My reading pile

Yesterday I called into Beachside Bookshop and the owner Libby kindly gave me a some advanced reader copies of new Middle Fiction to read.  I also picked out a couple of books to buy for myself.

Fire Witch by Matt Ralphs
I have been keen to read this after I had enjoyed Fire Girl.
From the blurb : "Hazel Hooper is no ordinary girl - she is a Fire Witch on a quest. Her mother, Hecate, has been kidnapped by a demon, and Hazel is determined to enter the underworld and bring her back - regardless of the danger."

You may already be a Winner by Ann Dee Ellis
I picked up this one for the usual reasons - I liked the cover, the endorsements were glowing and the blurb sounded good.  I actually read this whole book today! I will post a longer review later and YES it is good!
From the blurb: "Olivia knows that luck is real. And she's counting on it to bring her a million dollars so that she and her little sister, Berkeley, can move away from Sunny Pines Trailer ark. So she doesn't have to miss school to take care of Berkeley since they can't afford daycare. So her mom doesn't have to work all the time and be too tired to be a mom at all."

Advanced Reader Copies

Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr  Due for publication July 2018
This is the sequel to Dragonfly Song which was short listed by our CBCA a couple of years ago.
From the blurb: "Lira is starting her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess has finished with the island yet."


Charlie and me 421 Miles from home by Mark Lowery Published April 2018
The setting for this story is Cornwall which is a place I adore.
From the blurb: "Martin and his brother Charlie are on a very special journey. They're travelling 421 miles, by train, bus and taxi, all the way from Preston to the very tip of Cornwall. ... It's a journey full of challenges and surprises."


Inheritance by Carole Wilkinson Due for publication September 2018
Many years ago I read Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson - it is a book I should re-read I remember it was such a powerful and rewarding story.
From the blurb: "Nic is left in the care of her grandfather at the remote family property that was once her mother's childhood home; a place with 30 rooms, three dogs and no mobile reception. Left to her own devices, Nic searches for clues about her mother - who died when Nic was born. But what Nic discovers is so much more than she could have imagined. A dark and shocking secret that haunts the land and the people who live there."


Children of the dragon The Relic of the Blue Dragon by Rebecca Lim Due for publication August 2018
This is the first book in this series (thank goodness) and I do enjoy a good dragon story!
From the blurb: "When Harley Spark 'finds' and old Chinese vase on the footpath something compels him to stuff it under his jumper and head for home. But in a moment of misadventure the vase shatters and a young Chinese warrior rises from the fragments."

Splash by Charli Howard Due for publication July 2018
Nosy Crow always do brilliant books and I really like the cover on this one although it seems to have been slightly changed for the publication copy.
You can see inside this book here.

The infinite lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge Due for publication August 2018
I will need to read The Many Worlds of Albie Bright.
The trailer for Maisie Day certainly has some powerful endorsements.