The Very Dangerous Sisters of Indigo McCloud by John Hearne

Indigo McCloud’s sister Peaches is every adult’s favourite child: pretty, golden-haired, polite and charming. But the children of Blunt know better: Peaches and her sisters are a gang of bullies who will stop at nothing to get her own way.

This is the story of Indigo’s battle to stop Peaches. Leaping across the rooftops of Blunt, talking to his best friend, computer genius Polly, though a walkie talkie, Indigo tries to keep one step ahead of his sisters. But he has to tangle with deadly spiders, curry farts, bungling policemen, various kidnappings, a submarine mishap with a villainous wigmaker …

When he discovers a hidden basement under Peaches’s room where she and her sisters plot their schemes, he knows he is up against a truly evil genius.

The Howling Hag by Nicki Thornton

When there’s a murder in Twinhills and a hag is heard howling at the inn, Raven Charming realizes she may not be the only secret witch in the village.

She could have a rival – one who practises the worst kind of magic. With the help of amateur sleuth, Mortimer Scratch, and Nightshade, a talking cat with a feline sense of detection, she sets out to solve what’s been going on …

Three Bullets by Melvin Burgess

The Bloods are in control and they’re desperate to turn Britain into the world they want to see: right, white, Christian supremist. Anyone who they call abnormal is a target. Amidst the chaos of civil war the country is on the move as small militia groups fight each other and a sea of refugees escapes the cities and the pursuing Bloods.

When her home is destroyed in a bombing raid, Marti must strike out on a mission of her own - to save her father and get his vital software into the right hands. But Marti is mixed race and trans and has her three-year-old brother in tow. Crossing into enemy territory could prove suicidal. Yet Marti's enemies haven't reckoned with her indomitable will to survive - and the gun she carries, which has three bullets . . .

Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday! This was a super week for new books; between all of us, we received something on all five days we get post last week! Read on for covers and links.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: with a single touch, she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms.

When Briseis’s aunt leaves her a dilapidated estate, Bri and her parents head there for the summer. Hopefully surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden growing the deadliest botanicals in the world.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a talent for creating them. One visitor is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets of her own. 

Up against a centuries-old curse, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another enchanting story about a young woman with dark forces descending around her.

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston

The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots. The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky...

Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...

A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love - with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday! Some late arriving books meant that this week and next will be a little more packed, so as always, here's your roundup in case you missed anything.

Trailblazers; Lin-Manuel Miranda by Kurtis Scaletta

Be inspired by the lives of trailblazers past and present in this fun and factual biography series!

How did Lin-Manuel Miranda become the multi-award-winning creator behind a hit Broadway show? As a child, Lin-Manuel spent his time listening to the sounds and rhythms of New York. Taking part in school productions and writing his own plays, he knew early on he was destined for the stage. While on holiday years later, he read a biography of Alexander Hamilton and came up with an idea for an original musical take on American history. Discover how this aspiring actor went on to create the most talked about show in decades and take the world by storm with his creativity!

TRAILBLAZERS biographies are packed with little-known trivia, fascinating facts and lively illustrations.

Nadia and the Forever Kitten by Holly Webb

Nadia spends as much time as she can at her friend Violet’s house, playing with the kittens her mum brings home from her job at the animal shelter. When Violet tells Nadia about a pregnant cat urgently in need of a place to stay, Nadia convinces her parents to foster Gracie for the summer.

After Gracie gives birth to five beautiful kittens, Nadia is instantly drawn to the smallest and sweetest, who she names Luna. But while the other kittens are quickly adopted, Nadia is heartbroken to see no one is interested in Luna. Can she help the kitten find her forever home?

The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones

"Do you like chicken?" Oscar asked me. I nodded. "Then take a wing." Oscar offered me his arm and we linked each other into the school hall.

