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!
The Ghost House sits upon the shore of the river, beneath a great hulking viaduct, next to a graveyard. It is built of dark, damp stone bricks that wink in the moonlight. Its windows are small, its ragged rooftops swoop down low, and lights flicker within.
Any ideas?
I love Amy Wilson’s books, and am so looking forward to reading this one which I found released slightly early in my local bookshop today and, of course, couldn’t resist getting it.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Valerie has been living at Lightning Falls nearly all her life. She’s perfectly happy helping Meg and the rest of the family to haunt the guests who come to stay there – it is the Ghost House after all. One night, she sees a strange boy, Joe, up on the viaduct . Here she discovers that beneath the river is a bridge – one that will take her to the world of Orbis, which Joe claims is her real home. A world that is under threat. Their magical anchors are being stolen causing the power to seep out of their world, and Joe has journeyed to Lightning falls to win them back. Plunged into a dangerous adventure as the link between the two worlds begins to crumble into star showers, Valerie is forced to confront the truth about herself.
Stage Fright is a collection of three short, spooky stories set in the same London theatre during different historical periods. Each of these thrilling tales sent a shiver down my spine, and are perfect for readers looking for short, suspenseful reads with tantalising twists which evoke a frisson of fear.
A Perilous Act sees brothers Dan and Jas entering a dilapidated Empire Royal Theatre expecting to find it deserted, but instead they meet a strange old man in the box office, who tells the boys a terrifying tale that takes them back to the heyday of the theatre in 1899 when daring and dangerous acts were performed on its stage. I became just as engrossed in listening to the old man’s tale of treachery and revenge as the boys, and loved the slow building of suspense, and the feeling that we were not the only ones listening …
The Ghost Light takes the reader to 1941 where we meet Mo in the theatre where she helps her Uncle Jack who is in charge of the stagehands putting on the Christmas pantomime. Mo finds herself using the stage’s safety ‘ghost’ light to try to locate her uncle after he disappears whilst searching for one of his missing crew. Could these disappearances have anything to do with the sinister conversation Mo has overheard between two guests at her mother’s boarding house? This is an exhilaratingly thrilling tale set during the Blitz which is deliciously creepy with a brilliantly dark twist …
A Strange Exit sees stargazer and cosmology-fan Jules determined to visit his local theatre-turned-cinema to enjoy a new film, Star Wars even though he is too young to see it without an adult, and his parents are too busy to take him. This not does deter Jules and, after sneaking into the auditorium, he finds himself on his own until he meets a rather unusual young boy who offers Jules an irresistible bargain, a bargain that changes both of their lives in the most unexpected way … a spine-tinglingly delicious tale.
There are also some wonderfully detailed illustrations that beautifully evoke time periods and atmosphere, and complement the stories perfectly.
This exciting collection of short stories are brimming with suspense, twists and chills and are sure to delight both avid and more reluctant readers of 9+ who are fans of historical fiction and ghostly mysteries.
Thank you to the publisher, Dinosaur Books, for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.
I’ve now got back from visiting my family in Ireland, and have arrived home to some wonderful book post, including a copy of How to be a Human which I will be starting this evening.
I did some reading on the flight to Ireland and some early morning reading and managed to finish two books this week. Stage Fright is a collection of three stories set in the same theatre during different periods. I enjoyed these spooky tales, and will be posting my review shortly. I also finished Hide and Seek which is the first book by this author which I’ve read, but I definitely now want to read his others. This is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking historical adventure with one of the most courageous heroines I’ve ever encountered.
I’m hoping to read Fireborn which is due for release in September next.
This is my weekly meme celebrating amazing middle-grade books. This week I’ve decided to revamp the banner to include the book I’m celebrating.
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 …
Written by Sylvia Bishop Illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino Published by Scholastic
Favourite Sentence from Page 11:
With the bat safely contained, Throgmorton’s School for Girls shook itself, and settled back down to a regular evening.
This book in three words:
MYSTERY, FRIENDSHIP, BATS
The Midnight Thief is a gloriously gripping, action-packed and clever mystery set in a boarding school that kept me enthralled throughout.
Freya is a somewhat reluctant boarder at Throgmorton’s School for Girls. After a chaotic encounter, with hilarious consequences, with a bat in the out-of-bounds School attic, she meets wildlife-loving twins, Esmie and Daniel who are on an intriguing mission: to find out why the local bats, who should be hibernating, are waking up in their roosts. They invite Freya to a midnight meeting which sees her breaking the strict school rules, and sneaking out to help her new friends with their investigation…
However, the next morning Freya wakes to some shocking news: all seven of the Eldrida Dragons, which belong to Lord Throgmorton, have been stolen. Who could have taken these priceless artefacts? And, more worryingly, will the curse which follows the dragons should they be united be unleashed?
