An evil dragon, an epic voyage and life on Earth By various authors - book reviews -

Age 9 plus:

Dragon Mountain

Katie Tsang and Kevin Tsang

Deep within the mountain, a creature is stirring in its sleep and as its eyes roll back in its head, and its wings jerk wide open, a great adventure is about to unfold.

Husband and wife team, Katie and Kevin Tsang, authors of the Sam Wu is Not Afraid young fiction series, are back breathing fire with the first book in their thrilling new Dragon Realm fantasy series featuring dragons, danger and daring deeds.

And children will certainly be fired up when they share the adventures of four friends who stumble upon warrior dragons trapped inside a secret mountain and join forces to fight a deadly enemy.

When 12-year-old Billy Chan finds out his parents are sending him on a long train journey to a summer camp in middle-of-nowhere China, he doesn’t know what to expect.

In a place surrounded by huge mountains which climb to dizzying heights, he meets fellow campers Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei and together they discover an age-old secret… four powerful, clever and fearsome warrior dragons are hidden deep within a mountain behind the camp.

They have been trapped since an epic battle with the Dragon of Death and now they need the children’s help to set them free before terrible evil is unleashed on the earth.

Billy and his friends must set off on a dangerous adventure that will take them to the heart of the Dragon Realm… but can four children save the dragon and human worlds from destruction?

Dragon Mountain is a fabulous, fun-filled, escapist adventure for young readers who love fantasy, action, friendships and humour, and all set against the fantastic backdrop of Chinese mythology and legends.

With the tension ratcheting up at every turn of the page, a brilliantly imagined cast of characters, and a thrilling storyline wrapped up enticingly with mystery and magic, this is a dazzling opener to what promises to be fiery new series.

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

The Haunting of Aveline Jones

Phil Hickes and Keith Robinson

Hands up if you love a scary ghost story?

There will be plenty of eager takers for this brilliantly spooky and spine-tingling new mystery series from debut author Phil Hickes who grew up near Manchester in a house that overlooked a graveyard and liked nothing better than a scary bedtime read.

Starring ghost-mad, bookworm schoolgirl Aveline Jones, who firmly believes England is jam-packed with spooky beings, Hickes’s thrilling and atmospheric first book was inspired by a visit to Lyme Regis and the notion of second-hand books and how they create a connection between the new reader and someone they have never met before.

Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary October half-term at the windswept Cornish seaside home of her Aunt Lilian – she’s ‘nice but cold, like ice-cream’ – becomes much more exciting when she discovers Ghosts and Phantoms of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, a spooky old book in a tiny second-hand bookshop.

Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously over 30 years ago, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance. But someone... or something, is stirring, and it’s looking for Aveline!

Hickes ratchets up the tension with masterly precision in this perfectly paced and gripping story which contains all those ingredients which turn a mystery into a page-turner… strange apparitions, stormy seascapes, scary scratching noises, spooky sightings and revelations galore.

And at the heart of all the action and drama is the adorable, brave and determined Aveline who fights all her fears to discover the truth about missing Primrose wherever that may take her and however dangerous it may prove to be.

Creepy, compulsive and crammed with thrills and chills, this is the perfect book to smuggle under the bedclothes and read by torchlight!

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus:

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk

Natasha Farrant

Get ready to shed tears, have your heart well and truly captured, and share an epic voyage across the English Channel with an enchanting standalone novel from much-loved children’s author Natasha Farrant.

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk takes middle-grade readers on an action-packed adventure from England to France with two troubled youngsters as they struggle to find their way in the aftermath of the First World War.

In the first spring after the Great War, everyone in the village of Barton is trying to rebuild their lives. Ben is alone with his dog, Elsie, and has no one to look after him. If he is to avoid being sent back to the orphanage by the authorities, he needs to find his brother, Sam, wounded in action and now missing.

Meanwhile, Lotti’s horrible aunt and uncle want to send her away to boarding school (when she has just so successfully managed to get expelled from her last one!) so now she’s on the run with a stolen Chihuahua dog. And Clara, their young teacher, is waiting for news of her missing fiancé.

When disaster strikes, Lotti and Ben know they must get away. And so they hatch a plan… to cross the Channel on Ben’s narrowboat, The Sparrowhawk, and find Sam. And there’s something in France that Lotti is looking for too...

Buffeted by storms and chased by the police, Lotti, Ben, Clara and a growing number of dogs set out on an epic journey, in search of lost loved ones and a place to call home.

Farrant’s dazzling, delightful novel has all those ingredients that turn a story into a page-turner… a charismatic cast of characters, exciting adventures, inspirational messages about family and friendship, a sense of youthful adventure and optimism, and riveting action sequences.

A maritime odyssey with a heart full of love and compassion…

(Faber & Faber, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

The Key to Finding Jack

Ewa Jozefkowicz

The power of friendship and family speaks volumes in a beautiful and emotive mystery story from Waterstones Prize shortlisted author Ewa Jozefkowicz.

Flick Chesterford’s big brother, Jack, goes missing in Peru and she is desperate to find him. But can she solve the greatest mystery of all… who Jack really is?

Twelve-year-old Flick adores Jack and loves solving puzzles with him. But prankster Jack, who is six years older than her, is soon to flee the family nest and Flick worries he will change and she will lose her partner in crime.

But during his gap year in Peru, tragedy strikes when an earthquake devastates the region and no one knows what has happened to Jack. Flick and her family are thrown into the horrible unknown.

And Flick is bewildered to discover that Jack has left behind his treasured key on a fine gold chain and a note tucked inside the chain saying ‘For SF to keep until I’m back.’ She clings to the hope that SF (whoever that is) might hold the clue to finding her brother.

When she sets out to uncover the identity of its owner, she meets new friends, rekindles a special relationship and discovers a whole new side to Jack. Fascinating clues from a legend about Inca gold, and the key with magical powers help her along the way but can she solve the greatest mystery of all… who Jack really is?

There is a joyful vibrancy to this intriguing mystery tale which celebrates the journey of self-discovery from youth to adulthood, and the unbreakable bond between siblings. Warm, full of compassion and pulled along by an addictive sense of adventure, The Key to Finding Jack is an enchanting, heart-hugging read.

(Zephyr, hardback, £12.99)