Sky Pirates: The Dragon's Gold - Alex English

Warning:  if you haven't yet read Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond, this review will contain spoilers, but I promise there are no spoilers for book 2!

Echo is enjoying life with her mum Indigo Lil and the other Black Sky Wolves.  Horace is back in Lockfort but comes to visit in the early stages of the book.  Echo is keen to prove herself to her mum and is full of pride when she is taken to get her first cutlass, only to be disappointed by what she receives.  Determined to prove to Lil that she is the same as the others, she intercepts a message that arrives for Lil, summoning her to a meeting of the Seven Skies Alliance, a meeting of different pirate crews.  Echo passes the message on but also decides that she (and Horace) will sneak along to find out what is happening.  What they overhear leads them on a perilous race against the other pirate crews to find the treasure they all seek.  But can she make it in time?

Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond is a wonderful book and one I have great affection for as it was the book I chose to read to my Year 6 bubble class last year when we returned to school after lockdown 1.  They were utterly gripped and often used to ask me to read to them whilst they ate lunch!  It was both my love of the book as well as their reaction that lead me to use it as our Year 6 novel study at the beginning of this year and has been as big a hit with this Year 6 as last year.  

With that in mind, it was with great excitement that I began reading Sky Pirates: The Dragon's Gold and, I have to say, it was just wonderful to be back with Echo, Gilbert and Horace once again.  At the start of the book, it is clear that Echo is happy to finally feel she is where she belongs and she seems settled; however, it quickly becomes apparent that she still has some insecurities that she worries about: why does her mum seem distant at times?  Why has she been given her own cutlass yet?  Why does she feel that she's not as good as the others?  It is these concerns that lead her towards this new adventure and it's here that we see Echo at her best: she is headstrong and determined, fearless (most of the time!) and is driven by her desire to prove herself.  Her friendship with Horace has clearly grown, as has Horace (to an extent), although he still prefers to play it safe - much to Echo's frustration!  It's great to read the two characters together and to see the way they compliment each other.  

I think the adventure in this book is even better than in book 1!  The perilous journey, the kidnappings, not to mention the inventions (the mechanical parrot, the invisible Aethernets and the most wonderful library) and the daring-do are in full flow.  It's a gripping read that you won't want to put down, with themes of friendship, family and loyalty appearing strongly from the start. 

With illustrations from Mark Chambers again enhancing the story, this is a must-buy book that will keep you enthralled this August when it's released.

Skywake Invasion - Jamie Russell

SkyWake Invasion was a book I was really looking forward to and I wasn't disappointed!  It's fast-paced and full of action as well as twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last word!  The idea of a female gamer is such a positive role in my view and very much reminds readers that people shouldn't be judged on their gender.  Casey is strong, brave, determined and a real role-model for readers; yet her fear for her brother (borne out of her family history) makes her very real.  

This is a perfect book for fans of Dan Smith and also for those who enjoyed Jennifer Bell's Wonderscape.  The book will have wide-reaching appeal and I fully believe will encourage more reluctant readers to pick-up the book as well.

I'm now looking forward to seeing how level two of the game plays out!  

I'm privileged to be hosting Jamie on my blog today so read on to find out about how screenwriting helped him to write action scenes:

What I Learned About Writing Action From Being A Screenwriter – Blog Post
By Jamie Russell

I’ve had an eclectic career as a writer. I’ve been a critic, an entertainment journalist, a speechwriter, and an academic. Along the way, I spent several years getting paid to write screenplays. Most of these thrillers and action movies didn’t get made – I once saw a statistic that reckoned only 1 out of every 50,000 scripts actually go into production – but I managed to get three shorts and a feature over the line.

Given those odds, it felt like winning the lottery.

Learning my craft in the film industry proved invaluable while writing my first novel SKYWAKE: INVASION. It’s an action-packed story about a group of gamers fighting off an alien invasion. Writing it I found myself using a lot of the tricks I’d discovered in writing action screenplays.

 

Here are four takeaways:

1. MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT

Screenplays are lean, mean machines. The average middle grade book is 55,000 words, the average 100 minute script is about 20,000 words. Every word is precious. You can’t afford to waste any of them. That’s why the golden rule of screenwriting is: use as few words as possible (I once saw a writer edit her title page so that ‘Screenplay by’ was distilled to just ‘by’. ‘Start as you mean to go on,’ she said).

