Diary Of A Wicked Witch & Diary Of A Dreadful Dragon - Ben Miller

I spent a delightful Sunday morning reading the next two instalments in Ben Miller's Fairytale Woods series.

Diary Of A Wicked Witch.

Wendoline, The Wicked Witch, has been sentenced to four weeks of kindness training in order to rectify her wicked ways, but can she and her fellow witches really learn how to be nice all of the time?

Diary Of A Dreadful Dragon.

Malgundrax has been banished from yet another kingdom and is desperately looking for somewhere new to live where he can rebuild his hoard of shiny treasures.  Quite by accident, he meets the Three Bears who are in need of a new way to deliver packages for their delivery company - Malc sees this as the perfect way to get into people's home to steal their treasure, but then he discovers that he actually likes Baby Bear and his parents - can this dragon really changes his ways?

Both of these books are an absolute delight to read; fun and engaging, they take traditional fairytales and give them a new spin that readers will love (I particularly enjoyed the Hallowe'en twist of Diary of A Wicked Witch).  Their fast-paced and friendly style means they would make great independent reads or family read alongs.  They are funny at times, and visually a joy to explore thanks to Alise Paganelli's wonderful illustrations.  With messages about friendship and doing the right thing woven into the plot, these books are guaranteed hits.

The Fairytale series is a wonderful one and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Cinnamon Crumb Baking Detective The Great Cake Caper - Harry Woodgate

 

Cinnamon lives in the town of Marzipan, a place where cakes and baking are a way of life.  The annual Twelve Tier Crown baking trophy is about to be contested and rival bakers, Victoria Sponge and Madeline Macaron, are desperate to win; however, both believe the other is trying to sabotage their chances so they separately enlist Cinnamon to act as detective to uncover evidence of what the other is doing.  But can Cinnamon and her friend, Rafi, get to the bottom of things before it's too late?

Oh my goodness, this book is an absolutely delicious delight of a read!  With the perfect mix of adventure, suspense and scrumptious treats, it has all the right ingredients for a book that I know will be a showstopper of a success.

In a town where baking is everything (right down to the street names), Cinnamon is somewhat of an enigma: she can't bake!  In fact, she can't even make a slice of toast without burning it!  Living with her rather forthright Aunt Tatin (not really her aunt, but someone employed by her parents to look after Cinnamon whilst they venture off in search of rare ingredients for baking) and her dog Snickerdoodle, she lives in a rather higgledy-piggledy house between Victoria and Madeline's stores, so when both ask her to investigate the other, she doesn't really have far to travel.  To provide herself with ample snooping time, she chooses to ask both ladies for baking lessons so she can hopefully learn how to bake whilst uncovering their devious plots, and this leads to chaos and revelations that nobody will quite believe!

Cinnamon is a wonderful character and somebody that readers will love getting to know.  She is independent and determined but not without her faults (especially when Rafi invites and third person to join their detective group).  She is intent on following the clues as they unfold but the more she discovers, the more it puzzles her.  Thankfully she has Rafi to help her.  

It would be incredibly remis of me not to mention the town of Marzipan in my review - I'm moving there immediately!  Everything about the place sounds simply scrumptious (apart, of course, from the sabotage!); the sheer number of bakeries, baking related events, sugarsmiths, cake carnivals ... I could go on.  Safe to say that this book will definitely make you crave cake, lots of cake!  And please, can I take a minute to congratulate Harry on the character and place names, as well as the sheer number of baking related play on words that they managed to stir into the book - they put the biggest smile on my face and I found myself reading snippets out to my class who are now all desperate to get their hands on it!!!  In fact, we had a great conversation about how gorgeous the illustrations are and one, in particular, caught our eye: the sugarsmiths' headquarters, which we decided must be based on Gaudi's Casa Batlló in Barcelona.

As you can see, the book has already sparked much discussion in school, and that's before anybody has read it!  The kids are desperate to dive into the book to savour the illustrations, to sample the adventure and to get to know Cinnamon more - there is already a waiting list for the book and I know that it will be whisked out of my hands first thing Monday morning!

