Max Magic by Stephen Mulhern with Tom Easton and Begona Fernandez Corbalan

The MAGICAL debut children's book from superstar TV presenter and magician, Stephen Mulhern! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Max Mullers loves doing magic tricks - his gran has taught him everything he knows! But his tricks aren't enough to keep Bottley the Bully off his back. Then a run-in with Bottley at his parents' market stall gets Max into even bigger trouble - now the notorious East End gangsters the Crayfish Twins are after him! If Max is going to get out of this one, he'll need A MIRACLE. Fortunately for Max, with magic . . . anything is possible! An unforgettable adventure celebrating friendship, family and . . . MAGIC! Engaging black-and-white illustrations throughout and a dyslexic-friendly layout make this perfect for every child. Ideal for fans of Greg James & Chris Smith, Noel Fitzpatrick and David Baddiel. Inspired by Stephen Mulhern's incredible story of his journey to becoming a magician, performer and TV star.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We're almost at the end of October, nights are drawing in - perfect for reading, right?

100 Disasters that Shaped World History

From the Great Fire of London to the Challenger explosion, earthquakes, crashes, floods, and accidents have been major turning points throughout history. In 100 Disasters That Shaped World History, young readers will be introduced to some of the most notorious disasters known to mankind, discovering how these fateful events unfolded-and how they changed the world as we know it.

The Macmillan Collection of Myths and Legends

A beautiful hardback treasury, containing over forty myths and legends from around the world. The perfect gift for mythology lovers of all ages. 

This glorious collection contains incredible stories from Greek and Norse mythology, such as Theseus and the Minotaur and Ragnaroek, and famous British legends including The Sword in the Stone, alongside lesser known stories. Bringing together amazing stories from across the world, there are tales of spirits from Spain, fish Gods from China, an Australian Aboriginal frog that drank up all of the water in the world, and many more. 

Fully illustrated throughout, with beautiful colour and line-work images from iconic Golden Age illustrators, including Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane and Warwick Goble. A sumptuous 352 page gift hardback, complete with a foiled cut-through cover, foiled edges and a ribbon marker, The Macmillan Collection of Myths and Legends is a book to share and treasure.

Happy #BookBirthday! (27/10)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are TWO books from our various lists publishing!

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

She's snowed in with the family. The only problem? They're not her family.

A family gathering

This Christmas the Miller siblings have one goal - to avoid their family's well-meaning questions. Ross, Alice and Clemmie have secrets that they don't intend to share, and they are relying on each other to deflect attention.

An uninvited guest

Lucy Clarke is facing a Christmas alone, and the prospect of losing her job - unless she can win a major piece of business from Ross Miller. She'll deliver her proposal to his family home in the Scottish Highlands and then leave. After all, she wouldn't want to intrude on the Miller's perfect family Christmas.

A Christmas to remember

When Lucy appears on the Miller's snow-covered doorstep, she is mistaken for Ross's girlfriend. But by the time the confusion is cleared up, a storm has hit and Lucy is stuck. As everyone settles in for a snowed-in Christmas, tensions bubble to the surface and suddenly Lucy finds herself facing a big family fallout with a family that isn't hers...

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received two new books, plus three new tarot decks which will be featured over on the tarot blog in due time!

As always you can click on the covers to learn more about each book.

Well, that was Unexpected by Jesse Q Sutanto

An outrageous, laugh-out-loud YA rom-com about a girl who's whisked from LA to her mother's native Indonesia to get back to her roots and finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families there, from the author of Dial A for Aunties.

After Sharlot Citra's mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother's native Indonesia. It'll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.

When George Clooney Tanuwijaya's father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot's mother and George's father do what any good parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children.

When the kids find out about their parents' actions, they're horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, all! We've had another great week on the blog.

Maame by Jessica George

Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils––and rewards––of putting her heart on the line.

Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.

The Last Storyteller/Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Happy #Bookbirthday! (20/10)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there is ONE book from our various lists publishing!

The Boy who Lost his Spark by Maggie O'Farrell and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

When Jem and his family first move to a small town, he struggles with his new life. The unhappier he grows, the stranger things become ... mischief and chaos seems to bloom everywhere. His sister Verity is sure it is the work of a "nouka", an ancient creature that lives deep down inside the hill; a creature forged from the sparks of a long-extinct volcano. Jem is adamant - there is no such thing. But it is through the magic and mayhem of this small mystical creature that Jem finally finds a sense of belonging, a sense of home. He, once more, discovers a spark of magic.

A beautiful and atmospheric long-form picture book set against a dramatic backdrop of an ancient hillside and the mysterious mood-affecting creature that lives within...

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! A quieter week of all physical books this week - in fact, as I write this, there are NO ebooks on our lists, just physical! (I'll have to get something promptly if I want to keep my kindle reading streak going...)

As always, you can click on the cover of each book to learn more about it.

Retro by Sofia Lapuente and Jarrod Shusterman

What starts off as a light-hearted competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for survival in this unputdownable young adult thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía Lapuente.

To save her struggling family, Luna enters a competition offering reward money to anyone who can successfully live without modern technology for a year. But when this social experiment turns sinister and her classmates start disappearing, her family’s livelihood might not be the only thing she’s in danger of losing.