Edie has Cerebral palsy, but she's used to it because she's spent her whole life being a bit wobbly. She can't wait to start secondary school with her best friend Oscar and share sausage rolls with him at breaktime. But when Oscar scuppers these plans by getting his first ever girlfriend, GROSS, Edie eventually decides to stop feeling sorry for herself and find a boyfriend, so she can prove to Oscar she's grown up too. She muses: 'when Thor was stripped of his power and banished to Earth by Odin, did he mope around and throw his hammer out of the pram? No he got on with it, bossed around Earth and found love like an absolute legend'.

But while she's plotting, she accidentally gets cast as the lead role in the school play. As Edie devotes her time to the performing arts, she finds a new friend, as well as talents - and feelings - she never knew she had. She soon realises that life in the spotlight might just be her thing after all...  

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Happy Thursday! In keeping with most of the month, this week there are TWO books on our various lists.  

Sentient by Jackie Higgins

Sentient assembles a menagerie of zoological creatures - from land, air, sea and all four corners of the globe - to understand what it means to be human. Through their eyes, ears, skins, tongues and noses, the furred, finned and feathered reveal how we sense and make sense of the world, as well as the untold scientific revolution stirring in the field of human perception.

The harlequin mantis shrimp can throw a punch that can fracture aquarium walls but, more importantly, it has the ability to see a vast range of colours. The ears of the great grey owl have such unparalleled range and sensitivity that they can hear twenty decibels lower than the human ear. The star-nosed mole barely fills a human hand, seldom ventures above ground and poses little threat unless you are an earthworm, but its miraculous nose allows it to catch those worms at astonishing speed - as little as one hundred and twenty milliseconds. Here, too, we meet the four-eyed spookfish and its dark vision; the vampire bat and its remarkable powers of touch; the bloodhound and its hundreds of millions of scent receptors, as well as the bar-tailed godwit, the common octopus, giant peacocks, cheetahs and golden orb-weaving spiders. Each of these extraordinary creatures illustrates the sensory powers that lie dormant within us.

In this captivating book, Jackie Higgins explores this evolutionary heritage and, in doing so, enables us to subconsciously engage with the world in ways we never knew possible.

#Bookpost!

Welcome back to #Bookpost! We missed this feature during Lockdown, but it just wasn't practical to coordinate. Since it's been literal months since the last one, we've gone a bit further back than the customary week for this post.

This Fragile Earth by Susannah Wise

Not long from now, in a recognizable yet changed London, Signy and Matthew lead a dull, difficult life. They’ve only really stayed together for the sake of their six year old son, Jed. But they’re surviving, just about. Until the day the technology that runs their world stops working. Unable to use their phones, pay for anything, even open the smart door to their flat, Matthew assumes that this is just a momentary glitch in the computers that now run the world.

But then the electricity and gas are cut off. Even the water stops running. And the pollination drones – vital to the world, ever since the bees all died – are behaving oddly. People are going missing. Soldiers are on the streets. London is no longer safe.

A shocking incident sends Signy and Jed on the run, desperate to flee London and escape to the small village where Signy grew up. Determined to protect her son, Signy will do almost anything to survive as the world falls apart around them. But she has no idea what is waiting for them outside the city…

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday! Here is this week's roundup in case you missed anything. From next week we're resuming the Book post on Tuesdays, so look out for that!

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began…and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.

As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything—including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?  

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed.

Happy BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! As I said last week, this is a very quiet week; only ONE book, and that one only showed up at the last minute!  

Zhiguai translated by Yi Izzy Yu and John Yu Branscum

Discover the China that before now was only whispered about in the dark.

In this collection, award-winning writers and translators Yi Izzy Yu and John Yu Branscum share paranormal and glitch in the matrix tales from across present-day China. Confided by eyewitnesses, these true stories uncannily echo Western encounters with chilling dimensions of reality and supernatural entities. At the same time, they thrillingly immerse the reader in everyday Chinese life and occult beliefs.

