News: Always a Witch

I really enjoyed Carolyn MacCullough's Once a Witch and the sequel (and apparently conclusion) Always a Witch, has a publication date of (around) 1 August 2011 (US).

There's this teeny photo of the cover on NetGalley:

Publisher's Synopsis
Since the gripping conclusion of ONCE A WITCH, Tamsin Greene has been having nightmares. Though she should be enjoying her new boyfriend, Gabriel, or discovering more about her newfound magical "Talents," she's too busy dealing with her sister, Rowena's bride-zilla wedding demands and worrying about the resurgence of her enemy, Alistair Knight. But most of all, Tamsin is haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision. A choice so terrible, that it could destroy her family forever.


When Tamsin discovers that Alistair successfully went back in time to Victorian Era New York, in order to destroy the Greene family, she's forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the 19th century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, bustling about as a servant, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the lascivious advances Liam Knight. As times runs out, Tamsin's brash demeanor and sardonic wit place her in the center of the fray as both families square off in a thrilling display of action and magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

Review: Airhead: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Airhead: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (September 2009, Macmillan Children's Books, ISBN: 9780230739376)

First Lines: I'm cold. I'm freezing actually.

Review: The following contains spoilers for the the first part of the Airhead trilogy, Airhead.

In Being Nikki, the second part of the Airhead trilogy, life really gets complicated for heroine Em Watts. In Airhead, Em's brain ended up in the body of teenage supermodel Nikki Howard. Em, a non-make-up wearing, computer games playing girl has had to become a leader of fashion, and she is juggling modeling with being at school so she can be near her best-friend Christopher whom she's in love with. Christopher thinks Em's dead and barely gives "Nikki" the time of day. But they are thrown together when Nikki's mother goes missing and Christopher offers to help. His payment is high though as he wants to bring the people behind Em's death, her boss in fact - Stark Enterprises - crashing down which will impact on Nikki, her friends and family. What should she do? And how can she shake off the men who love Nikki and attract the one who loved Em?

Being Nikki, sees Em adjusting to her situation and maturing as well. She's more open minded than before and people like this new Nikki more than the old one. I did enjoy Being Nikki but not quite as much as Airhead. Perhaps a bit too much fashion stuff for my taste and Em did get a bit annoying when she constantly repeated the same sentiments about Christopher - about how he was in love with a dead girl but she's not dead she's me etc.

Being Nikki has thrills, romance, laughter and a behind the scenes look at a celebrity lifestyle plus a great cast of secondary characters such as Nikki's room-mate Lulu who is convinced Nikki has had a "spirit transfer". It ends on a huge cliff-hanger that provides plenty of scope for conflict and confusion. I'm so glad that the final part of the trilogy, Runaway, is immediately available to me.

Publishing Deal - Kate Harrison

And here's another new publishing deal being announced, for Kate Harrison and the Soul Beach trilogy (no real details of the plot yet). From Book Trade:

To Amber Caravéo at Orion Children's Books, her first acquisition for the Orion Children's list; the SOUL BEACH trilogy from the author of the best-selling SECRET SHOPPER novels (also published by Orion), Kate Harrison.

The first book in the trilogy, SOUL BEACH, will be published in summer 2011.

Amber Caravéo says of the acquisition:

'As soon as I read the first few pages of Kate's spectacular and sinister SOUL BEACH trilogy, I knew I wanted to publish. I am delighted that my first acquisition for Orion Children's Books could be something that is so original and stand-out in the YA arena.'

Kate Harrison says of her first books for a teen audience:

'I had the idea for Soul Beach after spending far too much of my writing time on Facebook, and beginning to see a darker side to social networking. After I started writing the book, I really hoped that I'd find a publisher who'd feel as excited about the story as I did, so it was fabulous when I met Amber and the team at Orion Children's, as they totally 'got it.' It's also brilliant to be able to give rein to my creepier instincts, and even better that I'm being published by the people at Orion, who have done such a great job with my adult novels.'