The Great Cake Caper is one of the books that I loved so much that I now feel that my review really isn't doing it the justice it deserves!  It's a great dollop of deliciousness; it's a mouth-watering slice of happiness that will make you baguette the real world for just moment, and the icing on the cake: at the end of the book, your tastebuds will be tantalised by news of book 2! (I think I knead to leave the baking puns to Harry, don't you?!)

Cinnamon Crumb Baking Detective The Great Cake Caper publishes on the 10th September is perfect for fans of Alice Éclair, Bridgit Vanderpuff, How To Be True, The Travelling School Mysteries.

The Umbrella Mouse - Anna Fargher

Set in 1944, during WWII, Pip (a mouse) lives with her family inside an umbrella in a shop in Bloomsbury, when one night a bomb directly hits the shop, killing her entire family.  Devastated and lost, Pip takes the umbrella (the first in England) and vows to take it to Gignesse in Italy to the umbrella where her mother's family live.  And so her adventures begin.  In order to make her journey, she must join Noah's Ark, a band of animals fighting alongside the resistance in France.  Where will her adventures take her?  Will she make it to Italy?  You'll just have to read the book to find out!

Brave and feisty, you soon forget that Pip is a mouse and become completely absorbed by the fast-paced adventure within this book.  The band of animal characters really feel quite human in many respects and, although their animal qualities are still very much evident, their different characters are relatable and you very quickly find yourself routing for them.

This story is a great way to portray the events of WWII, D-Day and the French Resistance in a way that will appeal.  Full of tension and with a host of heroes (none more-so than Pip), the book captures the war-time spirit and imparts many positive messages within its pages.  We highly recommend this book and completely understand why it was chosen as Waterstones book of the month.

The Galaxy World Cup - Alan Joyce

 

Following an after-school detention where they were used as football target practice, Nick and his classmates are accidentally mistaken for being the best footballers in the world (probably due to the names on the back on their football tops) and are abducted by aliens in order to compete in an intergalactic football competition.  But can these misfits, who happen to be terrible at football, actually win a game?

This book is a great read.  Full of fun and laughs, there are also some important messages about friendship, working together and resilience woven into the action.

Nick and his fellow detentioners (probably not a real word!) really haven't had the best day, and when they are told they have to run laps of the park, they are even more fed-up than they were. And that is when they discover that there is actually an invisible space ship standing in front of them!  Within minutes they are abducted and transported to the planet Bigpu where they will face football teams from other planets in a major competition that could have dire consequences for Earth if they lose!

This team really are the worst footballers ever and now they have no choice but to compete against teams of different aliens in conditions that would test even the best footballer.  They have no choice but to learn to work together and, as the tournament unfolds, friendships begin to form.

Nick, Mia, Eddie, Sanjay and Phil are all very different but wonderful characters whom I enjoyed getting to know.  They made me laugh and also made me think at times; each have their own things they are dealing with and it reminds readers not to judge people until you know know them.  

From bouncy pitches to exploding team tops, The Galaxy World Cup is a great read that will appeal to fans of football as well as fans of Oliver's Great Big Universe and the Sam Wu series.  

The Galaxy World Cup is out now. 

Will Shakespeare Mysteries: The Stinky Stolen Toenails - Kaz Penney

 

Will Shakespeare is a young boy solving crime in Tudor Stratford-upon-Avon.  In his first case, he and his best friend, Tybalt, are on the hunt for Henry VIII's incredibly smelly toenail clippings which have been stolen from the Moundsofgoo family.  If they aren't found and returned then Ronaldo won't be able to marry the love of his life, Judy Catapult, for the toenails (also known as the Moundsofgoo Treasure) are required as the dowry.  Can Will and Tybalt find the magic toenails with their mysterious healing properties before its too late?

