The Night House Files: The Deadsoul Project - Dan Smth

In 1977, something very unusual happened at Alpine Heights, a high-rise block of flats where soldiers awaiting family accommodation at Lightpipe Garrison were placed.  Now, forty-six years later, as the block is being demolished, The Night House, a secret organisation that investigates strange events, is looking into exactly what happened.  This book is the log of that investigation.

Kyle and Laruen live with their mother in a high rise block named Alpine Heights.  They also lived with their step-father, but have just been informed that he was killed in action, so when Kyle and Laruen discover him sitting at their kitchen table, they are shocked to say the least.  This shock grows to concern when they realise how oddly he's behaving, and then fear as this behaviour spreads to other residents of the building.  Determined to get to the bottom of what's going on, as well as save themselves, Kyle and Lauren determine to discover exactly what is going on. 

The Night House Files: The Deadsoul Project is the first in a new series from Dan Smith and continues his collaboration with Barrington Stoke.  His previous series, The Crooked Oak Mysteries, has proved very popular with my classes (both in previous years and with my current class), so the promise of a new series could only be good news.  Needless to say, the book by-passed my reading pile and I began reading it last weekend (during daylight hours!).

The book is set during the 70s and there are references to be found (dinner of crispy pancakes - I loved those!) whilst the book remains current and relevant.  The absence of technology and mobile phones gives the book an edge and leaves the children more isolated than they would be today, which really helped to build the tension.

The plot unfolds chronologically over two days and is interspersed with classified, top secret files from the modern day Nighthouse Investigation which is looking into the incident forty six years later.  I loved this element as it helped to add information and gives it a slightly non-fiction feel with news articles, interviews and diary entries.

With the mystery of military experiments and people behaving in unexpected and scary ways all interwoven into this creepy and very believable book, The Deadsoul Project is chilling and moreish in equal measure.  It's safe to say that Dan Smith has done it again with this book: I couldn't put it down!

Publishing 13th February, The Hight House Files: The Deadsoul Project is a grippingly scary book that will terrify and entertain even the most reluctant reader - just make sure you have a teddy bear ready to keep you company!

Ember Spark And The Frost Phoenix - Abi Elphinstone

Ember and Arno are sitting in Ember's kitchen eating pizza one October evening when a bird flies in through the window and causes chaos.  At first, they believe it's a seagull but upon closer inspection, Ember knows it's a magical creature, she just doesn't know what.  The following day, they head to Rusty's cave where they discover it's a frost phoenix, a very rare and special creature as there is only ever one in existence.  The phoenix (Dazzle) soon lets them know that he needs to journey back to his homeland in the Arctic and, with the help of Mrs Rickety-Knees, Ember, Arno and Rusty jump in the bath tub and follow.  However, things aren't straightforward and Jasper Hornswaggle is in hot pursuit.  With danger lurking everywhere they turn, can Ember and Arno protect Dazzle and save themselves from Jasper's evil clutches.

There is something rather magical and special about Abi Elphinstone's books and I never fail to get lost amongst their pages.  When I first met Ember Spark last year (you can read my review of Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons here), I fell in love with everything about the book, not least the names of the characters, so it filled my heart to discover that I could get a sneaky early read.  

Ember and Arno make the perfect pairing, with Ember's gutsy heroic attitude to everything she does contrasting against Arno's reluctance for adventure - he prefers the idea of a quiet life baking as opposed to charging across continents in a bathtub.  But they have one thing in common: their love of magical creatures, and this is what drives them both.  With the help of Rusty and Mrs Rickety-Knees (possibly the best name in literature ever!), the pair will stop at nothing to help those creatures in need.  

Ember Spark and the Frost Phoenix takes our heroes to the Arctic where danger lurks from the second they arrive.  Jasper will stop at nothing to get what he wants and the action ramps up in a gripping and heart-stopping adventure.  I couldn't put it down!

Publishing on the 24th October, this book is an utter joy to read and is guaranteed to warm the frostiest heart; it's like a hug in paper format and the perfect antidote to the cold and dark nights that are closing in.  Written in a way that only Abi can, the magic oozes from the pages and seeps into your soul.  With wonderful illustrations by Kristina Kister that perfectly compliment the story (the last one in particular melted my heart), Ember Spark and the Frost Phoenix is the perfect prescription to banish the wet-weather blues.  Now ... only 6 months to wait for book 3!  I'm already counting the days!

