Cover Reveal – The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons by Andy Shepherd, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Nearly three years ago I revealed the cover of the lovely and talented Andy Shepherd’s debut novel ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons.‘ The first three books in this series have been brilliantly received with a longlisting for the Blue Peter Book Awards and shortlisting for the Waterstone Children’s Book Prize in the Young Fiction category.  I was thrilled to discover that there are two more books to come in this series for Andy and I’m exclusively revealing the cover for the fourth book, ‘The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons,’ today.

So without further ado here it is…

This is another stunning cover illustrated by Sara Ogilvie and designed by Nick Stearn. Yet again Sara has created a cover that captures all the warmth, magic and charm of this wonderful series. I’m really excited to discover what further adventures Tomas and Flicker have got themselves caught up in…

The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons

Eleven-year-old Tomas has a secret friend like no other: Flicker, a dragon with glittering eyes and scales that flicker from fiery orange to ruby red. But Tomas is having to get used to Flicker being away, now that his dragon’s home is back in the frosty North. Adventure is never far away for Tomas, though – as he finds out when another dragon hatches on the dragonfruit tree at the bottom of the garden, a dragon who quite quickly decides he is sticking firmly with Tomas! Zing is a tiny dragon with oversized wings, who causes havoc wherever he goes.

When new girl, Aura, starts at school, proclaiming herself to be a dragon expert, Tomas is thrown into confusion. He is the one with dragons and the dragonfruit tree, after all! Before he knows it, Tomas, has blurted out his secret to Auram and set in motion a chain of events which will lead to adventures and mayhem aplenty…

The fourth book in Andy Shepherd’s sparkling THE BOY WHO GREW DRAGONS series is published on the 11th June by Piccadily Press. You can pre-order your copy online now or from any good bookshop.

 

Thank you to Andy and Piccadily Press for inviting me to host the cover reveal, this book sounds so magical and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

 

The fourth book in Andy Shepherd’s sparkling THE BOY WHO GREW DRAGONS series.

Where the World Turns Wild – Nicola Penfold

Today it’s my stop on the blog tour for Nicola Penfold’s debut, ‘Where the World Turns Wild.’ Juniper lives inside a sterile world where nature has been banned after a deadly tick-borne virus has devastated the population. She struggles to breathe in this confined space where she is regarded with suspicion being one of the few who are resistant to this disease. Together with her brother Bear, they dream of returning to their mother – who lives in the wild – despite knowing the world outside is a dangerous place. Yet this dream seems impossible until the day they are forced to make a stark choice in order to survive and embark on an incredible journey that will change how they see the world forever.

For me the mark of a great dystopian adventure is there has to be a real possibility that the events could actually happen in the future and terrifyingly this world seems very close and real. A world that is being devastated by over consumption of our finite resources and a total lack of understanding of the role nature plays in keeping our planet alive. As ecological movements become increasingly prevalent in society, the possibility of a group attempting to reclaim the ‘wild’ at whatever cost could be our future. Nicola explores how we are becoming disconnected from nature as things we have taken for granted become strange, like acorns and nettles to future generations of children. This theme strongly resonates throughout the book as we see Juniper and Bear exposed to nature in all of it’s beauty and we see how their lack of understanding limits their chance of survival as they face its brutality, out in the wild all alone.

I think with dystopian adventures we have often come to expect high-octane adventures filled with breath-taking thrills and spills but this isn’t that story. Instead Nicola cleverly introduces the life and death experiences  through the journey they undertake to try and find their home as they struggle to survive in a strange and stark world where the unexpected lies in wait for them. She has created an incredibly thoughtful and beautiful story that demands to be shared, it’s a wake up call for the way we live our lives and shows the true fragility of the world we live in. The characterisation is exceptional, she has crafted Juniper and Bear in such a way that you become inextricably caught up in their experiences. A tale of love, loss and the importance of finding our true home this is a stunning and beautiful debut.

Blog Tour

Why not join in with the rest of the blog tour for reviews, guest posts and giveaways.

Thank you to Leilah and Stripes for inviting me to join in with the blog tour. ‘Where the World Turns Wild,’ is available to buy now online or from any good bookshop.

Cover Reveal – The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

I’m really excited to be able to reveal for you today, the cover of Jenny Pearson’s debut novel the hilarious and big-hearted ‘The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates’, illustrated by Rob Biddulph which will be published on the 30th April 2020 by Usborne.

So without further ado here it is…

I love this vibrant and bold cover illustrated by Rob Biddulph with cover design by Will Steele. Full of energy and humour, it hints at the chaos and carnage that Freddie and his friends cause on their incredible adventure, I’m particularly intrigued to find out what part the sheep and police have to play! Let’s find out exactly what they get up to in this super miraculous journey.

