Reading for Pleasure

Encouraging and maintaining the reading habit

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FANTASTIC FICTION FOR SUMMER 2011
OUR STAR PICKS FOR SUMMER 2010
LONGER NOVELS FOR CONFIDENT READERS

DEAD MAN'S COVE by Lauren St John. Book 1 in a new ace detective series set in Cornwall from the author of the bestselling White Giraffe series of African adventures. Enchanting and enthralling, with messages in bottles, a three-legged dog and shady figures galore, small wonder children voted it overall winner of the Blue Peter Award 2011. Book 2 Kidnap in the Caribbean is out in July. Orion, 978144001488, £6.99.

MONTACUTE HOUSE by Lucy Jago. A page-turning murder mystery set in Elizabethen times evoking all the fears, superstitions and social prejudices of the day in a gripping blend of politics and witchcraft with a real-life Montacute House at the centre of the mystery. Bloomsbury, 9780747597957, £6.99.

ISLAND OF THIEVES by Josh Lacey. Tom Trelawney is on a quest for hidden gold in South America with his eccentric Uncle Harvey, guided only by an ancient clue to the mysterious island where treasure is buried, and ruthless enemies lie in wait. Andersen Press, 9781849392457, £5.99.

UNDEAD ED and the Howling Moon by David Grimstone. Ed Bagley hates trucks because he was run over when he was thirteen and now he's one of the undead - prepare to meet zombies, werewolves, vampires and plenty of gory goings-on in this hilarious, freaky adventure. Hodder, 9781444903386, £4.99.

THE RABBIT GIRL by Mary Arrigan. When Mallie gives her mother a dusty old drawing of a young girl holding a rabbit she has no idea that when the mystery of its past is revealed it would link three generations of her family, from wartime evacuee to the present day. Frances Lincoln Books, 9781847801562, £6.99.

THE KANE CHRONICLES: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. The gods of ancient Egypt are waking in the modern world in the first episode of an exciting new fantasy adventure series from the creator of the hugely popular Percy Jackson sequence. Book 2 Throne of Fire is out now in hardback. Puffin, 9780141325507, £7.99.

FALLEN GRACE by Mary Hooper. 'You are a fallen woman and no-one can forgive such a sin', words imprinted on Grace's memory as she ekes out a living in Victorian London and falls prey to her employer's shady business practices. The Victorian obsession with death and mourning is just one of the themes vividly portrayed in this engaging story of one girl's journey from rags to riches. Bloomsbury, 9780747599128, £6.99.

LUNATICS AND LUCK by Marcus Sedgwick. In Book 3 of the splendidly gothic Raven Mysteries the eccentric Otherhand family face an alarming new challenge in the shape of Solstice and Cudweed's hairy, howling tutor and his mysteriously heavy wooden trunk. Everyone agrees - he has to go! Orion, 9781444001884, £5.99.

DORA AT FOLLYFOOT by Monica Dickens. Left in charge of the Home of Rest for Horses, Dora breaks the rules to buy the cream-coloured lame horse Amigo and save him from becoming a cart horse. A new edition of the much-loved Follyfoot series for lovers of well-written horse stories. Andersen Press, 9781849393263, £4.99.

THE OGRE OF OGLEFORT by Eva Ibbotson. A hag, a troll and a human boy team up in this magical adventure from a brilliant storyteller who sadly died last autumn. From the classic Journey to the River Sea to her latest, heartstopping novel One Dog and His Boy, Eva Ibbotson will be much missed by all her fans. Macmillan, 9780330513050, £5.99.

SKY HAWK by Gill Lewis. When rare ospreys return to Callum's farm in the Scottish Highlands their eyrie must be his and Iona's best kept secret. A beautifully written, moving tale of friendship, tragedy and the wonders of the natural world, so convincingly told that it lives off the page. Oxford, 9780192756237, £8.99. OUR PRICE £6.99.

SCRIVENER'S MOON by Philip Reeve. As London prepares to uproot itself, Fever Crumb seeks answers to her mother's origins in the northern wastelands where the Scriven mutants were born. Dark, apocalyptic and setting the stage for the municipal darwinism of the unrivalled Mortal Engines sequence. Scholastic, 978147121574, £8.99.

SPOOK'S NIGHTMARE by Joseph Delaney. Fans of this spine-tingling series will delight in Book 7 where Tom, Alice and the spook find themselves caught between a brutal war and an evil warlock whose malice knows no bounds. Look out for SPOOK'S DESTINY published in hardback in June. Red Fox, 9781862307421, £5.99.

WILMA TENDERFOOT and the CASE OF THE ROGUE'S REVENGE by Emma Kennedy. Join the daring ace detective Wilma and her beloved beagle Pickle in their most difficult but thrilling case yet, Book 4 in this hugely popular, fun-packed series. (In store from end of July). Macmillan, 9780330535236 £5.99.

