there are definite touches of magical realism and fable.    Matilda recounts joyous and painful moments of finding and losing love, of searching for answers and of moving on.  Her resilience and strength are awe-inspiring.  There is an ode to nature and a real magical quality to the writing. I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

I’ve absolutely loved every book written by Kiran Millwood Hargrave so I can’t wait any longer to read her new middle-grade, A Secret of Birds and Bone. I’m also going to try to read The Time Traveller and the Tiger on NetGalley.

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

I was so excited to learn that Vashti Hardy was writing a new dyslexia-friendly series for Barrington Stoke.  I have adored all of Vashti’s middle-grade books, Brightstorm, Darkwhispers and Wildspark and, of course, was eager to get my hands on a copy of The Griffin Gate as soon as it was published.  It was so worth the wait!  What a start to this exhilarating new series! 

13-year-old Grace Griffin comes from a family of Wardens started by her Great Grandma who invented the Griffin Map, a technologically advanced map linked by portals to all the towns and villages in Moreland so that people can ask for help if they are in need.  The Griffin family protect the people by teleporting to where they are needed when they are alerted to problems through the map. 

What an amazing job!  Grace thinks so, but unfortunately, she is a warden-in-training, not allowed to be a fully fledged warden until she is 15 so she is banned from taking part in family missions. 

Some rules are made to be broken.

Grace feels she is ready to take part in missions and, when the opportunity arises, she finds herself teleporting to a village in need of help from the Wardens but, once there, she finds she has a greater problem to deal with than she was expecting … will Grace and her trusty mechanical raven, Watson, be able to overcome the peril they find themselves in, and return to Copperport with mission accomplished?

This is such an exhilarating, exciting, fast-paced story with some brilliant twists and revelations, a mystery to be solved and monsters to be defeated.  I am so glad there’s going to be more adventures for Grace …

I adored Grace who is a feisty young girl, determined to prove herself just as capable as her older brother, Bren.  Although her impulsive nature leads her into trouble, it also leads to an amazing adventure.  She is clever, courageous and resourceful ably assisted by her faithful mechanical raven, Watson.  Oh my!  Watson!  Grumpy, sarky, straight-talking, but with a heart of gold:  just the kind of friend that is needed when trouble comes calling …

The illustrations by Natalie Smillie are absolutely wonderful and so expressive, complementing this world and its characters perfectly.

This is such a wonderful story which introduces an incredible new world with some fascinating technology; a determined young girl; and, a family who come to accept that ‘Some rules are made to be broken’.  This is one of those stories that warms your heart, draws you into its enchantment and takes you on an exciting adventure … perfect for readers of 8+, and one I’m very happy to be recommending to my class.

Witch is an incredibly powerful and deeply emotional story that held me enthralled from the opening pages. 

Evey and her younger sister Dill witness the brutal murder of their mother by the local witchfinder and his men.  Evey makes a promise to avenge her mother’s death by killing the men.  Leaving her nine-year-old sister with their Aunt, she seeks vengeance alone.  However, she soon finds herself with a new friend, the local Lord’s daughter, Anne and together they embark on a dangerous mission, a mission which will see them forging unbreakable bonds and taking courageous risks to seek vengeance.

This is a heartfelt story about the strength, courage and determination it takes to right wrongs, to re-dress the balance of nature.  A story of delving deep into your inner psyche and finding yourself, of self-belief and finding a transformative power within … a story of fury, of healing, of magick.

It is also a story of friendship, family, betrayal and fear encapsulated in a deep-rooted magick which is at the heart of the story.  Those in positions of power seek to use and control the women who can channel the magick for political gain, but they also fear, and are suspicious of, these women so seek to destroy. 

