Author: Rebecca Rouillard

Reader, slightly-published writer, designer, swimmer, tea-drinker.

‘The Starling’s Song’ by Octavie Wolters (translated by Michele Hutchison)

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The starling observes how lovely the landscape is as he flies above and decides to sing a song about it. But when he tells the other birds, they urge him not to forget other elements of natural beauty in the world like the trees, the water and life itself. Together they look closely and see it all. 

The book is gorgeously illustrated with striking woodcut images in black and white with pops of yellow for the starling’s beak and feet. 

‘The Starling’s Song’ is a celebration of nature and a lyrical exhortation to look around us and appreciate the natural world, perfect for fans of Charlie Mackesy’s ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’.

Thanks to Pushkin Children’s for the ARC.

‘Legendary Creatures’ by Adam Auerbach

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This beautiful picture book for older children is a menagerie of bizarre and mysterious beasts from mythologies all over the world. It explains the origins of some creatures you have heard of (the phoenix, the mermaid, the dragon) as well as some that might be new to you like the Japanese elephant-tusked Baku who eats your bad dreams, the giant crocodile Cipactli with mouths on all of its joints, and the terrifying swallowing monster from Lesotho – the Khodumodumo. 

In addition to the fascinating information, compelling ink and watercolour illustrations create ethereal and yet vivid manifestations of each imagined creature. This book would be a perfect companion-read to Katherine Rundell’s ‘Impossible Creatures’ – for those who want to delve a little deeper into the world of mythical beasts.

Thanks to Pushkin Children’s for the ARC.

‘Thieves Gambit’ by Kayvion Lewis

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Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest is the youngest member of the notorious Quest Crime family and she has been trained in the criminal arts since she was a small child by her ruthless mother.

When she receives a mysterious email inviting her to compete in the Thieves Gambit, she ignores it at first. But when she finds herself in an impossible situation, she signs up and is whisked away on a private plan to an undisclosed location to join up with several other criminal teens to compete in a winner-takes-all heist competition. The winner gets a wish – something that Rosalyn desperately needs. But when she arrives she finds an unwelcome addition – her arch-nemesis, Noelia Boschert, daughter of a rival crime family based in Europe.

Ross has been conditioned her whole life never to trust anyone, but when the other contestants team up on the first challenge and she is almost eliminated, she realises that she will have to work with her fellow competitors, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And then there is the magnetic Devroe, who seems determined to win her over. But nothing is as it seems and the stakes are even higher than Ross realises.

Ross has a brilliantly devious mind and I particularly enjoyed the clever ways she outwits the other competitors as well as the organisers. This is an excellent heist novel, full of twists, turns and surprises. A cover quote describes it as ‘high octane’ a phrase Ross also used to describe her own family, and this is definitely accurate – the action is relentless and thrilling.

‘Thieves Gambit’ is a welcome addition to the usually male-dominated action-thriller category and is perfect for fans of ‘Alex Rider’, ‘Six of Crows’ and the ‘Oceans 11’ movie franchise.

‘The Witchstone Ghosts’ by Emily Randall-Jones

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Autumn has always been able to see ghosts, like her friend Jack – a Victorian chimney sweep, but when her Dad tragically dies, there’s no sign of his ghost anywhere. And even worse, his will compels Autumn and her Mum to leave their home in London and move to a tiny, stormy Cornish island called Imber. Imber, unlike London, is surprisingly devoid of ghosts. Autumn enjoys the peace and quiet, and even makes her first real-live friend, but the island is hiding a sinister secret and time is running out for her to unravel the mystery of the witchstones.

‘The Witchstone Ghosts’ is a dark and captivating story, full of rich details and humorous quips. Autumn is an engaging heroine and I particularly enjoyed the relationships she has with her embarrassing mum and her cockney ghost buddy, Jack. The plot had plenty of twists and turns and I had some theories about the Island of Imber and its inhabitants but I was wrong! 

Can you have a lively ghost story? I think so. I was thoroughly swept away by this lively, atmospheric ghost story and it is perfect for fans of Catherine Doyle’s ‘The Storm Keeper’s Island’ and Victoria Schwab’s ‘City of Ghosts’ series.