 

2. IMAGINE YOU’RE BEING CHASED BY THE T-REX FROM JURASSIC PARK

I have a theory that nobody, least of all producers, actually enjoys reading screenplays. So, keeping the reader’s attention is one of the biggest battle screenwriters face. The best solution is to move, move, move! Run like the T-Rex is bearing down on you.

It’s a useful lesson for novelists too. When you’re writing action sequences, make sure things go fast. Don’t dawdle. Don’t pause for a lengthy bout of description or a flashback to the story of how your hero’s pet hamster died when he was 9 years old.

The T-Rex is right behind you! 

Choose verbs with impact (your heroine doesn’t ‘run’, she ‘sprints’, ‘races’, ‘dashes’ ‘darts’) and trim all the fat. A short sentence is impactful.

 

3. WHITE SPACE IS YOUR FRIEND

Every page in a screenplay costs real money. If your movie is budget is £1 million and the screenplay is 100 pages, that’s £10,000 per page!. But that doesn’t mean you need to cram every page with words.

Quite the opposite.

No reader likes being confronted with a huge slab of text. If you hit the return key, you can use white space to draw the reader’s eye along. Help them feel the rhythm of the action in the way you lay out the prose.

Compare, for example, this:

‘Stop…’ Xander pleaded weakly as Pete fled. But Pete didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. He had only one thought in his head. Hide. 

With this:

‘Stop…’ Xander pleaded weakly as Pete fled.
But Pete didn’t stop.
He couldn’t stop.
He had only one thought in his head.
Hide.

 Breaking up the lines gives the moment an internal rhythm and it makes the final decision all the more impactful. This will also keep the action moving. Which will keep the imaginary T-Rex from eating you.

 Result!

4. CHARACTER MAKES ACTION EXPLODE, NOT DYNAMITE

Imagine a scene where a boy is running down a street, pursued by a girl. They’re dodging between cars and pushing past pedestrians as they chase one another. Wow! Lots of action. But do we care if he catches her, or if she gets away?

The scene may be frantic and frenetic, but unless you’re invested in those characters, it has no weight. Now imagine that the girl’s brother has been injected with a slow-acting poison and the boy she’s chasing is the only person with the cure…

Now we care! Now every step she takes is fraught with danger – not just of getting knocked over by a car, but letting her brother die.

 

So these are the lessons I learned. I hope they’re helpful to you as you write action. And if the T-Rex does catch you, just remember: don’t hide in the toilet!

SkyWake Invasion is out today!

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones - Phil Hickes

Aveline is back and this time she's spending two weeks of her summer holiday in a cottage in the small village of Norton Wick near Bristol and, although it's not the holiday abroad many of her friends are having, she's excited to learn that the house backs onto a field which is home to The Witch Stones, an ancient stone circle.  Aveline wastes no time in climbing through the brambles to explore the stones, stumbling over an old, rattling bottle on the way.  Whilst there, she sees a girl who seems to be stroking the stones.  Worried about disturbing her, she edges away but keeps seeing her around the village.  The pair eventually meet and become friends.  Although Aveline feels there is something strange about Hazel Browne (with an e), she is equally fascinated with her, especially as she introduces her to the magic of the stones.  When Harold arrives with his Uncle and Aveline's Aunt, he receives a frosty reception from Hazel.  The pair know that there is something different about Hazel but they cannot figure exactly what it is ... will they work it out before it's too late?

I read The Haunting of Aveline Jones last summer and loved the tension and spookiness of it (I still remember getting the biggest fright when my phone pinged next to me as I read the end of the book!), so I was incredibly excited when I discovered The Bewitching of Aveline Jones had landed on NetGalley.  So excited in fact, that when the book arrived on my home-page, I dropped everything and began to read it!

This time, the long, hot days of summer have replaced the dark and cold evenings of Hallowe'en; yet the spooky feel remains ever present in the book.  With talk of witch circles, an old village with an ancient church and graveyard at its heart, and wide open spaces with nobody around, you instantly feel on edge.  The house where Aveline and her mum are staying doesn't seem to have been used for many years the noises in the night are different to the ones Aveline is used to at home; combine that with the bramble-filled garden and The Witch Stones being visible from her bedroom window, and the hazy summer setting quickly becomes an eerie place where you find yourself just waiting for things to happen!  It makes the book completely compelling and utterly unputdownable!  (Trust me; my parents were coming for dinner on the day I read it, and I seriously contemplated whether I would get away with reading at the table!).

