Reread: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She's starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes -- at least until she's ready to sail home.

But Terlu can't return home and doesn't want to -- the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. As she grows closer with the unwittingly charming gardener, Yarrow, she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing -- causing the death of everything within them. Terlu knows she must help, even if that means breaking the law. Again.

This time, though, she isn't alone. Assisted by Yarrow and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island -- and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

The Monster and the Clown by Mats Strandberg and Sofia Falkenhem

Frank must outwit the ringleader of the monstrous circus in this new story in the just-scary-enough illustrated chapter book series about a warm-hearted boy-turned-werewolf trying to find his pack.

The people of Yrred are terrified of monsters, and fear is spreading like wildfire. So when Kruger the Clown comes to town, they leap at his offer to catch the creatures haunting Yrred and force them to perform at his circus. Only Frank knows the town’s secret—and his own. He is the monster they’re all afraid of. But he’s also a nine-year-old boy, who has finally found friends like him. Frank and his monster friends must reveal the truth of Kruger’s cruel circus before the hateful plan takes hold. The Monster and the Clown is a spine-tingling adventure about a creepy clown, a daring rescue, and having the courage to stand up for what’s right.

Netta Becker and the Missing Memory Maze by Jennifer Claessen

Legend and edge-of-your-seat action fuse together in this exciting second instalment of the Netta Becker trilogy, underpinned with a feminist retelling of Ancient Greek myth.

A hall full of statues. A pair of lost siblings. Monsters at every turn.

Under orders from the Titan called the Crone, Netta steps out of time itself. And, panicking just a little, her little brother Remy follows. Lost and alone, they each wake in a strange maze-like world as statues. Netta breaks free and begins her double quest: to find her brother and the second sister Titan.

But Remy can't remember who he has lost - and when he is rescued by young Tig, he leaves his memories of Netta behind. By breaking sphinx riddles and with mythical beasts as new allies, Netta and Remy must find out who they are - and who the League of Archon is - in the Realm of Memory itself.

This will be Interesting by E B Asher

Galwell True was the perfect hero, the legend who sacrificed himself to save the realm…only for his friends to unexpectedly resurrect him ten years later. These days, he’s feeling less “Galwell the Great” and more “Galwell the Lost.”

River Pricemark is an excellent assassin. When the Deathrose Guild, an organization known for banishing evil, tasks her with eliminating Galwell, she sees her chance to climb the ranks. So, it’s bad luck when her ambush is interrupted by Celine Hazelton, a scribesheet reporter who questions why the Guild is targeting Galwell at all. It’s worse luck that Celine is also her childhood crush.

Queen Thessia of Mythria is tired of being the damsel. She’s just married the kind and handsome King Hugh and is meant to live happily ever after—but her story feels incomplete. Upon learning Galwell, her ex, is in danger, she turns her royal honeymoon into a rescue, bringing everyone overseas to the opulent land of Vestriya.

Between underground lairs, magical grottos, horseball matches, and masquerades, Galwell must rely on his newfound questmates—including beautiful Vestriyan criminal Mona Grandhart, who seems determined to corrupt him in more ways than one. Good thing he’s set a single rule for everyone on this quest: no romance.

But we all know how this ends, don't we?

Filled with dangerous impersonators, the inimitable power of friendship, and the realm’s most infamous horseball championship, This Will Be Interesting is a slow burn, cozy, and hilarious quest romantasy.

Dino Mode Activated by Jen Wallace

After the success of Dinosaur Pie, award-winning author Jen Wallace returns with another hilarious and moving dinosaur adventure!

Oleg’s new camera is definitely not ordinary. It has no instructions and no buttons, but it seems to know exactly what Oleg wants it to do. When Oleg goes on a camping trip with his friends, Rory and Daria, they soon discover the camera’s most special function – Dino Mode.

Now, with dinosaurs of all sizes running about the campsite and a nosey professor poking around, Oleg and his friends commence Operation Hide the Dinos.

