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[[Category:New Reviews|Confident Readers]] __NOTOC__<!-- Remove -->{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Ali SparkesMax Boucherat|title=Feather and Fang The Last Life of Lori Mills|rating=4.5

|summary=Dax Jones is a COLA We meet Lori on the first evening she's got the house to herself – a Child Of Limitless Ability. Dax can shift shape from a boy no neighbour to pop in, babysitter poorly, mother at work, just an otteravidly rule-breaking eleven year old, falcon or fox while his friends on her lonesome. What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in the COLA Project have psychica blanket fort, she has one main intention, telekinetic and healing powers. They live in Fenton Lodgethat is to log on to Voxminer, the world-building, a boarding school critter-collecting game that once felt like home but increasingly feels like is a prison. Dax is the only one left who could leave without permission (he could fly away hit in falcon form) but heLori's not prepared to abandon his friendsworld. Then the new head of the COLA Project, Forrester, installs an electronic dome over Fenton Lodge, trapping Dax as effectively as his friends. And, if But first Lori has a tiny inkling that this werenstormy night doesn't bad enoughfind herself entirely on her own, Forrester starts to categorise and transport then she finds something even more spooky. For the COLA children server she and her bestie and nobody else should be able to hidden locationsenter shows signs of tampering. When Dax finds himself separated from his friendsmalevolent eyes spark up on her phone screen, and her safe place in the game has been doctored – well, he becomes determined where is a girl to escape. But has he left it too lateturn?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0192746057</amazonuk>0008666482

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Clara Vulliamy Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton|title=Dotty Detective Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial

|summary=Erica Perkins is a very sensible young ladyMeet Kit. When she wakes on Like most of the morning people in his world, it seems, he is an avid fan of her tenth birthday and finds Dungeon Running – the sport where a very confused elephant sitting on her doorstepteam of warrior, she doesn't jump up mage and down shouting ''Oohhealer enter specially prepared, century-old, magical mazes, goody goody''and race to the exit, perhaps bothering with the treasure or ''Oh, you poor cuddly thing''. She looks the elephant in big bad and the eye: ''Who left points they grant you'' she demanded ''And why?'' Erica lived with her Uncle Jeffalong the way. WellUnfortunately for Kit, she would live with him, if he was there, but the only thing he'd left when she was eight years old in search s seen of a bird - the Lesser Pip-footed Woob - latest race on the inn TV equivalent is that one team has been retired, eaten, and it was up a new trio of questors is needed. Possibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, he has taken to Erica to cook the goading from the token bully of his world and clean and, well, bring herself upstumbled into declaring he'll enter as a team. He'd left some money What chance does this friendless, muscle-free-zone have in an envelope but there was only £30.42 left actually managing that, and even the piece of paper which came with the elephant stating that Erica Perkins had a Legal Right to him didn't explain how she was going could he possibly hope to be able to feed him.succeed?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407159682</amazonuk>1839945184

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Liz PichonJames Sherwood Metts|title=Tom Gates Super Good Skills Almost (Tom Gates 10)Planet Storyland|rating=34.5

|summary=Oh Things have been a bit sticky for the quandaries of being a schoolchildEarthlings. WhatAI and automation have been proceeding apace, often replacing jobs they's worse – staying at school, re paid to do and other tasks that took time to accomplish. Just as they were beginning to get used to all this technological change and seeing the teacher be moody right up starting to the last bell think of termother, or having school breaks ruined by holidaying with your parentsnew ways to spend time, along came an awful pandemic. Life was pretty much shut down and the sister you hate? Tom's adventure here is half and half – half at school, half at along with it, all the holiday home from hellmany daily social interactions on which they depend so heavily. Can the problems life continues to put on his shoulders be rescued by cheesy feet-flavoured crisp snacks, sticky-backed office notes, or perhaps a secret truth about his sister?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>140715785X</amazonuk>1736128426