Publishing Deals - Rossi & Livingston

It seems to have been a while since I've had any publishing deals to report but here are two from today's Publishers Lunch email:

Veronica Rossi's UNDER THE NEVER SKY, about forbidden lovers from radically different societies - following a girl banished from her enclosed, technology-bound city out into the deadly natural world, where she encounters a savage boy who becomes her only chance to survive and return home, to Harper, in a three-book deal, for publication in Winter 2012.


CLA Award-winning author Lesley Livingston's trilogy STARLING, pitched as a supernatural Bourne Identity that blends Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythologies with paranormal elements, to Harper Children's.

Library Loot (65 & 66) and review copies

There's two weeks' worth here and I went a bit mad at the library before I went on holiday picking up several sequels to books that I've not yet read.



Library

Timeriders: Day of the Predator by Alex Scarrow (I'm looking forward to this as I enjoyed #1 a lot)
Doctor Who: The Glamour Chase by Gary Russell (4 five-star reviews on amazon)
Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey
This World We Live In by Susan Pfeffer
Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Review

Radiance by Alyson Noel (Macmillan Children's Books, Feb 2011 (UK))
Riley Bloom died, aged twelve, in a car crash with her parents and her beloved dog Buttercup. Her sister Ever survived – but that’s another story. Riley must let go of Ever and all the things that tied her to life – and discover what she’s meant to be in the afterlife. Riley is a soul catcher. That means helping the unhappy lost souls who stick around in the human realm to move on – and find their own place, over the bridge, in the great hereafter. With her spirit guide, Bodhi, and Buttercup by her side, Riley embarks on an adventure that will take her around the world – sending ghosts back where they belong, until she can finally make it there herself.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner (HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, out now)
A tale of Alderley

When Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they are saved by the Wizard. He takes them into the caves of Fundindelve, where he watches over the enchanted sleep of one hundred and forty knights.

But the heart of the magic that binds them – Firefrost, also known as the Weirdstone of Brisingamen – has been lost. The Wizard has been searching for the stone for more than 100 years, but the forces of evil are closing in, determined to possess and destroy its special power.

Colin and Susan realise at last that they are the key to the Weirdstone’s return. But how can two children defeat the Morrigan and her deadly brood?

Jiggy's Magic Balls by Michael Lawrence (Orchard, out now)
In the Jiggy's Genes series we will meet a whole host of Jiggy's ancestors and discover that, through centuries past, there have always been Jiggys!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Puffin, March 11) (what a cover!)
Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she’s due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone. Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she’ll let him. But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide . . .

Monster High by Lisi Harrison (ATOM, out now)
The monster community has kept a low profile at the local high school, but when two new girls enrol, the town will never be the same. Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a 'normie' be trusted with her big secret?

Doctor Who: Demon Quest (1): Relics of Time written by Paul Magrs and narrated by TOM BAKER(!!) (BBC Audiobooks Ltd, out now)
Tom Baker reprises the role of the Fourth Doctor in the first of five thrilling brand new adventures, with Susan Jameson as Mrs. Wibbsey. The Doctor's return to Nest Cottage lands him in trouble when a key component from the TARDIS disappears. Mrs. Wibbsey is inadvertently responsible, but all she can offer in recompense is a bag containing four curious objects. It seems that each one is a clue, and the beginning of a chase through Time. In ancient Sussex they are apprehended by primitive tribesfolk, and mistaken for wizards. Can the revered goddess Wibbsentia get them out of hot water? Who is the fearful wizard in the neighbouring village, and why is the countryside littered with bodies? The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are about to discover that all is not right with history...

Burning Secrets by Clare Chambers (HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, March 11)
An intense and thrilling teen mystery set on a tranquil island where all seems perfect…

Daniel has dark secrets and a troubled past. So when his family move to the island of Wragge, a gentle backwater where local life remains undisturbed he feels he’s escaped.
But outsiders aren’t always welcome and the more Daniel tries to conceal, the more he reveals about sinister goings on. Does this picture perfect community have something even greater to hide?