Starspill - Catherine Fisher

 

Zac lives in the town of Starspill, where fog has dominated everywhere since the Wolf swallowed the sun 140 years earlier (except 3 slivers that were saved by a cat and scattered).  Living with his brother Gryff and his wife Martha, making lamps from stars to provide light, Zac just wants to live a simple life, but when he wakes one night to find a conclave of cats demanding to be let into his room, his life takes a dramatic turn for the cats demand that he steal one of the three Embers of the Sun...

This is a fantasy novel that creates a dark and mysterious atmosphere from the start.  With the sun gone, the darkness dominates and the fog is everywhere; in fact it's a character in its own right - a chilling one at times. 

In a world where cats have access to any building, they are both scheming and fun to read.  As a conclave, they appear menacing and devious; however, Jinx shows a lighter side to these creatures: full of confidence, his bright attitude is in contrast to the rest of the cats.  Zac is their intended victim and the one they choose to steal the first ember; however, Zac wants nothing more than a quiet life listening to stories and helping his brother, the starsmith.  If it wasn't for Zac's treasured map which the cats are holding to ransom, Zac wouldn't entertain their demands.  What ensues is a quest to return light to the darkness in one heck of an adventure. 

Legend and magic mixes with fantasy and mystery in Starspill which is available to buy now.

Lockett & Wilde's Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries: The Ghosts of the Manor - Lucy Strange & Pam Smy

 

Matilda lives with her Aunt Evelyn and is part of a stage show where her aunt plays Signora Valentina who can speak to the dead; Matilda being the dead person she can speak to.  But when Baroness Beauchamp comes backstage one evening and declares that her manor is 'most dreadfully haunted' Aunt Evelyn, Matilda, Uncle Barnabus (also part of the show) and Colin the parakeet end up moving to Beauchamp Manor to help remove the ghost.  However, when they arrive, it's Matilda who discovers she has the gift of seeing the dead that her Aunt pretends to have, but can she rid the manor of the ghost and what of Edgar who she befriends who also happens to be a ghost?

Lucy Strange always writes wonderful books that create a mysterious atmosphere so I was very exciting to curl up with Lockett & Wilde's Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries and I most definitely wasn't disappointed.  The Ghost of the Manor is a wonderfully gothic novel with just the right balance of spookiness and humour that allows readers to immerse themselves in Matilda's Victorian world without being too scared.  

Matilda has grown up being part of her aunt and uncle's fraudulent theatre show where the audience are lead to believe Evelyn talks to ghosts, so it comes as a great shock to Matilda when she learns that she's the one in the family who actually has the power.  It's this that leads her to meet Edgar, a young boy about her own age who just happens to be a ghost tethered to Beauchamp Manor.  Together, they become a crime-fighting duo to be reckoned with, intent on ridding the manor of unwanted ghosts as well as trying to get to the bottom of fraudulent goings on.  Their friendship blossoms quickly and shines through the pages of the book, as does their trust in one another, and I know that readers will delight in getting to know them (there is already a queue in my class for the book after they saw me reading it last week!).

With wonderful illustrations by Pam Smy that perfectly complement the story-telling, The Ghosts of the Manor is a heart-warming book that is perfect for this time of year as the nights grow dark and cold.  The first in a new series, I'm already eager to see what lies in wait next for Lockett & Wilde's Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries.

Ministry of Mischief - Alex Foulkes

Joey is on a school trip with her friends to the Abermaple Museum where they are taking part in the Mini Victorian Britain competition.  They're hopeful that their diorama will win and there is much excitement as the prize is a trip to The Abermaple Igloo!  However, when they arrive, they bump into Harry who used to be their classmate but left to move to another school.  He seems intent on causing problems so when Joey sees him sneaking off she follows, determined to stop him but what she finds is something she could never imagine: three strange creatures who are on their own field-trip to bring bad luck to humans!  They lure Joey and Harry to Impworld and to the Ministry of Mischief.  The big question is: how do they get home?

