The Secret Society of Very important Post : A Wihyouwas Mystery - Alexandra Page

 

It's 1953, just days from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and Penny Black is not in the holiday spirit.

But when Wishyouwas, a Sorter of lost letters, polos into the fireplace in a cloud of soot and chaos, with a summons from the Royal Postmistress herself, Penny's plans suddenly go up in smoke.

The intrepid pair are soon on the trail of a mysterious traitor.  Their investigation will take them across London's busy streets, high up in the air and deeper into danger than they've ever been before...

I was enthralled by Wishyouwas when I read it (you can read my review here) so the arrival of The Secret Society of Very Important Post put the biggest smile on my face when it arrived last week.  In need of a new book to read yesterday, I decided it was the perfect bank holiday read so I curled up with it and a cup of tea.  

Oh what a joy it was to be back with Penny and Wishyouwas, so much so it felt as though I'd never been away.  As the book begins we discover that Penny is harbouring a secret, that she and her mother are moving to Scotland so she won't be able to see Wishyouwas anymore.  Having trouble finding the right time and the words to tell the Sorter, the arrival of the summons from the Queen is the perfect distraction.  The pair are quickly on the hunt for the Monarch's Seal, a very important letter written by the previous monarch that is to be read by the Queen immediately before the coronation; If it can't be found, the coronation cannot go ahead.  It's the Queen's royal secretary who has summoned Wishyouwas, desperate for their help.  What ensues is a race across London in a bid to save the coronation.  Desperate measures and daring escapades unfold in this delicious adventure that sees us reunited with favourite characters, introduced to new ones and we discover a new dastardly villain who is determined to derail the coronation and ruin the reputation of the Sorters.

Publishing, 9th May, The Secret Society of Very important Post is the perfect sequel to Wishyouwas and, like book 1, has all the qualities of a classic.  I can't wait to see what's in store next for the pair. 

Magicalia Race of Wonders - Jennifer Bell

Join best friends Bitsy and Kosh on a round-the-world adventure like no other!

When Bitsy's dad is kidnapped by a woman with a giant hamstoceros, Bitsy and best friend Kosh are swept into a secret world of strange beasts called magicores, each conjured using a different emotion.  With the help of a powerful magical book called Magicalia, they must quickly become conjurers themselves, before following a trail of clues in a race against a mysterious villain.

I have long been a fan of Jennfier's books, whether that's the Crooked Sixpence series, or the Wonderscape books, so I was thrilled to discover she's penned a new series set in a world that combines magic, science and emotions. 

Magicalia Race of Wonders starts with a bang, and within three pages, you've been introduced to a hamstoceros and you are desperate to know exactly what's going on!  By the end of chapter one, Bitsy's house looks like a whirlwind has hit it, her dad has been kidnapped and you are completely hooked!  What follows is a fast-paced, gripping adventure that introduces you to a whole new world.  With a host of new creatures to discover (some of which are beautifully illustrated as chapter headings), the book is full of imaginative twists in a race across the world.  With friendship, family and truly evil villains to keep you on your toes, this is a book that is going to enchant readers.

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Skandar, Inside Out, Nevermoor and His Dark Materials, Magicalia Race of Wonders is a book that will leave readers wanting more. 

Skandar and the Chaos Trials - A F Steadman

 To survive their third year of training, Skandar and his friends must complete a series of terrifying trials across the Island's elemental zones.  Friendships, allegiances and rider-unicorn bonds will be pushed to the limit - only the strongest will make it.

Meanwhile, Skandar's sister, Kenna, has finally made it to the Eyrie.  But with a forged bond to a wild unicron, she is alienated and alone.  And when a terrible discovery puts the future of the Island in peril, all fingers point in one direction...

As dark forces assemble, Skandar must decide how fae he is willing to go - for Kenna, and for the Eyrie.

I have to admit that I was slightly late to the Skandar series in that I didn't read Skandar and the Unicorn Thief until it was out in paperback (Unthinkable, I know!).  So many of the bookish community on Twitter told me I would love it and they were right: I devoured it under 24 hours!  Needless to say that Skandar and the Phantom Rider proved to be just as exciting and I was left waiting (im)patiently for Skandar and the Chaos Trials which arrived the day before publication.  I was quick to begin it and frustrated that life was getting in the way of me finishing it; especially as children at school began to finish it and were desperate to talk to me the plot... actually, desperate is an understatement!  I finished the book last Tuesday lunch-time whilst eating my sandwich and could instantly see why children felt the need to find somebody to talk to!  Skandar and the Chaos Trials has to be one of the biggest rollercoasters of a read that I have been on and the word gripping doesn't really convey the adventure and the jaw dropping surprises that await readers.  