An explosive thriller that tingles with brooding menace and ignites as the clues fall into place…

Grace by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin, Feb 11)
In the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins. And talk about happy families, we were bountiful. But it came to pass that I started doing sins. And lo, that's when all our problems began...

plus:


Winter's Knight by Richard Argent (ATOM, out now)
As a boy, Andrew was touched by the otherworld when the ghost of a dead murderer sought out his village, showing him his fate. And though his father is just a blacksmith, nothing will keep Andrew from riding to the Crusades to seek the honours he has been promised. He lives battles of the imagination, seeing harsh midday sun glint off sword and armour, where he rides his horse into war in a riot of colour and noise. But dead men keep secrets, and much of the future has been kept from him. Andrew may find the glory of the Crusades and skirmish with Saladin's most powerful warriors. Or he may become entangled in Templar politics and wander in the desert haunted by jinn and demons. What is certain is that Andrew will face tests of blade and spirit. And his dreams will be measured in blood before he sees home again.
(One of my Euro Crime website reviewers has volunteered to review this one as it's not really my thing.)

Teen Section in Waterstones at Piccadilly

Looks like I need to pay another visit soonish, from The Bookseller:

Waterstone’s has introduced a dedicated teen section at its flagship Piccadilly store, following successful trials of a new-look teenage area in four branches during the summer. The redesigned section has also been rolled out in Manchester Deansgate, Kingston and ­Nottingham.

Waterstone’s teen section used to form part of its children’s section but was moved to its own distinct area. Waterstone’s children’s buying manager Sarah Clarke said that the chain would continue to evaluate which aspects of its redesigned children’s sections would be put into place in its key stores before Christmas.

She said: “Teen continues to perform extremely strongly in our trial stores with sales over recent weeks being more than 60% up year on year.”

As part of the trial, booksellers separated teen titles (for younger teens) from young adult (YA) material, which is seen as more crossover.

The new YA selections include titles written for adults that also appeal to teenage readers.

The branches also introduced their own featured areas.

Clarke said: “New titles are performing particularly well as feature space for areas like teen dystopia (by authors including Michael Grant, Suzanne Collins etc) and US imports.”

Waterstone’s customer ­feedback suggested that the seating area and overall look of the teen section had proved popular.

Review: White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick (July 2010, Orion Children's Books, ISBN: 9781842551875)

First Lines:

The earth quakes, the graves burst open, the dead arise and stream on in endless procession.

Review: The author's previous book, Revolver, was set in the frozen north of the Arctic Circle. White Crow is a chiller of a very different variety. It's set in a village modelled on the coastal Suffolk village of Dunwich which has been partly swallowed up by the sea over the last few centuries.

Rebecca and her father have fled from the city to the tiny village of Winterfold for the summer holidays. They do not have a very good relationship and there is much tension in the air which is explained more as the story progresses.

Rebecca is bored but soon meets a strange local girl of her own age, Ferelith. Ferelith is very clever and orphaned. The two girls spend time together more because there is no-one else for them to hang around with, than a desire for each other's company.

The story of their summer exploring Winterfold and its ruined churches and Hall, is told in the alternating viewpoints of Rebecca and Ferelith. In addition there are extracts from the eighteenth century diary of the vicar of Winterfold who tells of his collusion with a French doctor to solve one of the great mysteries of life.

White Crow is a gripping read but it does leave some unpleasant images in the mind. The two girls, though fairly unlikeable do feel real - Ferelith gave me the creeps. The way the story twisted and turned, filled me with tension, and the ending was quite unpredictable. White Crow is a dark, compulsive, if slightly gruesome in parts, read which was longlisted for the Guardian's Children's Prize 2010.

The Body Finder - Read an Extract

The UK edition of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting is not released until 11 November but those kind people at Headline have sent me an extract to share, containing the first 37 pages!

To make it available I have had to upload the file to my eurocrime website, so don't be alarmed when you see the url. You can view the extract here.

Here's a reminder of the blurb:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies -- or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world...and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift, but now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer -- and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling in love, Violet is getting closer to discovering a killer...and becoming his prey herself.