BILLIONAIRE BOY by David Walliams. Joe's dad is obscenely rich and Joe wants for nothing - he has his own cinema with ensuite swimming pool and the best education money can buy, but he has no friends. When his dad throws more money at the problem, things get a lot worse. Can money really buy happiness? HarperCollins, 9780007371082 £6.99.

CANDLE MAN - SOCIETY OF DREAD by Glenn Dakin. In Book 2 Candle Man returns to the tunnels and crypts where now the Bone-snatchers and the mis-shapen Doctor Pyre are planning the future of the city. No qualified town planners, only architects of evil! Get those gloves off and save us, Candle Man! Egmont, 9781405246774 £5.99.

THE MIDNIGHT ZOO by Sonya Hartnett. An original, thought-provoking tale of two orphaned brothers, their baby sister and the amazing collection of wise and eccentric zoo animals they stumble across as they seek sanctuary in their war-torn country, presenting the boys with a difficult moral dilemma. Walker Books, 9781406329384 £5.99.

SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: MORTAL COIL by Derek Landy. Skulduggery the wizard detective is back for his fifth adventure - or is he? Didn't he die at the end of Book 4? If Valkyrie can save him from death itself then he might just be in time to save the world from a plague of evil remnants. How handy is that? HarperCollins, 9780007326013 £6.99.

RAVENWOOD by Andrew Peters. In a cold new world dominated by glass and steel, wood has become so precious it's rarer than gold, and when Ark overhears a plot to strip his forest home and its mile-high tree-houses of man's last natural resource, he must act to save his home and his people. A thrilling, dramatic fantasy from an established performance poet. Chicken House, 9781906427467 £6.99.

TRASH by Andy Mulligan. Three street boys take turns to narrate their story of slum life and the dumpsite trash they sift for a living until the day a key leads them on a dangerous trail of corruption and betrayal. A fast-paced thriller that's strangely uplifting and will raise a cheer for courage and the pursuit of natural justice. Red Fox, 9781849920568 £5.99.

THREADS: SEQUINS STARS & SPOTLIGHTS by Sophia Bennett. The perfect escapist summer read, Book 3 in the Threads trilogy brings the linked theme of fashion with compassion to a fairytale conclusion as best friends Nonie, Jenny, Edie and Crow face the challenge of choosing the careers they've dreamed of. Chicken House, 9781906427580, £6.99.

HALF BROTHER by Kenneth Oppel. The inspiration for this very intriguing coming-of-age novel is an experiment in 1970s America in which a chimp was raised as a human child. Red Fox, 9781849920001 £5.99.

SISTERS RED by Jackson Pearce. A sinister, paranormal take on the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale but in a gritty urban setting, with kiss-ass heroines Scarlett and Rosie March on a mission to save others from a fate that could tear them apart, you might say. Hodder, 9781444900606, £6.99.

THE DEAD by Charlie Higson. A second helping of nail-biting action and blood-crazed zombies in a dystopian world where Jack and Ed must battle to stay alive and survive the ruthlessly brutal adults who prey on them. Coming next - can you handle The Fear? (Read the first chapter in The Dead.) Puffin, 9780141325033, £6.99.

YOU AGAINST ME by Jenny Downham. From opposite ends of the class system, Ellie and Mikey are instantly attracted. Then Mikey discovers it's Ellie's brother who raped his sister Karyn, and Ellie has something to hide. A love story with a difference and an intense exploration of moral choices and personal bravery from the author of the unforgettable Before I Die. Red Fox, 9781849920483 £6.99.

THE ROGUE'S PRINCESS by Eve Edwards. Dubbed a Georgette Heyer for 21st century girls, this is a third helping of gorgeously escapist historical romance set in the duplicitous Tudor world. Puffin, 9780141337340 £6.99.

BOYS DON'T CRY by Malorie Blackman. When Dante's past catches up with him, derailing his plans for university, he is left holding the baby - his baby daughter Emma. Single parenthood, sexuality and family relationships are just some of the issues explored and challenged with great insight, humour and conviction by the author of the ever popular Noughts and Crosses sequence. Corgi Children's Books, 9780552548625 £6.99.

PRISONER OF THE INQUISITION by Theresa Breslin. In a brilliant marriage of fact and fiction from Spain's dark 15th century history the terrors of the Inquisition are brought horrifically alive as two teenagers are caught up in a tale of personal revenge, social inequality and religious intolerance but above all, of romantic and familial love. Corgi Children's Books, 9780552560740 £6.99.

NAKED by Kevin Brooks. Lili and Curtis are a couple in an up-and-coming punk band, but when Lili finds herself falling for the mysterious new guitarist William, all sorts of dark secrets and passions are exposed. A brilliantly twisted rock n' roll romance with all the unflinching grittiness we've come to expect, and love from this author. Penguin, 9780141326115 £7.99.