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=David Walliams and Tony RossTom Percival|title=The World's Worst ChildrenWrong Shoes

|summary=At last [[:Category:David Walliams|David Walliams]] has produced Will's life is difficult, in a book for memultitude of ways. IHe is bullied because he has 'm damned sure the previous ones (eight full novels and four picture bookswrong shoes', he has the wrong shoes because his dad can't work and counting) are fine doesn't have enough quality money for me to considereven the most basic of things like food, but Iand his dad can'm contrary. Whether t work because he lost his job at the author sells ten copies or college, was working a million I'll look for the more esoteric titles cash-in-hand job on their list – the essays not the novels, a building site and had an accident. Throw into that mix the short stories fact that get ignored his mum and not the big-sellersdad are separated, the [[Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman|Lee Scoresby spin-off]] and not the full ''His Dark Materials'Will's life seems bleak in every direction. But if you think that makes me bad – And yet, he still has a reviewer who can spout about only tiny amount of hope. He is good at art, and clings to the less populist works – I'm sure you will agree, after reading these pagesmoments of joy when he is drawing, that I could be feel like a heck light at the end of a lot more bad, if I tried. The children here, what's morelong, don't have to trydark tunnel.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0008197032</amazonuk>1398527122

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= The Crime Club1805141872|title= Mystery and Mayhem|rating= 5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= There are days when all you want is to shut out the world and sink into the delights of a detailed full-length story, crammed to the covers with fascinating characters and plot twists. And then there are days when you require something shorter – a tale that's nonetheless richly colourful and exciting, a perfect jewel of a story that will stay for you for days afterwards. Well, luckily for you, the twelve members of The Crime Club provide both!|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405282649</amazonuk>}}{{newreviewTeacher Who Knew Too Much|author=Jo Cotterill|title=A Library of LemonsRob Keeley|rating=4.5

|summary=Calypso is ''Seventeen banks and a quiet young girljeweller’s have been raided. The police are baffled, passionate about books and reading and writing andbut only Ben knows the truth – his Maths teacher, Miss Judson, since her mum died is really a few years ago, she has lived alone with safecracker! With police and her dad who is busy writing his own book gangster boyfriend Al on the history of the lemon. There’s never enough food in their fridgetrail, Miss Judson and Ben go on the house isn’t cleanrun. But Al needs them for one last job...'' Goodness me, and Calypso that Miss Judson is too busy taking care of herself and a terror! How on earth did a nice teacher like her father manage to have any friends of her own ageget mixed up with a bad 'un like Al? We'll find out. But when a new girlLuckily for Miss Judson, Mae, starts at school, Calypso the pupil who discovers a kindred spirither terrible secret is Ben, and when she visits Mae’s home she encounters a family quite the opposite to her own. Still, it is only when she discovers son of a secret that her father famous magician who has been hiding from her that Calypso’s ability ambitions to cope begins to fail herbe as good as his father some day, and she starts to wonder just how damaged her family who thinks Miss Judson is.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848125119</amazonuk>worth saving

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Mark Robertson and Sally SymesChristopher Edge|title=Dare to Care Pet DragonBlack Hole Cinema Club

|summary=When I was growing up there was a holy grail of non-fiction Lucas and that was the cross section book. These books would take a theme like ships or vehicles and show you in minute detail what exactly went on inside. You could see the pistons his friends are all booked in for a supercar or look movie marathon at all their local cinema, a place that has the little crew members as they scuttle around a luxury linernickname of 'The Black Hole'. The books were fun All big movie fans, they're looking forward to readlots of exciting films, but even more importantlyand many, amazing to look at. many snacks! This eye for illustration in non-fiction does not seem to be However, as popular anymorethe movie starts, but perhaps modern books they very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and they are looking at the wrong materialswept up into an adventure they couldn't even imagine. A book But as they lurch from one film genre to the next, can they figure out what on how earth is going on? Will they ever get back to the cinema, and to look after your Dragon would surely look goodtheir real lives?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847805892</amazonuk>1839942738

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Stewart Foster Adam Stower|title=Bubble Boy Murray and Bun

|summary= Eleven year old Joe was born with Murray is supposed to be a rare condition that means he has no immune system humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, thereforewell, no resistance to whatever takes his fancy next of the germs that surround us in our daily livestwo. The result is But he's spent a bad magician's cat, so his whole life trapped in favourite bun has been turned into a bubble – a small room in hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the hospital where catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the air is filtered regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and temperature and air purity is constantly monitoredwhiffs. His only escape This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is through his dreams of being a superhero andexpected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, unless something changesto be honest, it looks like but he's turned up and he'll never get have to see the outside world for himself. do…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1471145409</amazonuk>0008561249

