WWW Wednesday is a weekly event created by Sam Anne Elizabeth where bloggers share their reading choices. There is such a wonderful cornucopia of great books out there especially with the release of the Carnegie Medals nominations that
I’m tripling up for this post this week on-
What I’m currently reading
Runner Hawk by Michael Egan @northernashes
Great tension & anticipation from just the extract from the Blurb.
Dark revelations and compelling writing. Such an intriguing opening line. I’m looking forward to getting lost in this novel.
The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho @JosephACoelho
Intricate Verse Novel
Joseph Coelho has created a labyrinthine exploration of verse and intersecting stories with a father/son relationship and the Theseus & the Minotaur myth at its core. I’m enjoying listening to this.
The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley@lucindariley
Six adopted sisters who lived a dream life in Geneva. Will they discover each of their destinies while unravelling their pasts from a series of clues?
This series was recommended to me by a good friend. I’m enjoying listening to each story. I loved the Brazilian setting of the first book and the romantic mystery at its heart.
What I’ve recently finished reading
Wise Creatures by Deirdre Sullivan @ProperMiss
A chilling psychological study from a skilled writer. What are the ghosts that haunt those who were traumatised when they were young?
A story of two troubled girls, a haunted house, dark secrets and inner conflicts. Clever use of the unreliable narrator and fragmented thoughts.
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin
A wonderfully riotous, hilarious and poignant Road Trip celebrating Mexican heritage.
Pedro Martin’s Middle Grade graphic novel debut is a joy full of surprises, laughs, tears & a fantastic family dynamic complemented by illustrations full of character and fun.
The Fire Cats of London by Anna Fargher @AnnaFargher
Astounding Middle Grade animal adventure full of action, excitement and danger.
I recently finished this amazing book set during the Great Fire of London. It took me back to my childhood when I devoured Colin Dann books about animals in peril. I loved Fargher’s Umbrella Mouse but this was even better. Fantastic adventure with vivid characters, high stakes and fascinating historical detail. Wonderful. Thoroughly recommend. Such skilful writing.
Five Chocolate Libraries Rating
What I think I’d like to read next
Inspired by the recent #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks Campaign @IrishKidsBooks #LeabhairEireannachDoPhaistiAbu & the Carnegie Medal for Writing nominations list@CarnegieMedals #YotoCarnegies24
The First Move by Jenny Ireland @IdreamofNarnia
A love story with a difference.
Chess, Relationships & Secrets. Is love just a game?
An exciting nomination from a Northern Irish writer. This has been recommended to me by so many people.
The Harp of Power by Alex Dunne @alexdunnewrites
Middle Grade adventure. Magic and Monsters.
The Harp of Power is a Carnegie nomination but I want to read the first book too. Everything I love- Magical harp, mysterious island and high stakes.
Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagi @ClaraKiyoko
A book that plays with time, magical realism and memory.
A YA that combines Japanese mythology with Sci Fi and magical realism to create an unusual reading experience.
I’ve got to go now all you lovely bookish folks. I’ve lots of reading to do.
Watch this space for more recommendations next week.
The dolphin came as curious as before, and we went closer to show the others on the beach how brave we were.”
An Irish epic
woven with skill into an
atmospheric retelling.
A powerful and poignant coming of age tale set during a hot summer in Donegal in 1976. As the teens of Carrig Cove and Ross battle over the rights to a curious visiting dolphin, tempers flare, passions rage and tensions escalate. Rich and atmospheric it evokes a sense of place and time. It is also a clever reimagining of the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge which tells of a fabled brown bull, a devious Queen and a heroic fighter. With the power of manipulation at its centre, it is also a cautionary tale of how violence can spiral out of control with terrible consequences for everyone.
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crowby Jessica Townsend
Morrigan had heard of the Nevermoor Scaly Sewer Beast, but she’d never seen it before, and truthfully, she’d never been certain it was real.”
In part 3 of the fantastic Nevermoor series Morrigan and her friends face fresh challenges. The Deucalion Hotel is back to its quirky shape shifting tricks, there are “dangerous levels of cheer” and more fantastical creatures feature.
What you recently finished reading–
Pages & Co- Tilly & The Map of Stories by Anna James
I’m looking for a book…I can’t quite remember the title or the author come to think of it.”
Another wonderful adventure set in Tilly’s world of brilliant bookshops and secret libraries. Book Wandering is under threat from the nefarious Melville and Decima Underwood. In an attempt to stop them stealing book magic Tilly and Oskar undertake a mysterious journey into the very fabric of books. The story zings with characterisation, surprise cameos, imagination and invention as the reader is invited aboard the Sesquipedalian for sensational adventures. From the Library of Congress to a treasure trail and paper engineering, Tilly must follow a maze of clues to find the answers. Along the way she encounters favourite characters and new allies.
Murder Most Unladylike 9: Death Sets Sail by Robin Stevens
“Magic might not be real, but murderers certainly are. And murderers do not tend to stop until someone stops them.”
