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Briseis's mother is dead, but there is one chance to bring her back: find the last piece of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If Bri is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she's never known, learn of their secret powers and take her place in their ancient lineage. But Bri is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfil their own ruthless plans. Strengthened by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can she harness her power to save the people she loves most? Kalynn Bayron, bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart, returns with the second and final book in this stunning, empowering and inclusive fantasy duology.
Princess Sabra has a simple happy life until her kingdom is attacked by a fierce, fire-breathing dragon. As she struggles to find a way of saving the land and the people, there appears only one answer and one very high cost. Can the strange soldier who appears be the only one who can rescue her and save her kingdom from the mighty beast? Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level. Topaz/ Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
A cracking quest with writing that crackles, fizzes and dances off the page, Jasmine Richards’ The Unmorrow Curse presents a world that’s rich in Norse myth and magic, with a cast of larger-than-life characters whose sparkling dialogue adds to the pace and suspense. The day Buzz meets new girl Mari in the school canteen turns out to be monumental. A “tall Black girl with hundreds of long thin braids twisted up in a bun”, a girl who “dressed like no one he’d ever seen”, Mari reveals that her mum went missing on the last Friday 13th. Shortly after, the duo discover a weather woman tied to a tree in the woods. In amusing, matter-of-fact fashion, the woman reveals that she is, in fact, the Norse Goddess of the Sun and shares responsibility for maintaining the order of time. As for her current predicament, she explains that “the trickster god has escaped his prison and is searching for the Runes of Valhalla right now. If Loki manages to activate them and absorb their power, we are all lost.” With the order of things well and truly upset, and humanity subject to the Unmorrow Curse that means the same Saturday must be relived over and over, Buzz and Mari embark on a quest to claim the Runes. Riveting stuff for fans of myth-driven fantasy, with whip-smart dialogue to boot.
May 2022 Non-Fiction Book of the Month | Ending with a call to readers to change the world, this handsomely illustrated book tells the story of the first Greek gods. We see it all from the viewpoint of Gaia, the goddess who created the world as a beautiful, peaceful place only to watch in anguish as her husband and then her children squabble, fight and even infect the mortals with their greed and jealousy. The stories are full of drama - Cronos swallowing his children, the gods of Olympus battling giants - and the book also describes the creation of the Furies and the Fates, giving us a different view of them. Told via a striking graphic novel format, it’s a visual treat while the direct, straight to reader text is very engaging. Much more than an introduction to early Greek myths, it will make readers see the world and their role in it differently.
An exciting adventure story that follows a group of children with superpowers and heart bonds with speaking dragons. The story is set in two realms, human and dragon, linked by portals and the ability of the children and dragons to communicate through thought. The story is fast paced and exciting and although it is the 4th book in the story, the previous adventures are explained by cleverly using a new character Lola who is told everything that has happened so far. It is a classic tale of good versus evil and has all the components necessary in a supernatural adventure such as this: - beautiful, magical, and powerful dragons with strength and speed, enchanted swords that cut through rock, loyal, supportive, brave children, and the inevitable baddy! It is all as you imagine the ideal adventure fantasy to be, swooping dragon rides, baddies turned into golden statues and larger than life natural features. It is an adventure combining elements of Harry Potter, the sword and the stone and The Hobbit, with a little bit of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights thrown in for good measure. It is an exciting tale with all the components of a good story. The fact that it is one of a series, only makes it more appealing.
March 2022 Debut of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2022 | The magic that inspires the headlong action of this cracking adventure is old and powerful. And its source is in a book which Cameron's grandmother keeps hidden in the attic. Despite Cameron having been told not to touch it he just cannot keep away. The Book is his last connection to his parents who have mysteriously vanished. Surely it holds the secret to where they have gone? When Cameron and his friends touch the book they are whisked away into a vivid adventure filled with a cast of thrillingly scary creatures. They are heading to the kingdom of Chidani, a place that was once fabled for its beauty but is now is in terrible danger. Can Cameron find the courage to be the super hero who can fulfil his destiny by protecting Chidani and saving the Igbo people who live there. Drawing on West African and Igbo history and mythology, Jamar J Perry has created a gripping and many layered fantasy adventure.
Eleven-year-old Theodosia Throckmorton’s parents are curators at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London, a kind of rival to the British Museum. Unknown to them, their daughter has a special gift and can ‘see’ curses on the ancient artefacts her mother brings back from her expeditions (it’s the early 20th century and attitudes to relic ownership is much more relaxed than it is now). Deliciously for readers, there are lots of curses and removing them involves Theodosia in all sorts of magicking and spellcasting, quite a lot of it done at night in the museum. Things get even more thrilling when her mother returns with the ‘Heart of Egypt’, excavated from the tomb of Thutmose III himself. It has particular powers which make it appealing to Britain’s enemies. Before you can say ‘Indiana Jones’, Theodosia is involved with a secret society of spies, and charged with the task of returning the jewel to its rightful place in the tomb. The adventures come thick and fast and call for all her courage and resourcefulness. Theodosia is an excellent narrator with a great line in deadpan humour and her adventures will appeal to all those with a taste for spooky, historical capers.