Zhiguai: Chinese True Tales of the Paranormal and Glitches in the Matrix includes such accounts as:

*The reincarnation of a teenager whose fate eerily mimics his predecessor's

*A girl who dies in the womb but nevertheless continues to communicate with her twin

*Terrifying shifts into demonic parallel universes

*Walls desperately painted with blood to save a family from tragedy

*Huge populations that disappear into thin air

*The revenge-seeking ghosts of murdered cats

*Weird temporal shifts

*Occult murders

From the terrifying to the uncanny, this collection will not only change your understanding of China but of reality itself.  

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Peniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

You're So Dead by Ash Parsons

Plum Winter has always come in second to her sister, the unbelievably cool, famous influencer Peach Winter. And when Peach is invited to an all-expenses paid trip to a luxurious art and music festival for influencers on a private island in the Caribbean, Plum decides it's finally her time to shine. So she intercepts the invite--and asks her two best friends Antonia and Marlowe to come along to the fest with her. It'll be a spring break they'll never forget.

But when Plum and her friends get to the island, it's not anything like it seemed in the invite. The island is run-down, creepy, and there doesn't even seem to be a festival--it's just seven other quasi-celebrities and influencers, and none of the glitz and glamor she expected. Then people start to die...

Plum and her friends soon realize that someone has lured each of them to the "festival" to kill them. Someone has a vendetta against every person on the island--and no one is supposed to leave the island alive. So, together, Plum, Antonia, and Marlowe will do whatever it takes to unravel the mystery of the killer, and fight to save themselves and as many influencers as they can, before it's too late.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We had a pretty quiet week here on the blog, but here's the roundup anyway, just in case!

All the Money in the World by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Fifteen-year-old Penny longs for something better. Better than a small, damp flat. Better than her bullying classmates and uninterested teachers. Better than misery and poverty day in day out.

An unlikely friendship and a huge sum of money promise a whole lot of new chances for Penny, and she realises that not only can she change her life, she can change herself.

But at what cost?  

Red Sky Burning by Teri Terry

 

She survived the hurricane and now Tabby is on the run, hoping she can make it to her old friend Jago before her pursuers catch her.

All she has are questions, about the experiments she saw in the basement of her swim school...about who - or what -she is.

Denzi is also searching for answers after the storm. But each time he connects with a survivor, they disappear.

The environmental activist group The Circle claims responsibility for the hurricane that destroyed Tabby and Denzi's school and caused great damage around the world. Now they threaten further terror if their demands aren't met.

As the political tension bubbles over into violence, Tabby and Denzi search for the truth. There's something connecting them, drawing their paths into one.

Can they put the puzzle pieces together and discover what The Circle wants with them? Sometimes it's better not to know the truth...

Tabitha Plimtock and the Edge of the World by Erica McGann and Phillip Cullen

Tabitha Plimtock lives in a house at the very edge of the world. She is a go-getter - that is, a dogsbody forced to go and get things - for her nasty relatives, Gower, Gristle, Bertha and Cousin Wilbur.

One of Tabitha's endless chores involves descending the cliff face, via a net that hangs from the back of the house, to collect eggs, nuts and other things from the inhabitants of the wall. When rumours begin to circulate of monsters climbing from the base to gobble up unsuspecting wall-dwellers, Tabitha is worried for all her friends.

Determined to save them, Tabitha seeks out the elusive and eccentric Dr Sherback. The doctor introduces her to a whole new world at the base - one that is dark, dangerous and absolutely thrilling - but not even Dr Sherback's vast knowledge can slow the terrible creatures climbing to the top of the wall.

With a clever plan, and not a small amount of courage, can Tabitha stop the monsters and keeps the people she loves safe for good?

Happy BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This was a quieter week, with FOUR books from our lists publishing. The next two weeks still look quiet, so we'll be reading ahead a bit to get a jump on some books due later in the year!

Blogtour: The Fire God by Michele Sims

Welcome to the book tour for The Fire God Tour by Michele Sims. Read on for more details about this genre-blurring romance! There's also a chance to win a signed copy of the book!  