It was wonderful to be back with Aveline and her love of all things ghostly.  She is still as determined as ever and fearless in her quest to get to the bottom of things; however, she also finds herself under Hazel's spell, finding her rather alluring yet she also feels hesitant about everything at the same time.  This cool young lady seems to have the perfect house and the perfect life; she knows how to invoke the magic from the stones and even manages to persuade Aveline to ditch Harold whilst he's visiting.  She has that edge of a dangerous friend, the one your parents always warned you about yet you were compelled to spend time with!  Hazel is most definitely a character you'll be wary of but will equally want to see more of her!  It's that pull which creates the tension that means you won't be able to stop reading once you've begun!

The entire book had me utterly under its spell (so much so, I stayed up until just before midnight so I could finish it ... I was slightly wary of switching the light off afterwards!).  With its creepy, summery feel, the hint of magic and the sense of danger, you are going to absolutely love this book!

Before I go, I must give a nod to the wonderful illustrations: Keith Robinson has done a wonderful job at adding to the ambiance with both the front cover and those that appear throughout the book.

Due for release on the 16th September, this is a book you need to pre-order!

Crowfall - Vashti Hardy

Orin Crowfall lives on Ironhold, an island where everything is ordered and industry rules; there is very little nature except for the Eard tree whose roots provide the foundations of the island.  Commander Forge is the custodian of the Eard and leads the islanders; however, when Orin discovers that she is stealing the essence of the tree for her own gains and intends to flee the island with her team and leave everyone else to die, Orin is determined to help his family so sets off with Cody his Fixie (an AI helper that Orin has adapted so she talks like us) and his best friend.  Together, they flee on a boat in search of help and find themselves shipwrecked on Natura island where they meet Ferelith.  Natura is the complete opposite to Ironhold: nature dominates the island and the residents work together to harvest and gather crops.  They also have an Eard but this one seems to rule the islanders and, at first, refuses to let Orin leave.  However, he is determined to save his family and Ferelith is keen to help.  But will they make it back to Ironhold in time?  What will they find there and will they be able to stop Commander Forge?

I love all of Vashtiy's books so have been excited for a while at the thought of Crowfall and when an early copy landed on my door mat, I was utterly giddy and it went straight to the top of my tbr pile (with apologies to other books!).   

The worlds that Vashti builds in this book are wonderful (as I have come to expect!).  Ironhold is a world of industry: tall building, engineering and very little in the way of nature; people are struggling and your wealth depends upon where on the island you live;  however, by contrast, Natura is an abundance of plants, trees and natural resources.  The people there seem to work in harmony and nobody seems to go hungry.  The contrast between the two islands is stark and yet in both there are definite elements of control at play: in Ironhold it's Commander Forge and on Natura it's the Eard.  But when does the balance of power and wanting ultimate control become too much?

As with the world building, I'm always a big fan of the characters Vashti brings to life in her books.  Orin is a young man who only wants to do right by everyone.  He loves his family and they are his driving force behind everything, but he also has a love of nature as we see from the very beginning of the book.  As we progress through the book, we see a strength within him that I don't think he knew he had.  Cody is Orin's best friend and, in my opinion, the best character in the book!  A fixie who has been altered by Orin so that she speaks and behaves in a much more human way, her friendship with Orin and her loyalty to him mean that I frequently forgot she wasn't human!  I am now desperate to get my own Cody!  Then we have Ferelith who Orin befriends on Natura.  She is a strong and determined young lady who has a thirst for adventure - I liked her and her spirit will appeal to so many young readers.

Due for release on the 1st July, Crowfall is a story of family, friendship, finding the balance between science and nature, of control and balance, but most of all, of hope and not giving up.  Even before its release date, I can honestly say that this will be another big hit for Vashti and will most definitely be featuring on my July display in Waterstones Newcastle!

The Memory Thieves - Darren Simpson

Elsewhere Sanctuary is a place where children go to help them forget major traumas that have happened in their lives; they are even given new names.  Cyan has been a resident there for as long as he can remember when Jonquil arrives to begin her treatment.  However, she isn't as keen to forget everything and, when she asks to talk about the past, things take a darker turn and Cyan is shocked by the way Dr Haven changes her treatment.  Suddenly Jonquil is a shadow of her former self and Cyan begins to worry about what Dr Haven is doing and exactly how the sanctuary's treatments may be effecting everyone.  The question is, can he find out what is going on before his treatments cause him to forget these recent discoveries?

