Take a look at the books we got #14

Here we join in with blogger memes like In My Mailbox (IMM) at The Story Siren  and the new British-based Letterbox Love to share the books that we recently bought, borrowed or received through the post.

From the library:

The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett.  This was on the Carnegie shortlist and recommended to us. I don't know much about the plot other than it's wartime and about two brothers.

For review (lots of historical and quite a few from Bloomsbury this week):

The Horse Road by Troon Harrison. Combining history and the horse; could tick lots of boxes for both of us.  It's set in 102BC in Central Asia during the Chinese invasion.  And it's intended to be an equestrain adventure with a 13 year old girl as the main character.  Looking forward to this. From Bloomsbury, this one's already been in store for months.

The Broken Road by BR Collins.  Yes, two books with 'road' in the title. Another historical teen novel from Bloomsbury, this one's about the Children's Crusades in 1212.

Scarlet by AC Gaughen. Will scarlet is a she and retells the story (romantically) of Robin Hood. You know me, always like a bit of gender mix-ups. It was published this month by Bloomsbury.

Velvet by Mary Hooper. A 16 year old laundress gets mixed up with a medium who speaks with the spirits. Something caught my eye on this one but I'm not sure what it is....This is being published by Bloomsbury in July.

And speaking of 'seeing', next up is The Seeing by Diana Hendry.  It's about a teen who has 'second sight' and can see 'leftover Nazis' and he and some friends decide to root them out.  It starts out as a game but ends up as something else. It is said to be thrilling and disturbing.  Little M says the cover makes her think of ghosts.  For me, it looks like Harry Potter. This is being published by Bodley Head in July.

Then we have thieves. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter is the second in the Heist Society series from Orchard.  We haven't read the first book but the central character is Kat, a high class art thief. This one involves a Cleopatra gem and curses.  Reminds me a bit of Nancy Drew and the BBC's Hustle.

And coming out in October from Hodder, we have a proof copy of Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher, author of Incarceron. This one includes finding a killer, stange truths and visiting and changing the past.  Looking forward to this one.

Take a look at the books we got #13

Our thirteenth week of joining in with blogger memes like In My Mailbox (IMM) at The Story Siren  and the new British-based Letterbox Love to share the books that we recently bought, borrowed or received through the post. And what a lot we got got this week (but no still no Smarties)!  But there's a lot that'll take you to the seventies!

 

 

Bought & Gifted to Little M:
We've  gone all retro here - 1970s but with updated covers. From the horsey series read long ago and by an author whose tales we both love - Follyfoot by Monica Dickens. And Iggie's House by Judy Blume - another one from the past with a story about new black neighbours in a white 1960s street. 


Not quite the '70s anymore, we've made it to the 21st century with Raspberries on the Yangtze by Karen Wallace - a coming-of-age novel set not in China but in Canada; Morpurgo calls it Swallons and Amazons for the 21st century!


And another Sophie McKenzie - The Medusa Project: The Set-Up: a story about four teenagers who were implanted with the Medusa gene at birth.


Finds!
Talking of updated covers, we found a proof (seriously!) of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl with the 2011 cover. Have heard so many good, good things about this but neither of us have read anything by Colfer yet.


For Review:


Three titles for tweens:
A Stallion Called Midnight by Victoria Eveleigh - a story about a wild stallion called Midnight who won't be trained.  What caught our eye most on this one (apart from the horse of course) was that it is inspired by a real horse called Midnight who lived on the island of Lundy.  And watch out, we have an interview with the author and a book giveaway from Orion coming up soon. Being published by Orion next week on 21 June.


Tiger Wars by Steve Backshall - What happens when the predator becomes the prey? This is an action adventure story about two teenagers who become eco-warriors. Steve Backshall is a wildlife and children's presenter. This was recently published by Orion in May.


Black Tide by Caroline Clough. This is a sequel to Red Fever which we have not read but the publisher thinks that Black Tide is also suitable to read on its own. This is another action-adventure story set in Scotland about a boy who needs to do quite a bit of rescuing. Published in June by Kelpies.


And for the olderYA set:
Pushing the Limits by Kate McGarry, another gritty US contemporary being published in the UK by Mira Ink in August. It's about a good girl and a bad boy who have issues and social workers - and they set out to confront their pasts. She was attacked and left scarred. He's a foster child. I suspect this one will be really gritty.


