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Book Review – A Sprinkle of Sorcery by Michelle Harrison
The family curse has been lifted and the Widdershins sisters: Betty, Fliss and Charlie are free to leave the prison island of Crowstone. But when a mysterious girl arrives at the Poacher’s Pocket with a pocketful of hagstones and accompanied by a will-o’-the-wisp, it seems another adventure has landed on their doorstep. And when Charlie goes missing, it’s up to Betty and Fliss to journey through misty marches, past wisp catchers and on to a secret island that doesn’t exist on any map… My rating: Another great Widdershins adventure! I love all three girls, and their run ins on this one are brilliantly fun. Charlie asking pirates questions and…
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Book Review – The Mask of Aribella by Anna Hoghton
On the eve of her birthday, Aribella discovers she has a secret power – when angered, flames shoot from her fingertips. Frightened, she runs away, only to be rescued by a magical organization of masked heroes with their own special skills. Aribella and her new friends have sworn to defend Venice, but can they defeat the evil rising from the Island of the Dead? A captivating middle-grade fantasy in the entrancing setting of historical Venice. My rating: I picked this up after seeing it on twitter and thinking it looked amazing – I was right! This world is so fun and magical, and you really feel like you are…
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Book Review – Agent Zaiba Investigates the Missing Diamonds by Annabelle Sami
AGENT ZAIBA INVESTIGATES is a fun, contemporary new series for fans of The Sinclair’s Mysteries and the Murder Most Unladylike books. Eleven-year-old Zaiba is obsessed with crime. Her Aunt Fouzia runs a detective agency back in Karachi and has turned Zaiba on to the brilliant Eden Lockett Mysteries. She has every book in the series – and the quilt cover, and the phone case. All she needs now is a crime to solve… In book one, Zaiba is attending a family Mehndi party at The Grand Royal Star Hotel when she hears that the prized Italian Greyhound of a famous actress has gone missing from the star’s suite. With the…
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Book Review – The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot
In a mythic Scotland, two unlikely heroes must make a dangerous journey to save their people. Agatha is a Hawk, brave and fierce, who protects her people by patrolling the high walls of their island home. She is proud of her job, though some in her clan whisper that it is meant to keep her out of the way because of the condition she was born with.Jaime, thoughtful and anxious, is an Angler, but he hates the sea. Worse, he’s been chosen for a duty that the clan hasn’t required for generations: to marry. The elders won’t say why they have promised him to a girl in a neighboring clan,…
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Book Review – The Pure Heart by Trudi Tweedie
When Iseabail is employed by a wealthy merchant to be his daughter’s companion, her life changes forever. Transported from her remote island home to the Scottish borderlands, Iseabail is unnerved both by her precocious young charge and the house’s secrets: a hidden chapel, servants who speak in a foreign tongue, a mute stableboy. And then the merchant returns with a mysterious cargo. Why has Iseabail really been summoned here? And will she ever make it back home? My rating: I buddy read this with friends, who didn’t really enjoy it. I saw why but I was liking it more than them, and had hope for how it was going. I…
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Book Review – The Starlight Watchmaker by Lauren James
Wealthy students from across the galaxy come to learn at the prestigious academy where Hugo toils as a watchmaker. But he is one of the lucky ones. Many androids like him are jobless and homeless. Someone like Dorian could never understand their struggle – or so Hugo thinks when the pompous duke comes banging at his door. But when Dorian’s broken time-travel watch leads them to discover a sinister scheme, the pair must reconcile their differences if they are to find the culprit in time. A wildly imaginative sci-fi adventure from YA star Lauren James, particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+ My rating: I somehow missed…
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My best reads of 2018
I read A LOT in 2018, and I loved a great many of the books I read. Others, less so, but luckily for you this post isn’t about those! I love reading about everyone’s favourite books, and I love talking about mine, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity. I’m separating this into sections: Middle Grade, Fantasy YA, Sci Fi YA, and Contemporary YA. And yes, this list is as narrowed down as I could get it! Not all of them have blog posts up yet, but where they do, I have included links. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Middle Grade Pages & Co…