This is a big year for Skandar, with a place in Year 4 at stake as well as his sister's arrival at the Eyire with her wild unicorn to deal with, and it's evident from the beginning that things won't be plain sailing.  I really don't want to give anything away so I won't say much more but I guarantee action, adventure and astonishing revelations await.  Skandar and the Chaos Trials is definitely the best book in the series yet, and with two more books still to come, I can't wait to find out where the series will lead us next (especially after that ending!).

If finishing the book wasn't enough, I was lucky enough to have Annabel visit school last Thursday to talk Skandar and all things unicorns to everyone.  It was a magical morning that had us all enthralled; our love of Skandar shone through and the epic 1 1/2 hour book signing finished the event in style.  All I can say is that if you ever get the chance to have Annabel visit your school, please jump at the chance: it will seriously raise your status!!!

Now, exactly how long am I going to have to wait for book 4?

The City Beyond The Stars - Zohra Nabi

Yara longs to return to the Kingodm of Zehaira and free her mother from the clutches of the alchemist.  But when her mother sends Yara a cryptic message, it sets her on a different path.  Yara must find a secret magic, one so powerful that it could defeat the alchemists once and for all.  But power is dangerous in the wrong hands, and the wicked alchemist Omair Firaaz will stop at nothing to get hold of it...

I first met Zohra last year at a Simon and Schuster event where she talked about her debut novel, The Kingdom Over The Sea, and I was immediately intrigued and desperate to read it (you can read my review here).  The book has been a huge hit in school and is rarely on my shelf, and both myself and my class have been waiting (im)patiently for the sequel and conclusion to this duology.  When I returned to school after the Easter holidays one of my class was reading it and was desperate to be able to talk to me about it, so I dived straight in.

Zohra's writing is, once again, rich and alive with details that make reading the book a feast for the senses that transports you on the journey with Yara in the most vivid way.  The magic that weaves its way between the pages, both in terms of the writing and that used by the characters, is enchanting and we are introduced to a new kind of magic with the potential to do immense good or immense harm, depending on whose hands it is in, and this leads to some very thought-provoking questions about history - it certainly made me think.

There is such a strength within Yara, which is what drives her through this journey - that and the love she has for those she now knows as her family, which shines brighter than ever.  She has some tough choices to make but her loyalty and her desire to do what's right is always at the forefront of her mind. 

The City Beyond The Stars is a wonderful conclusion to Yara's story and one that will take your breath away. It's a compelling read with twists that will leave you shocked and certainly left me with a tear in my eye (ok, I sobbed!).  I know that there will be much discussion when I get to school with the child who is also reading this, and that my copy will undoubtedly not make it to my shelf before it is whisked away.  This has been a truly special duology, and one that I won't forget in a hurry.  If this is how Zohra writes her first two novels, then I can't wait to see what's next. 

How To Be Free - Daisy May Johnson

 

It's the start of a new term at the School of the Good Sisters and Hannah, Edie and Calla are ready to enjoy everything their extraordinary school has to offer.  But they soon realise that Something Is Most Definitely Up when their beloved Headmistress Good Sister June disappears - and nobody knows where she's gone.

It's time for Hannah and her friends to set out on an adventure to bring Good Sister June home.  As they travel across the country following a trail of clues, they will learn about the power of family, friendship and a well-timed slice of Victoria Sponge...

It's no secret that I adore this series of books and you can read my previous reviews here: How To Be Brave; How To Be True.  So it will come as no surprise that the arrival of How To Be Free was met with squeals of delight, and a race to get the supplies of emergency biscuits before diving straight in.

The start of term is hectic but it quickly becomes apparent that Good Sister June has disappeared, and it takes no time at all for Hannah, Edie and Calla to get on the case.  Employing the help of the other girls, they devise a plan to escape and follow the clues to find Good Sister June.  What ensues is the most delightful race across the country, filled with peril and pastries ... and kale paste!  There is more to Good Sister June's disappearance than first meets the eye and the girls are determined to get to the bottom of things, both on the road and also at school, where the promise of a kale paste shop near the school is in danger of ruining the lives of all of the girls.  