And then from Random House Childrens Publishers:

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick: The Killing Fields. For those of you who've watched the film, you've got goosebumps right now, haven't you!? My gut feeling is this is going to be a tearjerker the whole way through. It's a fictional account based on the true story of Arn-Chorn-Pond, a boy who survived the atrocities of the Khymer Rouge's Killing Fields in Cambodia in the 1970s. I'm dropping everything else to read this next.  It publishes in August.


Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone.  Described as The Time Traveler's Wife for teens.  A big, bold claim but I don't need to know anything more to give this one a go.  It publishes in October.


Now is Good by Jenny Downham. No, it's not a new Jenny Downham.  It's Before I Die being published under the same title as the film which is coming out (starring Dakota Fanning). Tessa is 16 and this is her 'before-I-die' list.  Number one on the list, is the s-e-x word. It publishes in August.


Thanks for these, Random House, but please can I have a box of tissues now? No, instead they've sent me a whole box of fun.  Look:


Muddle and Win: The Battle for Sally Jones by John Dickinson - Time for a light read and a laugh now. This is a funny story about having lifetime deedcounters. You get points added and deducted based on the deeds you do and your final score decides whether you go to heaven or hell.  But there's a real weird battle going on in Sally Jones' head. It publishes in August.


And from Vintage, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Needs no introduction but this is one of the titles from Vintages new Children's Classics series which launches in August.

Take a look at the books we got #12

Welcome to our twelfth week of joining in with blogger memes like In My Mailbox (IMM) at The Story Siren  and the new British-based Letterbox Love. Here we all share the books that we recently bought, borrowed or received through the post.

 

"Wow!" said Little M when she saw the cover of this book.  She even stopped what she was doing to have a good look at it.  Praise indeed for Ruth Eastham's The Messenger Bird, a book that we were delighted to win. The Messenger Bird is a story about a boy who is given a clue that was written during Word War II. This clue could lead to a trail that will help him to resuce his father. For any of you didn't have a look, The Messenger Bird blog tour was excellent, lots of interesting information all the way through it. Thanks to Scholastic for this copy.

And for review, Changeling. There's been a lot of hype around this as it's best-selling Philippa Gregory's YA debut. It’s 1453 and Isolde is being accused of witchcraft. Thank to Simon & Schuster for a review copy. I'm very curious about the plot and hope that Changeling lives up to the high expectations set by the hype.

Letterbox Love logo designed by Casey from Dark Readers.

Take a look at the books we got #11

Welcome to our eleventh week of joining in with blogger memes like In My Mailbox (IMM) at The Story Siren  and the new British-based Letterbox Love. Here we all share the books that we recently bought, borrowed or received through the post.

This week it's been really sunny and a lot reading has been done outside.  so, we've taken the books to the grass!

Letterbox Love books on the grass!

We bought:

The One Dollar Horse by Lauren St John – what can we say.  The title just gives it away.  And of course, Little M is a die-hard Lauren St John fan too.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – we’ve both read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and seen the movie – all this month. So, this one was inevitable….How great to be able to read the whole trilogy pretty much in one go!

We borrowed from our local public library:

Flip by Martyn Bedford - it's received lots of book award nominations and is about a boy who wakes up in somebody else's body.

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace was a 2010 Costa winner. It's about schoolboys dealing with Zimbabwe's newly created independence in the 1980s.

We won:

Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed which takes on the heavy issue of forced marriages among teen girls. Thanks to Federation of Children's Book Groups and Puffin.

We received for review:

A Little, Aloud for Children edited by Angela Macmillan (from David Fickling Books - thanks!).  This is an anthology of extracts, poems and short pieces that are intended to be shared by reading aloud. It includes Neil Gaiman, Benjamin Zephaniah and Shakespeare. The idea is that all age groups can enjoy this book so in one sense, you could call it a real crossover title! Reading aloud is exactly what we’re planning on doing. It is being published in the UK on 7 June 2012 and all royalties will go to The Reader Organisation, a charity that works to connect both people and literature.

Hollow Pike by James Dawson (from Indigo/Fierce Fiction especially for Little M to review- thanks). It's about a teenage girl, witchcraft and the woods after dark.  Sounds scary to me. James Dawson has been nominated for the 2012 Queen of Teen award.

(the Letterbox Love logo was designed by Casey from Dark Readers)

Take a look at the books we've got #10

Weekly memes are a great way to share the books you're reading and to find out what books other people are reading too. We love taking part in them and there are two on Sundays that we particularly like: In My Mailbox and a 4 week old UK based Letterbox Love.

We have a first this week! 2 copies of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins in the house this week and they're already both being read at the same time (1 copy was bought for Little M as a gift and 1 copy was borrowed from a friend).  For those who don't know, it's the second title in The Hunger Games trilogy.