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Karen McCombieAlex Bell and Tim McDonagh|title=The OMG BlogGlorious Race of Magical Beasts

|genre= Dyslexia Friendly Confident Readers|summary= In Eli is a busy lad – by day an apprentice in the wondrous library we start by visiting with him, and in the first weeks of term evening a helper at the dessert cafe his gran owns and runs. Eli lives with his lovely gran, too – for there is a new secondary school four generation missing in the family. A few short years ago, Eli''good'' girls find themselves thrown together s parents were both lost to the titular race, a globe-trotting adventure where all entrants have to navigate the world in detentionthe company of a magical beast. From this inauspicious beginning This has made the race anathema to the pair – but when a firm friendship develops as bad incident at the girlseatery leads to a confession from gran, encouraged by their teacher Eli knows his only hope is to dare to enter a blogging competitionwhat he most hates, find that they do have one very important with the sole aim the prize of magic at the end – the only thing in common…their embarrassing mumsto possibly save his gran. The ''Our Mums Grrr'' blog is born!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781125430</amazonuk>0571382231

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Shane HegartyHelen Cooper|title= Darkmouth: Chaos DescendsThe Taming of the Cat|rating= 43.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Poor Finn just never gets a breakOnce again, mice are pitched against cat. Like it or not he's a trainee Legend Hunter In this case, principally, we have Brie the mouse, up against Gorgonzola the cat – which sounds quite jolly until and in case you realise he doesn't spend his life re seeing a connection, they live in a nice quiet library looking up fairy tales from cheese shop and therefore all the names used here seem to be the distant pastnames of cheeses. Quite the opposite: Legends are the most vicious Anyway, Brie is shunned, scorned and, bloodthirsty monsters if you can imaginemust, mous-tracised, for the way his habits don't match the other mice he lives with. They nibble up paper wrapping from the cheese for bedding – he displays it as art and his village makes stories based on the visuals on it. And that story-telling will come in Ireland just happens handy one night, when he feels all alone and cast out. It's almost as if there were another character from fable who had had to tell stories to be keep themselves alive. This makes Brie the top dog in the place they use mouse community, though, as a portal on their frequent attempts all the others had the chance to conquer Earthhalf-inch some cheese while the cat was distracted. But will the story have the successful sequel it needs when that cheese runs out?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0007545681</amazonuk>0571376010

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Kiran Millwood HargraveLauren St John|title=The Girl of Ink and StarsFinding Wonder|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary=The Isle of Joya is a land engulfed by myth Roo's life has become almost impossibly difficult. Her mum died when she was young, and legend – the inhabitants are forbidden to leave the island or even cross now she finds herself awoken in the borders middle of their village into the Forbidden Territories beyond their homes. Isabella Riosse is night by the map maker's daughter who dreams of exploring police banging on her door to tell her that her dad has dropped dead on his way to the forgotten and unmapped areas of her homelandcorner shop to buy a lottery ticket. When asked what other family she has, she can only name her best friend Lupeaunt, the GovernorJoni, who she knows her dad didn's daughtert think very highly of. But she has no one else, and so off she goes missing Isabella is the only one left equipped to live with the right tools and knowledge her unreliable aunt. Things continue to lead the searchget worse for Roo, as when she ventures and Joni leave London in to JoyaJoni's magical old campervan, it breaks down in the middle of nowhere and mysterious regions.then bursts into flames! Poor Roo!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1910002747</amazonuk>0571376169

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Swapna Haddow Adam Baron and Benji Davies|title=Dave Pigeon Oscar's Lion|rating=3|genre=Confident Readers|summary=We start incredibly bluntly, with Oscar hoping to have his mother – or father, but mother is more likely – read him his very favourite book a couple of times before he has to be ready for school. But when he enters his parents' bedroom, all he sees is a mahoosive male lion on their bed, looking sheepish, and admitting that he won't be hungry for another two days. But there are benefits to having a lion around – it can be shown as an unspoken threat to the bully that ruined a birthday party for Oscar the other month. And it can shapeshift, so he can take it to school and it can get him out of a problem. And it's wonderful to have around the house – not limiting his biscuit intake, being much more lax about the rules, and so on. OK, it can't work a dimmer switch but it can give Oscar a wonderful time.|isbn=0008596751}}{{Frontpage|author=Judith Eagle|title=The Stolen Songbird