I wasn't quite certain what to expect when I began reading this book but I'd heard great things from others on Twitter so I was keen read it myself.  The world Darren builds is both wonderful and scary at the same time.  The premise of the Sanctuary is that it helps children to improve their mental illness and to rid them of the traumas they have faced in their lives; however, from the beginning, there seems to be a darker undertone in the notion of the lockets the children have to wear and the way they record their oath in such a traumatic way as a reminder to themselves of why they are there.  The further into the book I got, the more I felt the sinister nature of Dr Haven's treatment ... and the more compelling the book got.

Darren's writing is very clever: the book has a calm feel to it and the pace reflects the nature of the sanctuary; however, (and this is where I feel things get clever), the more you read, the more you realise that something is very wrong at this institute.  I felt myself completely gripped and desperate to reach in and save Cyan, Jonquil and the others but unable to do so - in essence, I felt trapped on the outside and helpless, rather like Cyan.  I could feel the panic slowly rising and the desperate need to keep reading overtook me, yet the pace of the story remained steady, which I found even more compelling and a reflection of Dr Haven and his approach towards his patients - it gave the whole book a very sinister undertone that had my heart racing!

I am sure that many of us will have memories we wish to forget, for whatever reason, but this book is absolute testimony that simply erasing them is not the answer!  

This is a different and almost eerie book and I can't wait to share it with the children at school to see what they think of it - I know that the discussions will be very interesting!

 The Memory Thieves is due for release on the 5th August.

The Way to Impossible Island - Sophie Kirtley

Mothgirl lives in Stone Age England with her father and their dwindling tribe; her brother is missing and she misses him terribly, especially when Vulture, the leader of another nearby tribe, arrives to try to take Mothgirl for his son.  Meanwhile, in modern day England, Dara is struggling to live the life he wants to, due to a heart condition that leaves him breathless whenever he exerts himself.  After a day at the beach, he is told that his 'big op' will have to be postponed again until he is well enough, and this is the final straw for him.  Leaving a 'do not disturb' sign on his bedroom door, he sets out to venture to Lathrin Island alone, a journey he promised himself he would make once he was better, but now feels he has to do, to prove to himself he can.  When Mothgirl and Dara's worlds collide in modern England, there are dangerous times ahead, but as they get to know each other, can Mothgirl and Dara help each other out?

I liked the dual narrative of this story, intertwining Mothgirl and Dara's stories perfectly and the fact that the story links to Sophie's first book, The Wild Way Home (Dara and Mothgirl are younger siblings of Charlie and Hart Boy) although can very easily be read as a stand-alone novel.  The setting also worked very well - Mothgirl being transported into modern England, on the beach, allowed a different perspective on things to The Wild Way Home and I liked that. 

The strong characters in the book will most definitely appeal to children as well as the way the pair communicated with each other - pronunciation of items like the water-poo-tosh make you think about the way we talk and how others must hear our words.  I loved this aspect of the book in particular.  

There is a tension that builds as the book progresses for many reasons (is Mothgirl actually here alone, will Dara be ok?  How will Mothgirl get home?...) and it quickly became a book where I found myself saying, just one more chapter! 

Publishing on the 8th July, this will make a brilliant read in the summer sunshine. 

Julia and the Shark - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Julia is spending the summer holiday in the Scottish island of Unst due to her parents' work: her father is fixing the island's lighthouse so it works automatically whilst her mum, a marine biologist, is searching for a rare shark that reportedly swims off the coast of the island.  When they get there, Julia befriends a local boy, Kin, and they spend their days together; however, things aren't all rosy.  The other local boys bully Kin and also begin to bully Julia; on top of this, her mum is acting rather strangely and Julia is getting worried.

I am an enormous fan of Kiran's work and when she visited school a few years ago, it took me all my restraint to remain composed and not to fan girl all over the place!  I find her writing mesmerising and soothing, no matter what the subject of the book is, and I always look forward to reading her novels; therefore, being lucky enough to have received a proof copy of Julia and the Shark was a huge honour for me and I decided to restrain myself from reading it as soon as it landed on the door-step in favour of waiting a few days so that I could just curl up and read without the distractions of things like work!  It was difficult but I'm glad I waited as it made starting the book all the more exciting.  Unexpectedly, it didn't disappoint and I instantly found myself transported to Julia's side as she began her journey up to Scotland and settled into the lighthouse where the family would be living for the summer.  

The setting itself is beautifully depicted through Kiran's descriptions and I could almost smell the salty tang of the village and the sea as I read.  Descriptions of the night sky as well as the lighthouse and the voyages at sea were predictably (I mean that in the most positive way) beautiful and I found myself longing to spend a summer up there!

