The Hunt for the Nightingale - Sarah Ann Juckes; illustrated by Sharon King-Chai

 

Jasper is very close to his older sister, Rosie, with whom he shares a love of birds and wildlife.  When she goes away to university, she promises to still be there for them and to come back so they can hear the nightingale sing together.  But then May comes along and the nightingale is not there ... and neither is Rosie.  When Jasper's parents tell him that Rosie has gone to a Better Place, he decides that she is with the nightingale so he musters his courage, packs his backpack and heads out to find them both.

Jasper is a truly remarkable young man with his own unique character that will very quickly grow on you.  The close relationship between he and Rosie is evident from the start and appears to have grown due to his parents' need to be constantly working in their study in order to keep their business running.  He is determined to find his sister and their nightingale but is organised before he sets off, preparing his backpack with all the things he thinks he will need (I love his organisational skills at this point!).  Following his map, he sets off and, despite his anxieties, nothing is going to stop him.  Along the way, he meets people who help him to understand himself a little more and teach him some valuable lessons.  

Throughout the book, Jasper refers to his Book of Birds that he and his sister are writing, which is full of bird facts and stories of times they have had together involving birds and wildlife which weave seamlessly into the story and help to paint a greater picture of Rosie and her relationship with Jasper.  The illustrations of the birds by Sharon King-Chai only help to enhance the story and the bird facts at the start of each chapter are a wonderful addition.  

Sometimes you read a book and you just know it's going to be special from the first few pages: The Hunt for the Nightingale most definitely falls into this category.  I wanted to read it slowly so that I could savour every moment.  I wanted to feel every step Jasper took on his journey which is as much an emotional journey as a physical trek.  As the reader, you know that this is so much more than a walk to find a bird and a sister, and at so many points in the book I wanted to reach into the pages to hug Jasper and to take away what I knew was coming his way but, at the same time, this is a journey you just know Jasper (and his parents) need to take.  It's a heart-breaking story of love, loss and family told from the point of view of a ten year old boy.  It's powerful in its narrative in a way that will touch your heart, break it in two and then put it back together again.  I hugged the book at the end and sobbed at several points in the book.  The Hunt for the Nightingale is a book that will stay with me for some time to come and I will hold Jasper in my heart.  Publishing in the 20th January, I beg you to read it so that you can see how wonderful a book this is (one that my meagre words cannot do justice to).

Libby and the Parisian Puzzle - Jo Clarke

 

Libby's mum is heading to Ecuador for work and, for the first time, she is going alone so Libby is being sent to Paris to stay with her Aunt Agatha at the school she runs.  Travelling by train, Libby knows that her Aunt will be meeting her at the Gare du Nord, however, when she arrives, she is nowhere to be seen; fortunately, the lady in the carriage with her turns out to be Miss Browne who is due to start at the school as a teacher.  The pair share a taxi and life at the boarding school begins.  Daily life comprises trips to the major landmarks as well as projects and art activities.  However, following one of these excursions, her aunt is arrested on suspicion of stealing a valuable jewelled brooch and it's up to Libby and her new roommate, Connie, to discover the truth of the theft before it's too late.

Set in Paris, Libby and the Parisian Puzzle did not disappoint when it came to leading me around one of my favourite cities!  From a trip on a baton mouche to a day at Le Louvre, I felt as if I was wandering around the city with Libby and Connie.  And oh, the food! Jo certainly knows how to make your mouth water!  With frequent descriptions of hot chocolate, pastries and macarons, I can guarantee you will be craving a sugar fix at several points during the book (you may want to stock up before you start reading!). I love Paris and have been trying to head back for some time but, after reading this, I feel like I've had a fix to keep me going until I can head back in person.

Libby is wonderful character and you get to know her from the very first page.  Naturally curious and delightfully chatty, she loves a mystery and is hooked on her Isobel Investigates books.  She's nervous about being separated from her mum but loves the idea of being in Paris with her aunt (who wouldn't be excited about being at a boarding school in Paris where you spend your days exploring the city?!) and settles into the school quickly.  This is undoubtedly helped by the arrival of her roommate, Connie, who appears nervous when we first meet her and has clearly been sent to the school in order to become more ladylike.  Fortunately, Connie has other ideas and she and Libby become firm friends who are united in their quest to get to the bottom of the jewellery theft.  

I should also mention the school: Mousedale's Travelling School.  Imagine being part of a school where you move to a different place every term?  Their time in Paris is spent visiting the major landmarks and experiencing life in the most beautiful city - every day would be an adventure.  Different for Libby as she has never been to school but also nowhere near the same as school-life as we know it, I can only imagine how many readers will long to enrol at Mousedale’s as they read the book, and I'm already excited to know where they will be next term!

