Saturday, October 30, 2010

Library Loot (71) & Review Copies


Library

Harriet Goodwin - The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 (audio book)
I've got this one to read for my children's (8-12) reading group. It was one of the 3 finalists in the 2010 Blue Peter "Book I Couldn’t Put Down" category
For a millionth of a second the car grazed the drenched moorland. If it had come down on any other patch of ground Finn would simply have been another statistic. Death by dangerous driving. But the car hit the surface of the Earth at Exit 43. It slid through the membrane like a hot knife through butter, plunging into the darkness and catapulting Finn from its shattered windscreen as it fell. Finn Oliver knows he'll never come to terms with his father's death, but joy-riding over the moors in his mum's beat-up old car is a quick fix of freedom and forgetting. Until the accident happens - and Finn finds himself hurtling through the wafer-thin divide between the worlds of the living and the dead. Adventurous, charming and poignant by turns, "The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43" is a quirky debut novel laced with humour and a dollop of magic.

Meg Cabot - Airhead: Runaway
Can't wait to see how this trilogy is resolved.
Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from her family and from herself. She's reeling from the shock that Nikki, the girl whose body her brain was forced to inhabit, is still alive. And she's furious. Manipulative Brandon plans to use Em to discover a secret that will ensure his success, whilst Christopher is out for revenge, fuelled by his jealousy. With everyone around her playing a dangerous game, maybe Em should just keep on running . . .

Review


Melissa de la Cruz - Misguided Angel (ATOM, out now)
After inheriting the complicated Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with Jack, risking both of their lives for love. The two of them embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the remaining five gates that guard Earth from Lucifer, Prince of Hell and lord of the Silver Bloods. As the Blue Blood coven weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler closer to a terrifying crossroads?and a choice that will determine the destiny of all vampires.

Lauren Oliver - Delirium (and another posh envelope) (Hodder & Stoughton, Feb. 2011)
!!!!!
There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Galaxy Awards - Children's Shortlist

The Galaxy National Book Awards shortlists have been announced. Here is the shortlist for the WH Smith Children's Book of the Year. From The Bookseller:

WH Smith Children's Book of the Year
The Great Hamster Massacre Katie Davies, illus Hannah Shaw (Simon and Schuster)
Monsters of Men Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
Mr Stink David Walliams (HarperCollins Childrens Books)
Shadow Michael Morpurgo (HarperCollins Childrens Books)
TimeRiders Alex Scarrow (Puffin)
Zog Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books)

The winners ... will be awarded on 10th November. The ceremony will be broadcast on More4 on 13th November, followed by five further tie-in shows in the run-up to Christmas.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

WH Smiths's boxed sets

I popped into WH Smiths a couple of days ago and rearranged their boxed sets so I could take this snap. There are three YA boxed sets, at £9.99:


Set 1

L J Smith - Volumes 1-3 of Night World

Set 2 (Love Bites II)

Ally Carter - I'd Tell You I Loved You But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Gabrielle Poole - Darke Academy 2: Blood Ties
Eden Maguire - Beautiful Dead: Arizona
Malinda Lo - Ash
L J Smith - The Secret Circle (The Initiation & The Captive Part 1)

Set 3

Elizabeth Chandler - Dark Secrets (Legacy of Lies & Don't Tell)
Sarah Singleton - Poison Garden
Sarah Rees Brennan - The Demon's Lexicon
Daniel Waters - Generation Dead
Holly Black - Tithe

(click on the photo for a better look)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Crescendo Poster at Train Station(s)

I've been seeing the poster for Becca Fitzpatrick's Crescendo every time I go to work. It's at most of the stations on the Birmingham cross-city line except where I get on and off the train so the attempts through the window have been a bit blurry. However last Friday, I was at Bicester station and was able to take the following, at my leisure!



(click on it for a better look)

Waiting on Wednesday - Ghost of a Chance

This one sounds great: a paranormal detective story. Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter will be published in January 2011 by Oxford University Press.