Julia is a lover of words, just like her mum, and she often finds it difficult to understand how her dad loves numbers as much as he does; she finds comfort and escape in books but does collect data in her book, including data on her mum's success in her quest for the elusive Greenland shark, as well as on the night sky she is introduced to by Kin.

Family is of real importance in this book, both Julia's but also the relationships between other characters' families.  Julia loves her family but is aware that her mum's driving force is her work, which seems to consume her more and more the further through the book we get.  Her behaviour changes and, although Julia is aware that her mum is changing, she doesn't fully understand why ... until the night her dad comes into her room to wake her.  I won't give anything away but will say that Kiran tackles mental health issues in a way that will help children to understand them a little better (perhaps many adults too).  It also highlights the fact that children are incredibly perceptive when it comes to their parents and that, trying to hide things, isn't always the best way to tackle situations.

I cannot complete this review without a word about the collaboration between Kiran and her husband Tom de Freston in this book: his illustrations perfectly compliment the story and are magical to look at in their own right.  Once I'd finished the story, I went back, just to spend time with them again.  I'd love to see the pair do more work together.  

Love is at the heart of this book, in many different guises, family too, as well as finding yourself and this is a book I'm convinced you will find yourself falling in love with as you read it. 

Julia and the Shark is a beautifully told tale that will wrap you up like a hug; the language is soothing and comforting, despite some of the topics raised, and I defy you not to love every single page of this book.  As with books that I love this much, I do not feel that my words are really doing justice to Kiran's writing; no matter how I try to put things, my words seem inadequate and really not able to say exactly how I feel, so I will simply end this review by saying, please go out and pre-order/buy this book: it's gorgeous and I promise you won't regret it!

Due for release: 2nd September.

Rainbow Grey - Laura Ellen Anderson

Ray Grey lives in the city of Celestia in the Weatherlands and, unlike her friends, she doesn't have magic powers, though she wishes more than anything that she did.  Despite this, she is determined to become an Earth explorer just like her hero, La Blaze De Light.  When she makes a secret trip to Earth, she suddenly acquires rainbow magic, something that hasn't been seen in Weatherlands for hundreds of years, but how will this new found magic go down back in Weatherlands?

I have to admit that it was the cover and the gorgeous sprayed edges that first attracted me to the book and, although, I try not to judge a book by its cover, I'm so very pleased I did this time! (Of course, I was also influenced by my love of Amelia Fang!)  Rainbow Grey is a wonderfully inventive read that will have you bouncing around the clouds and wishing that you could fire rainbows out of your hands!  It's a feel-good read that is guaranteed to put even the grumpiest person in a good mood and will brighten anybody's day.

Why?  Several reasons:

The setting and the imagination behind the idea: from the map at the beginning of the book (another reason to love this book - I'm a lover of maps in books!), you can see that The Weatherlands is set in the clouds, with areas such as Dripping Down Village, Valley of Winds and The Jumping Puddles.  Everything is linked to the weather and I can imagine it must have been great fun to invent such a world - even names like Ray's mum, Clouida, are linked to the whole theme.  I would love nothing more than to visit the Rising Bun Bakery (but would be rather wary of the rumblebuns!)

The characters: Ray is a glorious combination of confidence, determination and colour that children will admire (and I have no doubt that some will want her hair too!); her friendship with Droplett and Snowden is lovely to read and will fill readers' hearts with joy (who doesn't want friends like that?).  I loved the effervesce of  Cloudia and would secretly love to be able to carry everything I need in my hair!  However, I think my favourite character had to be Nim the farting cloud-cat!  I'm not a fan of cats but I would happily adopt Nim in an instant (especially if I got to travel to school on him!).

The illustrations: throughout the book, the story is enhanced with Laura's wonderful drawings which only add to the joy, and I turned every page in anticipation as to what would be there!

The plot: full of fun and adventure, with plenty of laughs along the way (think farting cloud-cats!), this is a fast-paced story that will keep readers enthralled, will capture their imagination and has plenty of twists to keep everybody entertained.  The end of the story most definitely hints at a second book and I can't wait to see what is next install for Rainbow Grey and her friends.

In short, this is a joy of a book that is full of brightness and cheer and I urge you to bring the rainbow into your life - you won't regret it. 

