tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47048491177530628512024-03-13T01:49:29.090+00:00Teenage Fiction for All AgesKaren (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.comBlogger913125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-62700684780674427892021-11-08T15:00:00.001+00:002021-11-08T15:00:00.222+00:00Review: When Marnie Was There by Joan G Robinson<p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">I recently posted my review of </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE by Joan G Robinson </span>on my library's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/6359613327445525" style="color: #000099; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</span> </p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtzE7o1wIdQ/YYk4ukldIRI/AAAAAAAAMKw/B_-W3QbxeYc9rkpSUImrszlzvmvdfX9UACLcBGAsYHQ/s1297/WMWT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtzE7o1wIdQ/YYk4ukldIRI/AAAAAAAAMKw/B_-W3QbxeYc9rkpSUImrszlzvmvdfX9UACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WMWT.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I confess I hadn’t heard of the 1967 classic WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE by Joan G Robinson until the Studio Ghibli film of the same name was released in 2014. Hearing it was based on a book set in Norfolk I decided to seek it out. </span></span></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The story is told by Anna, whose age is not specified but seems to be around eleven. She is orphaned at a young age and when her grandmother who was caring for her, also dies she is sent to a children’s home. She is later fostered by a London couple. But Anna doesn’t seem to fit in and is lonely and struggling at school and her health is suffering. In desperation her foster mum sends Anna to stay with friends of hers at the North Norfolk coastal village of Little Overton (modelled on the real-life Burnham Overy Staithe). Anna is immediately drawn to the Marsh House at the end of the creek and imagines who might live there. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anna spends all her time outside, on the beach, paddling in the creeks and one day sees a young girl having her hair brushed in a window of the Marsh House. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One night, Anna finds a small boat tied up near her house and assumes it has been left for her to visit the Marsh House and she finally gets to meet the young girl, Marnie. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marnie and Anna spend lots of time together though nobody sees them together and Anna is heard talking to herself. Is Marnie real or imagined? </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Marnie must leave, a new and happier chapter begins for Anna. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a very interesting and captivating book which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. The book teases the mystery of who is Marnie: is she real, a figment of Anna’s imagination or even a ghost? It quietly covers themes of loss and loneliness and grief and acceptance in a beautifully realised Norfolk setting. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“A remote, quiet world where there were only boats and birds and water, and an enormous sky.” </span></div></div><p><br /></p>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-39071883520577839832021-03-19T09:30:00.006+00:002021-03-19T09:30:01.074+00:00Review: Enola Homes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer<p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">I recently posted my review of </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">ENOLA HOLMES: THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS by Nancy Springer</span> on my library's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/5162527970487406" style="color: #000099; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nb9WnQJigo4/YFRi3V9IaRI/AAAAAAAAL6k/rOhDETfWeVwweWfDB6WgaR65BnxXwbZswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1250/EH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="813" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nb9WnQJigo4/YFRi3V9IaRI/AAAAAAAAL6k/rOhDETfWeVwweWfDB6WgaR65BnxXwbZswCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/EH.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">ENOLA HOLMES: THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS by Nancy Springer is the first in a six-book series featuring the hitherto unknown younger sister of famous Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes. First published in the United States in 2006, the recent <i>Netflix</i> film has led to the series being published in paperback in the UK. [NB. The final two books in the series are available as audiobooks via Overdrive/Libby and as CD copies in the library]. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Enola and her mother having been living in the country with little to no contact with Enola’s elder brothers Mycroft and Sherlock. Enola is very bright but has not had a conventional education. On Enola’s fourteenth birthday, her mother disappears, without it seems, a trace. Enter the brothers. Shocked by the state of the house and Enola, Mycroft arranges for Enola to attend boarding school. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Enola thinks otherwise and sets off to find her mother, using some clues that her mother left behind for her…alone. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Enola’s journey to London overlaps with a missing person’s case, which she cannot ignore and so lands herself in a lot of danger however she is intelligent enough to save the day. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This is a short book and the first half is Enola escaping her brother’s intentions, and the second half is her escapades in London. It very much sets up the series with Enola becoming not a detective like her brother but a finder of lost things. And there is the ongoing mystery of her mother’s whereabouts. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This is an enjoyable mystery set in the Victorian Era with a humorous, resourceful and quick-witted heroine. Due to some briefly referenced adult themes, it is more of a teenage book than junior fiction. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Also available in the teenage section, is the ‘Young Sherlock’ series by Andrew Lane.