Superhero Street by Phil Earle

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 192

Publisher: Orion Children's Books 

Released: 25th of February 2015 

Mouse is desperate to be a superhero. To find that power that will make him stand out in the crowd. But his every attempt ends in failure. He can't even get any attention at home as his five brothers (triplets AND twins) take every second of mum and dad's attention. When mum foils a bank robbery while on duty as a lollipop lady, she and Mouse are lauded as superheroes. Joining forces with Mouse are The Z List - a group of unlikely crime-fighters. But in their midst is a traitor hell-bent on revenge. Will Mouse be super enough to spot this danger, and is he brave enough to do anything about it?

What I Have to Say 

I have so much love for this book. I'd only read Phil Earle's Young Adult books before picking up Superhero Street, so I wasn't sure how he'd write for children. It's so different, but I like both of his styles. His Middle Grade books are far less serious. They're written in a style that reminds me so much of Roald Dahl, a lighthearted approach to writing with a lot of funny jokes and asides to the reader. 

I loved Mouse a lot and definitely need to go back and read Demolition Dad so that I can catch up with the characters on Storey Street before the next book comes out, because this is certainly a series that I want to continue reading. 

The illustrations by Sara Oglivie weren't the style of art work that I really like, but they were really funny and enjoyable. They definitely added a lot to the story and were worth the extra minute it took my tablet to load as a I turned the pages. 

This is a definite read for children who like superheros or even children who you want to introduce to superheros. I also think that reading it as an adult is really enjoya

The Book of Lies by Teri Terry

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Orchard Books 

Released: 24th of March 2016

They are trapped, frozen. Waiting. Straining against the wood that holds them. The unwary catch a glimpse now and then - feel their desperate hunger, see a glint of red eyes - and scurry out of the shadows of the wood, back to the light.

She's coming; it will be soon.

They will run free on the moors again. The Hunt will return. 

And the ground will run with blood.

An ancient curse placed on a family of witches foretells that twins will be born - one good, one evil; and one will destroy the other. But who can be trusted when no one is as they seem?

What I Have to Say 

Every time I pick up a new Teri Terry book I find I have forgotten how amazing a writer she is. It's a wonderful thing to rediscover every year. The Book of Lies is a perfect example of her strengths. She creates a wonderful mystery piling secrets upon secrets to reveal dark truths throughout the book. 

Piper and Quinn were amazing characters as well. They came from such different backgrounds and had different ways of looking at things. She made the differences between them so subtle at first as well, creating the idea of each girls personality before revealing the things hidden underneath. 

I also find that she has a great way with words. Almost every scene has the reader fixed to the page. The words are all the right ones for the scene. It's something that only the very best writers can do but it makes for beautiful writing that makes reading the most enjoyable experience. 

These are just a few of the reasons Teri Terry is one of my favourite authors. 

The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn by Tania Unsworth

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 256

Publisher: Orion Children's Books 

Released: 10th of March 2016 

11 year old Daisy has never seen the outside world.

She has lived with her mother in their family home, the splendid but crumbling Brightwood Hall. But when one day her mother doesn't come home and a strange man arrives at the house, Daisy must use her wits to survive.

What I Have to Say 

This wasn't what I expected, but even so, it was good. I expected more of Daisy starting to find out about life outside of Brightwood Hall, for her to be learning how to live around real people, but instead it's more of an adventure story. It's Daisy being brave and standing up for the house that is hers. 

I liked the subtle way that they showed Daisy's loneliness and how messed up such an isolated childhood has made her through the paintings and animals that she talks to. It hints at the darker side of her life there without intruding on the coming-of age adventure story that it is. 

I love how much of this takes place with only Daisy's imaginings. She needs help with what she's facing and so she makes a person to help her, in the form of Frank, a made up explorer's assistant. I really liked Frank's attitude to everything. Her straight forward way of relating everything to the adventurer lifestyle, calmly leading Daisy through the danger. 

This unique tale of a girl facing the danger of a strange man, isolated from everyone, with only her wits and her imagined conversations to help her, this is definitely a story that's worth reading. 

Alice Jones and the Impossible Clue by Sarah Rubin

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Chicken House Ltd

Released: 4th of February 2016

Maths-whizz Alice has already solved a mystery or two. Persuaded by wannabe sidekick Sammy to investigate a scientist's disappearance, she's soon entangled in her trickiest case yet. Dr Learner is reputed to have invented an invisibility suit, but is whacky science really to blame for his vanishing? With the unlikely help of erstwhile nemesis Kevin, Alice solves the puzzle - only to face another. Should she reveal the truth, or protect her most devoted friend?