And we won a copy of All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls  (thanks to History Girls blog and Marion Lloyd Books); it came with a postcard too.It's a real-life dystopian of sorts as it is based in the historical setting of 1349 and The Black Death in England.  This was on our wishlist so we're delighted.

For review we received two titles that have been published by Oxford University Press this month (thanks OUP Children's!):

1) White Dolphin by Gill Lewis (author of the acclaimed Sky Hawk which Little M really enjoyed).  Lewis' stories have animals at their heart but are all about people, friendships and adventure too. 

2) Under the Cherry Blossom by Maya Healy which is set in Kai Province, Japan in 1216 and tells a story of two sisters whose family has been murdered and they have to disguise themselves as servants. This is the first book in a quartet. Book 2 in this quartet looks like it has been published simultaneously.

Take a look.....at the books we've got #9

Weekly memes are a great way to share the books you're reading and to find out what books other people are reading too. We love taking part in them and there are two on Sundays that we particularly like: In My Mailbox and a 3 week old UK based Letterbox Love.

This week, we're heading into new reading territory. And both books take us westward ho to California!  A coincidence or what?!

Both books received for review:

Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton (Orchard): Emma's mum is moving them to LA.  Emma's not too keen but her aspiring-actress sister Bex is all up for it. A love story, not our usual sort of read, but Keris Stainton's honest humour have made me curious about reading this.

 Saving June by Hannah Harrington (Mira Ink): teenagers, a dead sister, an urn of ashes, mysterious boys, a road trip, political protests, and a soundtrack too. The kind of book I've not read for years, this'll be interesting!

Thanks Orchard and Mira Ink.

Take a look....at the books we've got #8

Weekly memes are a great way to share the books you're reading and to find out what books other people are reading too. We love taking part in them. In My Mailbox (IMM) is hosted over at The Story Siren every Sunday and a new Letterbox Love has started up in the UK too.

We have a real mix of books this week - and as you can see, we've already got stuck in!

Wonder by RJ Palacio.  The reviews on this have been so compelling, we were just waiting for the paperback to come out (hardbacks are usually so much more expensive) but The Book People were doing a good deal on it - so I bought it as a treat for Little M.  As you can see, I only have the cover here.  Little M's already so absorbed in it that she's taken Wonder off with her! She's pegging it for awards.

Then we won a competition and received three picture books from Piccadilly Press - Fergus Goes Crackers and Fergus's Scary Night ( both by Tony Maddox) and Dog Did It (by Lynne Garner & Mike Brownlow). We have some plans for sharing these with some much younger readers than ourselves, probably as part of our Bookstart 20 pledge.  These books came with a slab of Green & Black's Organic Dark Chocolate with orange and spice.  You can see that some of that is missing (heehee). Thanks Picadilly!

We also won a copy of Phil Earle's Saving Daisy from Tesco. This books tackles the issue of self harming in young teenagers and has received very complimentary reviews. So I'm delighted to have a copy of this one.

And then for review, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross from Mira Ink. I'm very intrigued by this one.  As the cover for Wonder says, "Don't judge a book by it's cover," I'm hoping this will be the case here. It is the first book in Kady Cross' The Steampunk Chronicles.  What caught my eye on this one was that we'd been discussing steampunk as a genre on Twitter (and none of us really knew what it was). So I am very curious about exploring a new genre. 

Take a look at the books we've got #7

How exciting!  We're taking part in the first ever UK based Letterbox Love, a weekly meme where book bloggers share news on the books they've received or are reading.  We're spreading the book love.

Letterbox Love #1

In our Letterbox Love this week:

After the Snow by S.D. Crockett - received from Macmillan for review. "Willo is a straggler kid living in the dangerous and barren landscape of a new ice age...(...)...he discovers that his entire family is gone.(...)...The dog spirit inside his head is his guide and his only companion." So reads the dust jacket - and yes, it is a beautiful dust jacket!  The story sounds fascinating and we're really looking forward to this one.

Artichoke Hearts and Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari.  These were bought to be shared between us on World Book Night last Monday. Little M had heard about Artichoke Hearts a few months back. It was also the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Award 2011 And then I heard about Jasmine Skies, which is the sequel. Artichoke Hearts is about 13 year old Mira Levenson and how she learns about the different kinds of love that you can hold in your heart. The story for Jasmine Skies is utterly compelling as Mira flies off to India on her own for the first time to discover the secrets of her family's past. Everything about the world of Brahmachari's writing is richly and lovingly textured.  It just makes you feel so warm.