Theme Week: Fever by Lauren DeStephano

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Rhine and Gabriel navigate the treacherous outside world in this second book in the riveting, New York Times bestselling dystopian young adult trilogy reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale. This special 15th anniversary edition features a brand-new look!

Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the mansion, but they’re far from safe—outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they left. Determined to get to Manhattan and find Rhine’s twin brother Rowan, the two press forward amidst threats of being captured again…or worse.

The road they are on is long and treacherous, and in a world where everyone dies young, time is precious. Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price, especially now that she has more to lose than ever.

The Vanished Girl by Natasha Mac A'Bhaird

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Sycamore Hill Boarding School, Donegal, 1963

Clare, Rose and Molly are happy to be back at Sycamore Hill, getting ready for the school musical and training hard at hockey. When new girl Amy joins their class in the middle of term, she's a bit of a puzzle to solve. Amy's vague about her home and is never allowed leave the school grounds with the other girls. Clare wonders if she's a film star or millionaire in disguise!

But then a new nun unexpectedly joins the staff and Clare and friends begin to fear Amy's secret is something darker. Could Sr Eva be there to spy on Amy - or harm her? Who can the girls trust?

Clare, Rose and Molly vow to use their detective skills to get to the bottom of this new mystery before it's too late.

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Boarding school fun, a mysterious new classmate, and a secret that could change everything 🏫✨

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Pre-Reading Thoughts
I adored the first book - it captured that Chalet School/Enid Blyton energy so well, with a mix of hockey sticks, midnight snacks, and just enough danger to keep things lively. My hope going in was that book two would keep the charm while upping the mystery.

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Post-Reading
As I thought…
The tone is spot on: spirited school life with hidden layers of tension. The balance between everyday boarding school routines and the undercurrent of danger is beautifully handled.

It surprised me by…
How much I enjoyed the historical details - slipped in so seamlessly that you don’t realise you’re learning until afterwards. Also, the new nun? Deliciously unsettling.

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Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore (1963 release = era-appropriate girl power anthem)
🎶 Vibe Album: The Best of Dusty Springfield (all 1960s atmosphere with a bittersweet edge)
🎧 Artist Recommendation: The Shangri-Las (teen drama, mystery, and melancholy in perfect harmony)

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Vibe Check
🎨 Colour palette: Navy blue uniforms, pale stone walls, candlelight yellow
🎶 Soundtrack: Hockey sticks clattering, echoing footsteps in corridors, whispered secrets after lights-out
🍂 Season: Early spring term, crisp and full of restless energy
😌 Mood: Curious, suspicious, adventurous
🌹 Scent: Ink-stained paper, beeswax polish, and the faintest whiff of mystery

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Tarot Pull
From the Cosy Witch Tarot: The High Priestess 🌙
This card embodies hidden knowledge, intuition, and secrets waiting to be revealed—just like Amy’s mystery at Sycamore Hill. It’s a reminder that not everything is as it seems, and trust your instincts.

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For Fans Of
📖 The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
📺 Call the Midwife (for the 1960s setting, period detail, and quiet shadows under wholesome surfaces)

🃏 The deck had opinions: [King of Wands] — [The girls show wisdom and loyalty towards each other]

🐾

True Friends at Fernside by Sheena Wilkinson

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Fernside House, nestled at the end of a quiet road, is waiting for eighty girls to disturb its holiday peace ...

Cousins Robin and Linnet are back at Fernside and school life is busier than ever - with the animals at Rowanbank, a new science class, netball rivalry and fun in the dorms.

But the end-of-term exams are not the only test for the girls. As the lower fourth face the good and the bad times of growing up and the cancellation of the Christmas Show, a surprise 'new' girl challenges them to understand what it really means to be a true friend at Fernside.

The Ravenous Sky by K D Kirchmeier

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In this heart-pounding adventure perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, two teens must venture into the unknown to save humanity from dragon-like monsters.

Thomas and Cassie found hope where the shadow road ended. Now they must forge a future for themselves and their newfound community of people left behind after the blitz ravaged their homes. But the journey ahead is dangerous.