The Marvelous by Claire Kann

Everyone thinks they know Jewel Van Hanen. Heiress turned actress turned social media darling who created the massively popular video-sharing app, Golden Rule.

After mysteriously disappearing for a year, Jewel makes her dramatic return with an announcement: she has chosen a few lucky Golden Rule users to spend an unforgettable weekend at her private estate. But once they arrive, Jewel ingeniously flips the script: the guests are now players in an elaborate estate-wide game. And she’s tailored every challenge and obstacle to test whether they have what it takes to win--at any cost.

Told from the perspective of three dazzling players--Nicole: the new queen of Golden Rule; Luna: Jewel’s biggest fan; and Stella: a brilliant outsider--this novel will charm its way into your heart and keep you guessing how it all ends because money isn’t the only thing at stake.  

Blogtour: It Calls From the Sea (anthology)

Prepare to die. The sea awakens.

Within the Mariana Trench, a research vessel’s crew is threatened by a mysterious force. A father and daughter’s holiday by the ocean turns deadly as a sinister creature stalks them. A group of friends learn that some things should remain in the ocean. Filled with a sense of wonder, a young biologist discovers a new species of kelp, but with disastrous consequences.

It Calls From the Sea is an all-original anthology of twenty brutal tales of horror from the deep blue sea.

Eerie River brings you another round of insatiable horror. There is no end to the terrors we have in store and there is nowhere left to hide. Get comfy, this is going to be a wild ride.

Featuring stories by:
Chris Bannor“Euphoria”, Chris Hewitt “Reef Encounter” Christopher Bond “The Ocean Sings Softly”, Dan Le Fever “Xook” David Green “Into The Depths”, Georgia Cook “Dead Ships”, Holley Cornetto “Heaven's Lake”, Julie Sevens “Shoney's Revenge”, Lin Darrow “Cry of the Hunger Fish”, M.B.Vujacic “Jelly”, Mason Gallaway, “The Sea Reaches Up” McKenzie Richardson “The Hunter and the Prey”, R. L. Meza “Long Pork”, S.O. Green “The Shadow Over Innsmouth High”, Steve Neal “Hostile Territory”, T. M. Brown “Buoy 21415”, Tim Mendees “Fronds”, Trey Dowell “Abyssal Horror”, Watt Morgan “Please Leave”

Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood

Ever wonder why pigeons act so weird? Because they are secretly chasing bad guys and flying around saving your butt! This hilarious illustrated series is perfect for fans of BAD GUYS and DOG MAN.

What do REAL PIGEONS do? They fight crime, of course! Wait, what? You didn't know your town is protected by a secret squad of crime-fighting feathered friends? Well, you are about to get schooled. REAL PIGEONS solve mysteries! REAL PIGEONS fight bad guys! And REAL PIGEONS won't stop until your neighborhood is safe and the questions are all answered: Like, why have all the breadcrumbs disappeared? And which food truck smells the best?  

Weekly roundup

 Happy Sunday, all! It's been...a week here on the blog, so here's the roundup in case you missed anything.

All Aboard the Opposites Train by Sean Sims

 We're at the station. We're off to explore opposites, dinosaurs and so much more. All aboard everyone! This fun-filled story introduces opposites, from little to big, from quiet to noisy and from slow to fast. With lots of things to spot and describe on every page, it is perfect to share with young children.  

Gold Spun by Brandie June

If Nor can’t spin gold, she can always spin lies.

When seventeen-year-old Nor rescues a captured faerie in the woods, he gifts her with a magical golden thread she can use to summon him for a favor. Instead, Nor uses it for a con—to convince villagers to buy straw that can be transformed into gold. Her trick works a little too well, attracting the suspicion of Prince Casper, who hates nobody more than a liar. Intent on punishing Nor, he demands that she spin a room of straw into gold and as her reward, he will marry her. Should she refuse or fail, the consequences will be dire.  