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-82526055871004041802021-03-12T09:05:00.001+00:002021-03-12T10:39:07.927+00:00Review: The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli<p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">I recently posted my review of <span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE HIGHLAND FALCON THIEF</span> by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli</span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, on my library's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/5133233166750220" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ElvaknfVYOw/YEsteXmYLFI/AAAAAAAAL6U/bf7FQOWKKKAePPajeueZbLdy9XqMFRdcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/THFT.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1351" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ElvaknfVYOw/YEsteXmYLFI/AAAAAAAAL6U/bf7FQOWKKKAePPajeueZbLdy9XqMFRdcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/THFT.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">THE HIGHLAND FALCON THIEF by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, is the first in the “Adventures on Trains” series which will number four entries by the end of 2021 and is aimed at readers aged nine-years-old or older. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Highland Falcon is the name of a steam engine which, on its final commemorative voyage, is doing a lap of the UK, from London and back, with a stop off at Balmoral in Scotland to pick up the (unnamed) prince and princess who will wave from the train as it passes slowly through stations and show off the magnificent Atlas Diamond necklace. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Our hero is eleven-year-old Hal who is, at first reluctantly, joining his travel writer Uncle Nat on this Royal Train. Hal thinks he’s the only child on the train and is disappointed to not be able to play his electronic games. He is a talented artist, however, and settles for sketching. When Hal spots a girl hiding in the out of bounds part of the train, he tracks her down and together they decide to track down the jewel thief who has struck at least once already, and with the priceless Royal jewel coming aboard they know what the thief’s next target will be. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Things of course do not go to plan, and Hal has to be very brave to save the day and later reveal the culprit in a classic “get all the suspects together in the dining room” denouement. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">From its striking foiled cover to the high-quality drawings inside, this is a very attractive book and it is complemented by an exciting and informative story. Readers will pick up some history of the railway whilst trying to solve the puzzle of who is stealing and where are the stolen goods being hidden? The solution to the latter should appeal to the target audience! </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">THE HIGHLAND FALCON THIEF has unsurprisingly won several awards including the ‘2020 Books Are My Bag readers awards’ for Children’s Fiction. </div></div><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-29435371870958490242020-07-22T12:00:00.000+01:002020-07-22T12:00:12.929+01:00Review: The Last Chance Hotel by Nicki ThorntonI recently posted my review of THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL by Nicki Thornton on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/4064580000282214">my library's Facebook page</a>:<br />
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THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL is the first book in the Seth Seppi series. We meet Seth, who is to all intents and purposes an orphan, working as a kitchen boy/general dogsbody to the Bunn family who run the Hotel. He is bullied mercilessly by their awful daughter Tiffany who is supposedly training to be a chef.<br />
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There is a grand event being held at the Hotel and Tiffany tricks Seth into making a dessert which is unsuitable for the main guest so Seth quickly rustles up an alternative and labels it for the main guest’s consumption only.<br />
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So when the main guest dies of apparent poisoning after sampling their special dessert, Seth is immediately the main and only suspect.<br />
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It is then Seth discovers that his cat, Nightshade, can talk and that magic is real. The main thing going for him is that the main detective doesn’t seem to think that Seth did it. Can Seth clear his name? And what else doesn’t he know about his home and its residents?<br />
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With its short chapters this is a quick read, and combines a locked-room-style mystery with Harry Potter-style magic. As well as a death there are a few punch-up scenes during the thrilling finale which might steer this to a slightly older children’s audience eg 9+ years.<br />
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THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL won the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2016.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-13154991298893753322020-05-19T09:30:00.000+01:002020-05-24T11:21:07.404+01:00Review: Orion Lost by Alastair ChisholmI recently posted my review of ORION LOST <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/3760839737322910">my library's Facebook page</a>:<br />
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ORION LOST by Alastair Chisholm is set on Orion, a colony spaceship leaving Earth and heading for the planet Eos Five, far far away. The story is told from the point of view of Beth who is thirteen. Her mum is an officer aboard the ship and her dad is also employed on the ship, as a farmer. Beth is training to be an officer herself and soon makes friends with her classmates with the exception of Vihaan, the arrogant son of Orion’s Captain, and his bullying friend Arnold.<br />
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For the ship to travel the necessary vast distances, every so often it must “Jump”. The Jump requires that everybody’s memories are backed up just prior to them going to “Sleep” and when they “Wake” the memories are restored.<br />
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All is going well aboard the ship, Beth is learning and they’ve made several successful Jumps. But then an unexplained shudder through the ship means everyone is put into emergency Sleep.<br />
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When Beth is next awake, it is to find that only her and her classmates can be awoken. The ship is way off the flight-plan, there is massive damage and fires are raging. This small crew has to learn to work together to save themselves, their families and the ship itself. They have to face numerous challenges, ranging from space pirates and mysterious aliens, to the ship’s Artificial Intelligence which might be hiding something, as well as their own fears.<br />