"Wuthering Heights" Photos

The first part of my recent holiday was spent at Haworth and on a wet morning we walked up to Top Withens, a spot which may have inspired Emily Bronte:





The view from Top Withens:



The panoramic view from Top Withens (click on photo to see better):




(I have compressed the photos - except for the panoramic one - for ease of uploading.)

Queen of Teen - winner

News I've missed by being away (part 1!). The winner of the Queen of Teen 2010 is Cathy Cassidy. From the Queen of Teen website:

She's the bestselling author of GingerSnaps, Angel Cake and Indigo Blue...

She's just launched her brand new series, Chocolate Girls...

She also writes the Daizy Star stories for younger readers...

Obviously the books are very popular where I work but I haven't read any Cathy Cassidy yet, so which book should I start with?

Publishing Deal - Simon Scarrow

Puffin has bought a series from Simon Scarrow aimed at boys, 10+. From Booktrade:

Puffin is delighted to announce that Simon Scarrow, the No.1 best-selling author of THE EAGLE series, thrilling Roman military history stories for adults, is coming to Puffin with GLADIATOR, a brand-new, epic series for 10+ boys.

Penguin CEO, Tom Weldon, comments: 'It's a market worth millions for adult readers, but no one has published Roman adventure in this way for younger readers. Until now...'

Francesca Dow, Puffin MD, sees GLADIATOR as a major new brand for Puffin: 'Simon Scarrow's incredible new GLADIATOR series will be Puffin's next big success. As market leaders of boys' fiction, we are confident that we can spot and make tomorrow's bestsellers. We are positioning GLADIATOR as 'the new Percy Jackson', and we know that Simon Scarrow will do for gladiators what Rick Riordan has done for the Greek gods.'

'We are unbelievably excited to be publishing Simon Scarrow on the Puffin list - think Ridley Scott's movie GLADIATOR meets Young Bond and you have an idea of the potential for this series'.

It's 72BC and Spartacus's slave revolt has been savagely crushed by the Roman army. When debt collectors possess the family's farm, our young hero Marcus is sold into slavery. The slave master sees a future for him as a fighter and starts training him to become a gladiator. Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape.

[Simon] is also the brother of Alex Scarrow whose TimeRiders series debuted with Puffin earlier this year and is well on the way to becoming one of Puffin's leading boy brands.

GLADIATOR: FIGHT FOR FREEDOM by Simon Scarrow will be published by Puffin on 3rd February 2011

Review: Breathing Underwater by Julia Green (audio book)

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green and read by Lisa Coleman (January 2010, Chivers Children's Audio, ISBN: 1408434105)

First Lines:

It starts like this: a sudden storm.

Review: Fourteen year-old Freya returns to the collection of islands (an unnamed Isles of Scilly), where her grandparents live, for the summer holidays. This is the first year she's there on her own. Her older brother Joe drowned there last summer and her parents haven't been back. Freya can't believe that such a vibrant personality has just vanished leaving no trace behind and recently she has the sensation of him being there, just out of view, a voice in her head.

As the days go by, Freya settles back in, meets that year's campsite residents including Danny, who looks a bit like Joe, plus Izzy and her boyfriend Matt. Details of what happened the previous summer are told amongst the chapters about the current happenings. Through a combination of friendship and love and maybe something unworldly, Freya comes to terms with what happened to Joe and her grief and guilt abate.

I have been utterly gripped by Breathing Underwater. I didn't want it to end. It's one of those audio books where you do extra chores so you can carry on listening. My heart went out to Freya, for her loss and for wrongly carrying a burden of guilt and the belief that she could maybe have prevented Joe's death. Her parents, grief-stricken though they naturally are have withdrawn from her rather than cherishing her. As well as the well-developed character of Freya, the other characters are equally alive: the bohemian Izzy, the gorgeous Matt, the shy Danny who has a crush on Freya. The sense of place is equally tangible; I can picture the island and layout clearly.

This is an absorbing, quiet tale of how life goes on and how a terrible loss can be overcome. A compulsive listen, which Lisa Coleman narrates brilliantly.

