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I have just started The Orphans of St Halibut’s which I think I’m going to enjoy. I have also just started listening to my next audiobook, Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found.

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I’ve finished listening to The Subtle Knife which was just extraordinary. The ending has made me download The Amber Spyglass which I’m hoping to listen to as my next audiobook.

I also listened to The House of Clouds which was just wonderful. It is a short book, published by Barrington Stoke who are a dyslexia-friendly publisher. The story is beautifully crafted, heart-warming and poignant. It really struck a chord in these difficult times, and shows the importance of holding your family close and spending time with them.

I’ve also finished A Secret of Birds and Bones which has become my favourite book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I will have more to say later in the week.

I had a lovely lazy early start to Sunday so read The Silver Arrow which I loved. Siblings Kate and Tom are in need of an adventure and, when their Uncle Herbert, gives Kate a train for her birthday, they find themselves on the most incredible adventure with some wonderful animal companions. If you liked The Train to Impossible Places, this one is probably for you. I really liked the environmental message within this one.

I also managed to finally read The Time Traveller and the Tiger which I enjoyed. The description of 1946 India is really evocative, and the environmental message a powerful one. I will post my review soon.

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I’m definitely going to listen to The Amber Spyglass on audio next. I’m also going to read a physical copy of Malice in Underland which sounds perfect for a late-October spooky read! I’m hoping to get a few more books read as well as its half-term next week, but I haven’t decided which ones yet!

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

Oh my heart!  This is another absolute triumph of a story written by the wonder that is Sophie Anderson!  The language is exquisite and immediately enveloped me in its magic and warmth, keeping me absolutely mesmerised as I immersed myself in Olia’s stunning adventure. 

Olia lives in Castle Mila with her parents, baby sister and Babusya.  Her Babusya has warned her that a huge storm is approaching the Castle, which may well destroy it.  Battling through her fears, Olia finds herself travelling through one of the Castle’s Domes into a world of tangled magic, a world beyond the Castle where she must venture to save her family and her home from a magical storm. 

So begins the most incredible adventure into the Land of Forbidden Magic, an adventure that will require all of Olia’s courage, strength and self-belief to overcome the challenges and dangers she will face …

The world-building is simply stunning brought wondrously to life by beautiful imagery as Olia finds herself in a world which has been entangled in silver thread.  Will she be able to find the source of the thread and free both worlds from enchantment, or will deception and trickery thwart her attempts? 

I loved the story of Olia’s heritage and how the world beyond the Castle came into existence.  The references to Slavic folklore permeate and enrich the story, and I especially loved Koshka (having read James Mayhew’s wonderful Koshka’s Tales, recommended by the author).  I also loved the part that the nature-spirits played in the story and, of course, the wonderful domovoi, Feliks who offers Olia encouragement, friendship and hope.

This is a truly incredible action-packed story imbued with a real sense of urgency as Olia races to save both worlds, learning more about magic and her own abilities.  She is a wonderful young girl who feels a heavy burden of responsibility to undo the wrongs of her ancestors.  She feels anger and shame, but she is a strong and courageous young girl who defends the weak, even when it puts her in danger.  She is resilient and determined, but she is also impetuous, makes mistakes and doubts herself.  Will she be strong enough to believe in herself, and reunite with her family? 

Belief is one of the few things more powerful than magic.

This is an intricate, magical and truly beautifully told story that transported me to a world I didn’t want to leave, a world inspired by Slavic folklore and daring adventure where family and friendship triumph, and where the goodness in others overcomes prejudice and fear.  The ending brought the biggest smile of contentment I think I’ve ever experienced on finishing a book – sheer perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne for approving me to read an early copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.  I have now bought a signed and stamped copy which I will be re-reading during a long winter evening.  I have to add that the images in the final copy by Saara Söderlund are absolutely stunning.  I adored the style of these illustrations which complement the folklore and magical quality of the story perfectly.

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!

When Herc woke up in the middle of the night, his first thought was of the cake, which had already been stolen twice. His second thought – that he had most definitely heard a noise downstairs – should probably have come first, but his brain had firm ideas about what sorts of things were important and there was no point in fighting it.

Any ideas?

This looks like such a fun read which is just what I’m looking for! The illustrations by David Tazzyman are wonderful.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There’s something fishy going on at St Halibut’s Home for Waifs and Strays . . .
Life at St Halibut’s Home has been idyllic for two months, ever since the children buried their matron (don’t look like that – it was an accident!) Helpfully, the not-so-dear departed matron left behind a surprisingly large stash of money, which will keep them in black-market lemon sherbets for the rest of their lives. Tig, Stich and Herc just have to make sure nobody finds out they’re on their own. But when they find out that St Halibut’s is to be inspected by DEATH (the Department for Education, Assimilation, Training and Health), they start to panic. They’ll need to convince the inspector that everything is peachy or they’ll be sent to the Mending House – where badly-behaved orphans go, never to return. As the big day approaches, the children start to think they might just pull it off. But when the inspector arrives, things don’t just go wrong, they get spectacularly out of hand . . . Join Tig, Stef and Herc in this hilarious and quirky adventure about friendship and the power of the underdog from debut author Sophie Wills, illustrated throughout by the million-copy bestselling David Tazzyman. 

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:

It was tough going, but she had the sense that she and Fletch were slipping through reality at incalculable speeds, and she couldn’t help the joyous tingle that ran down her spine and made the hairs on her arms stand up.

This book in three words:

MAGICAL, ADVENTURE, FRIENDSHIP

I’ve absolutely loved this series and have been lucky enough to have been approved to read Suzy’s next adventure, Delivery to the Lost City which is due to be published on 7th January.

This second book in the series starts two months after Suzy’s first adventure into the Union of Impossible Places, the events of which are told in The Train to Impossible Places.   She has missed her friends from Trollville, so is incredibly excited to receive a secret invitation to re-join The Impossible Postal Express. When Suzy arrives in Trollville, she is reunited with her friends, the crew of the Postal Express, and is overjoyed to be taking on her role as Postie again!  But, of course, things do not run smoothly.  Just as the train is about to be inaugurated by the wonderfully eccentric Troll King, the first earthquake ever to shake Trollville occurs, and chaos ensues as everyone in the city is put in danger.

This is an incredibly fast-paced, magical adventure which utterly enchanted and delighted me as it led me on a thrilling journey, full of danger and discoveries which are just so cleverly interspersed throughout the story that I had just had to keep reading, especially as many chapters ended on cliff hangers which made this an unputdownable book.  The world-building is incredibly rich and fizzing with inventiveness; it is enhanced even further by the delightful images by Flavia Sorrentino. 

You can read my full review of this gorgeous book 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!

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I’m listening to The Subtle Knife and am absolutely loving it – nearly finished. The narration is great and I’ve become completely immersed in this world, like I’m watching a movie play in my mind. I’ve also started one of my most anticipated reads, A Secret of Birds & Bone. OMG! The start of this story is just incredible! I haven’t got as far as I thought I would as I’ve been busy at work, but I just know I’m going to love this one.

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I’ve finished reading the brilliant Molly Thompson and the Crypt of the Blue Moon which I absolutely loved. I so hope that there is another mystery for Molly to solve. I’ve posted my review. I was in Waterstones at the weekend and was browsing the shelves for adult books for a change! I spotted Ghost Wall and couldn’t resist getting it, and reading it on Sunday. It is a short book but my goodness does it pack a lot in! It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was a very powerful read which kept me engrossed.

I’m aiming to read The Time Traveller and the Tiger next. I had hoped to read it last week, but work got in the way!

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!

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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.

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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.