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, all! It's the end of another week here on the blog.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D Jackson

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation... Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret... one that will cost them all their lives.

Pip and Posy: How Are You?

A chunky board book with handy tabbed pages to help young children turn the page and build book-confidence.

Like all friends do, Pip and Posy sometimes get upset, feel cross and feel scared. This book explores how they cope when they feel these different emotions, and what they can do to help each other feel better.

Happy #BookBirthday! (13/10)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are FIVE books from our various lists publishing.

The Other Ones by Fran Hart

Sal lives in a haunted house.

He longs to be ordinary, but when the strangest of strangers arrives on his doorstep – a fellow outcast called Pax – his life grows even more complicated.

Sal goes on to develop an unlikely friendship with Pax, whose love for all things spooky drew him to the house and its inhabitants. But as the two grow closer, the true nature of the hauntings is gradually revealed.

Will Sal find the courage to conquer his ghosts, or will he risk losing Pax for good?

#Bookpost

Happy Tuesday, all! We missed last week's #BookPost as we were on a blog tour, so this week is a double post. We got some great stuff this fortnight!

As always, you can click on the cover to learn more about each book.

Cursed by Marissa Meyer

Adalheid Castle is in chaos.

Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.

But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn’t only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good–once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?

Romance and adventure collide in this stunning finale to the Rumpelstilskin-inspired fairy tale.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! This week was another light-on-reviews week as we had other features instead!

Cover reveal: Division X by August Hill

Welcome to the cover reveal for August Hill's novel, Division X! The perfect book to add to your October TBR!

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out - not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way.

But that impossible dream has somehow come true for El and her classmates. And what's more, she didn't even have to become the monstrous dark witch she's prophesised to become to make it happen. Instead of killing enclavers, she saved them, and now the world is safe for all wizards. Peace and harmony have enveloped all the enclaves of the world.

Just kidding.

Instead, someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in El's stead, and everyone she saved is at risk again with a full-scale enclave war on the horizon. And so, the first thing El needs to do after miraculously escaping the Scholomance, is to turn straight around and find a way back in.

Happy #BookBirthday! (6/10)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are SIX books from our lists publishing.

Wren by Lucy Hope

A dark, gothic adventure set on the island of Anglesey in North Wales and featuring a very fantastical beast…

Wren lives in an ancient castle in the mountains near the sea. The wind whistles through it and the walls sing to her. Wren is busy inventing things, and her father is busy disapproving.

But the castle contains a mystery and as Wren is drawn further into it, she realises the answer lies in the very foundations of her home, foundations that are being shaken to their core…

The next fantastic novel from Lucy Hope, author of Fledgling!

Blog tour; Big Bad Me by Aislinn O'Loughlin

‘I’ve got two claws, Katie. Two giant, evil, freaking Freddy Krueger monster things. I am not calm.’

Evie Wilder is living a very normal life. Except for the fact that her mum has gone missing, she’s just found out she’s a werewolf, she and her sister have to go into hiding from supernatural beings, and there’s not a single

helpful vampire slayer to be found.

With the help of Kevin, the dorky-hot teenage manager of the guesthouse where Evie and Kate go to lie low, Evie begins to learn to harness her wolfish abilities. But there’s something a bit odd about Kevin that Evie can’t quite put her finger on.

Meanwhile, reports of animal attacks are increasing, local teenagers have started to go missing, and Evie is about to find herself at the centre of a supernatural showdown.

At Midnight ed by Dahlia Adler

Fairy tales have been spun for thousands of years and remain among our most treasured stories. Weaving fresh tales with unexpected reimaginings, At Midnight brings together a diverse group of acclaimed YA writers to breathe new life into a storied tradition.

Fifteen celebrated authors reclaim classic fairy tales for a new generation:

Dahlia Adler, “Rumplestiltskin”

Tracy Deonn, “The Nightingale”

H.E. Edgmon, “Snow White”

Hafsah Faizal, “Little Red Riding Hood”

Stacey Lee, “The Little Matchstick Girl”

Roselle Lim, “Hansel and Gretel”

Darcie Little Badger, “Puss in Boots”

Malinda Lo, “Frau Trude”

Alex London, “Cinderella”

Anna-Marie McLemore, “The Nutcracker”

Rebecca Podos, “The Robber Bridegroom”

Rory Power, “Sleeping Beauty”

Meredith Russo, “The Little Mermaid”

Gita Trelease, “Fitcher’s Bird”

and an all-new fairy tale by Melissa Albert

Once upon a time . . .

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We had a lovely normal week here on the blog, but next week is going to be fun!

We Disagree About This Tree by Ross Collins

Bear and Mouse have finally overcome their differences and are living together in perfect harmony . . . until it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree! Bear wants dazzling lights, while Mouse prefers gigantic baubles . . . and, wait a minute, did Mouse just put a MANATEE on the top?! A topsy-turvy tree is definitely THE LAST STRAW and it looks as if Christmas is RUINED. But maybe, just maybe, Bear and Mouse can reach a compromise in time . . . ?