50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief | Using photographs of objects from the British Museum collections beside bold, bright, clear illustrations of the female characters, the stories and animals often associated with them. This is most definitely a book to dip into repeatedly. Each double page spread looks at a specific person, their legends, the stories that have altered over time and their often-multiple names. The book is arranged into five different sections covering Ruling and Guiding figures, New Life figures, War and Death figures, Love and Wisdom figures and Animal and Nature figures. The whole of the history of beliefs seem to be covered from Africa to Wales, Aztec to Maori, Far Eastern to Norse to name but a few! The Introduction shares thoughts on the way the word Goddess has changed its meaning over the years and Dr Ramirez shares a very useful Glossary of unusual terms as well as indexing individual goddesses – always a huge benefit that unfortunately some authors and publishers fail to appreciate. A beautiful book I can imagine being included in many topic boxes and school libraries.
Shot-through with wit, myth, friendship and fart jokes, and told through a blend of narrative text, doodles and comic strips, Louie Stowell’s Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good is a riot from start to finish. Oh, how the mighty are fallen! After playing one joke too many, trickster god Loki has been banished to earth by Odin, and this book presents Loki’s diary account of his 31-day exile as a mere mortal. The interlocking of words and pictures is hilariously effective from the off, such as when the author juxtaposes Loki’s “before and after” form. Before he had “awesome big hair”, “cool facial hair”, “broad shoulders” and “arm muscles”. As an eleven-year-old boy his hair is “only slightly awesome”, and his body is decidedly scrawny. Despite believing “I am too awesome to be treated like this!”, Loki reluctantly admits that “Odin IS the boss of me”, which leaves him no choice. If he wants to return to his god-form, he must do good deeds, go to school, and show some kind of progress. Alongside the fast-paced execution of an excellent concept, this heady hotpot of humour has been superbly designed. I loved the droll correction boxes flagging-up Loki’s fibs. As he explains, “this is a magical diary. If I lie in here, the diary will correct it”. And there are comic corrections aplenty as Loki strives to increase his “virtue scores” to end his banishment. The first in a series, Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good is sure to generate tonnes of “have you read this?” enthusiasm in the playground.
February 2022 Book of the Month | We left the heroes of S.A. Patrick’s thrilling adventure quest in perilous circumstances: Patch and Barver, the dracogriff, were trapped in a magical prison and escape seemed impossible, while their heroic friend Wren was in an even more dangerous situation as a prisoner of the evil Piper of Hamelyn. It seemed that their efforts to thwart the Piper’s plans would come to nothing. If we’ve learned anything from these excellent stories however, it’s never to underestimate our unlikely heroes, their resilience or the strength that comes from their friendship. There are death-defying moments, scenes that will bring a lump to the throat and, even as the story draws to an end, twists and surprises. Congratulations to Patrick for creating such a striking world and such memorable characters, and for conjuring up so much pleasure for readers. To get the full impact, you do need to have read the previous two books, A Darkness of Dragons and A Vanishing of Griffins, but that just equals three times the pleasure. The Songs of Magic series A Darkness of Dragons A Vanishing of Griffins A Thunder of Monsters
January 2022 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month January 2022 | Season of Secrets weaves the tale of a heartbroken child and an age-old legend into beautiful story of love, healing and strange magic. Resonant of classics such as The Owl Service by Alan Garner, Whistle Down the Wind by Mary Hayley Bell and Skellig by David Almond, the protagonist’s story is told in the pure, clear voice we have come to expect from this astonishingly accomplished and powerful young writer. Sally Nicholls is simply an exceptionally talented writer, who writes beautifully. Her intelligent, warm fiction is honest and profound, complex yet accessible
November 2021 Book of the Month - A November 2021 Star Book! | Jessie Burton’s fiery feminist re-telling of the Greek myth of Medusa blazes with intrigue and beauty courtesy of author’s elegant style and Olivia Lomenech Gill’s fabulously evocative colour illustrations. It’s an incredible feat of intellect and imagination that takes down toxic masculinity and victim-blaming culture through an ingenious reframing, reclaiming of Medusa. The gods have exiled Medusa to a remote island, with no one for company but the snakes she has for hair. That is, until impossibly beautiful Perseus arrives and transfixes her: “I know a lot about beauty. Too much in fact. But I’d never seen anything like him…I wanted to eat him up like honey cake.” Desires awoken, Medusa won’t reveal her name, or let him see her: “I was just going to sit on the other side of this entrance rock and pretend that boys like him washed up on desert islands all the time.” This excerpt encapsulates one of the many marvellous things about this book. The writing - cleverly, and compellingly - feels both timeless and modern. Medusa’s narrative, and the dialogue, is laced with wit, and infused with tremendous detail. But betrayal swoops in the wake of desire, and all-too familiar mechanisms of patriarchy come into play with ferocity. Ultimately, though, and with a magnificent sense of sisterhood, Medusa comes to a new state of being: “Self-awareness is a great banisher of loneliness. And my sisters, the immortals, are with me.” This is terrifically inspiring and empowering in the ways of timeless myths, but also in ways that are very, very real - “you will find me when you need me, when the wind hears a woman’s cry and fills my sails forward. And I will whisper on the water that one must never fear the raised shield, the reflection caught in an office window, or the mirror in a bathroom.”