I have known Jo through Twitter for some time so when I discovered that she was writing a book, I was incredibly excited.  To have been able to read an early NetGalley copy has been a privilege and an absolute thrill, and Libby and the Parisian Puzzle most definitely did not disappoint!  It's a perfect blend of mystery and adventure, combined with a great feast of French delicacies and lashings of hot chocolate!  Perfect for fans of Murder Most Unladylike, this is a series that is going to be a huge hit with readers and I can't wait to share it in school.  I'm also now desperate to dive into book 2!

Released on the 3rd March, this is a book you are going to want to pre-order!

Spoooooky Blog Tour Walker Books

I'm thrilled to be hosting Jordan Kopy on my blog today...

Jordan Kopy’s Spooky Egyptian Facts

Hi everyone, I’m Jordan Kopy, the author of the Theodora Hendrix series. The second book in the series, Theodora Hendrix and the Curious Case of the Cursed Beetle, was released on 7^th October (and is available wherever good books are sold)! As you might have guessed from the title, this next instalment has an ancient Egyptian twist which sees Theodora and her best friends Dexter and Sherman (a talking tarantula), coming face to face with a terrible, unspeakable evil…

I’ve long had an interest in ancient civilizations, and always found ancient Egypt to be one of the most fascinating. And so today, I’m super excited to share some of my favorite spooky, strange and plain old interesting facts about ancient Egypt – check these out!

1.  We’ll start off with mummies, not only because they’re intriguing (and more than a little creepy), but because one of my favorite characters in the Theodora Hendrix series is a mummy name – well, Mummy: the ancient Egyptians believed that preserving the dead in a mummified state would allow their soul to exist in the afterlife. To achieve this, they used an embalming method which removed all moisture from the body, leaving behind a dried-out form which would not easily decay. The end-to-end process took seventy days![1]  

2.   Most of the body’s organs were removed prior to the embalming – including the brain! These were often mummified separately, then sealed in special containers and placed in the tomb with the mummy. However, the heart remained in the body, presumably because it was needed for the afterlife.[2]

3. Some mummies were used in medicine, their bodies ground up and mixed into topical ointments and the like. In some cases, the remnants were also ingested in an effort to take on the life of that spirit.[3] 

4. When fully unwrapped, the bandages of an ancient Egyptian mummy could stretch for 1.6km (1 mile).[4]

5. While Egypt has made them famous, mummies did not actually originate there; some South Americans were mummifying peoples some 2,000 years in advance of the Egyptians.[5]

6. Moving along, did you know that the ancient Egyptians kept a variety of pets, ranging from elephants to baboons, crocodiles to tigers – and, of course, cats?[6]

7. Speaking of cats, they were a big deal in ancient Egypt – liked, a really big deal: beloved and even considered sacred, when a family’s cat died, every member of the household would shave off their eyebrows as a sign of mourning.[7]

8. As for the living people of ancient Egypt, after a long, hard day of work they were known to enjoy board games including “Senet”, a pastime dating back to 3500 BC.[8]

9. But getting back to dead people, in the early days of the ancient Egyptian empire, it was not uncommon for the servants of the recently deceased to be ritualistically murdered and buried along with their former masters in order to continue serving them in the afterlife.[9]

10. It’s rumoured that the dead – or perhaps I should say, undead – still inhabit some of ancient Egypt’s more holy burial places, especially the pyramids. In the pyramids of Giza, people have noted that they felt the presence of ghosts when wandering inside them, some of whom are said to be dressed as ancient Pharos. Others are said to be dressed in the attire of the early 20th century – explorers, perhaps, who got lost among the tombs. In fact, locals have occasionally reported hearing the faint sound of screaming come from them…How’s that for spooky?![10]

 

I hope you enjoyed reading these through these as much as I enjoyed discovering them!