Freya finds herself in a race against time to unveil the culprit before her distinguished archaeologist father arrives at the school. Could her new friends be involved in their disappearance, or could the midnight thief be even closer than she imagines?
So begins an incredibly exciting, page-turning mystery as Freya’s investigations reveal tantalising clues, uncover secrets, and lead to more than one possible suspect, but who has the most to gain by the theft of these precious dragon sculptures?
I really liked Freya who is a wonderfully curious, determined and quick-thinking young girl who is not averse to breaking rules, but who is also finding it difficult to form friendships in a new environment, an environment into which she has not been welcomed. Esmie and Daniel are also both incredibly likeable. Freya first meets them hanging upside down in the school, and they immediately reach out to her, perhaps sensing her loneliness as they are very perceptive, and offer her much-needed friendship.
I LOVED each chapter ending which switches effortlessly to the viewpoint of an animal observing the humans around them. These very cleverly link to the main plot, but also gave a wonderful insight into animal habits and behaviours. Absolutely brilliant!
The full- and partial-page black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout are superb and complement the story perfectly giving a real nostalgic feel and air of mystery.
This is marvellously magical must-read for young, and older, fans of boarding school adventures and mystery with heart-warming friendships, suspects galore and perceptive wildlife!
Thank you to Harriet Dunlea and Scholastic for an early 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 about to start Hide and Seek which sounds amazing, and one which I think will bring tears.
I’ve finished reading The House on the Edge which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the build-up of tension, the twists and the setting. Faith is a really likeable main character. I also read The Midnight Thief which is a wonderful boarding school mystery. I will be posting my reviews for both of these soon.
Wow! July was a LONG month, and probably one of the hardest I’ve had in teaching due to the constant worry with so many classes having to isolate in the last couple of weeks before break up – by far, the worst period of the pandemic for school in terms of both adults and children having to isolate after positive tests. At one point, there was only me and one of our LSAs left of the team of 7 for Year 4 – that was a hard week! BUT, I’m on holiday now and enjoying some much needed down time. I’m also aiming to try to get a little healthier and fitter over the summer, so I’ve bought a rowing machine and am going on lots of walks. I’m also finding time to read lots which I’m loving. My reading and blogging is likely to take a back seat for the next week or so as my sister and her partner are coming over to visit today which I’m so excited about as I haven’t seen them in nearly a year.
Books I’ve read:
I’ve read 12 books this month: 9 physical copies, 1 e-book and 2 audiobooks. I’ve written and posted reviews for 6 of the books I’ve read.
NetGalley:
My Feedback Ratio is now at 93%. I have only requested one more book this month: Shadowghast. This is the third book set in Eerie-on-Sea after Malamander and Gargantis. I absolutely couldn’t resist this as I adored the first two books.
Books sent by publishers:
I have been lucky enough to have been sent these books by publishers this month. I took part in the Blog Tour for Tiger Warrior. I have also read The Midnight Thief which I really enjoyed, and am writing my review. Hide and Seek is being released on 12th August, and sounds like it will be an emotional read.
Books I’ve bought:
I have bought 9 books this month, and have managed to read one of them!
How has your month been?Have you read any of these?
Thank you so much to Cranachan Publishing and to Antonia for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and for providing me with an early copy of ‘The Race’ . I’m excited to be sharing some wonderful creative writing videos linked to sport from Roy Peachey, perfect for keeping children busy during the summer and a fantastic teacher resource. I will also be sharing my Review for this wonderful historical adventure.
I really enjoyed watching these videos on creative writing linked to sport, and think they would make fantastic starters in a classroom. I have included my favourite quote taken from the videos to start each video section.
Getting started
The most important thing to remember is that, when we are writing, we just need to start, we just need to get going …
Let the javelin choose your words
… what we need to do really is to put words together in an interesting, and perhaps unusual, way …
Metaphors on the hockey pitch
Using metaphors, subtlety but effectively, in our writing can make a huge bit of difference …
The triple jump and triads
… if you’re looking to develop your writing, you’re not quite sure how, simply think in terms of threes: make a point, make it in a slightly different way and then make it in a slightly different way again. The third way is the way that really grabs your reader …
From drills to skills
Where do writers get their ideas from? Well, one answer to that question is that they get them from reading. They read lots, they read widely and, if you can do that as well, if you can read lots, if you can read widely, you will find that the ideas start to spill out of you … read whatever you’re interested in …
Batting your way to success
… the more of it [creative writing] you do, the better you’ll get …
My Review
The Race is an incredibly inspirational and heart-warming dual narrative about racing, family and dedication which kept me completely engrossed throughout. A stunning and important story of perseverance, self-awareness and inclusion.