What I Have to Say 

Alice Jones is a young detective like no other. Unlike other Middle Grade mystery books on the market these days, she isn't an aspiring young crime solver always on the look out for a new case. She prefers the sedate method, working on impossible to solve maths problems until a mystery falls into her lap. 

She's a very different type of protagonist. She's got less of the enthusiasm and more of the analytical, logical approach. I think I will always prefer the excitable young Sherlock Holmes- wannabes, but Alice certainly was a nice change. I think she's a very good addition to the genre. 

I loved the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but it was an ending to make you think, to take you away from the hero and criminal labels that mystery novels usually had. It showed that not everything is quite so simple and sometimes, it might be better for a mystery to remain unsolved. 

Red Witch by Anna McKerrow

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 416

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 10th of March 2016 

Seventeen, heartbroken, powerful; Melz has run away from home, run away from the safety of the Greenworld. In the cities of the Redworld, Melz discovers she's special, desired. And not just for her magical talents. When Melz meets the young but influential Bran, their attraction is instant and electric. In the Redworld, with Bran by her side, unrestrained by the customs of her former life, Melz knows she can reach her true potential. But the world Bran wants to give Melz is ravaged by war and violence. Oil is running out, and people will do anything to gain control of the remaining resources. Melz may be more powerful than ever, but even great power can be a curse when used against you. 

What I Have to Say 

This is another sequel that I think was even better than the first book, even though the first was fantastic. I continue to love the worlds that McKerrow has created, both the already established Greenworld and the way we got to see our first real taste of the cities of the Redworld. 

I think one of the best things about the book was the contrasts that McKerrow was constantly making. The obvious contrasts were between the Redworld and the Greenworld and between the Greenworld's female deity and the strong male god of the Redworld, but also the comparisons made between the Goddess's of the Greenworld and tales of Proserpina. 

I think the best thing about this series is how flawed the Greenworld is. It would have been very easy for McKerrow to show the Greenworld as a Utopia of Paganism and the Redworld as the fuel-chugging darkness of everything that's wrong with society, but she's made sure to show the good side of the Redworld and the slight racism and prejudice of the Greenworld, as well. 

I really like the direction she is going with the Greenworld, trying to find balance with both the female and male aspects of their gods and the paralleling balance that I think they will have to find between the two worlds. I can't wait for the next book! 

Phoenix Burning by Bryony Pearce

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 416
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
Released:  10th of March 2016

Toby and Ayla have to infiltrate a sect of sun worshippers to steal the equipment their ships need. They enter a trial to be chosen as the Sun and the Moon, a position of great honour for the sect. As the trial commences, Toby and Ayla discover the true cost of failure. But there are other young couples who are equally desperate to win...Can Toby and Ayla survive days without sleep, hours sitting in the blistering sun and a deadly maze? They'll need to work together to win - their mission depends on it...

What  I Have to Say 

After setting up her new world of salt heaving seas and scavenging pirates, Bryony Pearce has followed with a fantastic continuation of the series, which I think I may have enjoyed even more than the first. 

In Phoenix Burning, we see a very different side of the world that Pearce has created. With any devastated world comes a group of religious fanatics who are desperate to find meaning in everything that has happened. The cruelty that the challenges that Ayla, Toby and the other competitors faced was suitably dark for this kind of sect, though this is certainly not the kind of book for those who are squeamish! 

The ending was filled with twists and intrigue, leaving me with the feeling I always get when I read something really good. I definitely am looking forward to seeing what's next for Toby. 

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 3rd of March 2016 

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever. 

What I Have to Say 

I really want this to be a series. I love the idea of travelling through time like sailing through the ocean, the rules of using maps drawn on a certain date and not being able to use the same map twice. I love the mythology aspects, going to places that people believed in and taking fantasy creatures and items away to make things easier. There is so much that can be done in this world and it would be awful if the author leaves it as a standalone book. 

The main setting is beautiful as well. It was the perfect choice for a story that combines mythology and historical fiction, especially with the conflict that the book ties so perfectly into. 

The main theme, of course, is one of identity and abandonment. Even Nix's name seems to show how little she means to her father. The books shows the touching story of a girl trying to find out who she is and come to terms with the fact that her father seems to want to change everything she is, all while her future is about as uncertain as a future can be. She doesn't even know if she will exist in said future. 

This book has something for everyone, fantasy, historical, action and adventure. It shows a touching story alongside a magical one. It is definitely not one to let pass you by, 

My thanks go to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this copy,