You can read what Sita had to say to us about her writing for teens and adults in her novels here.

And because it's so beautiful and full of wanderlust, here's her trailer for Jasmine Skies:

In My Mailbox - Very Special Edition!

 

That's right.  It's a very, very special edition of In My Mailbox so we'll have two this week!

 

Booktrust Giveaway

A very large parcel turned up on our doorstep this week containing some very commendable books.  We'd won them from Booktrust in a book giveaway. All you had to do was tweet the tile of your best book of the past 10 years and why.  I tweeted The Book Thief because it will have been passed along three generations in our family and across two continents.  They liked our tweet very much. 

So we won......10 books!

The 10 books were those titles on the shortlist for the Blue Peter Best Children's Book of the last 10 years*:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney (winner)
2. A Series of Unfortunate Events 5: The Austere Academy - Lemony Snicket
3. Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo
4. Skeleton Key - Anthony Horowitz
5. Mr Stink - David Walliams
6. Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend - Francesca Simon
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling
8. Theodore Boone - John Grisham
9. Silverfin - Charlie Higson
10. Candyfloss - Jaqueline Wilson

Thank you, Booktrust. In true Booktrust spirit, we'll be having a lot more to say about our booksharing adventures with these books!

Blue Peter Best Children's Book of the Last 10 Years shortlist 2012

* "The shortlist is made up of the 10 bestselling fiction books (by volume) of the last 10 years for 5- to 11-year-olds with a first publication date between January 2002 and December 2011. Only the top-selling book per individual, named author is included." - Booktrust

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kirst at The Story Siren.  each week book bloggers join in to share the differetn titles that they've received each week.  It's great to see what people are going to read.

This week we've received some titles that I'm very excited about.

First, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein from the new Egmont YA imprint, Electric Monkey. It's about two women friends during World War II.  One of them's a pilot and the other's a spy.  It's a female adventure story - and it looks and sounds like it'll be grainy. And the reviews for it have been outstanding.  I'm planning to savour this one.

Second, Slated by Teri Terry from Orchard. This one's due out in May and it's a good one.  I know because I'd finished reading it before I wrote this post. Our review will be out shortly.  It's a dystopian thriller narrated by Kyla, a sixteen year old girl whose memory has been wiped in a special hospital - she's been slated. Now she is released after signing a contract. And she discovers that's she's after the truth.

And then three more picked up from the local public library. 

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo (Puffin).  Little M had read Naidoo's Journey to Jo'burg in school and that had previously been banned in South Africa. So, any author who's been banned has some kind of writing kudos in my eyes (haven't read the blurb so don't even know what it's about).

Then by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin).  Little M and I both loved Gleitzman's Once so we'll happily give Then a go.  The blurb has the word Nazis in it.

And Click by 10 voices (Scholastic) in association with Amnesty International. Ten bestselling authors united to write this 'novel of wonders and surprise'.  The authors are Colfer, Park, Ozeki, Hornby, Wynne-Jones, Almond, Maguire, Ellis, Lanagan and Doyle.

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Book bloggers show everyone the bookish bits they've received each week.  It's a great way to find out about new books and just see what people are up to.

This week's In My Mailbox is full of book surprises for Little M, boomarks, human rights and summertime fun! Wow.

Books - In My Mailbox

First, a copy of Hitler’s Angel by William Osborne (from Chicken House).  This was kindly gifted to us by the lovely Sophie Waters from So Many Books So Little Time.  It's about two boys who escape from the Nazi's but end up on a secret mission. War and adventure stories are a top favourite with Little M so this looks great. And look, Bear Grylls says it’s ‘An incredible adventure and great page turner!’ Well, if Bear Grylls says it….:)

Next, a surprise review copy of The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence (Orion). Little M's never read a wild western so this'll be a new one. To be perfectly honest, there's something about this book that is very intriguing.  I think I will take a look too....It’s also a beautiful hardback and Caroline has written a lovely inscription in it!

Thank you Caroline and Sophie!  These both look great. And by authors we’ve never read before.

Bookmarks

We also got bookmarks – one of our indulgences!  Some author-signed bookmarks from So Many Books So Little Time as well as bookmarks picked up at a recent Amnesty International UK event.  Did you know that you can support human rights by purchasing books online from Amnesty?  They have a selection of good children’s books, fiction and non-fiction.  They also have secondhand bookstores in Newcastle, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Great Malvern and Hammersmith. Any dystopian fans should also take a look.

From human rights to summertime fun….

We received some booklets about The Flip-Flop Club adventure series by Ellen Richardson from Oxford University Press via The Reading Agency’s Chatterbooks programme aimed at young readers from about 8-14 years.