 

The Incredible Talking Machine - Jenni Spangler

Set in Victorian Manchester, Tig is twelve years old and lives and works at The Theatre Royal, cleaning, lamp lighting and anything else her tyrant of a boss, Mr Snell, tells her to do.  The theatre hasn't been doing so well so when Professor Faber arrives with a rather unusual talking machine, Tig hopes it will change the theatre's fortunes.  Unfortunately, the professor is not a natural born performer and Mr Snell seems intent on ensuring that this new act fails - but why?  Then Tig begins to realise that the machine actually seems to be talking to her on its own which is impossible.  How is that happening and what is it trying the tell her?

Having loved The Vanishing Trick, I was very excited to see that Jenni had a new book coming out and was even more excited when I was able to read it early thanks to the magic that is Net Galley!  

Jenni has a wonderful way of writing that lures you in and keeps you gripped, in both the way she builds the worlds she is creating as well as the the way she develops her characters.  In The Incredible Talking Machine, steeped in Victorian England, you are instantly transported to a city of cotton mills and poverty, where the main character lives in a dusty corner of the theatre as she has no home to go to.  The theatre itself is dark and mysterious, keeping you on edge with talk of ghosts and mysterious goings on - there is just enough darkness to keep you on the edge of your seat, but not quite enough to make you want to sleep with the light on at night (unless, perhaps, you happen to live in a theatre!).

It's the characters though that make this book.  Tig is a wonderfully feisty twelve year old who is happy to say exactly what is on her mind as it comes to her, regardless of the consequences; she's of an age where she speaks before she really thinks things through and this invariably gets her into trouble (I suspect there will be many readers who will be able to relate to her because of this!).  It has to be said though, that everything she says and does is because she feels she is doing the right things and she is tormented by this more and more as the machine reveals more of its words to her.  She's a wonderful character and one I would love to get to know more (please tell me I'll get to know her more in the future, Jenni!).  On the other hand, we have Mr Snell, who really is a rather evil character when all is said and done!  Selfish and only out for his own gains, he cares for nobody and nothing but himself and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.  His whole attitude and demeanour made me want to reach into the book and give him a good shake on more than one occasion!

Illustrated once again by Chris Mould, his fabulous work only adds to the atmosphere and that front cover is just divine!

Friendship, loyalty, ghostly goings on and a brilliantly woven plot all go to make this book a superb read and I know that it will be a big hit when it's released on the 24th June.  A suitably dark encounter for those long summer days!!

Children of the Quicksands - Efua Traoré

Set in Nigeria, this is the story of Simi who has grown-up in Lagos but who is being sent to spend the summer with the maternal grandmother (Iyanla) she has never met.  Her parents are divorced and her mum must train in England as part of her new job and, with nobody else to look after her, she is being sent to stay with her grandmother ... who doesn't know she is coming!  When she arrives, Simi realises that the village of Ajao  is a world away from the life she is used to: her grandmother doesn't have running water or electricity and there is absolutely no mobile phone signal to be found!  Life is very much back to basics and she quickly discovers that Iyanla is very well respected in the village, making herbal medicines for everyone.  In her first afternoon, she is sent for a walk whilst Iyanla helps an injured child who has been brought to her and whilst out, she defies Iyanla's warnings and veers towards the lake (lured by the song from the golden bird); however, when she falls into quicksand, she discovers a strange land below, one that scares her.  Waking up the next day, she decides not to tell anybody, fearing that it was all in her imagination.  But what is Iyanla not telling Simi?  Why is the village so scared of the lake and how is she linked to all of this?

Both the village of  Ajao and the contrasting city-life are painted in detail throughout the book, allowing the reader to embrace the culture and imagine themselves travelling alongside Simi on her magical journey - it's an immersive story which is no surprise as the book was based on Efua's own childhood adventures in the little town in Nigeria where she grew-up.

The relationship between Simi and Iyanla is key in the book and is perfectly explored.  There are clearly family secrets that are being hidden which would explain why Simi's mother hasn't been home for years, yet Iyanla is gentle, kind and welcoming when Simi arrives out of the blue.  She is nurturing and accepting but you see a stronger side to her when she visits Ekita - there is no doubt that this is a strong woman who is to be admired.  Through the course of the book Simi discovers an inner strength I don't think she realised she had: scared and worried at the beginning of the book, her time in Ajao shows her that there is much more to life than mobile phones and what she wears (something I think a lot of us would do well to remember!).  The pair work compliment each other perfectly and the development of their relationship is a joy to read.  

This is a beautifully told story that combines tradition with modern day; magic with myth, and family with friendship.  There is something magical in the writing (and indeed in the story) that gently grips you from the very beginning and compels you to keep reading!  It truly was mesmerising.  Children of the Quicksands will definitely be on my next recommendations display in Waterstones Newcastle!