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!

Do you remember your first Ghastly Night? The first time you saw Eerie-on-Sea’s special Halloween show? The first time you gathered on the pier with your friends and family, and huddled in the cold night air – and the glow of the manglewick candles – as you waited for the magic to begin?

Any ideas?

I absolutely loved Malamander and Gargantis and and am so excited that this will be my next read.

Goodreads synopsis:

In this third adventure, shipwrecked orphan Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, must square off with a creature of town lore as he confronts a shadow from his past. While other towns celebrate Halloween, in Eerie-on-Sea it’s Ghastly Night, and a grim spirit in a lantern awaits its moment. Legend has it that if people fail to light manglewick candles on Ghastly Night, and if no showman conjures shadow puppets on the pier as an offering, the insulted Shadowghast will seize and devour the shadows of the living. This year, a professional theatre troupe has been summoned, including a raven-haired magician named Caliastra with startling news of Herbie’s origins. No sooner have the players checked into the hotel than townspeople start vanishing into thin air, including the guardian of Herbie’s best friend, Violet Parma. It’s up to Herbie and Violet to separate truth from sleight of hand and solve the mystery of the Shadowghast lantern before darkness swallows them all.

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 …

Favourite Sentence from Page 11:

And far, far away – streaming through space – someone felt VERY guilty about what had just happened.

This book in three words:

FRIENDSHIP, HUMOUR, OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD

How to be a Human is a heart-warming, humorous and joyous adventure that celebrates genuine friendships, finding the courage to be true to yourself and the wonder of the small things that are often taken for granted. 

Kiki has been ditched by the Popular Crew at Fairfield Academy and is feeling hurt and humiliated by their meanness.  Wes, who has been home-schooled, has moved to Fairfield during the summer and finds himself on his own, and a target for bullies.  The Star Boy has crash-landed during an unexpected storm outside their school, and is hiding out in the boiler room until he is rescued …

The Star Boy is curious and is amazed by the natural environment, but what he really wants to do is study humans, so when he sees a Human Girl, he makes a decision to observe more closely, and it is not long before he enters into the lives of Kiki and Wes who are beginning to form a tentative connection.  Can these three navigate the bonds of new friendships through shared and new experiences, trust and honesty?

This is a gorgeously touching and humorous story of navigating friendship, sprinkled with mayhem, hilarity and pertinent observations, that kept me utterly captivated throughout. 

I adored the Star Boy – a.k.a. Stan Boyd – who has a real innocent quality and a refreshing honesty, as he explores what it is to be a human, taking joy in his rather unusual wish list, like travelling on a bus and visiting the Discount Carpet Warehouse.  His obvious delight in his new experiences and friendships is infectious and brought a ready smile. Despite not being human, his perceptive observations on human relationships and his own understanding of what genuine friendship entails were spot on! I can’t wait to follow his next adventure!

Both Kiki and Wes are incredibly sympathetic characters, both having found the transition to secondary school difficult.  Wes finds himself the target of bullies and is finding it hard to make friends, trying to deal with the bullying on his own.  Kiki has turned her back on her old friends from primary school in order to be part of the popular group, but finds herself on the receiving end of their nastiness when she makes a mistake.  They are brought together through shared connections, through their need to help the Star Boy and their search for real friendship. 

This is a wonderfully heartfelt and laugh-out-loud adventure that is perfect for readers of 9+.

Thank you to Little Tiger 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!

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I’m just about to start Fireborn and definitely think it will be one I enjoy. I’ve just started listening to David Tennant reading The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever. This is a series which I’ve really enjoyed and I’m looking forward to finally finding out who the narrator is!

I’ve had lots of time to read since getting back from Ireland and have read four books. I’ve just finished How to be a Human which is a heart-warming, humorous adventure about friendship, being true to yourself and appreciating the small things in life. I will be posting a review of this one.