The School of the Good Sisters is the sort of place I can imagine so many readers wanting to attend, but who wouldn't? With lessons in camouflage, emergency supplies of biscuits always on hand, cakes a plenty and a set of wonderfully surprising nuns to lead the way - if I were young enough, I'd sign up myself! 

For Good Sister June, this book is a journey of finding herself and rediscovering what she has pushed from her mind for so long.  It helps the reader fully understand the lady who has narrated the series and gives us a deeper understanding of the life she has led ... and I love her even more now!

This is a series that just gets better with every book.  Is it the traditional style of the writing that lulls you into a feeling of safety even when the most perilous of adventures are taking place?  Perhaps it the use of footnotes to provide the reader with vital extra information; or is it the frequent references to cakes, pastries and biscuits?  In all honesty, I think it's a combination of all that and more, for reading How To Be Free was like being embraced in a warm hug; the writing makes you feel like you are returning home to old friends and fills you with a sense that all will be well with the world.  

How To Be Free, like the rest of the series, is a must-read.  But, a word of warning: you definitely need to have emergency biscuits to hand ... and I can highly recommend a supply of cakes too!  

How To Be Free publishes on the 2nd May.

Storm Child - Ele Fountain

Maya is clearly happy with her life.  Although her family are struggling to make ends meet, she has a good group of friends and loves Penrose Bay. However, after her dad is involved in a fishing accident, her parents decide that things are just getting too much and decide to close up the house and move to the other end of the world. They have plans to make a new start in paradise but will everything workout as they expected it to?

Everything changes for Maya and the upheaval must be incredibly difficult for her, especially after her dad's accident. As well as getting used to a new home on the other side of the world, she has to get used to home schooling and not having friends around her, and she misses surfing, the thing she enjoys most.  She can't even call her friends back home because of the time difference. Meeting Kalani gives her a life-line but they are two very different people with different lives. 

Ele is always good at weaving environmental messages into her books, and Storm Girl is no exception. The descriptions of the island sound idyllic at first: wonderful sunshine, outside living, beautiful scenery, living on fresh fruit and fish... it sounds wonderful; however, as you move through the book, you learn that this isn't the case. .. readers will understand the impact that waste can have and how far rubbish can travel. Ele writes this deftly into the plot but in a way that will impact the reader. 

Storm Girl is another brilliant book from Ele. Family, friendship and finding your way weave together perfectly with environmental messages in a book that will make a perfect summer read when it publishes on the 4th July.

Spy In The Jam Factory -Chrissie Sains

Scooter and Fizzbee are back and the adorable alien and her best friend are continuing to create their unusual jams, a wonderful mix of alien invention and human imagination.  However, some of the new jams have created some problems for the villagers (children floating away, vegetables growing to huge proportions...) and Fizzbee's popularity is taking a hit.  Scooter is determined to show the village how wonderful she is, however Agent Fleur De Vious of the Alien Intelligence Agency has other ideas and is determined to make Earth an alien-free place.  

I was very excited when Spy In The Jam Factory arrived, along with my very own Fizzbee (who will have pride of place in my office next week!) and the book zoomed to the top of my reading pile.  I adore Scooter and Fizzbee's inventions and jamtastic creations and the mishaps had me chuckling.  The book is full of humour and warmth, adventure and jammy antics that readers will love.  

Both Scooter and Fizzbee have been firm favourites for me since book 1.  Scooter has always been a proud advocate for cerebral palsy and I love that there is information in the back of the book about the condition to educate readers. His inventions and ways of getting around are brilliant (especially RALPH). And I love that the message about being proud to be different shines through.

Fizzbee remains adorably cute but she is missing her family. She has always been a character in have loved and her sense of right and her desire to always do the right thing is adorable but really shines in this book.

I have to mention Fleur who makes quite the villain and her ruthless determination made for a page-turner of an adventure.

Once again, Jenny Taylor's illustrations make a visual feast and really help to add to the story in the best way.

Spy In The Jam Factory is a fitting end for Scooter and Fizzbee and I have adored this series.