The Stinky Toenails is a whole heap of fun from beginning to end.  Whether it's Will and Tybalt's antics, the character names or the humour that is woven through everything, I know that the book is going to be a big hit, especially with fans of Loki and Wimpy Kid.

Will is a master at avoiding doing his chores and helping out at home which is why he ends up trying to help Ronaldo in his quest to marry Judy.  Together, Will and Tybalt are a force to be reckoned with as they try to discover who the thief is.  Readers will be able to guess along as they laugh their way through the book.  With bits of history in the mix and wonderful illustrations from Sammy Elgie, The Stinky Stolen Toenails is a book that is bound to be a huge hit when it publishes on the 26th March.

Pearl Beach - Beth Steiner

Billie has spent every summer she can remember at Pearl Beach at the seaside home that belongs to her elderly Aunt Edith.  Days are spent in the pool with her friend Andy, her best friend, and Billie is very excited to be heading back there.

However, this year everything is different: Andy is now more into fashion, make-up and boys, and Billie feels uncomfortable with the changes. On top of that, Aunt Edith has decided to spend the summer at the beach with them.

Written entirely in verse, Pearl Beach is a beautifully written book that looks at the challenges of growing up. Despite being teenagers, Billie still prefers to wear board shorts and isn't interested in make-up so discovering a more glamorous Andy who is keen to make an impression with the boys is difficult for her to navigate. All she wanted to do was spend the summer as they usually do and the change in their friendship isa shock to her.

Add to that, Edith's arrival: a holocaust survivor, Billie doesn't know how to talk to her, so when she is expected to accompany her places she once again feels awkward. However, time and the discovery of one of her aunt's old diaries changes everything.  The relationship that builds between the pair is heart-warming to read, and the insight into Edith's experiences sobering and heart-breaking.

Pearl Beach is a beautiful tale of friendship, love and discovering yourself; it's a story of understanding the past and learning to brace the future, and it's a story of resilience.

Pearl beach publishes in the 7th May.

Always Angel - Kimberly Whittam

 

Angel is struggling at school: her temper gets the better of her and she either lashes out or storms out; however, all she really wants is to be good.  So when she accidentally gets involved in a school bake-off competition, this be the help she needs to turn things around before it's too late.

I read Kimberly's first novel, Quiet Storm, back in 2023, and gobbled it up in a morning, with my heart reaching out to Storm (you can read my review here) and so it was on another Saturday morning, that I sat down to read Always Angel.  This may be a shorter middle grade book at 230 pages, but by goodness does it pack a punch!  

It quickly becomes apparent that Angel has so much more on her plate than just finding school difficult: she has been a young carer for her mother who has bipolar disorder and is currently in foster care whilst her mum gets help.  Angel has so much swirling through her brain that she doesn't know where to begin explaining what she is feeling.  She feels so lonely, confused and out of the loop that she resorts to lashing out when she feels overwhelmed - and, I have to say, that I had so much sympathy for her.  She stumbles into the baking competition following a detention and quickly discovers that she has a talent, and this becomes an anchor for her: the prize of an afternoon tea is something she is desperate to win so she can take her mum.

Through the book, we discover that it isn't just Angel who is hiding part of herself, and as she gets to know her classmates, she begins to understand that others are harbouring things abut themselves that they find difficult too.  There are certainly ups and downs for Angel, and she is no stranger to detentions and her head of year, but with time, she begins to find her feet.  But is it enough?  

Like Quiet Storm, Always Angel is a book full of emotion and empathy.  Readers will quickly feel like they are right beside Angel, wishing that things would go right for her (on so many occasions, I just wanted to reach into the book and help her).  There will definitely be readers who see themselves in the characters, whether that be as a young carer, as somebody in trouble at school who doesn't quite know how to make the right choices, as somebody in care, or as somebody struggling to make friends.  It's important that they see themselves and understand that it's ok to talk and to reach out for help.

Out now, Always Angel is a book that will leave a lump in your throat and a warm glow in your heart.  Like Storm, Angel is somebody who will stay with me.