Desperate for help, Nor summons the faerie's aid, launching a complicated dance as she must navigate between her growing feelings for both the prince and faerie boy and who she herself wishes to become.

All Aboard the Colours Train by Sean Sims

We're at the station. We're off to explore colours, animals and so much more. All aboard everyone! This fun-filled story, which gently explores early-learning concepts, is great to share with very young children. With lots of things to spot and describe on every page, this brilliant train ride is a trip worth taking again and again.  

Down with this Ship by Katie Kingman

Kole Miller does one thing really well: write fanfiction for the show The Space Game. Everything else is a struggle: like managing her anxiety, frequent crushes, and plans after high school. But when her blog, Spacer, wins a major fanfiction contest, her traffic soars.

With massive readership comes criticism Kole isn’t prepared for, including getting stuck in the heated ship wars surrounding the show. And then an invitation to speak at The Space Game’s official convention arrives in her inbox.

When the most competitive kids in her Creative Writing class discover Kole’s writing Spacer, her blog is taken hostage and she risks them hitting ctrl+A+del on Spacer. To win it back, Kole must face both her inner demons and the ones at Crystal Lake High before they make the drama not just about The Space Game, but about Kole herself.

Including snippets from Kole’s fanfic, emails, and text messages, Down With This Ship is sure to bring out the inner fangirl in anyone.  

Hexed by Julia Tuffs

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Sex Education - Jessie Jones has just discovered she's a witch. Too bad there isn't a hex to make slimy Callum Henderson and his friends disappear ... yet. A feisty, funny YA series about discovering your place and your power.

New girl, new school, new life on stupid island - thanks Mum. All Jessie Jones wants is to keep her head down, avoid school douchebag Callum Henderson, and coast - middle-of-the-road-like. But when strange powers start to manifest during crippling period pains, flying under the radar seems highly unlikely.

Can Jessie embrace her new-found witchiness, control her erratic powers and work out a way to bring down Callum and his cult of toxic masculinity?  

Happy BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, everyone! This was a busy week, with NINE books from our lists publishing either today or on Tuesday. The rest of the month currently looks quieter but there are always last minute titles appearing!

Glass Coffin by Gabby Hutchingson Crouch

The tyrannous Huntsmen have declared everyone in one village to be outlaws, since they insist on supporting the magical beings of neighbouring Darkwood. Why won’t they accept that magic is an abomination?

Far from being abominable, the residents of Darkwood are actually very nice when you get to know them, even Snow the White Knight, who can get a bit tetchy when people remind her she’s a Princess.

In order to stop the Huntsmen from wiping out all magical beings, Snow and her friends have to venture into the Badlands of Ashtrie, and seek the support of the Glass Witch – but she has plans of her own, and let’s just say they’re not good ones.  

When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle

 

Inspired by a true story. It's 1940, and Joseph has been packed off to stay with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no great fondness for children. To Joseph's amazement, she owns the rundown city zoo where Joseph meets Adonis, a huge silverback gorilla. Adonis is ferociously strong and dangerous, but Joseph finds he has an affinity with the lonely beast. But when the bombs begin to fall, it is up to Joseph to guard Adonis's cage should it be damaged by a blast. Will Joseph be ready to pull the trigger if it comes to it?  

Ireland Discover Its Beauty by Carsten Krieger

A full photographic tour covering the whole of Ireland. Carsten Krieger's renowned evocative landscape photography is complimented by more intimate shots of craftspeople going about their daily work. Coastlines, rivers, mountains, towns, from scenes that have remained largely unchanged for thousands of years to a vibrant, modern Ireland are captured through his lens.

Tremendous Things by Susin Nielsen

We all have moments that define us. For the comically clueless Wilbur, his moment happened on the first day of middle school, when someone shared his private letter with the entire student body. It revealed some of Wilbur's innermost embarrassing thoughts that no one else should ever know.