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ORION LOST is an absorbing read. It is a mystery, a thriller and a science fiction book all in one. There are lots of twists and turns and surprises and Beth is a character you can root for and empathise with. It appears to be a non-series book though I really would love a sequel.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-59185983136060481792020-05-04T10:00:00.000+01:002020-05-24T11:21:16.164+01:00Review: Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Missing Diamonds by Annabelle Sami, illustrated by Daniela SosaI recently posted my review of AGENT ZAIBA INVESTIGATES: THE MISSING DIAMONDS on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/3716399575100260">my library's Facebook page</a>:<br />
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AGENT ZAIBA INVESTIGATES: THE MISSING DIAMONDS, by Annabelle Sami and illustrated by Daniela Sosa, is the first book in a new series and introduces Zaiba, an aspiring detective, and her two sidekicks: her best friend Poppy and younger (half) brother Ali.<br />
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The story all takes place in the Royal Star Hotel where Zaiba’s cousin Sam and fiancé Tanvir are having their Mehndi party.<br />
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Zaiba, in the best tradition of her hero Eden Lockett - a successful writer of detective stories based on events in her own life – is tasked with identifying the mysterious celebrity who is staying at the hotel. The female celebrity is staying with a small dog who has an expensively bejewelled collar. When first the dog goes missing and then the collar, it is up to Zaiba and her team to find both, solve the mystery and save the day!<br />
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I really enjoyed this book. There’s lots of action and use of initiative. All the characters have their individual strengths though Zaiba is on a bit of a learning curve to take notice of her friends’ suggestions at times. Alongside the text there are full-page and incidental illustrations dotted throughout.<br />
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Zaiba gets on well with her step-mum Jessica whom she calls mum but there is a mystery about the loss of her birth mum which I hope is revealed over the series. Zaiba feels close to her mum via the Eden Lockett books which she inherited as her mum had written little notes in the margins.<br />
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The second book is out in July and I look forward to it.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-47251644299488004112020-04-27T09:30:00.000+01:002020-05-24T11:21:24.880+01:00Review: The Blizzard Challenge by Bear GryllsI recently posted my review of Bear Grylls' <b>THE BLIZZARD CHALLENGE</b> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/photos/a.525524784187771/3683905468349671/?type=3&__tn__=-R">my library's Facebook page</a>:<br />
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THE BLIZZARD CHALLENGE is the first in the Bear Grylls Adventures series aimed at younger children.<br />
<br />
In this first book we meet Olly who has been sent off to an adventure camp with his friend Jack. Jack loves this type of thing but Olly would rather be at home with his tv and creature comforts.<br />
<br />
The boys are teamed up with Omar, who doesn’t think much of Olly and his impatient attitude soon has Olly deciding to wander off and leave his team to get on without him. Olly is then given a compass by a girl. The compass seems to have a fifth direction though he cannot read it.<br />
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Omar is not happy with Olly for abandoning him and Jack, and there’s a tense atmosphere in their tent. As Olly is trying to sleep, a cold wind blows through the tent and when Olly goes to close the door tighter he finds himself in the snowy mountains with a man called Bear.<br />
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Bear and Olly must team up and get away from the approaching storm. They will only survive as a team. During his adventure with Bear, Olly will learn some survival lessons and also how he can push himself to do better and how we are stronger together.<br />
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This is a short book with quite simple language with more difficult words explained by Bear eg hypothermia, and it shows the benefits of team-work whilst telling an adventure-filled story. It includes illustrations, provided by Emma McCann. The target audience is around 6+.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-8238049227073484512020-04-14T09:00:00.000+01:002020-04-14T09:00:05.327+01:00Free Ebook: The New Girl<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRU8LOQ0Hik/XpQWv00WDzI/AAAAAAAALno/qzAH1BwvDB0O0oHczNCafNYMdrL-THSzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TNG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="226" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRU8LOQ0Hik/XpQWv00WDzI/AAAAAAAALno/qzAH1BwvDB0O0oHczNCafNYMdrL-THSzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/TNG.jpg" width="209" /></a>As you may have seen Amazon are offering a number of free ebooks for children/young people at the moment. I recently spotted that Cathy Cole's first Heartside Bay book, <b>The New Girl</b>, was included in the freebies.<br />
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I reviewed books one and two <a href="https://readingteenagefiction.blogspot.com/2015/03/review-heartside-bay-1-2-by-cathy-cole.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Download <b>The New Girl</b> <a href="https://smile.amazon.co.uk/New-Girl-Heartside-Bay-Book-ebook/dp/B00HU7N6GQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=cathy+cole+bay&qid=1586763351&sr=8-1">here</a>.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-47216903743109208152020-04-13T08:32:00.001+01:002020-05-24T11:21:40.188+01:00Review: Kat Wolfe Investigates by Lauren St John I recently posted my review of Lauren St John's <b>Kat Wolfe Investgates</b> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MereGreenLibrary/posts/3620499511356934">my library's Facebook page</a>:<br />
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KAT WOLFE INVESTIGATES, the first in a new series from Lauren St John, won CrimeFest’s, Best Crime Novel for Children (8-12) last year. And I loved it too.<br />
