Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (mild spoilers)

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday! This is a slightly busier week on the blog, with FIVE books from our various lists publishing.

Wolfstongue by Sam Thompson

Deep in the forest, foxes live in an underground city built by the wolves they enslaved. Using the power of speech, they keep the wolves under their harsh rule. Wolves Isengrim, Hersent and their pups use secret passages to move between the animal and human worlds. When Isengrim is injured, a young boy named Silas comes to his aid. Silas finds speech difficult, but as his friendship with the wolves grows, he must fight to protect his new friends, and find his own voice.

Inspired by the author’s own son’s difficulty with speech and his love of wolves, Wolfstongue is a beautifully written, thoughtful fantasy adventure that has the feel of a future classic in making.

The Crocodile who came for Dinner by Steve Smallman and Joelle Dreidemy

Hotpot and Wolf have found an egg. A CROCODILE egg! Is the crocodile a fearsome, ferocious beast? No! He’s snuggly, cuddly and looking for some friends.

GROW by Isabel Otter and Pau Morgan

The seeds are ready to GROW!

Explore the magic of seeds that grow and use clever peek-through holes to reveal the journey from seed to plant.


Made from 100% recycled board.

The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody by Kate Gilby Smith

Have you ever thought what it might be like if you were famous in the future? A brilliant middle-grade adventure for fans of Ross Welford - a story about friendship, courage and embracing our talents even when they make us stand out.

On the day Alex was born, crowds surrounded the hospital. On her first day of school, people spied from the gates. And recently, strangers came to watch her perform in her school play ... as the llama.

But why? Alex has always been a nobody.

Then a mysterious boy named Jasper starts at school and he alone seems to know the answer. But before he can tell Alex, he disappears ... into the year 2100. Can Alex brave traveling into the future to discover what's happened to him and to unravel the secret of her own astonishing destiny ... before time runs out?

Isadora Moon meets the tooth fairy! By Harriet Muncaster

 

Isadora has a wobbly tooth! Vampires frame their fangs, but fairies leave teeth for the tooth fairy. Isadora isn't sure what to do until one night she meets a magical mouse called Mignonette.

With Mignonette's help, Isadora will make a new tradition. One that is totally unique, just like her!

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, everyone! We've had a busy week here on the blog, so here's your regular roundup in case you missed anything.

Flossie McFluff by Eoin O'Brien and Audrey Dowling

In a deep leafy wood, by a slow-moving stream,
Where butterflies flutter through golden sunbeams,
Lives a beautiful fairy called Flossie McFluff.
She’s tiny and shiny, but Flossie is tough.


She has magical powers; she knows magic words;
And she cares for the trees and the bees and the birds.
Wee Flossie lives high in an ancient oak tree,
And lives for adventure, as we shall soon see …

Three stories in rhyme about a little fairy who looks after the forest.

In the first tale, she gives some litter louts a scare, then she helps a lonely banshee find some friends, and finally helps her leprechaun friend Paddy Potts find his missing gold.

Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney

 

Rogue’s frightening new mutant powers keep her at arms-length from the world, but two strangers offer a chance to change her life forever, in this exhilarating Marvel Super Hero adventure

Young Rogue’s life is a mess: she lives alone in an abandoned cabin, works a terrible diner job and hides from everyone. The powers she has started to develop are terrifying her. When your first kiss almost kills the guy, it’s hard to trust anyone – even yourself. Then two people arrive in town who could change her life, and she finally gets a choice: follow a mysterious billionaire who says she’s scouting for gifted interns, or the handsome card shark with eerie red eyes. Except they’re not the only ones watching her… Rogue will have to trust in herself and accept the powers she’s trying to suppress to decide her own fate – before someone else does.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all.

The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world.

What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague;" intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine. Through these women and others, we see the uncountable ways the absence of men has changed society, from the personal--the loss of husbands and sons--to the political--the changes in the workforce, fertility and the meaning of family.

In The End of Men, Christina Sweeney-Baird creates an unforgettable tale of loss, resilience and hope.

This can never not be real by Sera Milano

 

FIVE TEENAGERS
WITH NOTHING IN COMMON,
THROWN TOGETHER
BY AN ACT OF TERRORISM,
CAN'T SURVIVE THE NIGHT
WITHOUT EACH OTHER.

In the unremarkable town of Amberside, the unthinkable has happened: Terrorists have attacked a local festival. No one knows why, and no one knows who the attackers are, but that doesn’t matter. What matters first is survival. And what matters after that is survival, too.

In this brilliantly written account of hope, humour and humanity, five ordinary teenagers are caught up in a truly extraordinary situation. It’s a heart-pounding and gripping account of the fight for survival, told from multiple perspectives, as the attackers prowl the festival grounds.

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Happy Thursday! This week we have only ONE book from our lists publishing, but it's a good one.

Scattered: Zommunist Bk 3 by Camille Picott

America, 1985. Anton can’t forgive his brother’s stupidity. Furious his elder sibling left on a mission without rescuing their captured family friends, the hot-headed teenager impetuously sets off to run his own dangerous extraction. But his reckless infiltration into the Soviet’s prison camp only results in his own apprehension.