Now it's the start of ninth grade and Wilbur hasn't been able to escape that major humiliation. His good friend Alex stuck by him, but Alex doesn't have as much time since he started dating Fabrizio. Luckily, Wil can confide in his best friend: his elderly neighbor Sal. Also, Wil's in the school band, where he plays the triangle. They're doing an exchange program with students from Paris, and Wilbur's billet, Charlie, a tall, chic young woman who plays the ukulele and burps with abandon, captures his heart. Charlie likes him, but only as a friend. So Alex, Fabrizio and Sal host a Queer Eye-style intervention to get Wil in shape and to build his confidence so he can impress Charlie when their band visits Paris, and just maybe replace humiliation with true romance in the City of Love.

Puffling Colouring Book by Gerry Daly

A brand new colouring book for fans of Where Are You, Puffling? Gorgeous black and white illustrations from the original picture book for children to colour in. A perfect gift!  

Twitch by MG Leonard

Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict?

Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?  

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...  

Weekly roundup

 Happy Sunday, all! It's been busier than usual as we got some books in last minute, so here's this week's roundup in case you missed anything.

Sunny Song will never be Famous by Suzanne Park

 Sunny Song's Big Summer Goals:
1) Make Rafael Kim my boyfriend (finally!)
2) Hit 100K followers (almost there…)
3) Have the best last summer of high school ever

Not on Sunny's list: accidentally filming a PG-13 cooking video that goes viral (#browniegate). Extremely not on her list: being shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa (IOWA??) for a whole month. She's traded in her WiFi connection for a butter churn, and if she wants any shot at growing her social media platform this summer, she'll need to find a way back online.

But between some unexpected friendships and an alarmingly cute farm boy, Sunny might be surprised by the connections she makes when she's forced to disconnect.

Blogtour: The Demon of Yodok by Adria Carmichael

To celebrate the release of the latest novel in the Juche series, The Storm of Storms, we're going back to the book that started it all! The Demon of Yodok! Read on for more details and a chance to win a signed hardcover edition of the novel!

Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traore

City girl Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village.

There’s no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside.

Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she’s tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring. Caught in the sinking red quicksand of a forbidden lake, her fantastical journey begins …

I'm Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth

Now more than ever, the strong, independent, courageous voices of Black women are being heard loud and clear. They share their truth about life, love, family, faith and hope in these 101 personal stories and 12 powerful poems. The world is listening.

Black women are speaking, for themselves and their families, and everyone is listening. This unique collection of stories is for readers of all colors, not just the Black community, as these contributors share their dreams, their triumphs and failures, and their lives, which have unique challenges and hardships that are not well understood by others. Readers of color will recognize their own struggles in these pages, and white readers will benefit from an inside view of Black life in America, Canada and beyond.

These 101 stories and 12 poems, written by and for Black women, cover it all—from fierce to funny—about hopes and dreams, fears and realities, identity and self-discovery, family, children, even hair. Each one starts with a quote connecting you to a wellspring of wisdom from historical and contemporary Black women.

“We are speaking now,” says Breena Clarke, coauthor of this book. “Because the moment is now, in this collection of first-person narratives. This is an opportunity to hear the often silenced voices of Black women, writing for you and because of you. These are stories of universal human experiences but also reflect the specificity of Black women’s lives in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.”

Everyone will benefit from this look into the culture, wisdom, and everyday reality of the Black experience, with 11 chapters, each starting with a powerful poem:

• The Shoulders We Stand On
• Where We Come From
• Everyday Struggles
• Stand Up, Speak Out
• Raising Our Children
• Family & Food for the Soul
• Taking Care of Me
• Sisters, Friends
• Loving Black Men
• Identity & Roots
• Self-Discovery

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t fix. Her best (and only) friend is pulling away. Her mother’s drinking problem is a constant concern. She’s even running out of outlandish diseases to fake so she can skip PE.

But when Aideen stumbles on her nemesis, overachiever Meabh Kowalski, in the midst of a full-blown meltdown, she sees a problem that—unlike her own disaster of a life—seems refreshingly easy to solve. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help. By pushing Meabh down the stairs.

Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when another student learns about their little scheme and brings Aideen another “client” who needs her “help,” it kicks off a semester of traded favors, ill-advised hijinks, and an unexpected chance at love. Fixing other people’s problems won’t fix her own, but it might be the push she needs to start.  

Happy BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This was a good week, with FIVE books from our various lists publishing either today or on Tuesday.

Amber Undercover by Em Norry

I'm Amber Roberts. Just your average teenager. Life revolves around school and my best mate, Vi. Nothing too dramatic, and certainly nothing dangerous.
Well. That's how things used to be. But now, my life is way more complicated: Mum and Dad have a massive secret and Vi's being all moody. But, bigger than that-I've just been recruited as a secret agent! That's right. Me. An actual spy. Exciting? It would be, if I had a clue what I was doing . . .  

The Cousins by Karen McManus

The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:

You know what you did.

They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who's been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It's the Story legacy.

This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. But some secrets are better left alone.

Light Seer's Tarot by Chris-Anne

This 78-card tarot deck and guidebook is a healing tool and guide to explore both the light and shadow sides of our nature.

By reimagining the traditional tarot archetypes and symbols in a contemporary, boho, and intuitive style, The Light Seer's Tarot expresses the light and shadow sides of our natures and explores the lessons that can be learned from both.

The expressive characters who live within the landscapes of the cards tell stories, ask questions, and provide guidance. This deck is an ideal companion as you seek to uncover the places in your life-and in yourself-that are most in need of illumination.  

This review is image heavy.

The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez

Vaseline on the teeth makes a smile shine. It’s a cheap stunt, but Mark Adams knows it’s optics that can win or ruin an election.

Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father’s image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger.

One big problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn’t grow up in this town, and he has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren’t exactly with the in-crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing, these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and engage with voters—and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and a bully front-runner who stands in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dangerous.  

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here is the weekly roundup of everything we've done this week on the blog.

The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred

'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills, but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them...'

Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband. When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart. But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.

Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion...

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette

This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whatever.

The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but the name sticks: Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn’t explain where everyone went. It doesn’t explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets.

Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can’t get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear—Paul, a preacher as quick with a gun as a Bible verse; Win, a young professional with a horse; Bethany, a thirteen-year-old juvenile delinquent; and Ananda, an MIT astrophysics adjunct—life in Cambridge, Massachusetts gets stranger and stranger.

The self-styled Apocalypse Seven are tired of questions with no answers. Tired of being hunted by things seen and unseen. Now, armed with curiosity, desperation, a shotgun, and a bow, they become the hunters. And that’s when things truly get weird.  

Boy in a White Room by Karl Olsberg

A boy wakes to find himself locked in a white room. He has no memories, no idea who he is and no idea how he got here.

A computer-generated voice named Alice responds to his questions – through her, he is able to access the internet. He gradually pieces together his story – an abduction, a critical injury, snippets of his past … But how can the boy tell what’s real and what’s not? Who is he really?

A gripping YA sci-fi thriller by German and Spiegel-bestselling author, Karl Olsberg. Boy in a White Room was nominated for Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2018, Germany’s most prestigious youth fiction award.  

Happy #BookBirthday!

 Happy Thursday all! Sorry we're a little late with this. This week we read TWO books from our various lists.

Aetherbound by E K Johnston (mild spoilers)

Set on a family-run interstellar freighter called the Harland and a mysterious remote space station, E. K. Johnston's latest is story of survival and self-determination.

Pendt Harland's family sees her as a waste of food on their long-haul space cruiser when her genes reveal an undesirable mutation. But if she plays her cards right she might have a chance to do much more than survive. During a space-station layover, Pendt escapes and forms a lucky bond with the Brannick twins, the teenage heirs of the powerful family that owns the station. Against all odds, the trio hatches a long-shot scheme to take over the station and thwart the destinies they never wished for.