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After an unpleasant incident in their London home, Kat's mum, a veterinary surgeon, and Kat relocate to a slightly mysterious job in an idyllic Dorset sea-side town called Bluebell Bay. One of the conditions is that they take on the previous owner's cat, which is no ordinary British Domestic Shorthair... Plus Dr Wolfe has to be able to treat monkeys at the local sanctuary.<br />
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As it's the school holidays Kat is soon running her own small business – pet sitter for hire, and meets a temporarily housebound American girl of her own age (12) who has been thrown and badly injured by the very horse that Kat is to look after. Kat also offers to look after a parrot whose Paraguayan owner is returning home for a while. This latter job is what instigates an involving adventure with international implications.<br />
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This is a very rich book, with quite a complicated storyline. I don't want to say anything more about the plot but it is I think, quite an unusual story for this age group. Kat is a great animal-whisperer and not surprisingly her and her mum are vegan. She has a good heart and those around her respond to it. This book beams with good messages, has an exciting story and is quite funny as well.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-80004876195311646822016-07-03T14:38:00.000+01:002016-07-03T14:38:11.111+01:00Where Have I Been?As you may have noticed, I've not posted anything for a long time. A couple of life changes have meant that I currently have less time to spend blogging and both my blogs have suffered though I have kept the Euro Crime one ticking over.<br />
<br />
I do still work in a library and I do still co-oversee the children's/teenage reading group.<br />
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I'm not sure when or if I'll get back to my YA reading in large quantities like I used to. Most of my reading time is spent on Scandinavian crime fiction for the Petrona Award which was set up to remember a dear friend who died in 2012.<br />
<br />
At the moment I am disbanding my (somewhat dated) YA tbr by distributing my finished review copies to the library and proofs to my reading group. <br />
<br />
Thank you to any readers of this blog and publishers who have sent me books in the past. I am trying to continue the good work with library users even though I am unable to blog.<br />
<br />
LLAP<br />
<i>Karen </i>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-33459045865871245762015-03-20T19:02:00.000+00:002015-03-20T19:02:09.934+00:00Free Ebooks - The Sky is Everywhere & Popping the Cherry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_tZnd08Rn14/VQxslPQ4w3I/AAAAAAAAI1E/_1RZDsrmiUk/s1600/TSiE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_tZnd08Rn14/VQxslPQ4w3I/AAAAAAAAI1E/_1RZDsrmiUk/s1600/TSiE.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NK3BKeQWQEY/VQxtvLS7-uI/AAAAAAAAI1M/1dHZ6Olw4-0/s1600/PtC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NK3BKeQWQEY/VQxtvLS7-uI/AAAAAAAAI1M/1dHZ6Olw4-0/s1600/PtC.jpg" /></a><b>The Sky is Everywhere</b> by Jandy Nelson is currently free at <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-sky-is-everywhere-3/ljHUJVPjFUe3oYMLxpHThA">Kobo</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RKPFJYU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2UG9M2JOK8DEE&coliid=I3OSLUAUAADXVP">UK Kindle</a>.<br />
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and <b>Popping the Cherry</b> by Aurelia B Rowl is also free at <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/popping-the-cherry/DpBqz03YmEewwqL6oA32dw">Kobo</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Popping-Cherry-Facing-Music-Book-ebook/dp/B00E8F97LQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1426877707&sr=1-1&keywords=popping+the+cherry">UK Kindle</a>.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-58154385989878616002015-03-05T11:18:00.001+00:002015-03-05T11:18:09.250+00:00Review: Heartside Bay 1 & 2 by Cathy Cole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKB1lMaBVQ/VPg6SjLTplI/AAAAAAAAIzU/GwuPwKv8quM/s1600/HB1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKB1lMaBVQ/VPg6SjLTplI/AAAAAAAAIzU/GwuPwKv8quM/s320/HB1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The New Girl</span> by Cathy Cole (February 2014, Scholastic, ISBN: 1407140469);<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Trouble With Love</span> by Cathy Cole (February 2014, Scholastic, ISBN: 1407140477)<br />
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<i>The New Girl</i> is the first book in the (currently) twelve-book Heartside Bay series. Heartside Bay is a small sea-side town full of romance and fifteen-year-old Lila and her family have moved there from London as Lila has been in trouble and the family want a fresh start.<br />
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Staring a new school is daunting but Lila is soon befriended by Polly and catches the eye of football-star Ollie. On the other hand she soon makes an enemy of Eve, the richest and nastiest girl in the school who has always wanted to date Ollie.<br />
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The New Girl follows the interactions between the three plus a fourth – Rhi an old friend/ex-friend of Lila's from her past.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvhZYvSFv7c/VPg69x_MfUI/AAAAAAAAIzc/E4-hKQBnK4w/s1600/HB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvhZYvSFv7c/VPg69x_MfUI/AAAAAAAAIzc/E4-hKQBnK4w/s1600/HB2.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a>In <i>The Trouble With Love</i>, the second book in the series, the point of view changes from Lila to Polly. Polly is a transplanted American who struggles with anxiety issues and has a crush on Ollie. In this book she meets a new boy and her absent father enters her life with an amazing offer. Polly has some decisions to make. <br />
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This is a lovely clean-teen series which is a British version of the high school dramas we see on the tv a lot. The books are quick reads and the point of view rotates between the main members of the group. And it's set in an idyllic sea-side town, what's not to like?<br />