Robin includes some surprises for her eager series fans in Book 9 set on the scenic and exotic River Nile in the 1930s. As Daisy and Hazel team up with the Junior Pinkertons once more they encounter the eccentric Breath of Life Society and are caught up in their internecine power games. The blurb warns the reader that one of the detectives will not make it back as they struggle to solve their most dangerous case yet. Be prepared for twists, turns, red herrings a plenty and unexpected romance as the suspects during a sleepwalking murder mount up.
What you think you’d like to read next
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
One library. Infinite lives.
“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
Nora Seed discovers a chance to change the regrets of her past but it’s a dangerous game.
This book looks intriguing. It’s about the magic of books and libraries. What more could you want?
So popular, it has a 16 week waiting list in libraries! Luckily my friend gifted me a copy. Cannot wait to read it.
As a past CKG judge [2016-2017] and a member of the Youth Libraries Group I’ve been lucky enough to host some chats @WCBLibrary with fabulous authors and illustrators on Twitter over the years. It’s been fascinating asking them questions about their creative process, influences, themes and fictional worlds. Topics have included-
Matters of Life and Death- Interviewed author Tim Bowler and illustrators Freya Blackwood and Catherine Rayner via Twitter to celebrate 80 years of CKG in 2017. #CKGTakeover #CKG2017
2. Exploring the Animal World & Collaborative Projects-
Greenaway Medal Short List 2018-A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Petr Horacek
#CKG18 @phoracek @nicolakidsbooks @walkerbooks – Nicola & Petr collaborated on the visually arresting and insightful ‘A First Book of Animals’– a collection of poems featuring 50 different animals in diverse habitats.
Versatility
of verse and illustrations
that live on the page.
3. Rights and Freedom of Expression- I Twitter chatted with short listed writers Candy Gourlay @candygourlay, Jessica Love and Sally Nicholls @sallynicholls about their books Bone Talk, Julian is A Mermaid and Things A Bright Girl Can Do on the hashtag #ckg19. The evocative and symbolic Bone Talk is set during the Filipino-American War of 1899 and challenges cultural appropriation while the emotive Things A Bright Girl Can Do explores the suffrage movement in Edwardian Britain and a sapphic relationship within that context. The wonderfully vibrant and expressive picture book ‘Julian is A Mermaid’ celebrates the expression of identity and is an immersive carnivalesque experience.
Sarah, Marcus and Alice have all experimented with different forms in their acclaimed novels.
Sarah is known for her skilful and emotive verse novels while Marcus is renowned for visionary and experimental writing that challenges the reader.
Alice is celebrated for her versatility of form and beautifully observed character connections in her novels.
Alice’s LGBTQ+ YA novel Solitaire’s spin off Heartstopper started life as a serialised web comic before it became a graphic novel series focusing on the back story of the appealing couple of Nick and Charlie.
5. Fantastical Works#MGtakeover
#MG takeover discussion organised by @YAfictionados
The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliott- https://www.joseph-elliott.net/books #Fantasy #Scotland #Island of Skye #Old Languages #Epic #Adventure #Diversity #Empathy #Bo Riders
Tenacious Agnes
goes on a perilous quest
where she meets strange beasts
Aisha, Joseph and L.D have written fantastical works of fiction suitable for Middle Grade readers and fantasy fans.
Aisha was born in the Middle East and has lived in Kuwait, England and Canada. LD lives outside the fabled Sherwood Forest while Joseph lives in London.
Joseph’s writing is influenced by his dedicated work with students with special needs and his passion for the Scottish landscape and old languages. In #TheGoodHawk, first of an epic trilogy entitled Shadow Skye, his empathetic protagonists embark upon a perilous quest.
The imaginative, inventive and quirky #StrangeWorldsTravelAgency explores a multiverse of fantastical places using suitcases as portals. Exciting plot twists and complex characters add to the mystery. Sequels will follow.
Aisha’s beautifully poignant #PocketfulofStars explores the emotive and sensory power of memory, creativity, family dynamics, gaming and the changing nature of friendships.
Aisha’s next novel, inspired by The Arabian Nights, is called Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost & Found and will be out in August.
Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth #LGBTQ+ #Rom Com #Dementia #Relationships #Comedy #Meet Cute #Ireland
Two girls go on a
series of Rom Com dates but
agree not to fall
#YAtakeover discussion organised by @YAfictionados
@CiaraNicG @propermiss Ciara currently lives in Belfast but originally hails from Monaghan while Deirdre is a Galway native.
#YAtakeover @propermiss Deirdre’s writing is influenced by dark fairy tales and Gothic guignol. In her latest novel #PerfectlyPreventableDeaths she examines the issue of coercive control in a supernatural setting.
#YAtakeover @propermiss #PerfectlyPreventableDeaths explores the awkwardness of adolescence and the pangs of first love within an atmospheric location.
#YAtakeover @CiaraNicG Ciara’s joyful, zesty, funny and bittersweet YA debut novel explores fragile family dynamics and the stages of an LGBT relationship within the framework of a ROM COM
Good Night To Read- A School Librarian's Book Blog 