Booktrust Teenage Prize 2010 - Shortlist

The shortlist for the Booktrust Teenage Prize for 2010 was announced today.

The contenders are:

The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Halo by Zizou Corder
Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes

More details about each book can be found on the Booktrust website.

Also highly commended were:

Daughter of Fire and Ice by Marie-Louise Jensen
Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
Two Good Thieves by Daniel Finn
My So-called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
WE by John Dickinson
When I was Joe by Keren David

Review: Killer Strangelets by C T Furlong

Killer Strangelets by C T Furlong (June 2010, Inside Pocket Publishing Ltd , ISBN: 095623156X)

First Lines:

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, a satellite twenty two thousand miles above the earth rotates.

Review: Killer Strangelets is the first in a science-themed adventure series and introduces the ARCTIC 6: cousins, Iago, Aretha, Cam, Tara, Renny and their friend Charlie.

Iago and Aretha's father is kidnapped by accident - the target was his twin brother Uncle Jonas, a big-wig scientist at CERN in Switzerland. Jonas has been concerned about the experiments going on there and has built an emergency shutdown button in case things get out of hand. If something went wrong "killer strangelets" could be formed, which destroy matter and could lead to the destruction of the universe.

Jonas is able to tell the gang this before being hustled off by government security officers. The gang have to a) rescue Iago and Aretha's dad and b) get to CERN and shutdown the Large Hadron Collidor before it triggers the end of the world.

The story mostly takes place in the CERN complex, where the group has to solve riddles and avoid repulsive baddies and physical obstacles, all whilst the clock is ticking... Can they save life, the universe and everything?

Killer Strangelets is an action-packed read. It's told in short chapters which keeps the pages flying. The main leads in this adventure, are the older children, Iago and Charlie with the younger Renny masterminding all the technical stuff which will allow Charlie to get into and use her running expertise in the tunnel where the experiments are carried out. It's a very up to date adventure with the communications mostly being carried out by video calls over mobile phones. I really liked the CERN setting which has also been used to great effect in the audio drama: Torchwood: Lost Souls.

Killer Strangelets should appeal to older children and upwards. If you enjoy Gabrielle Lord's Conspiracy 365 series then you should try this one.

Read more about this series, including biographies of the gang at the ARCTIC 6 website.

Library Loot (64) and 4 purchases

Library

Doctor Who Magazine :)

Cherry Heaven by L J Adlington
It is 10 years after the events in The Diary of Pelly D. A new life in The New Frontier overseas beckons Kat and Tanka, far from the terrible war in the cities, that took their parents. In a beautiful new home, Cherry Heaven, where people are building a young, liberal society, without focus on the genetic categorization and discrimination that led to the war. But all too soon Kat and Tanka find that Cherry Heaven carries haunting marks of the past. They cannot run from them, and must finally and turn and face them. Again, L. J Adlington weaves her narrative expertly from two voices, Kat, teenage, light, modern and knowing, the other a disturbed, fragmented narrative from another girl which peals away the surface of the New Frontier to expose a different and more disturbing truth. Exploring issues of postwar guilt and redemption, tension and reconciliation, framed in a fast-moving mystery, this has the same engrossing readability and accessibility as Pelly D.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
It's a perfect world, where everything looks right. But ugly truths lie beneath the surface! It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in The Community wants for anything. Everyone is provided for. Each Family Unit is entitled to one female and male child. Each member of The Community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders, and they never make a mistake. Jonas, a sensitive twelve-year-old boy, had never thought there was anything wrong with his Community, until one day. From the moment Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memory at The Ceremony, his life is never the same. Jonas discovers that The Community is not as perfect as it seems. Although they appear to have everything, they are missing something of great importance. It is up to Jonas, with the help of the Giver, to find what long ago had been lost. And so Jonas embarks on an adventure to save the world as he knows it. Simply and beautifully written, The Giver is sure to touch the heart of every reader. Lois Lowry deals with issues of everyday life that are so often taken for granted.Through the noble character of Jonas, she presents a glimpse of what could be the future. As the tension in the novel mounts, so does the number of questions that Lowry confronts the reader with. The Giver is a book of courage and adventure, and most importantly, one of deep thought. Once readers make contact with Lowry's treasure, they may never see things exactly quite the same. Lowry presents a forceful novel that demands to be heard and philosophically dealt with.