<br />Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-15647184188344737952015-03-03T20:31:00.003+00:002015-03-03T20:31:36.386+00:00Publishing Deal - Veronica RothVery exciting news today - HarperCollins have signed two books by Veronica Roth. Scant details so far but here's what the <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-signs-new-roth-titles">Bookseller</a> knows:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">HarperCollins has acquired two new titles by bestselling YA author Veronica Roth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Katherine Tegen, vice president and publisher of her eponymous imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books in the US, acquired the world English rights from Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary. In the UK, the books will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books UK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The first book is yet untitled and will be published in 2017. It tells the story of a boy who forms an unlikely alliance with an enemy, and how they help each other attain what they most desire. The sequel will follow in 2018.</span></blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-75648800396249484772015-02-20T09:21:00.000+00:002015-02-20T09:21:06.495+00:00Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Selection</span> by Kiera Cass (June 2012, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, ISBN: 0007466692)<br />
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<i>The Selection</i> is the first book in the series and is set in a dystopian America now called Illea. Society is now structured into castes with One being the Royal Family and Eight being the lowest worker. America Singer is a Five and is in love with Aspen, a Six. <br />
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It is tradition for the princes of the Royal Family to choose a bride via the Selection process – where one girl from each of the 35 provinces is sent to the palace and the numbers decrease until the Prince finds his mate.<br />
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At the beginning of the book, the letters have gone out to all young women eligible for the Selection which includes America. She does not want to enter as she is in love with Aspen and wants to marry him despite it being a downgrade in status. He, however, persuades her to enter anyway and when they break-up due to his pride she is grateful for the opportunity to get away when she is chosen for the Selection.<br />
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Prince Maxon is the young man looking for a bride and is not as stuffy and as arrogant as America fears and indeed they strike up a friendship. America makes it clear she has no feelings for him however she cannot control his...<br />
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As the Selection process progresses America gets to learn more about the state of the country and experiences two Rebel advances on the palace. And when an old acquaintance joins the palace staff, she becomes confused about why she is at the palace and what she should do about her growing feelings for Maxon.<br />
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<i>The Selection</i> wasn't what I was expecting – I was worried about it being all catty and nasty with all those girls competing, however there is only one spiteful girl with the rest bonding together – as even the girls who don't get chosen get a permanent increase in caste and other benefits. In fact not a great deal happens in <i>The Selection</i>, it very much sets the scene for the next books, and I hope these contain plot threads about the state of the country and how Illea can be improved, in addition to America's love life. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable read and there is a lot of potential for a more dramatic continuation of the series.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-84066470624203117122015-02-12T16:21:00.001+00:002015-02-12T16:21:05.039+00:00The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 longlistThe CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 longlist was announced this week.<br />
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From the <a href="http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_2015_longlist.html">press release</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The books longlisted for the 2015 CILIP Carnegie Medal are:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>My Brother's Shadow</i> by Tom Avery (Andersen Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Us Minus Mum</i> by Heather Butler (Little Brown, Young Readers)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>When Mr. Dog Bites</i> by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Apple and Rain</i> by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Company of Ghosts</i> by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Year of the Rat</i> by Clare Furniss (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Tinder</i> by Sally Gardner (author) and David Roberts (illustrator) (Orion Children's Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Monkey and Me</i> by David Gilman (Templar)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Cuckoo Song</i> by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children's Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Fastest Boy in the World</i> by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan Children's Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Buffalo Soldier</i> by Tanya Landman (Walker Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Scarlet Ibis</i> by Gill Lewis (Oxford University Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Middle of Nowhere</i> by Geraldine McCaughrean (Usborne Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Hello Darkness</i> by Anthony McGowan (Walker Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>More Than This </i>by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Close Your Pretty Eyes</i> by Sally Nicholls (Marion Lloyd Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Trouble</i> by Non Pratt (Walker Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Picture Me Gone</i> by Meg Rosoff (Penguin Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Smart</i>: a Mysterious Crime, a Different Detective by Kim Slater (Macmillan Children's Books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Grasshopper Jungle</i> by Andrew Smith (Electric Monkey)<br />
<br />
The shortlist for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 will be announced on Tuesday 17th March, with the winner being announced on Monday 22nd June at a special event at the British Library. <br />