And what a gorgeous cover design by Micaela Alcaino – I love the colours in particular, and the illustrations!

Thanks to Chicken House for the ARC.

‘Peril on the Atlantic’ by AM Howell

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When Alice comes aboard the Queen Mary with her father, the Staff Captain, at Southampton docks for a voyage to New York, she doesn’t anticipate all of the drama and intrigue that awaits her during the journey. She’s supposed to keep to her cabin and out of sight of the paying customers, but when she overhears an attempted murder and uncovers a sabotage plot, she knows she has to investigate in order to find proof and stop the criminals from carrying out their diabolical plans. Alice is assisted by Sonny, a slightly older boy who is travelling with his guardian, and Miriam, a German Jewish girl travelling with her parents to start a new life in America away from the threat of the Nazis. But this is not the only mystery to unravel – Alice’s father is also keeping a life-changing secret from her…

I’ve read a few ship-based mysteries lately and have to confess that I’ve found some of them a little dull, however AM Howell does a fantastic job of sustaining the tension and keeping the plot ticking along at an engaging pace. There were lots of fun historical tidbits that added to the story and effectively created a sense of time and place.

Middle grade mystery books are very popular but I have plenty of requests in the library for mysteries that are not about murder, so I think this type of story fills an important gap. I look forward to the next book in the ‘Mysteries at Sea’ series. ‘Peril on the Atlantic’ is a thrilling, seafaring historical adventure – perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and the ‘Adventures on Trains’ series.

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC.

‘Impossible Creatures’ by Katherine Rundell

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“It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him.”

Wherever Christopher goes, animals seek him out–cats, dogs, rats, foxes, swans, crows…but he only learns the reason for this when he goes to stay with his grandfather in Scotland and discovers that his family are the guardians for a magical realm called The Archipelago, where magical creatures live on islands, safe and hidden from humans. The book starts with ‘The Guardians Bestiary’ – a 30 page glossary of all of the creatures in the world, (most of whom want to eat humans) ranging from ones I’d heard of like: mermaids, unicorns and griffins, to some I hadn’t like: the avanc, the borometz and the longma, originating from mythologies all over over the world.

“It was a very fine day, until somebody tried to kill her.”

Mal has grown up in the Archipelago, soaring over her home with the help of a magic flying coat, until the day a murderer knocks on her door and she is forced to escape to the human world where she asks for Christopher’s help to return. They manage to get back the Archipelago and avoid the murderer, but they soon find out that Mal is not the only one at risk – there is a problem with the Glimourie the magic that sustains their world and keeps the Archipelago hidden. Mal and Christopher set off on a voyage to save the world with an unlikely crew of allies including a Beserker called Nighthand, an academic researcher called Irian, a baby griffin and a ratatoska. 

‘Impossible Creatures’ is a classic portal fantasy, reminiscent of the Narnia Chronicles, ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ in particular. Katherine Rundell has an incredibly beautiful writing style, full of imaginative touches that bring the Archipelago and its inhabitants to vivid life. It’s also a deliciously dark story, full of bloodthirsty creatures and deathly consequences, and I thoroughly enjoyed this enticing new fantasy world. 

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC.

‘The  Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm’ by Karen Foxlee, illustrated by Freda Chiu (Miss Mary-Kate Martin’s Guide to Monsters)

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“There are those that hunt monsters to harm them and there are those that hunt monsters to help them.”

Mary-Kate likes facts, the shopping channel and her sparkly red shoes. She dislikes brown colouring pencils and sudden changes. When she has to accompany her archaeologist mother on a dig, their trip seems bound to include lots of things that will make Mary-Kate uncomfortable. But when they arrive in Woolington it seems that there is a mystery to be solved – Mary-Kate gets out her notebook and starts collecting evidence. Does the Woolington Wyrm really exist? And if so, what does it want? 