Twelve-year-old Lili is Chinese-British, having been adopted in China when she was 18 months old by her English/Scottish parents who have also adopted her sister, Alice from Kazakhstan. Lili has a keen interest in, and talent for, racing competitively; however, she is faced with racism and prejudice from Tom, a boy in her class who constantly undermines and belittles her Chinese heritage.
As part of her school’s anniversary celebrations, the Queen is coming to visit for Sports Day, but there will be no separate races for the boys and girls. Lili is determined to train hard and remain disciplined in order to show Tom that she is the better runner, but he is determined to do everything in his power to put her off her pace. Will she have the inner strength and determination to run the race of her life?
Their teacher gives the children a project to find out about the person who the Chinese consider to be their first gold medallist Olympian, Eric Liddell and it is his incredible story that we follow in the past as Lili’s story unfolds in the present. I must admit that I didn’t know anything about Eric Liddell whose 1924 Olympic success is portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire, but there is so much more to Liddell than his racing achievements. When he found himself caught up in the Second Sino-Japanese War and then the Second World War, he became separated from his family and faced life in a prison camp in China, helping the imprisoned children. His story is truly exceptional: a person of integrity who showed kindness and consideration for others in the most difficult and trying of circumstances.
I loved the connectedness across time between Eric and Lili, both of whose lives are thrown into chaos by events outside their control. Both show great resilience, strength and self-belief in the face of challenges. They both strongly believe in the importance of family, in looking out for others and in kindness. I found both Lili and Eric to be genuinely wonderful, inspirational people.
This is a remarkable and heartfelt story with history and fiction combined in such a brilliant and perfect way that I was completely swept into the narrative and found myself racing through it, and then stopping to take a breath as I focussed on these two incredible people, one an inspirational historical figure (who I am so glad to have found out more about) and the other, a young girl, written with such warmth and love that she captured my heart. An absolute winner!
Please do check out the other posts on the Blog Tour:
This is my weekly meme celebrating amazing middle-grade books. This week I’ve decided to revamp the banner to include the book I’m celebrating.
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 …
Written by Kate Wilkinson Illustrated by Joe Berger Published by Piccadilly Press
Favourite Sentence from Page 11:
In less than a second it [the bird] had snatched a silver spoon from an empty cup and shot up the narrow staircase behind her.
This book in three words:
ADVENTURE, FRIENDSHIP, FLITS
Edie and the Box of Flits is a delightfully enchanting story that utterly captivated me, and took me on a magical and exciting adventure filled with daring, discoveries and danger. Absolutely spellbinding!
Eleven-year-old Edie Winter loves travelling on the London Underground and is helping her Dad out in the London Transport Lost Property Office during half term, reuniting owners with their lost belongings. However, she is rather intrigued by a mysterious wooden box left behind: could there be something inside it? Imagine her surprise when she discovers three tiny winged people living in the box: Flits who need her help.
Although Edie is forbidden to take any found item home from the Lost Property Office, she is unable to resist, and takes the family of Flits home with her. Impy, Speckle and Nid desperately need her aid to find their missing family after their home has been destroyed. Can Edie and her new friends find the missing Flits, and expose the culprit behind their disappearance?
This is a delicious treat of a story: fast-paced, action-packed and with plenty of tantalising twists, secrets and revelations sprinkled with a perfect pinch of danger and intrigue, making it a real page-turner. I was wholeheartedly invested in the story as the plot twisted and turned, taking me on a real rollercoaster of an adventure.
I absolutely adored the Flits, who can only be seen by children under 13, and loved that they have very individual personalities which were wonderfully portrayed in the story. I especially liked Impy who is playful, feisty and courageous. The Flits, fans of all things sugary, recycle items thrown away by humans in order to build and furnish their homes: I loved this message about not being wasteful and the importance of recycling and reusing. Edie is a wonderful young girl who has found the move to secondary school difficult due to friendship issues. She finds new friendships with, and through, her bond with the Flits, and shows quick-thinking, strength and courage when helping her new friends.
The illustrations which are scattered throughout are absolutely stunning and complement the story perfectly as do the chapter headings depicted as a tube line.
This is a wonderfully magical, heart-warming adventure of family, friendship and Flits that I have no doubt young readers will adore and want to re-read again and again.
Thank you to Piccadilly Press for an early 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 really enjoying this one, and am definitely keen to find out more about the sea ghosts and, maybe, hidden treasure? I really like the main character, Faith, who has a lot to deal with.