</span></blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-13276383300741343652015-02-04T15:33:00.000+00:002015-02-04T15:33:42.809+00:00Publishing Deal - Jennifer DonnellyThis sounds fab!<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/six-figure-pre-empt-carnegie-winning-donnelly">The Bookseller</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hot Key Books has acquired a new standalone fiction title from Carnegie Medal winning author Jennifer Donnelly in a six-figure pre-empt deal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Junior editor at Hot Key Books, Naomi Colthurst, struck a deal for UK and Commonwealth rights to<i> These Shallow Graves</i> [] <i>These Shallow Graves</i> is described as “a return to the style of <i>A Gathering Light</i>, with a thrilling plot that is part murder mystery and part historical romance”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The book centres on Josephine Montfort, a girl from one of New York’s oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families. Jo’s future looks set for marriage she has other dreams and desires that make her long for a more meaningful and exciting life as an investigative journalist like her heroine Nellie Bly. However, when her father is found dead in his study after an alleged accident, her life becomes far more exciting than she would wish.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Colthurst said: “<i>These Shallow Graves</i> is everything a historical novel for young adults should be – Jennifer deftly illustrates an exciting and dangerous time for New York whilst keeping her characters and story wonderfully vivid and completely relatable for a modern audience. Jo is a fantastic heroine who I know will inspire a whole new generation of Jennifer’s readers to be brave and question the status quo, in just the same way Mattie from <i>A Gathering Light</i> inspired me.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hot Key will publish <i>These Shallow Graves </i>simultaneously in hardback with Delacorte in the US in October 2015.</span></blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-72720808771913542352015-01-15T19:38:00.000+00:002015-01-21T15:28:04.551+00:00Free ebook: The Selection by Kiera Cass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUxXRKm9mfQ/VLgWOIeb0XI/AAAAAAAAIqw/KK0fQJlZhdY/s1600/TSelection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUxXRKm9mfQ/VLgWOIeb0XI/AAAAAAAAIqw/KK0fQJlZhdY/s200/TSelection.jpg" /></a></div>
Kiera Cass's <b>The Selection</b> is currently* free on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selection-Book-ebook/dp/B006KWAKDE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1421350315&sr=8-6&keywords=kiera+cass">UK Kindle</a> and <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-selection-the-selection-book-1">Kobo</a>. <br />
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<i>Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals…<br />
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It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon’s love.<br />
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Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others.<br />
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Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret – one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever.</i><br />
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<u><b>*Update 21.1.15: Not free any more.</b></u>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-15964483121700242822015-01-05T21:19:00.000+00:002015-01-05T21:19:11.249+00:00Two Instances of PrufrockT S Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", commonly known as "Prufrock" has popped up twice in my reading recently. I hadn't come across it before, having studied no poetry except for Chaucer at school - that I can remember at least.<br />
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The first time I noticed it, I didn't realise it was "famous" - and it was on the cover of Ally Condie's <b>Atlantia</b>:<br />
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Human Voices Wake Us,</div>
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And We Drown</div>
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however I'm currently about halfway through <b>The Fault in Our Stars</b> by John Green and lead female character Hazel has been quoting the whole poem and when she used the lines mentioned above I got googling.<br />
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So I've learnt something. Plus I knew Val McDermid had borrowed the title <b>The Mermaids Singing</b> from Eliot but I hadn't realised it was this poem.<br />
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<br />Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-12096884026875668092015-01-04T16:54:00.000+00:002015-01-04T16:54:22.336+00:00The Age of Miracles (Redux)Karen Thompson Walker's fabulous <b>The Age of Miracles</b> has just been re-released as a Young Adult Edition by Simon & Schuster:<br />
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I first read <b>The Age of Miracles</b> when it came out in 2012 and I loved it. It still haunts me and I really look forward to Ms Walker's next book.<br />
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The accompanying paperwork to my copy suggests 14+ as a guideline - though the protagonist Julia is around eleven. In my review I felt that the book would appeal to older readers ie adults more than teenagers, so I'm eager to have feedback from younger readers.<br />
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I shall be popping a copy on my upcoming 'Crossover Fiction' display at work (library).<br />
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My original review is <a href="http://readingteenagefiction.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/review-age-of-miracles-by-karen.html">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-49204341893200857062015-01-02T14:44:00.001+00:002015-01-02T16:37:34.340+00:00Favourite Read of 2014My favourite read of 2014, across all the genres I read - crime, SF and YA - and the only one to get a 5 star rating on Good Reads was <drum roll="">... <b>Divergent</b> by Veronica Roth.</drum><br />
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I absolutely adored this book and yet it took the film coming out to nudge me to read it. I watched the DVD and didn't want it to end. I immediately read the <i>Free Four</i> knife-throwing scene then hunted out my copy of <b>Divergent</b> the book. Though there are some differences I think the film captured the book very well and the casting was good (more on this in a moment). Of course once I'd finished <b>Divergent</b> I had to immediately read <b>Insurgent</b> and similarly then <b>Allegiant</b> and finally <b>Four</b>.<br />