---

[1] Egyptian Mummies | Smithsonian Institution (si.edu)

[2] 9 Creepy (But Cool!) Facts About Mummies - My DairyFree GlutenFree Life

[3] Mummy Facts: 5 Crazy Facts About Mummies You Never Knew (thelisttv.com)

[4] 10 Most Bizzare & Interesting Facts About Ancient Egypt (storypick.com)

[5] Mummy Facts: 5 Crazy Facts About Mummies You Never Knew (thelisttv.com)

[6] Tigers for Kids: Fascinating Facts About Ancient Egypt for Kids - Tiger and Tim

[7] https://cairoscene.com/ArtsAndCulture/15

[8][8] https://www.history.com/news/11-things-you-may-not-know-about-ancient-egypt

[9] https://www.toptenz.net/10-horrifying-facts-ancient-egypt.php

[10] 10 Haunted Places In Egypt That Are Too Scary! (traveltriangle.com)

Fledgling - Lucy Hope

It's 1900 and Cassie Engel lives in Edenburg, Bavaria in a castle built by her great-grandfather, an inventor.  Cassie's mum is a singer who spends most of her days practising in a dedicated room at the top of the castle whilst her father is busy with his taxidermy; as a result, Cassie spends much of her time with her best friend, Raphael.  Life is unusual but this is the norm for Cassie.  Then, one day, a creature is blown in through the window during a storm.  Raphael recognises it as a cherub and together, the pair decide not to tell anybody but vow to keep the creature safe.  However, before long, unusual things start to happen and it is clear that there are forces at play that are determined to thwart Cassie and Raphael's efforts.

This is an unique read and very different to anything I have read this year.  It's a compelling plot that starts quite gently but builds to a point where you need to know what's going to happen, meaning you can't put the book down.

Cassie is an independent young lady and leads an unusual life.  Her parents are preoccupied with their own pursuits, leaving Cassie to live her own life, and it is this that allows us to see how fiercely protective she is of her best friend as well as the cherub.  The castle in which she lives is equally as unusual, with inventions created by her great-grandfather dotted around the place.  The owlery is, for me, the most sinister aspect of the building and it took me a while to realise they they weren't alive but had been stuffed.  It mirrors a theme in the book of things not being what they first appear to be.

Darkness runs through this atmospheric, gothic novel, but love and hope are also very visible.  As the dark nights draw in, Fledgling is the perfect book to curl up with. 

Escape Room - Christopher Edge

 

As a reward for working so hard, Ami's dad books her into an evening at the ultimate Escape Room.  Once she meets her teammates, Adjoa, Oscar, Ibrahim and Min, they begin what they believe is a game.  However, after The Host tells them they've been chosen to save the world and they need to find the Answer, the puzzles and challenges the team face show them that this is so much more than a game.  Can they navigate their way through the levels to find the Answer before it's too late?

I am a huge fan of all of Christopher's books and still talk in particular about the effects The Longest Night of Charlie Noon had on my class when I read it to them back in April 2019 (they were so gripped on a daily basis that they often refused to go home in the hope I would read them more of the book!).  I love the mix of science and adventure that Christopher seems to be able to seamlessly weave into his plots, as well as the strength of the main characters.  So, it was with huge excitement that I opened up my Escape Room box when it arrived (no joke, I whooped with joy and punched the air when it landed on the mat!).  

I began the book almost immediately and was gripped from the start and began to devour the book - it really is unputdownable (unfortunately covid floored my towards the end of the book and stopped me reading for several days - I think only the lure of a book as exciting as Escape Room would have tempted me back to reading so quickly).  

Ami is a strong, self-assured and determined character who will stop at nothing to power-on through the rooms in order to beat the game.  She truly is unstoppable and her resilience is to be admired.  

The setting, and the various rooms through which the team must travel are vivid and exciting, not to mention often rather scary!  From dusty libraries to a deserted shopping centre with extinct animals, this is a truly imaginative experience and you will undoubtedly find yourself feeling like you are alongside Ami and the team in amongst the action.

With twists and turns that will leave you audibly gasping at times (I truly did not see the end coming!), this is a thrilling adventure that will compel you to keep reading.  With powerful messages in so many ways (I don't want to spoil anything so will say no more!), this is a clever and thought-provoking book that will stay with you long after you've read the final page.  

I cannot wait to take this book into school to see what the children think of it.  I have a trolley in my office where my proof copies go but I don't think Escape Room will reach there as I know so many children will be desperate to get their hands on it!

Due for release on the 3rd February, this is a book you will want to pre-order! 

Dragon Skin - Karen Foxlee

Pip hates being at home as her mother’s boyfriend, Matt, is controlling and easily angered; her mum is scared, and the house is no fun.  Instead, Pip spends her time outdoors, in the creek and the waterhole.  She used to share the time with her friend, Mika, but he’s gone now, so she passes the time alone.  That is until she finds a baby dragon and smuggles it home to save it from dying.  But can she save the dragon and can she also save herself and her mum from the life they are living?