Imagine being both victim and detective in your own murder . . .

Last Chance...

‘You know that girl, the one in my class? The one that died. She lived here.’

Lost Chance...

‘You’re dead, Eva Chance. You died and nobody noticed. You died and nobody cared.’

No more Chances left...

They said it was suicide, but Eva knows she was murdered. Now she inhabits a skewed ghost world along with the tortured and malevolent spirits of her family home. Solving the crime could end her existence — but if the killer isn’t found how many more will die?



Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Review: Conspiracy 365: August by Gabrielle Lord

Conspiracy 365: August by Gabrielle Lord (August 2010, Hodder Children's Books, ISBN: 034099651X)

First Line:

1 August
153 days to go...


Unmarked grave, Infinity Gardens

12.00 am

Thud...

Review: August is the eighth in the Conspiracy 365 series in which a new book comes out at the beginning of every month for a whole year. I've reviewed June and January so far and I'm still reading and enjoying this series.

Slight spoilers for the earlier books may follow:

Up until now, each entry has ended in a major life-threatening cliffhanger for our on the run hero, sixteen-year-old Cal Ormond and July's ending was the worst so far. I won't say what it was but you may be able to tell from the first line quoted above. However August breaks the trend and ends on a different but equally dark note.

August's entry doesn't see the main mysteries of what is the Ormond Singularity, why does someone want Cal dead and so on explored much further but nonetheless this has been the most exciting book (for me) to date. The focus is away from the puzzles and instead Cal has to rescue his sister Gabbi from kidnappers. His family thinks he's behind the kidnapping and so his only help comes from his two friends and a disgraced former policeman. Much running and chasing ensues, as Cal keeps ahead of the authorities in this tense episode which ends bleakly for Cal.

I'm only doing a brief review as I'd only be repeating myself from June and January but this has been the one I've enjoyed the most though they are all entertaining. As the year counts down I know I'm going to miss my monthly fix of Australian adventure, when the new year starts.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Library Loot (69 & 70) & review copies

Two weeks' worth here - due to illness I couldn't do a post last weekend - but I got most of these this week as the library's had a new influx of brilliant books.


Library

Gabrielle Lord - Conspiracy 365: September (handy as I've nearly finished August)
Eden Maguire - Beautiful Dead: Phoenix (must read Summer asap)
Amy Meredith - Dark Touch: The Hunt (looking forward to this a lot as loved Shadows)
Tamsyn Murray - My So Called Haunting (love her tweets so looking forward to reading both of her YA books)
Charlie Price - Hear the Dead Cry (crime novel involving ghosts!)
Joss Stirling - Finding Sky (don't know much about this one)
Mark Walden - Zero Hour (I also have Rogue to read but I enjoyed the one before that, Dreadnought)




Review


Simon Scarrow - Gladiator: Fight for Freedom (Feb. 2011, Puffin)
Rome, 61 BC RECRUITED as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior. But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father’s old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free. Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape . . .

Cate Tiernan - Immortal Beloved (Jan. 2011, Hodder & Stoughton) & pretty envelope!
Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy.


Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray (April 2011, Puffin)
One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia. An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn’t know if she’ll ever see her father or her friends again. But she refuses to give up hope. Lina hopes for her family. For her country. For her future. For love - first love, with the boy she barely knows but knows she does not want to lose . . . Will hope keep Lina alive? Set in 1941, Between Shades of Gray is an extraordinary and haunting story based on first-hand family accounts and memories from survivors.

Publishing Deals - Roundup

A few publishing deals have been announced in the last couple of days:

The Bookseller

Faber has acquired literary scout Natasha Farrant's début young adult novel in a three-way auction.

The as-yet-untitled novel is an evocative love story set in France at the end of the Second World War.

The Bookseller

Egmont Press has acquired two young adult titles by US thriller writer Joe Schreiber.