Mary-Kate is an anxious but conscientious detective and (as most parents in children’s fiction are awful) I particularly enjoyed her supportive but empowering mother, ‘Prof’ Martin. Mary-Kate’s anxiety is sensitively referenced, and though she has some wobbly moments, she has the tools to cope with the adventure she finds herself in – even if she’s not a big fan of the wyrm-slime. This is a wonderfully empathetic and engaging story that encourages resilience and trying new things…like monster hunting! The illustrations are absolutely delightful too.

‘The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm’ is the start of a thrilling new monster mystery series, it is ideal for the lower KS2 age group and perfect for fans of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, ‘The Beast and the Bethany’, and Sylvia Bishop’s mystery stories.

Thanks to Pushkin Children’s for the ARC.

‘The Boy You Always Wanted’ by Michelle Quach

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Francine’s grandfather is dying but his final regret is that he has no male heir to continue the tradition of honouring the ancestors when he is dead. Francine doesn’t agree with his outdated ideas but she will do everything to make him happy, including asking Ollie, a family friend, for help – her first crush and the boy who broke her heart. 

Francine is a great character – she doesn’t really mind what people think about her, or say about her but she will do anything to help the people she cares about and her lack of social skills definitely seems coded as neurodivergent. Ollie’s perspective of Francine shows how he goes from being embarrassed to be seen with her, and incredulous at her ridiculous plan to offer him as substitute male heir, to admiring her self-confidence, her focus and her drive and being inspired to be a better person because of her. 

The romance aspect is charming but this book is also much more than this. It is also about families and in particular the clash between the older and younger generations of immigrant families (Chinese Vietnamese in this case) – about honouring different cultural beliefs while also having the courage to stand up for yourself in the face of outdated ideals. 

‘The Boy You Always Wanted’ is beautifully written with a cast of finely-drawn characters and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be recommending this one in the library.

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC.

‘You Could Be So Pretty’ by Holly Bourne

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Holly Bourne’s latest novel ‘You Could Be So Pretty’ is a bit of a departure from her usual style into the realm of dystopian fiction, but this dystopian world is chillingly recognisable. 

Belle is a ‘pretty’ and spends hours everyday applying her mask, making sure everything is perfect and then photographing herself to secure her ranking as the prettiest girl in school. Joni is an ‘objectionable’ – she wears no makeup, doesn’t care about fashion and spends her free time volunteering in her mother’s refuge centre for women. And yet, both Belle and Joni are looking to escape and are competing for a scholarship to go away to university. When they are forced to study together, Joni decides she will try to awaken Belle to the sinister reality behind the Doctrine of their world.

Bravo Holly Bourne for yet another empathetic but scalpel-sharp feminist manifesto. In our world of instagram filters and tradwife hashtags, this book is also a stark warning against complacency – we need feminism just as urgently now as we’ve ever done in the past. 

If you loved the Barbie Movie – read this book. It is equally thought-provoking and far more cohesive in message and plot. Brilliantly done!

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC. I particularly enjoyed the interactive element of being able to stick your own alternative book title onto the proof – I went with ‘You Could Be So Free’.

‘The Destiny of Minou Moonshine’ by Gita Ralleigh

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Minou, or ‘Sparrow’ as she is known to her friends, has lived on a dilapidated houseboat with her adopted Grandmother since the day she was found abandoned as a baby during the monsoon, thirteen years earlier. Their home, the former Queendom of Moonlally is suffering under the oppressive rule of a tyrannical General, but a rebel force called The Green Orchid are fighting for freedom and to restore the power of the goddess called the ‘Dark Lady’.

When a terrible tragedy occurs, Minou is swept up in a thrilling adventure involving airships, mechanical elephants and ferocious crocodiles. 

Minou is a feisty and determined protagonist who fiercely protects and defends her friends, but when her world is upended, will Minou have the courage to step into her destiny?

This story is set in an alternative, steampunk version of India called ‘Indica’ – a vivid world, full of colour and magic.

‘The Destiny of Minou Moonshine’ is a captivating and atmospheric read, perfect for fans of Nizrana Farook and Radiya Hafiza’s ‘Rumaysa’. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m sure it will be popular in the library.

Thanks to Gita Ralleigh and Zephyr for the ARC.