Thomas and Cassie separate, each seeking important clues to the origin of the blitz, while surviving threats at every turn. They must find a way to send the terrifying dragon-like monsters back where they came from. Could answers lie in a mythical world beneath our own?

This post-apocalyptic adventure blends heartfelt friendship with high stakes action in an unforgettable tale of survival against all odds.

The House with no Keys by Lindsay Currie

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When a strange invitation shows up in Sarah's backpack, the Delta's learn that their favorite funhouse, The Delta Game, is about to get some serious competition. The "Mystery Mansion" is opening just miles away and the ominous and cryptic owner has invited Sarah, West, and Hannah to come test it on opening day. It claims to be the biggest and best escape house ever, and based on the photos of gleaming rooms filled with high-tech puzzles, it just might be.

What's more, the kids have been offered a ten-thousand-dollar prize if they escape the house. For some reason, West and Hannah seem very interested in the cash prize, but the three friends are torn because they really don't want to be a walking advertisement for a competitor to The Delta Game. After all, that funhouse changed their lives, Sarah's life especially.

But maybe the only way to keep the funhouse, and their friend William Taters in business, is to accept the invite to this new Mystery Mansion, escape it in record time, and show just how lame and easy it is by comparison. The trio arrive at the mansion on opening day, armed with their "fortune favors the bold" attitude. But they quickly learn that nothing is as it seems . . . and unfortunately this time, not everyone plays fair.

Evil Duck and the Nest of Destiny by Chris Judge

Long ago, the ancient inhabitants of Planet Duck created three magical objects to protect their world – the Egg of Time, the Feather of Fortune and the Nest of Destiny. Individually, they each bring great power to their owner, but when all three are brought together they become the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, and Evil Duck has been searching for these items ever since he found out about them. Foiled with the Feather of Fortune, he’s now on the trail of the Nest of Destiny … and he’s teamed up with popstar Ed Quackers with the promise of making him the most famous popstar EVER! Can Eddie and Flo stop Evil Duck and his minions once again, before it’s too late?

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller

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Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful airheaded girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face.

Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers . . . No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons by J Penner

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Spilling the tea has never been so cozy... The second in a heartwarming cozy fantasy series by J. Penner.

In the quaint town of Adenashire, Doli Butterbuckle, a people-pleasing sunshine dwarf, is content with her simple tea magic and circle of friends. It's true she's never quite lived up to family expectations, but life is just fine—until her parents arrive with an inherited dragon egg and a charming gargoyle harboring a secret stroll into her life.

As Doli grapples with her newfound responsibility and discovers a long hidden side of herself, she must face an overbearing family, a sinister plot, and a mischievous dragon that refuses to stay out of trouble.

But with the help of her loyal friends and newfound love, Doli embarks on a heartwarming adventure, revealing that embracing her true self is the most enchanting path of all.

How to Survive a Horror Sequel by Scarlett Dunmore

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Can you be a final girl and survive your own horror movie - twice?

Almost a year after the horrors of Harrogate, Charley and her mum find themselves stranded in a small village called Glendale, AKA 'The Devil's Punchbowl'. Then she befriends the local misfits and learns of her new home's ties to witchcraft - and realises that Glendale has even more secrets than she bargained for.

However, the town's troubled past might just be the key to Charley understanding her ability to speak to the dead, especially with Halloween approaching. But after a series of disappearances, the ghosts acting differently this time, and the Harrogate Killer making a shocking return, Charley realises she might have taken on more than she can handle.

Before she can flee town, a new terror is unleashed, placing her friends and family in danger. Charley's horror knowledge will be put to the test once more, and if she and the Harrogate Killer don't figure out how to work together, they'll be trapped in Glendale forever. Or worse - buried in it.

Torchfire by Moira Buffini

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Welcome back to a world where songlight - or telepathy - is either your greatest power or your greatest curse.

Elsa has fled Northaven and is urgently seeking a safe haven.

Nightingale is being held Captive by Sister Swan and forced to use her songlight against her own people.