|genre=Emerging Confident Readers |summary=The tag line on the cover of Caro''Dave Pigeon'' probably sums this story s mother, a world-famous whistler, has failed to return home from her recent work trip abroad and is now missing. Her other mother, Ronnie, is having to go upNorth to take care of her sister who is unwell. It's about ''How So who is going to look after Caro? Sent to Deal stay with Bad Cats Gam, someone Caro has heard her mother despises, she feels frustrated and Keep (most confused and worried. All her summer holiday plans of) Your Feathers'building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are brought to a halt whilst she is stuck inside this staid old Victorian lady's house, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who is living there too. Or But she soon finds herself caught up in a mystery, if you want as she discovers a painting of a bit more, itbird hidden away inside her mum's about two Pigeons – Dave old suitcase, and his trusty friend Skipper – who all across London a fearsome gang called the Snakes are unceremoniously attacked by a cat while on a routine croissant heistthieving artworks and terrorising people. Dave Is the painting somehow linked to the gang? And what has happened to Caro's wing mother? Is she somehow involved in the mystery too?|isbn=0571363148}}{{Frontpage|author=Tania Unsworth|title=Nowhere Island|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Meet Gil. Just twelve, he is injured so determined to escape the care system – the system that constantly puts him in futureless places that are not homes – and find a home for himself. He is en route to yet another fosterer, when he jumps into an anonymous car, and Skipper set out lets it ride him to get their own back at the vicious cathis future. They plan That future seems to evict Mean Cat from his home and install themselves be in jeopardy when someone steals his place one bag of belongings – but that someone lives with his brother in a camp on an island between the kind Human Lady two directions of a motorway, a place inaccessible and her enviable supply of biscuitsdefinitely ignored enough to provide for their safety and seclusion. You won't be surprised that things don't go exactly to plan Them, and a mute girl also finding a home there, albeit so much more successfully. Over a few weeks we see if their oddball destinies can combine, or if this is one place where life as we would want it just would not work…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0571323308</amazonuk>1804540080

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Jonathan MeresHelen Peters|title=The World of Norm: 10: Includes DeliveryFriends and Traitors|rating=3.5

|summary=It England, WW2. Two young girls are new at the country pile called Stanbrook. One is Nancy, destined to be in service all her life it seems, like the female generations before her. The other is Sidney, a truth universally acknowledged that while kids' series generally start by covering a whole term time or even girl from a hoity-toity Sussex boarding school yearthat has been removed there away from bomber flight-paths. The girls are chalk and cheese, by the time itand if we hadn's worked out t guessed that more books are called for all the following volumes will concern less and less groundthen their behaviour with each other over their first encounters would only prove it so. This But something is amiss, and first separately and then in combination they realise the Lord Evesham must be a case in point – it being book TEN in this series means itrum 's just regarding two flipping daysun. That way Norm can carry on having adventures without agingMidnight deliveries are received under cover of secrecy, talk is made of meetings with little in the way of consequence Germans, and not only that people reading future books before seeing this one will have missed out on. In lesser hands, it generally means the author can churn out a whole book without much forethought or providing much contentlocal Spitfire factory has been attacked. Luckily this series isn't But surely the usualgirls are wrong, and [[:Category:Jonathan Meres|the author]] here generally is better than the routine.upper class could never be so underhand?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>140834193X</amazonuk>1788004647

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Kate DiCamilloJamie Littler|title= Raymie NightingaleArkspire|rating= 54

|summary= It Two sisters, Juniper and Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are growing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is the summer of 1975 an eager hunter and ten year old Ramie's dad has trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left home with another womanout in the Badlands. Raymie Elodie is utterly heartbroken and believes that everything, absolutely everything, now depends intent on hergetting closer to power in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, because Raymie has a plan. If she wins perhaps even to become the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition her name and her photo will be child in line to inherit the paper and thenpower of the Watcher, Raymie believes, her father may just possibly come back home. At least she hopes that he will. To win the competition she must carry out some good deeds and learn closest to twirl a baton so she enrols in a baton twirling class where she meets Louisianaruler the district has, timid and prone to fainting, and Beverly, cynical and determined to sabotage one of the competitionfive major victors in said earlier war. As Being trained in the competition draws nearer and Raymie starts to despair magic that her plan will work circumstances conspire to draw only five people can use would definitely change the status of the three girls together whole family. But in an unlikely friendship that will challenge and change all three finding something oddly magical, Juniper might just be able to gain some power of them.her own – for good, or for very, very bad…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1406363138</amazonuk>0241586143