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Tris alone narrates the first two books however <b>Allegiant</b> is split between Tris and Four and unfortunately this didn't work for me at all. The voices were similar and Four becomes a weaker character and this is where Theo James as Four will have a lot of work to do to carry it off. In the Divergent film he (is and) seems older and wiser than Tris and yet the roles become reversed in <b>Allegiant.</b><br />
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For me the series went from 5 (Divergent) to 4 (Insurgent) to 3 (Allegiant) stars - nonetheless I'm glad to have read it and wonder what Ms Roth will write next.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-32973387353973892152014-10-10T09:52:00.002+01:002014-10-10T09:53:27.870+01:00The Maze Runner Prequel AnnouncedIn today's <i>Booktrade</i>, James Dashner is to write a prequel to <b>The Maze Runner</b>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chicken House Publishing Ltd. will publish the fifth novel in James Dashner's #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, which has sold 7 million copies worldwide, as announced today by publisher Barry Cunningham.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">THE FEVER CODE reveals the time directly before The Maze Runner and will tell the story of how Thomas, Teresa and the Gladers found themselves trapped in the Maze and how it was created. Dashner's The Maze Runnner movie will be released in cinemas in the UK on 10th October. It opened last month in the USA at #1 at the box office. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The second movie based on the series, entitled Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, is scheduled to release on 18th September 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">'From the very beginning, I've always wanted to write a prequel about Thomas, Teresa, Newt, Minho, Alby and all the Gladers that leads up to the very moment Thomas enters the Box. There are so many things hinted at that will be fun to reveal in depth. For years, fans have made it abundantly and enthusiastically clear that they want the same thing, so now seems like the perfect time to give readers the story of how the Maze began.' JAMES DASHNER</span></blockquote>
Read the whole article <a href="http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/56293/nl">here</a>Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-45831275721862867912014-10-05T10:02:00.001+01:002014-10-05T10:02:11.365+01:00News: Egmont USA & 2 Publishing Deals for Hot Key BooksSome more YA news from Friday's Booktrade: <a href="http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/56159/nl">Egmont USA</a> is up for sale, and details of two publishing deals by Hot Key Books:<br />
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Norse fantasy and dark psychological thrills abound in two exciting debut acquisitions for Hot Key Books: BIRDY by writer Jess Vallance, and THE YELLING STONES by twenty-six-year-old historian Oskar Jensen. <br />
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BIRDY is a troubling and deliciously dark thriller about the all-consuming friendship between two teenage girls. Vallance works as a freelance writer and has written articles on everything from business accounting to embalming a body. Hot Key acquired BIRDY in a two book deal.<br />
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In a very different genre is Oskar Jensen's Nordic fantasy THE YELLING STONES. Set in the Danish court of Jelling, Astrid, a Viking princess, and Leif, a brave poet, must unravel the mysteries of their ancient land in order to protect it from a dangerous force. Rich in historical detail, THE YELLING STONES echoes Rosemary Sutcliffe's classic storytelling and Rick Riordan's sense of adventure. Jensen's Danish heritage inspired him to write THE YELLING STONES. He has spent the past seven years at Oxford, reading three successive degrees in History, and is now a post-doctoral researcher in the Music Department of King's College London.<br />
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Oskar Jensen says: "I wrote The Yelling Stones because of two stones I once saw standing in a Danish graveyard. This is a world of beauty and of poetry, magic and death all mixed together. It's a world that really existed, and it thrills me to the core that I get to share it."<br />
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THE YELLING STONES will be published in paperback in April 2015, with BIRDY following in paperback in July 2015.</blockquote>
Read the whole article <a href="http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/56158/nl">here</a>.Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-69863276600855986252014-10-01T15:52:00.002+01:002014-10-01T15:52:51.185+01:00Publishing Deals - Lauren Blakely and Lyla PayneBloomsbury Spark has given publishing deals to Lauren Blakely and Lyla Payne. From today's <a href="http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/56109/nl">Booktrade</a>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bloomsbury is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two novels and two novellas for the Bloomsbury Spark imprint from bestselling authors Lauren Blakely and Lyla Payne.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Daisy Whitney, writing as Lauren Blakely, will publish two projects with Bloomsbury Spark in 2015: 21 Kisses, a New Adult novel coming in Spring 2015, and an untitled crossover novella with a holiday theme, coming in Autumn 2015. Both books will be part of the new Wrapped Up in Love series that is a spinoff of Lauren Blakely's successful Caught Up in Love series. Her self-published October release, Stars In Their Eyes, kicks off the new series that will continue with Bloomsbury Spark's 21 Kisses.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Whitney has written several critically-acclaimed, award-winning young adult novels, including The Mockingbirds, The Rivals, When You Were Here, Starry Nights, and The Fire Artist. As Lauren Blakely, she has had five New York Times bestsellers and eight USA Today bestsellers. 21 Kisses is the perfect book to unite her young adult and adult readerships, featuring a tantalizing forbidden love and full of intense family drama. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Trisha Leigh, writing as Lyla Payne, will also publish two upcoming projects with Bloomsbury Spark: <b>The Historians, a young adult novel coming in Spring 2015, in which a seventeen-year-old girl travels back in time to document important events to prevent them from being repeated</b>, and Mistletoe and Mr. Right, a Christmas New Adult novella, coming in December 2014.