The first book, Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, will be published in spring 2012.

Commissioning editor Ali Dougal acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which sold film rights to Paramount.

Dougal described the title as "'Kill Bill' meets 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'".

Publishers Weekly email

Dutton Children's Books has bought world rights to an untitled YA novel by Prophecy of the Sisters author Michelle Zink. In the book, 16-year-old Helen Cartwright discovers, after her parents are murdered, that she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and to be good, because temptation is hard to resist, even for an angel. Publication is planned for spring 2012.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has bought North American rights to middle-grade author R.L. LaFevers' foray into YA romance: a trio of historical fantasies focusing on teen girl assassins in 15th-century France. In Dark Mercy, scheduled for spring 2012, Ismae learns she was sired by the god of death, is trained as an assassin, and is sent to court as a spy, where she must choose between serving her dark god and opening her heart to love. Companion novels Dark Justice and Dark Hope, each focusing on a different assassin from the convent, will publish in spring 2013 and spring 2014.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers acquired North American rights to a YA trilogy set in space in the future by co-authors Martin Leicht and Isla Neal. The first book in the series, tentatively titled Parasite, is billed as Juno meets Alien.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday - The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver

I'm looking forward to Jana Oliver's first book in the Demon Trappers series. It's called The Demon Trapper's Daughter in the US (and published by St. Martin's Griffin on 1 January), and The Demon Trappers: Forsaken in the UK (and published by Macmillan Children's Books on 7 January).

Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass.

One thing’s for sure – if she doesn’t keep her wits about her there’ll be hell to pay . . .


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Review: The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar (June 2010, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, ISBN: 1408808501)

First Lines: Ever since I was a little kid, I've had it drilled into me that my uncle Lester was my favorite uncle.

Review: Alton is seventeen. His parents have continually tried to suck up to/get in with his uncle Lester who is very rich and aloof. Lester, now in his seventies and suffering from diabetes has gone blind. He is a great bridge player but an argument over what card he should play has led to a vacancy that Alton is offered during his summer holiday. He is to be his uncle's chauffeur and more importantly, his cardturner. Alton tells Lester, or Trapp, as he's known in bridge circles which card he has and what cards are being played and Trapp tells Alton which card to play.

During the summer, Alton takes Trapp to the local club and to more prestigious tournaments. In the background to the bridge contests, Alton tries to learn more about his uncle and what happened to his uncle's bridge partner of 40 years ago; he tries to deal with the loss of his girlfriend to his best friend and his growing attraction to Toni, his uncle's previous cardturner. Plus there are explanations on various aspects of bridge which are provided in short and long versions depending on your interest.

If you told me I'd read and enjoy a book about bridge, I wouldn't have believed you but I have and I did. The Cardturner is so cleverly structured and well written, with great characterisation, that it pulls you in with its mix of mystery and romance and family life. Alton addresses the reader a lot so you feel as if you're there, a friend of the family, perhaps. He is a mix of cuteness, cleverness and stupidity which is hard to resist. The story takes a sudden turn about a third from the end which to me was quite unexpected but the groundwork had been carefully laid. The Cardturner also touches on issues of mental health and shows how bad things were for women just 40 years ago in terms of how much control they had over their own lives.

I know a little more about duplicate bridge now (which should help in reading/watching classic crime stories) but even better - a colleague's two sons have both read The Cardturner and are off to learn how to play bridge, so the author's intention of bringing the game to a younger generation has worked.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Amazon.com's Best YA Book for October

I've just received an email listing Amazon.com's "Best Books for October". In the YA category it's Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.

US cover on LHS, UK on RHS.

Synopsis:
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

You can read an extract here.

September's choice was Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Review: Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie (audio book)

Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie and read by Rebekah Germain and Mark Meadows (July 2009, Chivers Children's Audio, ISBN: 9781408438695)

First Lines:
I could see him waiting for me outside the steel school gates.
Roy.