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates

Freddie Yates loves FACTS. You can rely on facts. Facts don’t let you down. But the biggest fact staring him  in the face right now is that his super-sneaky journey is not going to plan. When he persuaded his two best friends to help him search for the dad he’s never met, he didn’t expect to set off a chain of miraculous events which have ended up with them all being on the run…

Worst of all, they’ve not even packed enough pants.

The holiday should have gone like this – Ben was supposed to go to America with his dad, Charlie was going to some vegan sanctuary with his parents and I was going to be loafing around the house. But none of this happened.

Three boys on the journey of a lifetime, discovering that sometimes what you’ve been looking for has been with you from the beginning…

A huge thank to you Fritha and Usborne for inviting me to host the cover reveal for this brilliant debut. ‘The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates,’ is available to pre-order now online or from any good bookshop.

The Girl Who Stole An Elephant – Nizrana Farook

Today it’s my stop on the blog tour for Nizrana Farook’s stunning debut, ‘The Girl Who Stole an Elephant.’ Chaya is a thief but a thief with a good heart, who only takes from those who have excess to rescue those in dire straights. So she feels strongly that she’s perfectly justified in her behaviour and refuses to accept censure. But her desire to help goes too far the day she steals the Queen’s jewels. Unwittingly she risks the life of her best friend and puts her family and whole village in danger. Escape seems to be the only way out and she leads her friends into the unknown jungle on the back of a stolen elephant, ready to be embark on the biggest adventure of her lifetime.

Nizrana has an incredible talent for writing the most atmospheric story, This book is rich in intricate details that effortlessly transport the reader to Sri Lanka, to experience a lush and vivid world filled with excitement of the unknown. All of our senses are stimulated, we can feel the sun beating down on us, taste the crunchy, fried sweets and imagine the dense forests and silvery rivers. And if that wasn’t enough to tempt you to read this book then be assured that she has created a most thrilling and delectable adventure, filled with just the right amount of peril to delight and entice. Nizrana has assembled a wonderful cast of characters, from the headstrong and passionate Chaya, to the unexpectedly bold Nour and the loyal and brave Neel, who make for an unlikely bunch of bandits. It truly is the most glorious, rich and captivating story that I have read in a long time.

 

Blog Tour

Want to win an AMAZING The Girl Who Stole an Elephant prize pack? Follow the blog tour this week to find 7 hidden letters that create our MYSTERY word – then DM the word to @NosyCrowBooks for your chance to win!

Thank you to Rebecca and Nosy Crow for sending me a gifted copy of this wonderful book and for inviting me to join in with the blog tour. ‘The Girl Who Stole an Elephant,’ is available to buy now online or from any good bookshop.

Cover Reveal – The Ghost Garden Emma Carroll

I’m really excited to be able to reveal for you today, the cover of the Queen of historical fiction, Emma Carroll’s first novella for Barrington Stoke, ‘The Ghost Garden,’  which will be published on the 15th July 2020. The lovely team at Barrington Stoke have created this incredible animated cover for the reveal today so you’re in for a huge treat!!

So without further ado here it is…

This exquisite cover has been illustrated by the brilliant Kaja Kajfež who also has created the glorious interior illustrations. I love how the animation hints at the darkness and secrets hiding in the garden,  giving the reader a real sense of foreboding about this this spine-tingling story.  Let’s find out what Emma has instore for us in this powerful and evocative read.

The Ghost Garden – Emma Carroll

June 1914. When Fran unearths a bone in the garden of Long Barrow House on the same afternoon that Leo breaks his leg, it triggers a series of unsettling coincidences that leave Fran cold. Roped into keeping wheelchair bound Leo company, Fran is forced to listen to his absurd theories about the looming threat of war in Europe. But as the pair uncover more secrets, the garden seems to be showing them threatening shadows of the future and Fran begins to fear what they’ll discover next …

I was lucky enough to have an early read of, ‘The Ghost Garden,’ and can confirm that like all of Emma Carroll’s books it is wonderfully atmospheric, bringing the reader a real sense of time and place, whilst completely delighting us with its marvellous storytelling. Barrington Stoke have once again brought one of our finest writers of children’s books and they have together they have a created a story that is truly accessible but ultimately captivating.

Emma Carroll

Emma Carroll is the bestselling and award-winning children’s author of Secrets of a
Sun King, When We Were Warriors and the BAMB Readers Award winner Letters from the Lighthouse. She previously worked as a secondary school English teacher and has an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath University.

 

Thank you to Emma and Barrington Stoke for inviting me to host this cover reveal.