M is for Magic
A sinister jack-in-the-box haunts the lives of children who owned it, a stray cat does nightly battle to protect his adopted family, and a boy raised in a graveyard confronts the much more troubled world of the living in this wonderful book of short stories by master storyteller Neil Gaiman.
The Life of Riley by Joanna Nadin
My quest to find THE ONE starts right now! This year I will utterly not snog random posh boys with congenital acne but will save myself for long haired creative types with interests in tragicness and with musical potential ie. Justin Statham. Though am not sure Justin has realized yet that I am THE ONE for him. Maybe he has heard I am rubbish at snogging I need to learn to snog properly – and fast. though perhaps I am just generally unlovable. As well as tongue technique issues I have opelessly untragic relatives nad a dog who eats furniture. plus I am practically a medical midget and my hair is mental. maybe I should just give up on boys altogether.
My So Called Life by Joanna Nadin
Why is life never like it is in books? Nothing Jacqueline Wilson ever happens to me: I am not adopted, my mum is not tattooed, I am not likely to move to the middle of a council estate or be put into care. My parents are not alcoholics, drug addicts or closet transvestites. Even my name is pants. In other words, my life is earth-shatteringly NORMAL. This cannot go on. Something deep and life-changing has to happen. This year I shall befriend more exotic and interesting people, learn to drink coffee (tragic heroines do not start the day with Cheerios and lemon barley) and capture the heart of Justin Statham with my vintage clothing and knowledge of all-time great guitar solos. It’s time for my so-called life to be brought up to speed. Starting now.
Nevermore by Linda Newbery
The air was hushed and silent, as if no one had disturbed it recently. What’s all this ready for? Tizzie asked. ‘Is someone coming?’ ‘No’ Davy answered. ‘It’s always like this. No one ever comes’. ‘It feels like the house is waiting.’ ‘That’s because it is. Always waiting’.Tizzie’s changeable life with her difficult mother had brought her to Roven Mere, a mysterious, rambling house, deep in the countryside. She’s curious to meet Lord Rupert, the owner, and his daugher Greta, who Tizzie hopes will be the friend she longs for. But the house seems like a museum, and no one knows when Lord Rupert and Greta will come home. At least the hermit like Finnigan is willing to answer Tizzie’s questions – but only by telling stories. As she explores the house and unravels its secrets, Tizzie makes a startling discovery about why she’s been brought to Roven Mere…
After the Death of Alice Bennett
Mum had died. Sam knew that. But before she died, Mum said she would still be alive, but in the Next World. And she seems to have left a contact telephone number in the kitchen… An unsigned text message on the day of Mum’s cremation set Sam thinking. What if Mum is trying to get in touch with him? When he tentatively texts back, and gets a reply, he’s convinced it’s from Mum and that she’s trying to give him clues to follow. Surely it will only be a matter of time before he sees her again? But who is Sam really texting? Whose is the number in the kitchen? And why is somebody responding to a boy’s lonely, hopeful messages?
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina by Caroline Lawrence
December. AD. 79. It’s the month of the Saturnalia: a festival when people do as they please and anything can happen. When a Roman widow, Cartilia Poplica, shows a little too much interest in Captain Germinus, his daughter Flavia Germina is determined to find out what Cartilia’s motives really are. To do that, she has to perform twelve tasks, just like the Greek hero Hercules. And to top it all, a lion is on the loose in Ostia! How Flavia and her three friends Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus unravel the mystery makes a thrilling story that is full of surprises.
Three’s a Crowd by Sophie McKenzie
Luke and Eve are heading off on their first holiday together. But they’re staying with Eve’s dad in his Spanish hotel and as soon as they arrive, Luke knows things aren’t going to plan… Eve’s dad treats his daughter like a little girl – and if Luke was hoping for some summer action with Eve her father soon puts a stop to it. Soon Luke and Eve are spending more time apart than together – with disastrous consequences for them both…
Triskellion by Will Peterson
Rachel and Adam are sent from their New York home to stay with their grandmother, following their parents bitter divorce. But the quiet English village where their mother was born is a sinister and unsettling place. Is there a genuine dark heart beating beneath the thatched roofs of the picturesque village of Triskellion? Against a brooding background of very real danger, the two young outsiders follow an incredible trail on an archaeological adventure with a startling paranormal twist. In a community that has existed in the same place for centuries, many terrible secrets hidden, and the villagers of Triskellion have a great deal to protect…
Forget Me Not by Anne Cassidy
Jade Henderson is missing, taken from her cot in the night. Stella Parfitt watches the police investigation unfold, and begins to ask her own questions. Where was her mother that night? The woods hold a dark secret…
The Leader of the Pack by Kate Cann
Being hard is what Jack Slade’s all about. He has no time for weaklings, especially not on his team. He’s captain, and his new coach has helped him realize that anything that interferes with his game is not worth his time. Gem doesn’t see it that way, thought. She fancies Jack like mad, but she doesn’t want to be second best. Gem knows there’s more to Jack, but is that enough to keep them together…