This also came with info about a competition to win signed copies of the Flip Flop Club Charmed Summer and £20 of Accessorize vouchers.  All you need to do is design your own flip-flops – either on paper or a real pair.  Send you photos in to tradepublicity.uk@oup.com by 1 June 2012.

A different IMM for us this week...what did you get?

IMM #3 - What a Cracking Easter!

Easter time!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme where everybody shows off books they've received that week.  It is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

****

Our books this week have been a basketful of surprises and delights! These are the books the Easter bunny brought.

For Little M:

"Thief by Malorie Blackman. The blurb says it's about a girl called Lydia who was in a storm and then she realises that she's in the future and a cruel tyrant rules the town. It looks quite gripping.  I wonder why it's called the thief?  I can't wait to read it!"

"Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie is next. Lots of my friends read some of the Sophie McKenzie's....oh my gosh, I was just reading the blurb at school the other day and I thought oh my gosh I have to read this.  The blurb says it's about Lauren who is adopted and discovers that she has been snatched from an American family when she was a baby."

"The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I found out about it from a friend who knew the film was coming out and she had read the book and said it was really good.  So it made me really want to read it.  And here I am, I have it!"

There was also When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman for M, The Bourne Dominion by Eric van Lustbader for dad, and a Rough Guide to the Netherlands.

Oh, and some chocolate too!



Books  received in the post

Then in the post, we got a proof copy of Insignia by SJ Kincaid, published in the UK by Hot Key Books in August 2012 (M's read it already!).  And our prize from March's British Book Challenge was books from Simon & Schuster: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale, Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie, Dark Storm by Sarah Singleton and Fated by Sarah Alderson.  Thanks!  Also, a postcard from Hot Key Books and some bookmarks from Caroline Lawrence promoting her Roman Mystery Scrolls, a brand new series of mini-series for early readers.

But what's Easter without an Easter egg hunt - with a twist?! These are the books (borrowed from our own bookshelves) that the Easter Bunny used in our Easter hunt book trail!

Easter book trail



What a lot we got!  What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox #2

We love taking part in The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme. It's a great way to find out about the different books that readers have received. If you don't already know about In My Mailbox, pop on over to The Story Siren to find out more and how to join in.

This is our second In My Mailbox (to be honest, we don't have a mailbox).  This week we have five books. See if anyone can spot any similarities in the covers!

The first one is The Giver by Lois Lowry, bought with a World Book Day token.  This comes strongly recommended and we've found it on all sorts of lists.  Hailed by Harper Collins as an Essential Modern Classic and it won the Newberry Medal. It's the story of how even a perfect utopia can have its problems.  One of the earlier children's dystopias.  Can't wait.

Second and third, it's James Patterson's Maximum Ride - again.  The third in the series, Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports has been lent by a school friend.  The fourth title in the series, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning, has been borrowed from the library. (psst....haven't seen Little M for hours - she's already off on her fourth Maximum Ride!)

Fourth is Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis and has also been borrowed from the library. Having read an excerpt on the internet, it looks great.  Animals (actually, Mina would like it - birds!), adventures and secrets in the countryside....fab.

Fifth is The New Policeman by Kate Thompson.  Also borrowed from the library, this was actually on the school's recommended reading lists for KS3.  JJ tries to buy his mother some time - that's sounds right up our street - and there's mystery, myth and magic in it too.  Sounds a bit science fictiony and fantastical.  Fabuloso perhaps?

And look who else has taken an interest in our books!

Have any of you read any of these books?  And what books did you get in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox @ The Story Siren

We're really excited to show you the books we've recevied this week and to join the Story Siren's In My Mailbox for the first time. 

We love to get books and sometimes find it hard to choose so few. This week we have 4 books, all for Little M.

Little M enjoyed the first in the Maximum Ride series so much and she was delighted to borrow a copy of Maximum Ride School's Out Forever by James Patterson from a school friend.  But by the time of writing this IMM, she'd already finished it!

The next book was received as congratulations for a couple of things. Lauren St John's Dolphin Song looks just up her street - an adventure and animals by an author she knows she likes.

The final two were picked up in Oxfam.  She's read the first in Monica Dickens' World's End series and has been desperate to read some more so World's End in Winter and Summer at World's End are sure to go down a treat. They're no longer in print and these editions were published in 1972 and 1973! They've been recommended by me as books I enjoyed reading when I was at school.  It's about a family of children who live in a derelict house with a bunch of animals...What more could you ask for?