The raw grief, pain and anger which is tearing the sisters apart is heartbreakingly portrayed.  I found the complicated relationship between Evey and Dill a real strength of the narrative.  There is deep love, but also jealousy and brutal honesty caught up in their relationship with magick, their mother and each other.  They both have admirable inner strength and incredible reserves of courage.  They suffer, they endure, but they rise above their persecution.  The other main female in the story, Anne, has also suffered great loss at the hands of men, and is empathetic, kind-hearted and courageous.  I really enjoyed the friendship between her and Evey.

Overall, this is a deeply atmospheric, rich and emotive story which is both heart-breaking and uplifting.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well, what a month September has been! Back to school with my new class and new routines! It’s been so fantastic to be with a class again, teaching them in person rather than on-line BUT it is so very exhausting which has affected my reading this month. I have loved sharing so many new books with my new class and recommending books to each child. They are loving our class read, The Land of Roar, which I’ve almost finished with them. I have been trying hard to get all work completed during the week, so I don’t work at weekends which has been mostly successful so far.

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 14 books this month which includes 9 physical books, 2 e-books and 3 audiobooks.

Physical books:

I bought The Ship of Shadows, The Missing Barbegazi and The Children of Swallow Fell. The others were sent on behalf of publishers in exchange for honest reviews.

e-books:

I read After the War on Borrowbox and I downloaded Witch to my Kindle after being approved on NetGalley.

audiobooks:

I listened to all of these on Borrowbox. They are all very different but very, very good and highly recommended.

Books I’ve bought:

I’ve treated myself to quite a lot of books this month even though it might take me a while to get round to reading them! 1st October was a huge publication day, but a lot of the books published then could be picked up slightly earlier so I didn’t wait! I’ve just counted, and I bought 17 books this month. I really need another bookcase as I buy books faster than I can read them!

NetGalley:

I’m trying hard not to request too many books on NetGalley. My Feedback Ratio is currently at 88%. I have 4 books to read on my NetGalley shelf although I have wished for Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston so fingers crossed, but not holding out much chance I fear! Books currently on my NetGalley Shelf to read:

Physical books sent by publishers/review sites for review:

I’ve read and written reviews for all of these now, apart from The Incredible Record Smashers which I just received this week.

Reviews posted:

1. The International Yeti Collective – Shadowspring
2. Skeleton Keys The Legend of Gap-tooth Jack
3. Grimm
4. Emily Knight I am … Becoming (Blog Tour)
5. The Key to Finding Jack
6. The Ship of Shadows (MG Takes on Thursday)
7. Anisha Accidental Detective: School’s Out
8. The Humans
9. The Midnight Swan

Completing my September Wrap-Up makes me realise I maybe got more reading and reviewing completed than I thought I had which I’m really pleased about. Roll on a good October reading month!

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

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:

Because friendships, and all the complicated emotions and unpredictable feelings that came with them, had proved to be nothing other than disastrous for Casper in the past.

This book in three words:

WONDER, FRIENDSHIP, ADVENTURE

I absolutely love the Unmapped Chronicles series. There is something very magical about Abi’s writing which envelops you completely in her glorious worlds with the most brilliant characters, narrative and settings.

Casper Tock is living in Faraway (our World), which is being devastated by very unusual weather conditions.  He is trying to escape from school bullies when he inadvertently unlocks the way to Rumblestar, one of the Unmapped Kingdoms, which is being threatened by an old enemy. 

There he meets the irrepressible, and brilliantly named, Utterly Thankless who promptly arrests him … and shortly after rescues him.  And so begins their incredible adventure into The Beyond where they meet magical creatures including the delightfully creepy drizzle hags and the kind-hearted, new-age snow trolls. 

Their daring mission to attempt to save both their worlds is full of fast-paced action, tension which ebbs and flows with magical ease interspersed with humour and the realisation of a deep friendship.

This is a real marvel of a story:  an enchanting read, brimming with adventure, nuggets of wisdom and a testament to the power of friendship.  

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!

Jungledrop is an exhilarating, magical adventure brimming with action, excitement and warmth which is set in a stunning glow-in-the-dark rainforest.  It is the second book in the Unmapped Chronicles series after the equally superb Rumblestar:  I was so pleased to be briefly reacquainted with one of the characters from it – just like meeting an old friend!

