14 Nov Book reviews: murder, magic and mystery for the over 8’s
Books for tweens and teens become harder to select as they grow older. These books are either series or about to be series, covering mystery, murder and magic, that will take kids to the other worlds of dark arts and fantasy and keep them reading more and more!
The Lost Book of Magic
by Amelia Mellor, pub. Affirm Press h/b RRP$22.99; p/b $17.99 Ages 9+
Part of a series, this is set in 1895, two years after The Grandest Bookshop in the World (set in 1893) and reunites beloved characters from the first book with old friends from the prequel The Bookseller’s Apprentice set in (1871).
The author has embedded her novel’s setting with the real-world concerns of 1890s Melbourne. The Gold Rush had ended, extreme weather took its toll on production, and people faced unemployment, disease and starvation. But while many other businesses closed their doors, Cole’s Book Arcade pushed through and continued to provide accessible education and entertainment for a city in need of joy. Pearl and Vally Cole’s father has suggested the unthinkable: it might be time to close the grandest bookshop in the world. So, when a ghostly visitor offers Pearl magic that could save her home, she seizes her chance. But her new friend is not what he seems, and the magic comes at a terrible cost.
A race against time, The Lost Book of Magic is the epic conclusion to a beloved series.
Affirm Press is giving away two sets (3 books included) of The Grandest Bookshop series to two lucky subscribers.
Perfect for a Christmas gift (Valued at $69 each.)
Open to Australian residents ONLY. Enter HERE
Skullduggery Pleasant: The Haunted House on Hollow Hill
by Derek Landy, pub. by HarperCollins Children’s Books p/b RRP$19.99. Ages 11+
This story was originally a podcast, Skullduggery Pleasant: The Haunted House on Hollow Hill, in six half-hour episodes. It is now a book that Derek Landy has added to the many Skullduggery Pleasant series.
Two ghost-hunting journalists arrive on “a dark and stormy night” at a known haunted hotel. There’s a murder or two, magic, and two Irish detectives, Skullduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Caine. These two find that they have a very short time frame to solve a murder before all the haunting souls arrive and must be dealt with, too. Lots of spells and magic are woven throughout the story, which is a brand new cross-format (podcast) stand-alone adventure in the Skullduggery Pleasant universe.
Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Engagement
by Anna James, illus. by David Wyatt, pub. by HarperCollins Children’s Books p/b RRP$17.99. Ages 8+
Woven with magic and fantasy, this story is the first by Anna James based around the town of Whetherwhy, which has magical residents and twins Juniper and Rafferty. The town’s inhabitants have all inherited magic of some sort related to either family or the month or season in which they were born. When they are 13 years old, the children are given a test to see who has the magic skills of the rare ‘enchanter’ and the opportunity to study further at the Thistledown Academy. The twins both have different skills, but Juniper is the one who wields the ‘enchantment’.
Super Sleuth
by David Walliams, illus.by Adam Stower, pub. by HarperCollins Children’s Books p/b RRP$17.99. Ages 9+
This is his first murder mystery novel for middle-grade children by the prolific author David Walliams. Ever since he was a boy, David loved murder mysteries like the Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he has his own Super Sleuth, his first detective story for kids. Set on a luxury cruise liner in the 1920s, travelling from New York to London, a great detective is murdered. Woven with mystery and plenty of humour, young Dilly and her dog, Watson, set out to solve the murder as quickly as possible, as it seems her life is also in danger.
Evenfall: The Golden Linnet
by Alexander Armstrong, illus. by Tom Roberts, pub. by HarperCollins Children’s Books p/b RRP$17.99. Ages 9+
Twelve-year-old Sam’s world is blown apart when he discovers that his family was once the heart of a secret society, the ‘Order of The Evening’. Sam’s mother had accidentally died in a minibus crash in Wales, and his dad, Jake, is not well. Why was his mother on the minibus with six strangers? The plot is gripping and full of lots of twists and turns.
When Sam and his friend Ish first uncover the dark secrets from the past, they find they need to work through each secret so that the death of his mother is avenged. Sam will discover that he is a Tempest, a descendant of his mother’s legendary family who helped control the balance of good and evil through storytelling. Her special gift to him of the Golden Pendant for his 13th birthday will help him try to restore the secret of the ‘Order of The Evening’ and bring his friends and family back together.
You may know of Alexander Armstrong, as he is a well-known comedian, actor, television presenter (‘Pointless’), and bass-baritone singer, and he has done media voice-overs.
See also Books of Mystery, Mayhem and History.
