Schools & Libraries Book Reviews

Name: Emma Urbonas
22 April 2024;

Genre: Fantasy

The City Beyond the Stars is a phenomenal sequel to The Kingdom Over the Sea and once again I had the privilege of immersing myself in Yara’s world of sorcery and alch...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
22 April 2024;

Genre: Dystopian

Juniper and Bear are now living in Ennerdale with their father, his new partner, Willow, and their baby, Fern. The life they escaped in the city should be in the past, but neither can rest easy knowing they left their grandmother, Annie-Rose, and friend, Etienne, behind. When they learn that d...

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Name: Clare Wilkins
22 April 2024;

Genre: Friends and family

Identity, heritage and belonging are hot topics in YA fiction and Amanda Addison fulsomely addresses them in her new book, Looking for Lucie. Lucie sticks out like a sore thumb in her white family and white-washed town. She’s never met her father, has no information abo...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
22 April 2024;

Genre: Myths & Legends

Peregrine Quinn has always loved hearing her godfather, Daedalus's stories about being an immortal, but when they visit the Bodleian Library and the portals that connect the Terran Realm with the Cosmic Realm mysteriously shut down and he is kidnapped, she finds herself thrust into a desperate...

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Name: Jennifer Caddick
19 April 2024;

Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels

Peng and Spanners is a dazzling delight of a graphic novel! A detecting duo made up of Peng, a dry-witted, sarcastic penguin, and Spanners, a toolbelt-wearing, superhero-inspired cat. Peng is forced to Boredin School and somehow, dreaming of life as an Adventure Ninja,...

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Name: Louisa Farrow
19 April 2024;

Genre: Animals

The voice of Shadow, a wild and lonely fox, tells this latest poignant story from Carlie Sorosiak, Shadow Fox. At the heart of the book (and it is a big heart) is his relationship with the unconventional human girl, Bee. To begin with, they are drawn into an uneasy alli...

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Name: Emma Nelson
19 April 2024;

Genre: Adventure

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist focuses on the Pinchers, a family of criminals, and particularly on Theo, who is good at lots of things except lying and stealing - which is not good if you are a member of a criminal family! Each chapter is filled with bright and deta...

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Name: Samantha Hughes
19 April 2024;

Genre: Picture Books

Is it a Seed? depicts a colourful and creative journey through the imagination of two children when they discover a mysterious seed and begin to wonder what it could become. Will it sprout into a lone flower or could it transform into something truly extraordinary? As t...

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Name: Louise Gahan
19 April 2024;

Genre: Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

Catherine Cawthorne and Sara Ogilvie join forces to create a unique and instantly captivating book in Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales. Once upon a time, there was a big bad wolf, who'd had just about enough of all of this fairy tale nonsense. After all, who would really want...

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Name: Ruth Cornish
19 April 2024;

Genre: Non Fiction

Totally Chaotic History: Ancient Egypt Gets Unruly! is an accessible and hugely informative fact book written entertainingly by historian Greg Jenner and supported wisely with expert commentary from Egyptologist Dr Campbell Price. It is illustrated appealingly by Rikin Parekh....

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