I’ve really enjoyed the Pages & Co series and, as I know the next one will be released in September, I decided to read the third one, Tilly and the Map of Stories which I adored. I just love the celebration of books, stories and imagination. Tilly and Oskar need to stop the Underwoods from binding source editions of books and denying bookwanderers the right to travel within these stories for their own nefarious ends. This sees them travelling to Washington’s Underlibrary, bookwandering into one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dreams and trying to find the fabled Archivists to get help to protect bookwandering. I love, love, love the characters they meet in their brilliant adventure. I think this is my favourite of the series so far as Tilly and Oskar battle to keep stories alive for all readers.

I also read The Ghost of Gosswater which is a beautifully evocative mystery that kept me engrossed throughout. Twelve-year-old Lady Agatha, who is banished from her home by her cruel and greedy cousin, the new Earl of Gosswater Hall is given some shocking news: her father is not the deceased Earl, but a local farmer who takes her to live in his cottage. Agatha is a wonderfully strong and resilient young girl who is determined to find out the truth of her parentage, and when a ghostly girl comes into her life, she finds herself caught up in a mystery to uncover the secrets of her past. I adored the portrayal of the tentative relationship that forms between Aggie and Thomas. And there’s a goose who is utterly brilliant!

Finally, I read A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth which was a magical read which I devoured in a day, despite it being one of the longest middle-grade books I’ve read in a while. I love portal magic stories and this one follows Imogen and her little sister Marie as they chase a moth through a door in a tree, and into the life of a royal prince, Miro, and into the most fantastical, dark but humorous adventure, with a wonderful cast of characters including monsters, an evil Queen-in-waiting and a dancing bear. I loved the children in this story who are far from perfect, but are there for each other when it really matters. I also really enjoyed the exploration of ‘monsters’ in this story. The illustrations by Chris Riddell are also wonderful. I will definitely be picking it the next book in the series, Beyond the Mountains, when it is released in October.

I absolutely loved Malamander and Gargantis and am really looking forward to returning to Eerie-On-Sea with Violet and Herbie in Shadowghast.

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

The House on the Edge is a thrilling, poignant mystery that kept me utterly captivated throughout: a story of past and present; of loss and healing; and, of community, friendship and family. 

Faith lives in an old house, The Lookout, perched precariously on the edge of a cliff which is in danger of being lost to the sea as cracks form in the garden, but the house is not the only thing that is in danger of being lost …

Faith’s family is in danger of falling apart after the disappearance of her father which has left her mother’s mental health in a very fragile state.  Faith is trying hard to support her mother, her younger brother Noah and herself.  Noah is obsessed with the notion that there is a sea ghost living in their cellar, a ghost who is looking for lost treasure.  Meanwhile, her Uncle Art is determined to take ownership of her family home.  Will Faith be able to save her family home before it is taken by the sea, or her uncle?  When Noah goes missing, Faith finds herself on a mission to save not only her home, but her brother …

This is a wonderfully atmospheric read with oodles of intrigue that kept me on the edge-of-my seat as I was mesmerised by the tantalising twists and tragic truths hidden within family history and local legend.  I loved how the history of The Lookout was reflected in both the past and the present in tales of sea ghosts, sacrifice, greed, shipwrecks and lost treasure, a reflection of the past filtering through to, and impacting on, the present … 

Faith is an incredibly sympathetic young girl.  She is angry and trying to hide it; she withdraws from her friends; she protects herself through denial and lying:  such an authentic and heart-breaking portrayal of a young carer who is lost, scared and hurting, and who struggles to allow others to help her, trying to remain invisible in order to hide her family problems from others.  I felt that her emotional journey was very sensitively portrayed as she comes to accept and forgive, showing great courage and strength in doing so. 

This is a wonderfully heartfelt, gripping mystery that I would highly recommend to those of 9+. 

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.   I have now bought a copy for my class library.

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

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.

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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.

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

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 …

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.

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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.

I’m hoping to read How to be a Human next.

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

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.

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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.

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Books I’ve bought:

I have bought 9 books this month, and have managed to read one of them!

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