I first read Alex's Rules For Vampires back in 2001 and loved it as well as the sequel, Ghosts Bite Back (you can read my reviews here: Rules For Vampires; Ghosts Bite Back) so I was thrilled to learn that she had a new book publishing when I heard her talk at the Simon & Schuster middle grade showcase earlier this year.  Ministry of Mischief is another guaranteed hit for Alex and is full of humour with and just the right amount of peril in this adventure.  

From the beginning, it's clear that Joey lacks confidence in herself, and you first see this when she is chastising herself for her messy handwriting.  She feels she's letting her friends down and I wonder whether this is part of the reason why she goes after Harry when she thinks he's up to no good.  Harry, on the other-hand, is uber-confident and seems to be rather full of himself.  His arrogance shines, especially in the way he treats Joey.  At the beginning, the pair clearly do not get on, so it is  interesting to read their dynamic as they find themselves in Impworld (I won't spoil things but...)

The characters we meet in Impworld are rather brilliant, with their names reflecting their role in bringing bad luck to humans.  Stubbz, Szlice and Warezit are very different but readers will quickly enjoy getting to know them and exploring Impworld with this strange group.  

With illustrations by Nikolas Ilic to add to the atmosphere, Ministry of Mischief is a brilliant read and one that children in my class are already loving.  Out now, this is a perfect read for autumn as the nights begin to draw in. 

The Light Thieves & The Terrifying Dawn - Helena Duggan

 

Grian, Shelli and Jeffrey are in a race to save the sun from being stolen by Howard Hanson, and with barely any sun left, the trio fear that they may be fighting a losing battle.  The only person who can help is White Rose, but they don't know who that is, nor do they know where to find them.  With only four letters to go on, the trio need to find the answers they need before the sun is extinguished forever.

This is the final book in The Light Thieves trilogy (you can read my reviews for the previous books here: The Light Thieves ; Search For The Black Mirror) and so I was full of excitement when The Terrifying Dawn arrived for me.  It's been such a thrilling series so I was desperate to find out how it all ends.

I love that Helena always does a 'The Story So Far' section at the beginning of the book set out in pictures and key notes, and The Terrifying Dawn is no different.  It's a brilliant way of bringing myself back up to speed in a quick and easy way.  

The book centres on the race to stop Howard Hanson by solving the clues left in four letters by White Rose, and you can find these letters at the beginning of the book.  Grian, Shelli and Jeffrey need all the help they can get and find themselves questioning things on more than one occasion, but one thing remains true and that's their friendship and loyalty to each other - it really is wonderful to see.

This is an action-packed rollercoaster of a finale that is bursting with hope and resilience.  With twists and heart-stopping moments galore, this is a book you won't be able to put down.

Like the A Place Called Perfect trilogy, Helena has created a vivid world that readers have become invested in and this makes the race to save it even more exciting. The Light Thieves And The Terrifying Dawn is a brilliantly fitting ending to a series I have loved.  I'm sad to be saying goodbye to Grian, Shelli and Jeffrey, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Helena writes next.

Bridget Vanderpuff And The Monster Mountain Mystery - Martin J Stewart

Bridget is back and this time she is on a train bound for Butterälp; however, when they arrive, they discover that there's a monster terrorising the village which is why they've cancelled their chocolate festival for the first time ever.  It's up to Bridget to discover where the monster's hiding and save the day before it's too late.

I have absolutely adored this series from the very beginning and I always love immersing myself in Bridget's world.  From the wonderful bakes her father makes, to her disastrous bakes that she uses alongside her inventions to solve crimes, this is a series that I just can't get enough of.

Bridget is on top form in The Monster Mountain Mystery and we see her pitting her skills against a Meanie from the very first page, and she doesn't let up.  She takes the lead throughout and persuades Tom to follow her in her daring deeds.  They make a wonderful duo and their friendship is a joy to read.

Butterälp is a joyous new location for Bridget and is a place I'd absolutely want to visit (monster aside!).  Like Tom, I have the biggest sweet-tooth and I would certainly be channelling his energies whilst there - why have one hot chocolate when you can have them all?!

Bridget Vanderpuff And The Monster Mountain Mystery is a deliciously thrilling book with plenty of chcotastic twists and treats to tempt readers into just one more chapter!   With footnotes to add extra chocolatey goodness to the plot, this is a book that deserves to be devoured ... however, I highly advise having a mountain of chocolate (and hot chocolate) on hand to help the cravings you will undoubtedly have!