PRINCE OF MIST by Carols Ruiz Zafon. Set in 1943 in a small coastal village where Max and his family have decamped to escape the War, Max discovers a dark and dangerous world in which the past returns to haunt the present with terrifying consequences. A paranormal thriller hard to put down from a master storyteller. Orion, 9780753828557 £7.99.

Read, Relax and Listen Great Summer Reads 2010

Must-have fiction for 8+ to teens

THE OTHER COUNTESS - £6.99 by Eve Edwards ISBN 9780141327303, Puffin
Lady Eleanor Rodriguez is a spirited but penniless young countess forced to live by her wits in the double-dealing Elizabethan court, while handsome W... Read more>>
The Cardturner - £12.99 by Louis Sacher ISBN 9781408808504, Bloomsbury
Alton Richards doesn't want to spend the summer turning cards for his rich, old, and blind Uncle Lester, but his money-hungry parents leave him little... Read more>>
LEVIATHAN - £6.99 by Scott Westerfield ISBN 9781847386748, Simon & Schuster
Set in an alternative universe where steam powered machines and mutated animals are the transport or weapon of choice, Prince Aleksandar is running fo... Read more>>
Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Putrid Poison - £5.99 by Emma Kennedy ISBN 9780330469524, Macmillan
We are massive fans of the wonderful Wilma Tenderfoot here at the Lion & Unicorn so when we heard she was returning for a second case much excitement ... Read more>>
WHITE CROW - £9.99 by Marcus Sedgwick ISBN 9781842551875, Orion
Three narratives interweave in this atmospheric, paranormal thriller linking two centuries with the same obsessive desire. In an isolated coastal vill... Read more>>
THE DEATH DEFYING PEPPER ROUX - £6.99 by Geraldine McCaughrean ISBN 9780192756039, Oxford
After his aunt predicts he will die on his fourteenth birthday Pepper Roux runs away to escape his fate, encountering a series of episodic adventures ... Read more>>
NUMBERS 2: THE CHAOS - £6.99 by Rachel Ward ISBN 9781906427306, Chicken House
Adam's secret gift inherited from his mother can also be a terrible curse – he can see the date of people’s deaths by looking into their eyes. Part sc... Read more>>
PRINCE OF MIST - £9.99 by Carlos Ruis Zafon ISBN 9781444000443, Orion
The spectre of war forces Max and his family to move away from the city to a small-town beach house where Max’s discovery of a walled garden of statue... Read more>>
SCAT - £9.99 by Carl Hiassen ISBN 9781842557747, Orion
When Nick and Marta’s unpopular biology teacher disappears on a field trip they’re determined to find out why, but it’s not easy with an angry teenage... Read more>>
Mr Stink - £6.99 by David Walliams ISBN 9780007279067, HarperCollins
Chloe befriends a local tramp in the town where her mum is running for MP, but hiding him in the garden shed leads to a delicious comedy where there i... Read more>>
PRETTY BAD THINGS - £6.99 by C.J.Skuse ISBN 9781906427252, Chicken House
Paisley and her twin brother are on the run after torching their grandmother's house and stealing a car and a gun. And that’s only the start of the ma... Read more>>
THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN - £6.99 by Helen Grant ISBN 9780141325736, Penguin
Set in Germany, Pia’s life is not particularly exciting – that is until young girls start disappearing off the street. Pia was the last person to see ... Read more>>
THE ELEPHANT'S TAIL - £6.99 by Lauren St. John ISBN 9781842557853, Orion
Martine and Ben must fight to save their beloved game reserve and its animals from the worst threat to their existence yet. With help from the elephan... Read more>>
GENESIS - £6.99 by Bernard Beckett ISBN 9781847249302, Quercus
Fourteen year old Anax faces a four-hour oral exam to be accepted into the elite institution that controls her 'utopian' society. Anax's compelling p... Read more>>
FEVER CRUMB - £6.99 by Philip Reeve ISBN 9781407102436, Scholastic
Devotees of the futuristic Mortal Engines sequence will want this prequel and book one in a new trilogy. London is a devastated dangerous city on the ... Read more>>
THE GLASS DEMON - £6.99 by Helen Grant ISBN 9780141325767, Penguin
Thirteen year old Lin's father is determined to find fame and fortune as the one who discovers the missing Allerheiligen Glass, lost to legend for cen... Read more>>
THE GATES - £5.99 by John Connolly ISBN 9781444706741, Hodder
When the Hadron Collider opens a portal to hell in the house next door it's up to Samuel and his trusty Dog Boswell to save the world, while hordes of... Read more>>
HOW ALI FERGUSON SAVED HOUDINI - £5.99 by Elen Caldecott ISBN 9781408805749, Bloomsbury
Ali misses his Dad who has moved out back to India and his Mum might have a new boyfriend, but with new friends Caitlin and Gez, Ali has an unusual my... Read more>>
LOSING IT - £5.99 by Kes Gray ISBN 9781849390996, Andersen Press
In praise of short stories, a truly inspired collection from some of today's leading writers on the theme of having sex for the first time. Some are f... Read more>>
NOW - £6.99 by Morris Gleitzman ISBN 9780141329987, Puffin
Zelda and her grandfather Felix need all their courage to fight the raging bush fire that threatens to engulf their home, but facing the past is even ... Read more>>
THE GRAVEYARD BOOK - £12.99 by Neil Gaiman Illustrator Chris Riddell ISBN 9780747569015, Bloomsbury
Orphaned Bod (short for Nobody) grows up a child of the graveyard, protected from the living world where danger awaits him. Facing down our fears is j... Read more>>