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Lyn Gardner024162343X|title= Rose Campion and the Stolen SecretHistory|author=Sathnam Sanghera|rating= 45|genre= Confident ReadersChildren's Non-Fiction|summary= The Victorian era I was the bad company other people got into at school. I was disruptive in London – religious education classes because I disputed the existence of a time 'god'. Where was the proof? In history lessons, it was probably worse still. Not too long after the end of expansion WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (and explorationoccasional failures, but also of poverty, dark alleyways, youthful pickpockets and moustache-twirling villainswe didn't dwell on those) in what came to be called 'the colonies' as want to dispute what right the army had to be there in the first place. Well Looking back, so writers like Charles Dickens would have us I still believe, and readers can be pretty sure I was right - but I regret that a detective mystery set in I lacked the glittering world of maturity to approach 'the nineteenth century music hall will have colour, excitement and danger in profusionproblem' politely. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857634860</amazonuk>I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's ''Stolen History''.

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Lincoln PeirceThiago de Moraes|title=Big Nate Blasts OffOld Gods New Tricks

|summary=First things firstMeet Trixie. Forever getting into scrapes, no – that title is not larks and adventures involving flooding the puerile British schoolboy's meaning school aircon with fart powder, she could almost be thought a young goddess of blasting offnuisance. IBut just when she'm not entirely sure why the book is called s being told thatby her one-last-chance-giving headteacher, to be honestthe world changes. But I do know that said British schoolboy Suddenly, practically everything electronic stops working – and many from many other countries too – will take to these pagesa power-out, even if they have never seen any of electric cars, hits not just the town the other books school's in [[:Category:Lincoln Peirce|this series]]. The humble hero with but the spiky hair entire planet (apart from mobile phones, and quick wit is in trouble with (a) his comics of all that powers the teachersInternet, (bjust for our convenience's sake) his finding the time to practise Ultimate Frisbee for an interschool cup. Trixie, and (c) his emotionsluckily, as he falls big-time for realises what has happened – the ancient Gods have taken the delightful Ruby Dinsmorepower of power from us. YesAnd so she begins her epic quest, to gather all the people that can steal it back – namely the characters from myth that have past form in stealing from the Gods, ie the very Ruby Dinsmore semi-deities, giants, half-gods and so on known as the main school bully also wants to hang out with…tricksters.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0008135312</amazonuk>178845295X

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Michael BondHannah Gold and Levi Pinfold|title=Love from PaddingtonFinding Bear

|summary=Consider some of the more pertinent questions of literature. Would things have [[The Last Bear by Hannah Gold|Last time]], April had been better if Rhett Butler ''did'' give on Bear Island, a damn? What lot further north than many people would Jane Eyre have done if the men with the truth hadn't made the church in time? Andventure, of course, how does and finding a little bear ridiculously unexpected but delightful friendship with a fondness for marmalade actually turn up in Paddington Station, so very, very far from polar bear – that she called Bear. Back home? Well, while things on the actual short stories may never have answered any of those questionsdomestic and family front are a bit advanced, this work does – in amongst suggesting why bears don't play cricketbut not perfect for her, and a host moreso can easily be ignored when word comes through from the islands Bear was last left on. As a result it may have For a bear doing very different structure Bear-y things has been shot and wounded. Desperate to make sure he's OK, she and her father return to the original books Arctic and hope that in a world of linked short storiesvery white and very dangerous things, but it's just as wonderful she can find one specific white and dangerous thing – and characterfulthat the friendship can continue.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0008164355</amazonuk>0008582017

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Malorie BlackmanSimon Fox|title=Peace MakerDeadlock