I know that Karen’s first book, Lenny’s Book of Everything, isn’t widely talked about on Twitter (it really should be, and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do!) but it’s a book that stayed with me long after I’d finished reading it (the characters still pop up in my mind from time to time), so I was both excited and intrigued to see what Karen would do with her next book.

There are books that I read that demand to be devoured in one sitting such is the pace and excitement, and then there are books that beg to be savoured, to be read slowly so as to take in every little nuance and emotion the book throws at you.  Dragon Skin most definitely falls into the latter category, and I relished every moment and every word.

The book is beautifully written and is a gentle yet powerful read.  The pace reflects long hot sunny days in Australia where children have endless time on their hands (although there are times when Pip is in school).  There is no definite period of time given but I imagined it being set in the 1970s (perhaps that’s because it’s when I was a child so remember having endless summer days to while away!). 

The plot is a thought-provoking one and I found myself contemplating the characters between reads!  The book is set in a small mining town where every house is identical, everybody knows each other, and the men go out drinking at the end of the day.  Pip’s life is a complex one: we know that her home life is difficult and that  her mum is suffering domestic abuse (much of this is inferred, but Matt’s drinking, controlling behaviour and short temper; not to mention Pip’s mum’s behaviour, strongly suggest emotional if not physical abuse).  We also know that Pip is missing her best-friend, Mika, who has gone away – we just don’t know where.  As a result, this is a young lady who is lonely and troubled.  She is desperate for things to change in her life and so the dragon’s timing is perfect.  She names him Little Fella and he becomes the focus of all of her attention (a welcome distraction from everything else in her life) and gives a purpose to her days.  She forms a bond with the dragon in more ways than one and I can’t help but feel that the cut she receives and the subsequent feelings she has with her skin are a metaphor for the constraints she is living under and the shackles her life has her in.

Dragon Skin is a book that made me breathe out every time I picked it up; I felt the beauty of the writing relax me as I read and Pip and Little Fella crept under my skin and made me want to hug them.  Pip develops an inner strength that isn’t overtly obvious but which is truly remarkable and I shall forever wonder what has happened to her after the end of the book. 

Dragon Skin is food for the soul and a book that brought a tear to my eye and filled my heart at the end. 

Published on the 28th October, I highly urge you to spend some time in Australia with Pip and Little Fella.  I promise that your life will be just that little bit better for it. 

Wishyouwas - Alexandra Page

Penny Black is staying with her Uncle Frank over the Christmas of 1952 in a smog-filled London whilst her mum is away as a pilot, delivering mail.  With her uncle busy running his post-office, Penny is feeling lonely until she finds a small, furry talking creature in the post office one evening.  The creature, Wishyouwas, is reluctant to tell Penny anything at first, as he doesn't want to give anything away, but then tells Penny that he is called Wishyouwas and is a Sorter, second class.  He and his friends make up a secret underground team of sorters who rescue lost mail deliver undeliverable letters.  However, they have to remain hidden as the Royal Mail's rat catcher, Stanley Scrawl is a huge threat to them.  Can Penny hep to keep the Sorters safe?

From the very beginning, you are plunged into 1950s London and immersed in Penny's life, complete with the thick smog that envelopes the city, making it difficult to see anything more than a few inches in front of you.  The post-office setting and Penny's loneliness, only having her busy uncle for company, is the perfect setting and the introduction of Wishyouwas is incredibly cute!

Wishyouwas is the most adorable creature, with his good manners and his bad grammar, his determination to do the right thing by everyone and his love for what he does, I think everyone will want to reach into the book and take him home for themselves (or what that just me?!).  He compliments Penny perfectly who is incredibly strong and brave; her loneliness is the crux of why she is in the post office at night in the first place: she's missing her mum.  The relationship is a lovely one to read and the trust, loyalty and love that develops between them will warm even the hardest heart.  Stanley Scrawl, on the other hand, is a sinister and creepy character and, along with his dog Ripper, I have to say I was wary from the very first time they appeared on the page.  Stanley made me shiver!

I have to mention how much I love the names that are given to each of the characters, with the subtle references to the world of letters: WishYouWas, Handlewithcare, Withlove and Penny Black, to name a few.  It's these touches that make the book feel special.

This is a truly gorgeous story and one that felt like it was giving you a huge hug as I read it!  Enchanting and full of imagination that will captivate the readers; the action will keep you gripped and although it is set at Christmas, it isn't overtly Christmassy so will be a perfect read at any time of the year.  For my mind, Wishyouwas is destined to become a much-loved classic book that will be read for years to come.