Notes: Blood Ties won the Red House Children's Book Award 2009. The paperback edition is published by Simon & Schuster Children's, ISBN: 1847382754.

Review: Blood Ties brings together two fifteen-year-olds, Theo and Rachel. Complete strangers, they have more in-common than anyone could possibly realise.

Theo, confident, but emotionally contained has had a bodyguard for as long as he can remember, Even when he gives him the slip, his freedom is short-lived. He and his mum have such a big row that she decides she must tell Theo the truth. That his dad is not dead but in hiding from extremists, and that Theo's life may be in danger as he's his father 's weak point.

Meanwhile, in the other-side of the city, Rachel is being bullied at school and at home she is constantly being compared to her dead sister who was apparently all that Rachel is not: brilliant, gorgeous, elegant.

Theo decides to track his dad down, in spite of what his mum's said and this leads him to Rachel as her father worked with his. Theo's desperation to find his dad however, sets in motion all that his mum has feared over the years and so begins an exciting thriller which takes the two to Scotland and Washington. They have both friends and foes, and not all will survive the experience.

Blood Ties is narrated alternately by Theo and Rachel and is a fabulously exciting and enthralling story which sees Theo and Rachel change and mature over a few short weeks. As well as thriller it's also a gentle love-story as the two realise how close they've become (though it takes Theo a bit longer to realise) with the alternating viewpoint showing how confused they are about the feelings of the other one! The theme of identity and the effects of nurture or nature on a person's personality is also there to be explored by the reader if they so wish. But perhaps first and foremost it's a page-turning thriller and one that should (and does) appeal to both male and female readers.

Though the sequel has just been published, this one stands on its own, but I am very pleased that there is more to come as there are several plot-lines that can be carried on.

I loved the dual narration by Rebekah Germain and Mark Meadows and in particular Mark Meadows accent for Theo's father was very convincing, very evocative of the man he is.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Publishing Deal - Francine Pascal

I thought this was already out in the US but it's not due to be published until 29 March. (April in the UK). From The Bookseller:

Arrow editor Gillian Holmes has bought an adult sequel to Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High series.


Over 150 books in the YA series were published between 1983 and 2003. Pascal has now written a novel for adults, Sweet Valley Confidential, with the story of what happened when its lead characters, sisters Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, grew up.


Holmes said: "This is the book that every single woman who read Sweet Valley High when they were growing up has been longing for. When I walked around the office offering the typescript, I was mobbed by squealing women."


She added: "Everyone wants to know what happened next, and I can promise a few surprises."


Arrow ...will publish as a paperback original in April 2011.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Library Loot (68) & review copies


Library

Current Doctor Who Magazine

The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight by Jenny Valentine
Two boys. One identity. He can change his life if he says yes…

An explosive new mystery from the award-winning author Jenny Valentine, The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight is the story of a boy who assumes the identity of a missing teenager and in-so-doing unearths a series of shattering family secrets – and the truth about who he really is.

With all the classic hallmarks of a Jenny novel – a fantastically strong, sensitive and memorable first person narration; themes of loss and betrayal, family secrets and personal identity; truly quality writing that is 'literary' but never inaccessible or pretentious, this is the thrilling new novel from the author of Finding Violet Park.


Review


The Weirdstone of Brisingamen [Special Edition] by Alan Garner
This lavish hardback edition of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Alan Garner's seminal fantasy masterpiece. Featuring a beautiful new design, and a foreword by Alan himself, it is a must-have collector's item for any lover of great children's fiction.

When Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they are saved by the Wizard. He takes them into the caves of Fundindelve, where he watches over the enchanted sleep of one hundred and forty knights.

But the heart of the magic that binds them – Firefrost, also known as the Weirdstone of Brisingamen – has been lost. The Wizard has been searching for the stone for more than 100 years, but the forces of evil are closing in, determined to possess and destroy its special power.