Nonna never forgot war’s cold caress. A gritty WWII survivor, she’ll do whatever it takes to prepare the boy in her care from an imminent mutant zombie attack. But when she learns the youngster’s secret, she’s terrified his life is already forfeit.

Brutally tortured for the location of their remaining stronghold, Anton can barely hold on one second longer when he’s unexpectedly rescued by a desperate defector. And with the regrets from her past only fueling her protective instincts, Nonna vows to sacrifice everything to shelter her young charge.

Can they survive the conflict’s ugly reality and save the lives of those they love?

Scattered is the redemptive third tale in the Zommunist Invasion zombie apocalypse series. If you like startling bravery, gruesome battles with the undead, and deeply drawn characters, then you’ll be gripped by Camille Picott’s edge-of-your-seat story.

The Super Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson by Charlie P Brooks and Katy Riddell

 

 These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost ten, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much.

My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! There’s no Wi-Fi, the local kids are FERAL and there’s animal poo EVERYWHERE.

But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and CONTROL people. I actually wanted a new phone, but I won’t complain because this new power is REALLY FUN and has led to the MOST unexpected things – including a visit to the QUEEN.

Maybe the countryside isn’t so bad after all…

Blog Tour: Borrowed Treasure by Jessica Tastet

 

Congratulations to author, Jessica Tastet on the release of her latest novel, Borrowed Treasure! Read on for more info and a chance to win a digital copy of the book!

The Wild by Owen Laukkanen

FROM THIS MOMENT ON, YOU'RE A BEAR CUB. YOU'LL LEARN RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPECT. HOW TO SURVIVE. IT'S EASIER IF YOU JUST ACCEPT IT.

Dawn isn't a bad person--she's just made some bad choices: wrong guy, wrong friends, wrong everything. But she wasn't expecting her parents to pay a boatload of money to ship her off to OUT OF THE WILD, a wilderness boot camp with a bunch of other messed up kids to learn important "life lessons." It's true that Dawn and the other cubs will learn a lot--but it's not what any of them expect. Because what happens in the woods isn't what their parents planned. Sometimes plans go very wrong. And this is one of those times. Suddenly Dawn is more scared than she's ever been in her life. And you will be too.

Weekly #Roundup

 Happy Sunday! We've had a good week here on the blog. Here's the roundup in case you missed anything!

Her Last Holiday by CL Taylor

You come to the retreat to be healed. You don’t expect to die.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. But he has never let on what happened to the third victim: Jenna.

Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

The master of suspense is back. Prepare yourself for the latest heart-in-mouth rollercoaster ride from the Sunday Times bestseller.

Turtle Rescue by Jonny Marx and Xuan Le

Join Flora and Fauna, the world’s GREATEST explorers, as they hang up their ice picks, put down their rucksacks and enjoy a well-deserved holiday. When the sea turtles stop showing up to lay their eggs in the golden sands, however, Flora and Fauna are called into action. They must sail to the reef to investigate, but it looks like an ENORMOUS storm is brewing…With flaps and paper effects throughout, who knows what WILD creatures they’ll find along the way.

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan

It’s been years since Grace, Felicity, Alice and Hannah were together – The Wild Girls, as they were once called, are no longer so wild. Alice has settled with a new baby and partner. Hannah is now a teacher. Grace has gone to ground. Only Felicity seems to have the same spark she once had.

And now Felicity has invited them all on the weekend of a lifetime – a mini-break in Botswana to celebrate her birthday, a chance to put that night two years ago behind them, when things went so very wrong between them, and their bomb-proof friendship was shattered for ever.

But on arriving at the luxury safari lodge, a feeling of unease settles on Grace, Hannah and Alice. Felicity isn’t there to meet them. There’s no sign of the party she promised. The awful phone signal means that they are on their own, in the wild…

It’s a weekend with a difference. But who is hunting who?

The Age of Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

Even though the dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago, we’re still piecing together new information about these ancient animals.

Did you know that, on average, a new species of dinosaur is discovered every single week? Or that many dinosaurs had feathers? Or that there are even modern-day dinosaurs walking around right now?

New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed paleontologist Steve Brusatte writes about all the new discoveries he and his colleagues have made that help us better understand—and marvel at—these remarkable reptiles.

This exciting nonfiction book for ages 7 to 12 includes a glossary, pronunciation guide, and index, as well as photos throughout. A strong choice for the classroom and for independent reading, and a great source for reports using information direct from an expert in the field.

Fright Night by Maren Stoffels

Sofia isn't so sure about Fright Night. When she suggested it to her friends, she was only thinking of it as an excuse to get closer to Dylan. Now that it's happening, she's worried that spending the night in a deserted forest is a bad idea.

But it's totally safe--there's even a safe word if things get too intense. And they do. Sofia and her friends are forced to face their greatest fears, and suddenly? It's too late to turn back.

Happy #BookBirthday!

 Happy Thursday, all! This week was quieter than most, with only FIVE books from our lists publishing.

The Last Girl/The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.