NEW RELEASES ON CD
Great for the car, boat, train or plane

• EMILY WINDSNAP & THE CASTLE IN THE MIST. Liz Kessler, read by Teresa Gallagher. 3 CDs (abridged) £12.99
• GHOSTHUNTER (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Michelle Paver, read by Ian McKellen. 5 CDs (unabridged). £14.99
• SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: DARK DAYS. Derek Landy, read by Rupert Degas. 7 CDs (unabridged) £14.99
• FLOOD AND FANG. Marcus Sedgwick, read by Martin Jarvis. 2 CDs (unabridged) £9.99
• THE PRINCE OF MIST. Carlos Ruiz Zafon, read by Dan Stevens. 4 CDs (unabridged) £14.99
• MR STINK. David Walliams, read by David Walliams & Matt Lucas. 3 CDs (unabridged) £9.99
• RUNNING WILD. Michael Morpurgo, read by the author. 6 CDs (unabridged) £12.99
• ASTROSAURS & THE SEAS OF DOOM. Steve Cole, read by Toby Longworth. 1 CD (unabridged) £5.99
• HOW TO TWIST A DRAGON'S TALE. Cressida Cowell, read by David Tennant. 4 CDs (unabridged) £13.99
• THE ENEMY. Charlie Higson, read by Paul Whitehouse. 9 CDs (unabridged) £12.99

Reviews by Margaret, John, Sian, Tony, Georgia and Jenny.

Longer novels for confident readers

TOO GHOUL FOR SCHOOL - £4.99 by B. Strange ISBN 9781405232333, Egmont
Set in a school built on a plague pit where the residents are putting up a fight, this is one of a series of adventures with great characters and gory... Read more>>
FERGUS CRANE - £4.99 by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell ISBN 9780440866541, Corgi Yearling
Part One of the hugely popular Far Flung Adventures featuring the Daring Exploits of Fergus Crane and his amazing journey to the Emerald Sea. Larger t... Read more>>
FAIRY RESCUE - £4.99 by Gwyneth Rees ISBN 9780330439718, Macmillan
Maddie and her flower fairy friend Poppy set off on a daring mission to rescue all the fairies who have mysteriously disappeared. By the same author -... Read more>>
CHARLIE SMALL : GORILLA CITY - £4.99 by Charlie Small ISBN 9780385611220, David Fickling Books
Charlie Small has never grown up and his previously undiscovered journal (complete with time-worn pages) invites you to share his incredible but amazi... Read more>>
MR GUM AND THE BISCUIT BILLIONAIRE - £4.99 by Andy Stanton ISBN 9781405228152, Egmont
More barking bonkers nonsense from Mr Gum and his whacky chums Billy William and Friday O'Leary - though it's up to Polly to save the day. You're a Ba... Read more>>
THE BOY IN THE BISCUIT TIN - £4.99 by Heather Dyer Illustrator Peter Bailey ISBN 9781905294282, Chicken House
When Ibby goes to stay with her boy cousins nothing is quite what it seems after the discovery of an old box in the attic labelled 'Magic for Beginner... Read more>>
MOUSE NOSES ON TOAST - £5.99 by Daren King Illustrator David Roberts ISBN 9780571231898, Faber
A mouse with a cheese allergy, a plastic angel called Sandra, a Tinby and a shaggy sheep dog are just some of the ridiculously charming characters in ... Read more>>
THE SECRET HISTORY OF TOM TRUEHEART - £4.99 by Ian Beck ISBN 9780061152108, Oxford
Reluctant boy adventurer Tom finds the courage to be as heroic as his six older brothers when he ventures into the magical landscape of the Land of St... Read more>>
RALPH THE MAGIC RABBIT - £4.99 by Adam Frost Illustrator Henning Lohlein ISBN 9780330436021, Macmillan
A delightful cautionary tale about Sid the snail, Joe Crow and Martin Mouse who all think they'd like to be different and that Ralph the magic rabbit ... Read more>>