Colin and Susan realise at last that they are the key to the Weirdstone’s return. But how can two children defeat the Morrigan and her deadly brood?

Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

Following the massive success of the Demonata series, Darren Shan is back where it all started – telling the life story of the vampire Larten Crepsley. Spanning centuries and continents, taking in sea voyages, murder, war and love, this is the epic, bloodsoaked tale of a vampire who started out a nobody… and ended up changing the world forever.

When Larten escapes the terrible workhouse in which he toils, he doesn’t know that he is running from an early death… into another kind of transformation. After meeting the mysterious vampire Seba Nile while sheltering for the night in a crypt, Larten finds himself drawn into the shadowy world of the vampire Clan. As he travels and learns, Larten finds himself enjoying the adventure he has always dreamed of, seeing a world beyond any he suspected in his poverty-stricken youth.

But Larten begins to discover something else, too. Much like death, becoming a vampire is something you can’t come back from…

Friday, October 8, 2010

Read Gone, Hunger & Lies online until 22 October

Egmont (UK) have made the recently released entry in the Gone series by Michael Grant, Lies, plus the two earlier entries, Gone and Hunger available to read online in full until 22 October.

Just follow the links at their website.












Review: Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett (September 2010, Headline, ISBN: 0755347870)

First Line: I am dead and there's nothing I can do about it.

Review: As you can imagine having a name like Dedd is nothing to joke about, because everybody does. Throw in her zombie looks and secondhand clothing and furniture and Scarlett's life is quite difficult. So she takes a slightly desperate measure to get out off an extended school trip, to avoid showing her grey undies - she cooks up some mushrooms to give herself food poisoning. Unfortunately poor research means she kills herself and her whole family.

Scarlett has to adjust to being a ghost and living without her film-making friends, JP, Rip, Taz and potential boyfriend Psycho. But what if she didn't have to live without them? What if they were dead too...

Scarlett Dedd tells the story of Scarlett's new "life" and her attempts on the lives of her friends, from both Scarlett's point of view and her friends. Plus they all have to deal with a couple of thugs who want something from Scarlett's home.

Scarlett Dedd is beautifully and lovingly illustrated throughout by the multi-talented author. The text comes in all manner of ways too: at one point I was spinning the book round and round to read a spiral section (set at an ice-rink!). There are also blog and forum entries from Scarlett.

I loved reading Scarlett Dedd, both for its unusual presentation and the humourous story told within. I loved how the friends would narrate for a while and then you'd get Scarlett's point of view afterwards. Despite the story being all about death and dying, it's a lot of fun. I'm not going to say how it ends, obviously, except to say it does end on a happy note for Scarlett.

I'll definitely be looking out for Cathy Brett's next book and in the meantime you can watch some of the videos made by Scarlett and her friends at scardeparted.blogspot.com.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

BookPage Podcast - Mockingjay

The latest edition of the BookPage podcast covers Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay. I haven't listened to it but it appears to be 40 mins long. Search for "Book Page" in iTunes to find the podcast or listen via the website.

This discussion of Suzanne Collins' MOCKINGJAY -- which contains major spoilers -- by BookPage editors Eliza, Kate & Trisha covers the violence in the series, the resolution of the romantic triangle and the series' cinematic possibilities.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Published in October (UK)

Here are some of the teenage/YA titles that are published in the UK in October. I will put a link to this post and previous and subsequent "monthly" lists in my sidebar. Title links go to amazon.co.uk. Please let me know of others to add to the list.

Releases by month so far:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September.

