Title:  The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow Author:  Katherine Woodfine Series:   The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, #2 Pages:   320 Publisher:  Egmont Date of Publication:  4th June, 2015 Source:  Library Synopsis from Goodreads: You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store! Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice… My Thoughts: I borrowed The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow  from the library on a whim when I was pretty sure I didn't have time to read it but because it has the most gorgeous cover I couldn't resist.  I don't read that much middle grade, but som...

Title:  Eren Author:  Simon P Clark Series:   n/a Pages:   208 Publisher: Constable & Robinson Date of Publication: 18th September, 2014 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: People are keeping secrets from Oli - about where his father is, and why he hasn't come to join them at his uncle's house in the country. But Oli has secrets too. He knows what lives in the attic. Eren - part monster, part dream, part myth. Eren who always seems so interested, who always wants to hear more about Oli's life. Eren, who needs to hear stories to live, and will take them from Oli, no matter the cost. My Thoughts: I purposely did not read up about Eren before I started reading it, in order to avoid any preconceptions or expectations. I went in to the novel knowing very little, just knowing that it was a story about stories. I think that this made the book better for me - I enjoyed the mystery and the intrigue, so to keep that ...

Title:  The Iron Trial Authors:  Holly Black and Cassandra Clare Series:   Magisterium, #1 Pages:   295 Publisher:  Doubleday Children's Books Date of Publication:  9th September 2014 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a riveting new series that defies what you think you know about the world of magic. From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that? It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil. My Thoughts: I didn't really know that...

Title:  Murder Most Unladylike Author:  Robin Stevens Series:   Wells and Wong, #1 Pages:   324 Publisher:  Corgi Date of Publication:  5th June, 2014 Source:  for review from Corgi via NetGalley Synopsis from Goodreads: Deepdean School for Girls, 1934. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.) But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to ge...

Hey guys! Today I have an exciting cover reveal and extract from Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie by Jeff Norton! It comes out early August. It looks great and so funny - I was lucky enough to hear Jeff read an extract himself earlier this year and everyone present was in fits of giggles. So, without further ado here's the awesome cover, the synopsis, and a short extract! Synopsis:  'My name is Adam Meltzer and the last thing I remember was being stung by a bee while swinging at a robot-shaped piñata on my twelfth birthday. I was dead before the candy hit the ground.' Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie is narrated by the hilarious Adam Meltzer - pre-teen, worrywart, and now zombie. Adam's family gets the fright of their lives when he turns up at their door desperate for a shower . . . three months after his funeral. When most people think zombies, they think of eating people, and unintelligent monsters. But Adam doesn’t like germs. Or dirt. Or things being disorgan...

Title:  Dandelion Clocks Author:  Rebecca Westcott Series:  Pages:   255 Publisher:  Puffin Date of Publication:  6th March, 2014 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from back of book: I gather up the first collection of photographs of my mum and flick through... What all these pictures have in common is they show how Mum lives every day - like it really, really matters. Mum's suddenly started giving me life's vital lessons: how to make Bolognese sauce, how to put on make-up, how to make rules my brother can cope with... She's even given me her old diaries. They're really funny - and actually sort of helpful. But I feel like there's something she's not telling me... My Thoughts: Dandelion Clocks is a really great book for young people. It's aimed a lot younger than my usual YA reads, but I enjoyed it hugely nonetheless. Despite tackling a difficult subject matter, Rebecca Westcott has written a brilliant debut that is heartbre...

Title:  This Dark Endeavour Author:  Kenneth Oppel Series:  The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1 Pages:  352 Publisher:  David Fickling Books Date of Publication:  6th October 2011 Source:  Publisher Synopsis from Goodreads: The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions.In this prequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, Frankenstein, 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor’s twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor is able to cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and best friend Henry on a treacherous search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love – and how much he i...

Title:  Liesl and Po Author:  Lauren Oliver Series:  N/A Pages:  320 Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton Date of Publication:  29th September 2011 Source:  Publisher Synopsis from Goodreads: Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey. From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, ...