Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters - Jordan Kopy

At this time of year, I love to dive into a good book that involves ghosts, monsters, vampires or mummies, so imagine my delight when I discovered that Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters has all of that and more!

Left in the graveyard as a baby one Halloween, Theodora is discovered by Georgie the zombie and Bandit his cat who take her to their rather unconventional home, otherwise known as the Monstrous League of Monsters.  Unfortunately, there is a slight problem as the League have a strict set of rules:

1.         Keep monsters hidden from humans
2.         Protect humans from bad monsters
3.         Help bad monsters become good monsters

Strictly speaking, the first rule means that the League should return the baby to the humans; however, as there are goblins who believe she would make a delicious treat and the humans within their locality aren't deemed suitable to bring up the baby, rule two comes into play. The League decide to keep this whole thing a secret, name the baby Theodora and she is brought up by the most unconventional of families.  We then join Theodora when she is ten and find a happy girl who is quite at home amongst Mummy, Dracula, Sir Pumpkin-de-Patch and the others.  But then anonymous letters begin to appear, covered in wax, which threaten to reveal the League's hidden secret ... Theodora!

This book is the perfect recipe for this time of year: full of a brilliant set of quirky characters, a mysterious plot that needs solving, some characters you'll enjoy hating (for me it was Ms Frumple) and just the right amount of eeriness for this time of year.  Combine that with the chatty narration and quirky quips that accompany the main story (which added just enough humour and I personally loved) and you've got one heck of a book that will entice children and capture their imagination (I can see many wanting their own Sherman once they've finished reading!).

Theodora is one of those characters that I absolutely love to see in children's books: she's not afraid of breaking the rules (for all the right reasons, of course!), there's a fiery determination to her, she loves her family and has the best friends!  Sherman the spider is a brilliant character, particularly his attire! (... and I'm afraid of spiders!) and his loyal to Theodora is evident throughout the book.  And Dexter shows us that, no matter how scared you are, you can do anything if you really want to.

With a vibrant, shiny front cover and a host of illustrations by Chris Jevons that help to enhance the story, Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters will be a monstrous hit this October!

Tinsel (The Girl Who Invented Christmas) - Sibéal Pounder

'It's the tiny, ordinary things that snowball to make life truly magical.'

Blanche Clause is living on the streets of Victorian London and hates Christmas: she's alone and spends the day counting down the seconds until it's over.  But then a stranger gives her a red Christmas bauble, her first ever Christmas present, telling her: 'Never underestimate the gifts you are given.  What you see inside might surprise you.'  Shortly after that, she meets a young girl called Rinki who is thrilled to have found somebody she can call a friend and their friendship becomes something that will change the world forever.  Determined to have her own sleigh and to deliver a present to every child in the world, Tinsel, is the story of how Santa and the Christmas traditions we know and love today came to be.

Ok, so, disclaimer: I love Christmas!  I put the tree up at the beginning of December, play Christmas songs at full volume and will happily read any book to do with Christmas at any point in the year, so I was very much looking forward to diving into Tinsel and starting the festivities early this year (goodness knows, we need it!).  And oh boy, what a book this is!  From learning about the elves to discovering how Santa met Rudolf; from the creation of Tinsel to why Santa dresses in the red suit and beard, this book puts a rather wonderfully feminist twist on things that just make complete and utter sense when you read them!  And as for Santa ... well, I should have known: we women always do have the best ideas!!!

Blanche is a wonderful character, full of spirit and determination, and somebody who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid of hard work in order to get there.  She's prepared to take chances and is a wonderfully feminist protagonist who will inspire girls and make them want to go out and change the world.

To be fair, this book is full of wonderful characters: Rinki is a delight and full of positivity; Teddy is following his own dreams of creating costumes and being his true self; Cook is everything you could want and a little bit more (Brussel sprout brew anyone?!) , and as for Mr Krampus - well he's just the bad guy you're going to enjoy! OOOh, and I have to mention the Carols and, most of all Eggnog, who is quite possibly the best Christmas tree in the whole history of Christmas!

From mince pie picnics (yes, they are a thing and I desperately want it to snow so I can enjoy one!) to climbing up and down chimneys, this book oozes festive spirit, is guaranteed to put a big smile on your face, make you laugh and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.  Full of magic, Tinsel is like a hug in paper format, a cosy blanket you'll want to wrap yourself in and is an absolute must read when it's released on the 29th October!