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=Michela Corbin Late one night Graham Blake is late back from his shift on the force, and then suddenly rings Archie, demanding he fetch something of from a rebelsecret place, but even she understands that everyone must wear a Peace Maker Device all and join him on the time and that it must never be tampered with, as non-aggression is their society's founding principlerun. The Peace Maker is the means by which this is enforcedThey get together, but Michela wants barely begin to experience smell the full range whiff of human emotions and Southern trains when the father is arrested, leaving Archie on the Peace Maker stops that. When her mother captains their ship into enemy airspace late express to Brighton, toting a tin his father was determined to keep away from his colleagues, and they come under attack it seems that Michela's freedom from the constraints bearer of a whole heap of the Peace Maker might be the only thing that can save themquestions.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781125619</amazonuk>1839944420

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Robert BeattyCath Howe|title=Serafina My Life on Fire|rating=5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Ren's family home is destroyed in a fire. She, her parents, and her little brother lose everything. She doesn't have any of her clothes, or any of her special little knick-knacks from her cupboard, and now she is living at her grandmother's house where they can't touch anything, or do anything, or even eat the foods they normally eat. When she goes back to school she discovers that the Black Cloakclass are doing a special art project, creating boxes of their lives, to display things that are important to them and show who they are as a person. But Ren has nothing to put in a box, and so she finds herself starting to steal things. Small things, things that people might not really miss, not when they have so much already. But what will happen to her if someone finds out what she is doing?|isbn=1839942835}}{{Frontpage|author= Rob Keeley|title= The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories|rating=34|genre=Confident Readers|summary= Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is back with a return to the short story format! The Boy Who Disappeared treats us to eleven new tales, each as fun to read as his previous offerings.5|isbn= B0BVW69N1G}}{{Frontpage|author=Laura Noakes|title=Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star|rating=4

|summary=Serafina lives in the basement of the grand house on the Biltmore Estate with her Pa, an engineerMeet Number One. No one knows that they live in the basementOr rather, Cosima Unfortunate. No oneOr rather, in fact, knows that Serafina exists, since she has been told by just Cos to her Pa that she must keep herself hidden awayfriends. She isn’t sure why, but The practice in the home she happily creeps around lives in is for the beautiful house, mostly girls to just be named by night but sometimes secretly during the daynumber they correspond to in the ledger, watching and observing and undertaking her self-appointed job of Chief Rat Catcherthey're all Unfortunates – young people with disabilities, uncommon mentalities or suchlike that Victorian society frowns greatly upon. Serafina knows there is something But Cosima bears the tag as a little unusual surname because nothing else seems to be known about herwhere she came from, as the first ever inmate, but she isn’t quite sure just why and how she is different from everyone elseunique in having no known family in the outside world. It’s only when she stumbles across During a fearsome man in a black cloak stealing away a child daring escapade to steal some posh cakes from the house that kitchen one afternoon, she finds she can no longer remain in discovers a plan involving said outside world – a devilish Lord Fitzroy seems to want to adopt all the shadowsgirls for his Institute. But why, but must now do everything she can and what does that body entail? And could it possibly bring Cos closer to help find the missing children.past she has so little link with?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1405283785</amazonuk>0008579059

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Rob KeeleyAlice M Ross|title= The Sword of the Spirit (Spirits 3)Nowhere Thief|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= ''There are truths which must be revealed before At last there is new stock in the battle may commenceimpoverished yet over-full antiques shop Elsbeth and her mother run in a seaside town. You do not yet know Elsbeth knows this because she has stolen it. She also knows she should be free from worries about being found out, because she has the meaning ability to leave this world, and use an unworldly portal of kaleidoscope colours to enter other worlds, where the sword.'' Ooh! Events sea levels are rising dramatically and the buildings are moving apace in Rob Keeley's ''Childish Spirits'' series. Let me explain..generally empty of humans and ripe for plunder. With eviction imminent, can Elsbeth nab anything to actually generate custom at the shop? Well yes, is the answer, but the fact a mysterious man knows exactly which items come from these different Somewheres only raises more questions…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1785892533</amazonuk>1839943769