I have finished listening to the audiobook of The Owl Tree on Borrowbox. It is a wonderful story of a boy’s determination to save the tree which overhangs his Granny Diamond’s garden from being felled by his neighbour, Mr Rock. There is a mystical element to the story that I really enjoyed with Gran’s health being somehow linked to the tree and Joe being able to hear the tree talk. I also really enjoyed finding out about Mr Rock’s reasons for wanting to cut down the tree. I’ve also read The Misadventures of Nicholas Nabb which I really loved. Nicholas is such a likeable young boy who finds himself living in the sewers after running away from the orphanage where he has been left as a baby. After stealing a bread roll, he finds himself in trouble until he is saved by a widow in a veil who seems to know him but, before he can find out more, she disappears during a magician’s act. Nicholas, along with his new friend Edwin (who is not all he seems to be) is determined to find her which leads him into danger as he has become unwittingly entangled in the machinations of some rather nasty characters. This is wonderfully fast-paced, humorous and gives a great insight into Victorian London. Nicholas is a brilliant character who I was really rooting for.
I’m hoping to finish some reviews tomorrow and then read The Midnight Thief. Not sure if I’ll get anything else read before next Wednesday as my sister and her partner are coming to visit this weekend (ridiculously excited to see them), and I’m going back to Ireland with them for a few days.
Written by Sophie Kirtley Cover Illustration by Ben Mantle and Lettering by Patrick Knowles Published by Bloomsbury
The Way to Impossible Island is a stunning, action-packed timeslip adventure linking the past to the present in such an exciting and mesmerising way. It wholeheartedly captured me from the peril in the opening chapter to the wonderfully uplifting ending, transporting me into a richly evocative landscape with the most wonderful characters.
If you have already read Sophie’s first book, The Wild Way Home, then you will adore the links to characters in this story; however, this can certainly be read as a standalone although I’m certain you’ll want to pick up The Wild Way Home immediately after reading this if you haven’t already read it.
The story switches between two viewpoints: Dara, who lives in the present, and Mothgirl who travels from the Stone Age to the present where both meet in a bid to fulfil personal goals and, in so doing, help and support each other whilst becoming firm friends.
The story opens with Mothgirl whose older brother, Hart, has gone missing. Her home is under threat from the menacing and frightening leader of Vulture Clan who is intent on having Mothgirl join his clan where she will be expected to conform to the expectations for women of the clan. However, Mothgirl is wonderfully free-spirited, strong-willed and determined to carve her own destiny so runs into the forest with her wolf, ByMySide, with whom she has a heartfelt bond which is such a vital part of the story, and one that I adored. She is intent on finding her brother and saving her home from Vulture and, after an intriguing discovery by her wolf, they find themselves in a very changed landscape …
Dara is on holiday on the mainland close to Lathrin Island, a place he is determined to row to after his Big Operation in order to investigate the legend of the Golden Hare, but his dreams are shattered when his operation is delayed yet again, a delay that acts as a catalyst to propel Dara into making a decision to fulfil his goal to visit Lathrin Island, to go on an adventure beyond the mainland …
Whilst getting a boat to row across to the island, he finds a frightened girl wearing animal skins who desperately tries to escape by swimming to the island which forces Dara to overcome his fears and rescue her, leading both on the most incredible adventure, an adventure filled with danger, discovery and courage.
I adore the setting of this story and the appreciation of the natural environment. Lathrin Island is an anagram of Rathlin Island off the North Coast of Northern Ireland, and, I believe, was the inspiration for the imagined island. Even though I went to University in Coleraine and my sister lives there, I have yet to visit Rathlin Island, but now I really, really want to. My sister’s partner kayaks a lot off the coast of Northern Ireland and has visited and tempted me with wonderful pictures of beautiful wild landscapes and animals including seals and puffins.
Photo by G Farrelly, Rathlin Island
This is a story of searching for the possible in the face of seeming impossibilities, of accepting who you are and believing in yourself. Both children initially feel trapped, helpless and frustrated by their situations, but both have the courage to take action, action which leads them into an incredible adventure. I loved the sense of empowerment felt by both Dara and Mothgirl as their belief in themselves, and each other, reveals their inner strength and determination to fulfil their goals, despite the hardships they both face. Whilst wary of each other at first, they form a wonderful empathetic bond of friendship, working together to fight for survival and face their fears.
This is an exhilarating and heartfelt adventure where the ancient past and present day meet through the hopes and fears of the most remarkable young characters who find each other at just the right time … an unforgettable story of friendship, family and acceptance.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I have now bought a physical copy for my class library.
This is my fourth book for my 20 (10) Books of Summer Reading Challenge which is hosted by Cathy Brown on her blog at 746Books.com.
Book Craic 