Bought

Candor by Pam Bachorz
My name is Oscar and I am the perfect teenager. My girlfriend is the hottest girl in school. I get straight As. I am class president. But there is a terrible reason I am so perfect: the Messages. Oscar Banks lives in the pristine town of Candor. Son of the mayor, he is good-looking, smart and popular. And he knows something he's not supposed to - he knows about the brainwashing Messages embedded in the music that plays all over the town. But Oscar has found a way to burn counter-Messages that keep him real. Up to now, it's all worked perfectly. There's just one problem: Nia Silva, the newest Candor arrival. What will Oscar risk to keep the Nia he loves rather than watch her become a Candor automaton? Deeply chilling, "Candor" is a psychological thriller that will haunt readers with its vision of a world controlled by something worse than Big Brother.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrols its corridors, to find out.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. She's always found this mysterious ability pretty annoying, wishing only that she could reverse it and have some peace. But when her boyfriend, Logan, dies unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections to the dead...Devastated by Logan's sudden death, Aura realises that her ability to see ghosts might actually be a blessing. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all? But just when Aura is coming to terms with having a ghost as a boyfriend, she starts developing feelings for her new friend Zachary, who is understanding, supportive and, most of all, alive. Each boy holds a piece of her heart - as well as vital cues to the secret of the Shift - and it's time for Aura to choose between loving the living, or embracing the dead...

plus an ebook:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours. But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.

Read The Wee Free Men - online & free

HarperCollinsChildrensBooks has made The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett available to read online, in full, for a limited time - at their website.

Synopsis:
A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality . . .

Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, young witch-to-be Tiffany Aching must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Luckily she has some very unusual help: the local Nac Mac Feegle—aka the Wee Free Men—a clan of fierce, sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men.

Together they must face headless horsemen, ferocious grimhounds, terrifying dreams come true, and ultimately the sinister Queen of the Elves herself. . . .

A Story of Discworld

Trailer Thursday II - Merlin Series 3

Merlin returns with its third series, on BBC One at 7.25pm on 11 September. Here's a preview:

Publishing Deal - Lauren Kate

News of a UK release for Lauren Kate's The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove which was published in the US in 2009. From Booktrade:

RHCB is delighted to announce that RHCB has acquired THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE by US author Lauren Kate.

THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE features the most ruthlessly ambitious heroine since Lady Macbeth. Natalie is utterly determined to cement her position at the top of the high school social ladder by becoming prom queen. When it looks like an interfering ex-boyfriend might get in her way, she devises a little prank to humiliate him. But when it goes devastatingly wrong, Natalie's careful plans begin to unravel. Caught in a web of dark secrets, shame and scandal, it's not guilt that eventually defeats Natalie. It's fate: the only thing she can't control.

THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE will be published in paperback in January 2011.

Trailer Thursday - Tell Me a Secret

I few days ago I mentioned that the audiobook of Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala is being made available free as a serialised podcast. So far 6 chapters have been released, and I'm hooked. (Find out how to subscribe to it here.)

This trailer was released a couple of days ago:

Published in September (UK)

Here are some of the teenage/YA titles that are published in the UK in September. I will put a link to this post and previous and subsequent "monthly" lists in my sidebar. Title links go to amazon.co.uk. Please let me know of others to add to the list.

Releases by month so far:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August.