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Matt GriffinNatasha Farrant|title= Storm WeaverThe Rescue of Ravenwood|rating= 3.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary=In This story is another excellent adventure from the sequel to [A Cage author of ''Voyage of Roots], the four friends are journeying back to the lair from which they have just escapedSparrowhawk''. Sean Ravenwood is an old house, Finny and Benvy think they're trying to save in the Goblins North of England, where Bea and turn them back into girlsRaffy have been living for most of their lives. They are part of a complex, but Aylaextended family arrangement, who so nearly became a goblin herselfas Bea is there with her Uncle Leo, and Raffy is being drawn by there with his mum, and they are living together as a greater forcefamily. As Ayla's powers emerge and grow stronger They have grown up swimming in the cove, she leads her friends on a dangerous questroaming through the trees, deeper into completely at one with all of the nature around the heart house and loving every inch of the fairy kingdom of Falplace. Sean But now the house is under threat, Benvy and Finny just want as Leo is under pressure from his other two brothers to go home sell the property to Ireland, but with the war thata developer as it's brewing becoming more and Aylamore expensive to maintain. The children find themselves worrying not only about where they's part in itre going to live, but if they may never 'll even be able to go back home againtogether, and if Ravenwood itself will be torn down. |amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847177832</amazonuk>0571348785

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Ali BenjaminRobin Birch and Jobe Anderson|title= Secret Beast Club: The Thing About Jellyfish Unicorns of Silver Street|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Ali Benjamin describes her accomplished debut novel as Jayden's nose is forever in a book, which means he knows a work where ''despair lot about mythological creatures – the phoenixes and wonder come together''unicorns of the world, for example. When we first meet Suzy she cannot speak after a traumatic incident. Her family Aisha is struggling addicted to cope with her silence and new tablet, where she can see videos of anything that might be out there. The problem, as their mothers see it, is averse to the therapy of that they are never 'Dr Legsout there'. It is only through her flashback sequencesthemselves, written in italicsexploring the outside world of Hackney, and her passion for London. But when a narrowboat turns up carrying a science report that the reader comes to know her -minded, educational purpose, and sympathise with her sufferinga past involving Jayden's cousin, they find a magical world they never knew existed. Suzy is experiencing For many of those mythological creatures are real, including the one Aisha thinks she's seen on a cauldron bit of local footage. The crew of emotions the boat, including griefa living gargoyle, guilt, denial are tasked with saving the rare critters – and a tumultuous desperation the kids unknowingly have the magical sight needed to discover what she perceives to be join in. Dare they side with Leila, the truth. It is this zeal which makes woman on board, and her refuse to believe her mother's explanation that ''sometimes things just happen'' relative who lives as a figure in a painting, and fanatically pursue her own ''best educated guess.''become saviours of the unseen?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1447292995</amazonuk>0241573483

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Sara PennypackerB09XWSXSKY|title= PaxMaestro Orpheus and the World Clock|author=Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski|rating= 54|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Young readers will be well aware of Frederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, please) couldn't sleep. A tune, rather like the horrors ticking of wara clock was playing over and over in his mind. It kills peoplehappened every time he came to visit his grandfather. He hadn't really wanted to come; after all, destroys families he's ten now and homes, creates waves of desperate refugees and devastates all those old clocks don't appeal to him anymore. ''Who needs old clocks anyway? All they do is tell the landscapetime. But there's one aspect of fighting which, apart from a few notable exceptions, And time isn't often touched upon – good for anything...'' And that was why he was looking at the clock beside the bed. It was nearly twelve o'clock but at midnight the fate of animals caught up in conflictsclock chimed only six times. We know a little about horses participating in cavalry charges, There was nothing for it but to go and homing pigeons carrying messages, find grandad - but what about those animals which live in the wildwhere was he? And worse still, what about why had all those well-loved pets which can no longer be fed or protected by owners close to starvation themselvesthe clocks stopped at twelve o'clock?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008124094</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Harriet Whitehorn and Becka MoorNigel Baines|title=Violet and the SmugglersA Tricky Kind of Magic|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Emerging Readers|summary= Violet's godfather has inherited Cooper loves to perform magic tricks. His father was a sailing boat and invites Violet and her family magician, and friends to join him on a sailing adventure in named Cooper after the Mediterraneangreat Tommy Cooper. How could Violet possibly say no? This turns out not to be quite as relaxing as you may imagine. It is not long before our heroine has suspicions about the captain of another boat and Violet But sadly Cooper's detective skills are needed again. With the help of her friendsfather died suddenly, Rose and Artnow Cooper doesn't quite know who to be, Violet is determined or how to solve the mysterybe. Will she be able And when his dad's prop rabbit starts talking to put a stop to a dangerous smuggling ring? him, he ''really'' doesn't know what's going on anymore!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1471122638</amazonuk>1444960261