By Don Brown (Clarion Books, imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, this format 2025)
Continue reading “83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary | Graphic Novel Review”Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured…for months. But it all came at a steep cost.
By Beth O’Brien (pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2025)
Continue reading “Wolf Siren | Book Review”I felt rebellious saying it, like I was swearing. It felt wrong, dangerous, and Grandmother seemed to sense my discomfort.
‘When nature shows her strength, men will go to great lengths to call it evil,’ she said. ‘Magic is everywhere, Red. And while I do think it’s better that you keep these wolves a secret – from your mother and even Aerona – I want you to remember, no matter what happens, that this magic is much, much older than the fear of it, you hear me?’
By Clara Kumagai (Zephyr, 2025)
Continue reading “Songs for Ghosts | YA Book Review”‘Who are you?’ I burst out. ‘How did you—’
She raised her head slowly. Her hair was long and dark and straight, half-covering her face, a pale oval. Her lips moved, but I couldn’t hear what she said. Benny quietened. Her eyes were like mine.
There was a noise from another room – my room – and I half-turned towards the sound, then remembered, caught myself and whirled back to the crib. There was nobody there, no woman, nothing. Only Benny, blinking his eyes, clenching and unclenching his little hands.
By Peter Burns (pub. Farshore, June 2025)
Continue reading “Shadow Thieves | Book Review”It looked like a scrap of paper, tucked behind one of the roof tiles beside him. He pulled it free. It was a small rectangle of thick cream card, on which was printed in fine copperplate type:
Wanted: the clever, the cunning and the fearless.
Must be willing to risk death daily.
Fortunes available for the most daring and capable.
No one over 18.
Orphans preferred.
By Patrice Lawrence (pub. Scholastic, 2025)
Continue reading “People Like Stars | Book Review”On clear nights, we saw swirls of stars above the trees. I asked Ari how big the sky must be to fit in all those stars. She said that they looked close together to us down on Earth, but really they were far, far apart from each other.
Maybe all these people are like stars. It seems like they’re together, but really they’re alone like me.
Written by Dan Smith and illustrated by Luke Brookes (pub. Barrington Stoke)
Continue reading “The Deadsoul Project | Book Review”“What’s wrong with you?” Mam insisted. “Give him a hug.”
“I don’t want to.” Lauren’s voice started to crack as she fought back tears.
“Just leave her,” Kyle said, putting a hand on his mam’s arm. “She’s scared.”
“Scared of what?” Mam glared at him. “There’s nothing to be –”
“Stay away from me.”
Connor’s words were quiet and menacing.
He was staring right at Lauren with a dark and hungry look. An ugly sound rattled deep in his throat, and his pupils were so large that his eyes seemed completely black.
Written by Sarah Merrett, illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska (pub. Everything With Words, 2024)
‘There!’ Grandma’s face lit up. ‘Tell me you heard that!’ She ran to the machine and flung herself in the chair.
Reuben’s limbs locked tight. He stared, his mind running wild. The machine had never made a sound like it. He knew it wasn’t from this world.
He listened, waiting, holding his breath.
The machine remained silent, but he knew those few strange sounds had changed everything.
Continue reading “The Others | Book Review”
Written by Eva Frantz, illustrated by Elin Sandström (pub. Pushkin Press, 2023)
Continue reading “The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery | Review”‘It’s her!’
The white thing disappeared too quickly for Flora to see what it was, but for a few horrible moments she thought she had seen a pale face peering in at her and whispering.
But the room was on the first floor, so surely no one could be peeking in up there?
Flora lingered in the doorway, dead still.
Did she dare go over to the window and look?
Written by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (pub. Puffin Books, 2024)
Continue reading “Fia and the Last Snow Deer | Book Review”Suddenly I know what I have to do
to keep Solas safe.
The prophecy says the sacrifice must be given
freely,
gladly,
with hope.
Nothing about
blood sadness despair.
By James Fox (Scholastic, 2024)
Continue reading “The Boy in the Suit | Book Review”I pulled again on Morag’s wrist, so hard I felt my veins popping out of my forehead. Why couldn’t they just let her go? I wished Morag and I had the power to turn invisible. I wanted us to run away and forget all about this stupid funeral.
That’s when the camera flashed. Bright white, right in our faces. “Oh dear,” a man’s voice sneered. It was the newspaper photographer from earlier. “What’s going on here, then?”