Anthology - Kisses from Hell (30th, HarperCollins Children's Books, pb)
Anthology - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No. 1: Night of the Living Rerun; Coyote Moon; Portal Through Time (2nd, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, pb)
David Almond - My Name is Mina (2nd, Hodder Children's Books, HB)
Richard Argent - Winter's Knight (2nd, Atom, pb)
Steve Augarde - X-Isle (2nd, David Fickling Books, pb)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Raised by Wolves (16th, Quercus Publishing Plc, pb)
Tim Bowler - Blade: Risking All (2nd, OUP Oxford, pb)
Cathy Brett - Scarlett Dedd (2nd, Headline, pb)
Kate Brian - Vanished (2nd, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, pb)
Meg Cabot - Airhead: Runaway (3rd, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Cathy Cassidy - Chocolate Box Girls: Cherry Crush (2nd, Puffin, HB)
Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel (6th, Walker, pb)
B R Collins - A Trick of the Dark (6th, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, pb)
Lauren Conrad - LA Candy - Sugar and Spice (30th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, HB)
Lauren Conrad - LA Candy - Sweet Little Lies (30th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Susan Cooper - King of Shadows (30th, Red Fox, pb)
Jo Cotterill - Sweet Hearts: Strictly Friends? (2nd, Red Fox, pb)
Keren David - Almost True (2nd, Frances Lincoln Children's Books, pb)
Heather Davis - Never Cry Werewolf (1st, HarperCollins Childrens Book Group, pb)
Joseph Delaney - The Spook's Stories: Witches (30th, Red Fox, pb)
Grace Dent - Diary of a Snob: Money Can't Buy Me Love (2nd, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Sharon Dogar - Annexed (2nd, Andersen Press Ltd, HB)
Berlie Doherty - Deep Secret (2nd, Andersen Press Ltd, pb)
Steve Feasey - Changeling: Demon Games (3rd, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Cornelia Funke - Reckless (14th, Chicken House, HB)
Michael Grant - Hunger (6th, Egmont Books Ltd, pb)
Michael Grant - Lies (6th, Egmont Books Ltd, HB)
Lisa Harrison - Monster High (2nd, Atom, pb)
Rook Hastings - Immortal Remains (2nd, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Carl Hiaasen - Scat (2nd, Orion Childrens, pb)
Charlie Higson - The Dead (16th, Puffin, HB)
Ken Howard - The Young Chieftain (2nd, Tamarind Books, pb)
Sophie Jordan - Firelight (7th, HarperCollins Childrens Book Group, HB)
Lauren Kate - Torment (30th, Doubleday Children's Books, pb)
Marilyn Kaye - Speak No Evil (3rd, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Alex Keller - Haywired (1st, Mogzilla, pb)
Karen Kincy - Other (1st, Flux, pb)
Daniel Kirk - Elf Realm: The High Road (1st, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., pb)
Andrew Klavan - The Truth of the Matter (30th, Headline, pb)
Nick Lake - Blood Ninja (1st, Corvus, pb)
Derek Landy - Mortal Coil (2nd, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, HB)
Derek Landy - Dark Days (2nd, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Y S Lee - The Body at the Tower (6th, Walker, pb)
Gabrielle Lord - September (2nd, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Rebecca Maizel - Infinite Days (3rd, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Gemma Malley - The Legacy (6th, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, pb)
Andy Mulligan - Trash (2nd, David Fickling Books, HB)
Tamsyn Murray - My So-Called Haunting (24th, Piccadilly, pb)
Alyson Noel - Immortals: Dark Flame (27th, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Alyson Noel - Radiance (1st, Macmillan Children's Books, pb)
Shana Norris - Troy High (1st, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., pb)
Christopher Pike - Remember Me 1 (2nd, Hodder Children's Books, pb)
Terry Pratchett - I Shall Wear Midnight (2nd, Doubleday Children's Books, HB)
Darren Shan - Birth of a Killer (30th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, HB)
Darren Shan - The Thin Executioner (30th, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, pb)
Sarah Silverwood - The Double-Edged Sword (16th, Gollancz, HB)
Jeri Smith-Ready - Shade (2nd, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, pb)
Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet of Samarkland (2nd, Corgi Childrens, pb)
G P Taylor - Vampyre Labyrinth: Red Eye (2nd, Faber and Faber, pb)
Jessica Verday - The Haunted (2nd, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books, pb)