There is nothing endearing about the Petty-Squabble parents who are intent on building their empire with no regard whatsoever for the feelings of others, including that of their children.  Their twins, Fox and Fibber, have been brought up to abide by the family motto:  Do not be afraid to stamp all over other peoples’ feelings.  And that is exactly what they do – they are rude, unkind and nasty – especially towards each other as sibling rivalry is encouraged by their parents.  And yet?  I felt sympathy for them from the beginning which is a testament to the quality and depth of the writing. 

Fibber and Fox are the product of their upbringing and have shielded themselves from hurt and the absence of love by building walls and battling against each other to earn their parents’ approval.  This leads to jealousy, mistrust and, well, just plain nastiness towards each other, yet there are glimmers of hope that, deep down, they have better attributes than those they display openly, but will they ever have the courage and strength to reveal what they have hidden deep inside?

I must admit that the twins are not typical heroes, but their opportunity to save not one world, but two soon arrives when they find themselves taking the Here and There Express train to the Unmapped Kingdom of Jungledrop where they meet a young Unmapper, Iggy Blether and his intuitive and rather intrusive parrot, Heckle who repeats what people are thinking, not what they are saying – brilliant and insightful!  Iggy shares the imminent destruction of Jungledrop by the evil harpy Morg and her Midnight minions, and reveals to the twins that the fate of both their world (the Faraway) and Jungledrop lies with them …

So begins an incredibly exciting action-packed adventure with our reluctant and unlikely heroes as they journey through the awe-inspiring jungle in a daring and dangerous quest where they strive to save Jungledrop.  An adventure where they travel on magical unicycles, meet golden panthers, navigate with a Flickertug map and so, so much more that truly astounded me and left me in awe of both the story-telling and the world-building. 

The world-building is absolutely incredible, a symphony for the imagination, with a master conductor who immerses the reader in the wonders of a richly imagined world:  sights, sounds, flora and fauna all blend perfectly from the glow-in-the dark rainforest to the swiftwings, golden panthers and gobblequick trees. 

Will the twins be able to work as a team, open themselves to new friendships and trust in each other, or will betrayal, rivalry and suspicion destroy any chance of success as they navigate a perilous quest to defeat Morg and overcome their own inner fears?

Fibber and Fox’s emotional journey and transformation is beautifully portrayed and really accentuates the importance of both self-belief and having others believe in you, in treating others as you would want to be treated.  The powerful messages scattered throughout the story are incredibly uplifting and heart-warming. 

To be kind is to be strong.

Jungledrop is an absolute must-read: a heart-warming magical fantasy that swept me into an incredible, action-packed adventure in a sumptuously rich world, and kept me enthralled throughout and left me, as always, in awe of Abi’s sheer story-telling brilliance! 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Simon & Schuster for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m currently listening to The Ghost’s Child by Sonya Hartnett on Borrowbox. I am loving this story about 75-year-old Matilda who is visited by a boy. She then begins to tell him the story of her life. I think this one is going to bring tears! I’m just about to start The Griffin Gate by Vashti Hardy. I’ve loved her books for slightly older readers, so am really looking forward to this one which is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke.

I have finished listening to Bloom which I absolutely loved. It is such a quirky story with a good deal of humour and warmth. I loved the environmental message. I’ve also read The International Yeti Collective Shadowspring and Skeleton Keys The Legend of Gap-Tooth Jack, and have managed to post my reviews! I also read The Children of Swallow Fell which was not at all what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. The writing is so wonderful and also swept me into its magic. I loved the theme of re-generation and nature.

I have just bought a LOT of books as I wanted to support as many of the authors as I could who are releasing books on 1st October, so I have a lot of choice this month. I’ve decided on Molly Thompson and the Crypt of the Blue Moon as I loved the first book in this series so much.

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