Anthology - The Truth is Dead (4th, Walker, pb)
Colin Bateman - Fire Storm (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Malorie Blackman - Boys Don't Cry (28th, Doubleday Children's Books, HB)
Francesca Lia Block - Pretty Dead (15th, HarperCollins Childrens Book Group, pb)
Jen Calonita - Broadway Lights (7th, Little, Brown & Company, HB)
Kate Cary - Bloodline (4th, Egmont Books Ltd, pb)
P C Cast & Kim Doner - The Fledgling Handbook (26th, ATOM, HB)
P C & Kristin Cast - Burned (7th, ATOM, pb)
Melissa de la Cruz - Misguided Angel (26th, ATOM, pb)
Joanne Dahme - Contagion (21st, Perseus Books, pb)
Jennifer Donnelly -Revolution (13th, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, HB)
Hilary Duff - Elixir (16th, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, HB)
Becca Fitzpatrick - Crescendo (14th, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, HB)
Claudia Gabel & William Shakespeare - Romeo & Juliet & Vampires (28th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Beautiful Darkness (28th, Puffin, pb)
David Gatward - The Dark (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Frances Hendry - The Minotaur (25th, Barrington Stoke, pb)
Chris Higgins - Happy Ever After (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Robyn Lagrange - Linear 1 (18th, Matador, pb)
Rebecca Lim - Mercy (28th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Gabrielle Lord - October (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
James Lovegrove - The Lord of Fire (25th, Barrington Stoke, pb)
Michelle Lovric - The Mourning Emporium (28th, Orion Childrens, pb)
Michaela MacColl - Prisoners in the Palace (29th, Chronicle Books, HB)
Eden Maguire - Phoenix (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Lee Monroe - Dark Heart Forever (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Stephanie Morrill - So Over It (1st, Revell, pb)
Benjamin J Myers - The Bad Tuesdays: Blood Alchemy (7th, Orion Childrens, pb)
Chloe Neill - Firespell (14th, Gollancz, pb)
Patrick Ness - Monsters of Men (4th, Walker, pb)
Deborah Noyes - The Ghosts of Kerfol (4th, Walker, pb)
Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu - The Shadow Speaker (21st, JUMP AT THE SUN, pb)
Panama Oxridge - Justin Thyme (4th, Inside Pocket Publishing Ltd, HB)-
Tom Palmer - Foul Play: Killer Pass (7th, Puffin, pb)
Christopher Pike - The Last Vampire: Eternal Dawn (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Christopher Pike - remember me 2 (7th, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Chris Priestley - The Dead of Winter (4th, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, HB)
Chris Priestley - Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth (4th, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, pb)
Chris Ryan - Agent 21 (28th, Doubleday Childrens, HB)
Malcolm Saville - Lone Pine London (31st, Girls Gone By, HB?)
Alexander Gordon Smith - Furnace: Fugitives (7th, Faber and Faber, pb)
Michael P Spradlin - Trail of Fate (31st, TickTock Books)
Joss Stirling - Finding Sky (7th, OUP Oxford, pb)
Jonathan Stroud - Golem's Eye (28th, Corgi Childrens, pb)
Jonathan Stroud - Ptolemy's Gate (28th, Corgi Childrens, pb)
Jonathan Stroud - The Ring of Solomon (14th, Doubleday Children's Books, HB)
Serena Valentino - How to be a Werewolf (1st, Templar Publishing, pb)
John van de Ruit - Spud: Learning to Fly (28th, Puffin, pb)
Rick Yancey - Cures of the Wendigo (1st, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, pb)
L A Weatherly - Angel (1st, Usborne Publishing Ltd, pb)
Sarah Webb - Ask Amy Green: Bridesmaid Blitz (4th, Walker, pb)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Library Loot (67) & review copies


Library

The Doctors Who's Who by Craig Cabell
Doctor Who is the world's longest-running science fiction television series, and has had children hiding behind sofa's since it was first broadcast in 1963. Eleven actors have played the famous Time Lord, starting with William Hartnell, and it has been a career landmark for all of them. Indeed, no other role in television history is as iconic, demanding, or as anticipated by its legions of fans as that of the famous time traveller with two hearts. Find out: * Who was a bouncer for The Rolling Stones before taking control of the Tardis. * Who was nearly blown up in the Second World War aboard HMS Hood. * Who had a fondness for woolly hats and had a grandson who would become Harry Potter's nemesis. * Who played a transvestite barmaid before becoming a Doctor Who heart-throb. Go back in time and read the human story behind a TV legend.