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Leigh is the author of the young adult series The Last Year and The Cavy Files. As Lyla Payne, she is the USA Today bestselling author of New Adult novels, including Broken at Love, By Referral Only, Be My Downfall, Staying on Top, and the Lowcountry Ghost Story series.</span></blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-72384847378985528692014-09-25T19:16:00.003+01:002014-09-25T19:16:42.004+01:00New UK Prize for YA FictionExciting news in today's <i><a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookseller-launches-ya-prize.html">The Bookseller</a></i>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Bookseller</i> is to launch the first ever prize for Young Adult books in the UK and Ireland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The decision to create the prize was made after <i>The Bookseller</i> reported on the deficit of YA book prizes for British and Irish authors, a matter highlighted by many of the publishers interviewed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Nigel Roby, publisher and chief executive of The Bookseller Group, said: “From the very first meetings with publishers and retailers it has been crystal clear that the prize is much needed and that The Bookseller is ideally placed to deliver it. We have one simple desire that underpins everything we do: we want more readers reading more books. The YA Book Prize gives us a wonderful opportunity to put that desire into practice.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Any YA title written by an author living in the UK or Ireland, published between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2014, is eligible for the prize. It will be judged by a group of teenage readers alongside leading industry experts such as World Book Day director Kirsten Grant, Waterstones children’s books buyer Melissa Cox, and Rosianna Halse Rojas. vlogger and assistant to YA author John Green.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The winning author will receive £2,000.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Submissions are now open, and a shortlist of eight to 10 titles will be announced in early December. The shortlist will reflect the wide breadth of YA literature that is available—from dystopia and fantasy to comedy, drama, horror and real-life stories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The prize is sponsored by story-sharing start-up Movellas. Its c.e.o. Joe Cohen said he wanted to get involved with the prize because Movellas users were inspired by YA literature as much as they were by other mediums, such as music, TV, YouTube and Tumblr. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> “The Movellas team wanted to help launch the award because of our community’s relationships with teen books,” Cohen said. “If we can help raise the profile of YA authors and their books, we’re playing a small part in helping our community—and all young people—to engage with great writing.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The winning title will be announced at a ceremony at Foyles’ flagship store on Charing Cross Road in central London, on 19th March 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Full submission details can be found online at <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/ya-book-prize/">www.yabookprize.com</a>.</span></blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4704849117753062851.post-18361642556387257072014-09-19T11:25:00.001+01:002014-09-19T11:25:44.121+01:00Publishing Deal - Amy Alward & James Dawson on Diversity MonitoringIn today's Bookseller, news of a publishing deal for <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/ss-children%E2%80%99s-publish-amy-alward.html">Amy Alward</a> (aka Amy McCulloch):<br />
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Simon and Schuster Children’s Books has acquired a new title from Amy Alward, author and editorial director at Puffin.<br />
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The Potion Diaries is about a girl called Samantha Kemi who dreams of going to university to study potions. She has absolutely no magical talent but her instinct for putting together a potion is second to none. When the city’s princess is accidentally poisoned Samantha sets off on an adventure to find all the ingredients.<br />
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Elv Moody, fiction editorial director, and Jane Griffiths, commissioning editor at S&S Children’s UK, acquired the world English rights from Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group in a six figure pre-emptive deal.<br />
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“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything that feels as fresh as this,” said Moody. “With pulse-pounding thrills, a contest to save a princess (who is much more Kate Middleton than Rapunzel) takes place in a whirlwind of paparazzi and social media – with just a touch of perfect romantic chemistry.”<br />
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The book, described as "a clean teen title for readers aged 11 plus", will be published in paperback in summer 2015.</blockquote>
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Also in The Bookseller, <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/dawson-calls-diversity-monitoring-childrens-publishers.html">James Dawson speaking about diversity</a>:<br />
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YA author James Dawson has called for “diversity monitoring” from children’s publishers.<br />
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The author proposed the idea as he delivered the annual Patrick Hardy lecture to the Children’s Book Circle in London last night (17th September). In the speech, Dawson said children’s and YA books should feature characters of different gender, sexualities, faiths, abilities, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.<br />
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“Children’s books are actually quite diverse but it’s hard to know for sure either way,” he explained to The Bookseller. “It would be a big job to monitor for diversity but it would come down to publishers. It they kept track of diversity they would have actual statistics. They would keep on top of good practice as well.” He added: “There’s always the risk of ticking a box then moving along. We want to track the industry to check that we don’t get a situation where, for example, suddenly it’s been 10 years since they last published a title with a gay character.”</blockquote>
Karen (Euro Crime)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03678348280806062648noreply@blogger.com0