Set in Cornwall, this fantastic story follows 11 year old Alastair, a lonely child who feels isolated, alone and socially ostracised from his classmates. In addition, Alastair is suffering from a myriad of conditions that only increase his feelings of "otherness". When Saoirse comes to town, everything changes. She isn't hung up on school popularity contests or gossiping social circles. She's more interested in ghost stories and unsolved mysteries. Following her like a shadow is her little brother Billy, a tornado of chaos who knows no fear or social niceties. Together, they form an unlikely team of ghost hunters that must unravel their villages' dark past, complete with frightening ghosts and much more. It's a really funny debut with very memorable characters, I highly recommend it for ages 11+! Some advice from the author! Have you got any advice for young writers? I’d say, write what you enjoy reading. You should be able to read back over what you’ve written with a sense of fulfilment, without embarrassment, and have a ball doing so. And enjoy the process of writing whilst you’re doing it. If you want a job that bores you or stresses you out, stick to a real job—there are plenty of real jobs out there, all gleefully rubbing their hands in anticipation of making your life a dreary, soul-eviscerating hell. Writing should be your passion—the most fun thing to do in the world. Whether it’s a feather-light romcom or a harrowing tragedy, you should still enjoy the process, and behold the finished product with a self-satisfied sense of accomplishment. I’ve read advice that you should force yourself to write x number of words a day, no matter how you’re feeling, just to get something down. Why? So you’ll have a page of uninspired rubbish you had a miserable slog through an Eliotian wasteland strewn with wilted cacti and feather-plucked kingfisher carcasses to produce? I say wait till you’re in the mood, then let it flow out like golden syrup onto waffles. If you approach writing as a joy, then you should find yourself in the mood all the time. Finally, self-doubt is a terrible thing. We’ve all suffered from it: what if I’ve got no talent? What if nobody likes it? How come no one wants to publish me? You’ve just got to keep writing till you get to the stage where you’re satisfied with your writing, when you love reading it, and then trust that somewhere amidst the vast seething cauldron of overpopulated humanity there’ll be at least some people on your wavelength who’ll love it too.
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It's London, 1601, Shakespeare is about to perform his new play for the Twelfth Night festival. Honesty is a girl who unfortunately does not live up to her name. She loves to tell a tale purely for her own entertainment. She's escaping into London in order to run away from a big problem in her Welsh village. When luck falls on her side and she meets the Queen, it results in a lot of new opportunities that she could never dream of before. Alice is the complete opposite, she wants to be away from people, for her own reasons, secrets she must keep hidden away. Alice is willing to do jobs that keep her in the shadows. Both girls have these secrets that they're trying to keep buried deep. Alice and Honesty become unlikely friends and must rely on each other in order to survive. The Elizabethan setting is gorgeous and terrifying at the same time. This is amazing historical fiction that covers friendships and secrets with a great description of Shakespearean times. Don't miss it! Hazel Hill has her eyes on the prize: The annual school speech contest. She is definitely not going to mispronounce "hyperbole" like she did last year. Then she finds out that girls in her school are being harassed by Tyler Harris, the boy who always gets the girl and can seemingly do no wrong, even in the eyes of the school faculty. When she brings her concerns to the principal, it is Hazel and her friends that are punished. Filled with righteous anger, Hazel concocts a plan to take Tyler down and expose him for the creep that he is. This is an important book. It's a book that highlights victim-shaming and sexual harassment in a way that is completely accessible to ages ten and up. Hazel is a fantastic protagonist who will not back down no matter what is thrown in her way. The attitude of the adults who are paid to protect children and blame the kids getting harassed will have you white-knuckled as you turn the pages. I seriously feel that this book should be read by everyone as it will bring to light the impossible position young victims of online harassment often find themselves: speak up and you'll be blamed for causing trouble or be called a liar. Don't speak up and it empowers the abuser. There is some very damning information contained in this amazing book about the mental and physical impact this kind of harassment can have on children that carries on well into their adult years. Yet this novel dives into it head-first and is written so brilliantly you'll be cheering Hazel on while frothing at the mouth with rage at how she and her friends are treated. I loved it, get it when it comes out in Oct! In the small town of Clonbridge, a gate has opened, a gate to another world, letting the Fairies in. Some of the Fairies don't mean much harm, maybe a little mischief, but other Fairies have nefarious goals in mind. For eleven year old Cat, the Fairies are stories passed down by her grandmother, she finds it impossible to believe that actual Fairies have come to Clonbridge. But her world comes tumbling down around her when her baby brother Mikey is kidnapped, along with the sister of Shane, another boy in her town whom Cat has had a falling out. Even worse, her grandmother falls ill & Cat is convinced it has something to do with the Fairies. Now, Cat & Shane must put their differences aside and work together in order to save their family. The problem is, Fairies are not only devilish and cruel, they are cunning tricksters. Cat, using her Book of Secrets, her wits and some unlikely alliances, seeks to secure safe passage to the Fairies' domain and bring back the missing children. On the way her and Shane meet some truly terrifying and strange characters thanks to Alex Dunne's brilliant writing. As a librarian, I'm constantly trying to put books into the hands of students that will keep them engaged and ignite their imagination, this is one of those books. Loaded with Irish folklore, it has a myriad of mythical creatures, all with their own peculiarities and eccentricities. Readers will be lost in the gorgeous, odd and frankly scary world of these beings. In our school, the world of games like Dungeons & Dragons is massively popular. I can see where these games like this have taken inspiration from the creatures of Irish folklore, creatures that Alex Dunne has beautifully brought to life. I recommend The Book of Secrets for ages 9+, school librarians looking for the next great adventure story do not need to look any further! Idris's stepsister Lucia has a problem, she's got it in her head that their mum is a spy. Idris doesn't believe her, he thinks his mum is too bland and boring to do something as daring and exciting as being a spy. When a bizarre incident at the local zoo occurs involving stolen pangolins and the small issue of their mum going missing, presumed kidnapped, it all comes into focus. Soon, Idris and Lucia need to dive into the world of gadgets, espionage and deadly games of cat and mouse if they're going to get their mum back alive! What is going on? Who is behind these crimes? Idris and Lucia will have to work together and keep their eyes sharp if they're going to survive! Funny, fast-paced and original, this is a great new book from some fantastic storytellers. I recommend it for ages 8+! I'm very excited to be a part of the Nura & the Immortal Palace Blog Tour! It's a fast-paced fantasy that involves a girl's journey from modern-day Pakistan into the magical world of jinn. I am just watching Ms. Marvel and this is really resonating, if you are a fan of this tv show I really recommend this novel! Stuck in a horrible mine, working all day, earning little to no money, Nura dreams of finding a mythical treasure, a treasure that will set her family free. When her friend suffers a terrible accident in the mine, Nura tries to dig him out. However, she digs too far down and travels to a terrifying and magical world.
Now, Nura must outsmart the trickster jinn in order to find her way home to her family and to save her best friend. This is lovely story with lots of action and themes of friendship and perseverance. I recommend it for ages 10+, don't miss it! I'm excited to share the new novel in the After School Detective Club series, The Secret of Ragnar's Gold! When Joe's half term is ruined at the last minute. He devises a plan to get him and his friends to a mysterious castle for the week. It's a blissful retreat until the gang finds a strange box filled with gold coins and a coded message. The message leads them on the hunt for a long lost Viking treasure.
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