Before We Say Goodbye by Gabriella Ambrosio, tr. Alastair McEwen
It is seven a.m. on a spring morning in Jerusalem. Eighteen-year-old Dima trudges through the mud to college and reflects on many things, including her forthcoming marriage to her cousin Faris. Seventeen-year-old Myriam skips school to sit on the tree-lined hill overlooking the city and think about her friend Michael, whose death she still mourns. And Dima’s and Myriam’s families – one Palestinian, one Israeli – go about their ordinary, separate lives; for today is like every other day. Yet in seven hours’ time, everything will have changed. For ever.

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Hanover Falls hasn't had a werewolf problem in over one hundred years. But when people suddenly start dying in Claire Benoit's town, panic spreads fast. At Claire's sixteenth birthday party, the gruesome killings are all anyone can talk about. Claire, however, is more interested in the fact that the gorgeous Matthew Engle keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever...

Fade by Lisa McMann
For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open - but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behaviour has grave consequences for them both. And if that isn't bad enough, Janie has discovered Martha Stubin's journals, and what she learns through them chills her to the bone. For not only is her fate as a Dream Catcher sealed, but what's to come is so much darker than she'd ever feared...It seems that some nightmares never end...

Review

Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock, read by Clive Mantle (audio book) (14th Oct, AudioGO)
‘There are dark tides runing through the universe...’ Miggea – a star on the very edge of reality. The cusp between this universe and the next. A point where space-time has worn thin, and is in danger of collapsing... And the venue for the grand finals of the competition to win the fabled Arrow of Law. The Doctor and Amy have joined the Terraphiles – a group obsessed with all aspects of Earth’s history, and dedicated to re-enacting ancient sporting events. They are determined to win the Arrow. But just getting to Miggea proves tricky. Reality is collapsing, ships are disappearing, and Captain Cornelius and his pirates are looking for easy pickings. Even when they arrive, the Doctor and Amy’s troubles won’t be over. They have to find out who is so desperate to get the Arrow of Law that they will kill for it. And uncover the traitor on their own team. And win the contest fair and square. And, of course, they need to save the universe from total destruction. A thrilling, all-new adventure featuring the Doctor and Amy, as played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television written by the acclaimed science fiction and fantasy author Michael Moorcock

Elixir by Hilary Duff (16th October, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books)
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, Clea has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But following Clea's father's disappearance while on a humanitarian mission, Clea's photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man - a man she has never seen before. When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and begin to discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together the pair find themselves in a race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their futures...

Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis (3rd Feb 11, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks)
A brilliant supernatural thriller with a modern twist, and a triumphant return from one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

At the end of a track, on the outskirts of an ordinary coastal town, lies a dilapidated house. Once, a group of amateur ghost hunters spent the night there. Two of them don’t like to speak about the experience. The third can’t speak about it. He went into the basement, you see, and afterwards he screamed so hard and so long he tore his vocal cords.

Now, a group of teenagers have decided to hang out in the old haunted house. Dismissing the fears of the others, their leader Jezza goes down into the basement… and comes back up with a children’s book, full of strange and colourful tales of a playing-card world, a fairytale world, full of Jacks, Queens and Kings, unicorns and wolves.

But the book is no fairytale. Written by Austerly Fellows, a mysterious turn-of-the-century occultist, it just might be the gateway to something terrifying…and awfully final. As the children and teenagers of the town are swept up by its terrible power, swept into its seductive world, something has begun that could usher in hell on earth. Soon, the only people standing in its way are a young boy with a sci-fi obsession, and his dad – an unassuming maths teacher called Martin…