To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.

When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past.

The Prison Healer by Lynnette Noni

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.

When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.

Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.

Cardboard Cowboys by Brian Conaghan

 

Even though I found him living in a house made of cardboard, Bruce is a massive legend. FACT. So this mine and Bruce's story. You don't have to believe it happened, but it did. All of it.

Nobody at school can see past Lenny's size to the person within. So when lessons get too tough, Lenny always goes to his bench to think. At least there no one can see him. Then one day, midway through lobbing his empty can of Irn-Bru into the canal he's stopped by Bruce. Bruce lives in a cardboard home hidden away by the banks, and he doesn't approve of kids messing up his front lawn …

But a bumpy start soon gives way to an unexpected friendship – and an epic road trip – that will change both of them for life ... 

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, it's still Sunday just about! We had two blog tours this week, that was really fun but it did mean we had slightly fewer reviews instead.

The Mystery of the Golden Pyramid by Adela Norean and Aaron Cushley

 

A talking dog. A jewelled casket. A quest for stolen treasure . . . Join Sophie on a magical Egyptian adventure. Lift the flaps and peep through the die-cuts to help her save King Nebra and solve the mystery of the golden pyramid.

A lift-the-flap, action-packed adventure story!

Mirabelle Breaks the Rules by Harriet Muncaster

Mirabelle's mum is a witch, her dad is a fairy, and she is a bit of both. When Mirabelle goes off to witch school she promises not to cause any mischief . . . But then potions class goes a bit wrong and flying practise is a disaster. Soon enough, Mirabelle finds herself getting up to some seriously mischievous behaviour. Hopefully, with the help of her best friend, Carlotta, she can put everything right before home time.

The Loop and The Block Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour! The Loop was one of last year's major releases, and I know many of you have been waiting very eagerly for the next part of this futuristic trilogy.  As we're discussing two books, you'll find the covers and descriptions after the jump.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, everyone! We've been busier this week, with SEVEN books from our lists publishing this week. Follow the links to read the full reviews!

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

Have you ever imagined running away from your life?

Well Birdy Finch didn't just imagine it. She did it. Which might've been an error. And the life she's run into? Her best friend, Heather's.

The only problem is, she hasn't told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems...

Can Birdy carry off a summer at a luxury Scottish hotel pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)?

And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she's ever actually liked (but who thinks she's someone else)?

A snort-out-loud romcom for fans of The Flatshare.

Am Folctha, a Choinín Beag! by Jorg Muhle

It's bath time for Coinin beag.

Can you help to get him all fluffy and clean?

Little ones will love being asked to help in this fun, interactive story.

Blog Tour: Gifted by Andy Lewter

 

“I knew I was in mortal danger. But I was finally able to breathe again—with him by my
side. Then dangerous eyes bore into mine, and darkness overtook me . . .”

The last thing Abigail Everett thought would happen over spring break was having her
world shift into an entirely new perspective. Unfortunately for her, that’s exactly what happened.

Between struggling to master her newly-formed abilities, coming face-to-face with dark, deceiving mind tricks by those that seek her leadership, and learning of a mythical world that she never deemed possible, Abigail risks everything with the future of mankind and the safety of its’ people in her hands.

Weekly roundup

 Happy Sunday, all! This was a bit of a busier week on the blog.

The Gilded Girl by Alyssa Colman

In 1906 New York City, Miss Posterity’s Academy for Practical Magic is the best kindling school―and wealthy twelve-year-old Emma Harris is accustomed to the best. But when her father dies, leaving her penniless, Emma is reduced to working off her debts to Miss Posterity alongside Izzy, a headstrong servant girl who refuses to let her magic be snuffed out, even if society dictates she must. Emma and Izzy reluctantly form a pact: If Izzy teaches Emma how to survive as a servant, Emma will reveal to Izzy what she knows about magic. Along the way, they encounter shy libraries, quizzes that literally pop, and talking cats (that is, house dragons). But when another student’s kindling goes horribly wrong, Emma, Izzy, and their unexpected new friends embark on a journey to keep magic in the right hands . . . or else there’s a risk it will be snuffed out forever.

Heartfelt, fast-paced, and utterly absorbing, The Gilded Girl is Alyssa Colman’s sparkling debut novel about determination, spirit, and the magic of friendship.

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch

Sky Baker may be openly gay, but in his small, insular town, making sure he was invisible has always been easier than being himself. Determined not to let anything ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make a splash at his high school’s annual beach bum party by asking his crush, Ali, to prom—and he has thirty days to do it.

What better way to start living loud and proud than by pulling off the gayest promposal Rock Ledge, Michigan, has ever seen?

Then, Sky’s plans are leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic e-blast that quickly goes viral. He’s fully prepared to drop out and skip town altogether—until his classmates give him a reason to fight back by turning his thirty-day promposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to expose the e-blast perpetrator.

But what happens at the end of the thirty days? Will Sky get to keep his hard-won visibility? Or will his small-town blues stop him from being his true self?

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! Welcome to the first #BookBirthday post for April. This week, we have six books from our various lists publishing.