Piper has been promoted up the ranks of the Airmen, where nothing but bloodshed is demanded of him.

Rye has stumbled across an incredible airship, the likes of which has never been seen before . . .

All four are united by their desire for peace.

But peace between the Aylish and Brightland feels more fragile than ever now that evil Brother Kite has seized power.

And there is a new threat, not just to Brightland, but to Ayland and the world beyond. The airship that Rye has discovered is owned by the Teroans, a race of elite Torches that left Earth after its destruction. Back on a reconnaissance trip, they are keen to resettle on their recovering planet, but mere human beings are seen as second class citizens and accepted collateral damage.

The future of civilisation is on a knife edge, with those from Brightland wanting to stamp out songlight, those from Ayland wanting harmony and those from Teroa wanting songlight to rein, whatever the costs . . .

A sequel to rival all others, proving this to be the most exciting trilogy to have been published for decades!

Struggle for Existence by Geoff Jones

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Escaping Earth was just the beginning.

Two days before a comet wiped out civilization, mysterious pods carried dozens of people to a strange menagerie inhabited by deadly specimens from Earth’s past.

Sierra Preston made first contact with an alien that had been observing humans from an invisible floating platform. The creature claimed the comet was sent by a race known as gorgers and warned that no one could leave the menagerie.

Sierra isn’t about to let that stop her.

The Preservation of Species trilogy continues in Struggle for Existence, a post-apocalyptic science-fiction adventure filled with unforgettable heroes, terrifying monsters, and heart-pounding action.

Summer under the Stars by Kate Mallinder

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Four friends drive across France in what should be the holiday of a lifetime. But Sasha's struggling with her dad getting remarried; Cam is reeling from being rejected by her birth grandparents; Hetal's terrified of letting everyone down; and Nell's worried that while she's away her relationship with Tom is falling apart. When things go wrong and emotions run high, will they have what it takes to rekindle their friendship?

They need to remember why they're friends. They need a road trip to end all road trips. They need a summer under the stars.

Perfect by Cecelia Ahearn

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“I’m Flawed. But I’m a survivor. And I’m not about to give up.”

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed, her life has fractured completely.

Since Judge Crevan declared Celestine the number-one threat to the public, she has been on the run with the complicated Carrick, the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. Now she must make a choice: save only herself, or risk her life to save all the Flawed…

Children of the Night by M. A. Bennett

You've heard of Jekyll and Hyde, you've heard of the Invisible Man, but have you heard of Bran Castle? Eve, Griffin, Hal and Ren are whisked away to Transylvania, to the supposed home of Dracula himself. Lured there by a desire to understand more about their true natures, our foursome are instead plunged into the midst of a deadly mystery.

Children are going missing, townspeople are being brutally killed and a suspicious stranger keeps appearing from the shadows. Meanwhile, Ren is trapped in Bran Castle, where his fate lies in the hands of a strange - yet oddly familiar - host.

With terrifying twists and turns around every corner, can the group uncover the answers they seek, or will this be the end of the Young Gothics?

A Backstage Betrayal by Michael Ball

THE THEATRE MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS, BUT SECRETS WAIT BEHIND THE CURTAIN

1926. Running a theatre may appear to be all about the showbiz, but times are hard at The Empire. Following a turbulent period Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know they need to get things back on track - and how better than with the annual pantomime, a new venture, and an all-singing all-dancing talent contest, showcasing the best performers around.

But could Lillian's new admirer, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, be bringing disaster in his wake? Will The Empire be caught up in the scandal surrounding West End star, Stella Stanmore? And what are their enemies in Highbridge planning?

While Jack and Grace fight to ensure the show does go on, a royal visitor raises the stakes and a young widow, Sally Blow, dares to dream that the talent contest might be her big break.

As the talent contest draws closer, tragedy strikes. Amid the glitz and glamour there are strange goings on and a plot afoot. Is everything Jack and Grace have worked so hard for about to come crashing down? And could this be curtains for The Empire?

Musical theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit and glamour to this sparkling new Empire Theatre novel.