PAX and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

Book Summary

Cut off from the rest of the country, New London life is tough, the truth is slippery and friendships are vital.

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student also joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends the freedom to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

The second book in the Pax series is even better and more gripping than the first! Adventurous and emotional with just a little touch of romance.

The characters are more defined now and Pax, Samuel and Megan have built up a great friendship after the events in book one, but the introduction of a fourth student to their little group mixes everything up and causes havoc.

I love the references to what was the distant past for them. An iPhone is an ancient bit of technology to Pax, but still looks modern to Albert. And the way words are contorted, Pincher sounds far more sinister than pensioner. No wonder people are terrified of them!

Today I've made a Bee-Bop's Knees (renamed for the robot Bee-Bop, you'll see why when you read the book). In a shaker with ice, add 60ml gin, 22.5ml lemon juice, 15ml honey syrup (reduce if you don't want it too sweet) and 10ml orange juice.

Mix & Match 16

I've been wanting to try the Midnight in Morocco cocktail for some time so here's my chance, though I must admit I skipped the habanero as I'm a wimp who can't take spiciness! Shake up your cocktail to bring back the summer sun, then take your pick of today's books and relax.

Shake the following with ice: 60ml tequila, 15ml crème de violette, 15ml orgeat, 20ml lime juice, 10ml maraschino and a dash of habanero bitters. Strain into your favourite cocktail glass.

Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch

Morgan's life is turned upside down when King Uther Pendragon kills her father and uses magic to force her mother to marry him. While her sisters are happy enough to be married off to lives of luxury, Morgan won't stop fighting against the king and his sorcerer, Merlin.

I loved the way the legend of King Arthur is incorporated, but even if you are very familiar with the story,  you still don't know exactly what will happen. Familiar and unfamiliar characters from legend are not necessarily as you expect them to be!

Breaking news, book 2 - Le Fay is out now too, so looking forward to reading it!

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

Another wonderful story from the Marlow Murder Club. I never tire of reading about Judith Potts and her friends, Suzie and Becks. This time there is a murder at a planning meeting, but the victim is the mayor who everyone seems to agree is a perfect saint! They can't find any reason why anyone would want him dead. Lots of clues lead to many discoveries and confessions, evidently everyone on the council has something to hide but can they find the actual murderer?

Each novel gives a little more insight into the superb characters. They all have their own talents which helps them solve whichever case they are working on. I love how their initially reluctant interactions have turned into best friends who always look out for each other.

The writing was excellent and kept me hooked throughout and the narrator was perfect for the character. I really hope the series continues.

Whispa and the Waves by Ffion Jones, illustrated by Elena Mascolo

An incredibly touching story about a young mermaid's struggle to calm the storms, both inside herself and in the world around her. 

Whispa is such a sweet, caring character and the illustrations and colours are gorgeous.

A History of My Weird by Chloe Heuch

Mo has just started a new school and everything is different!

I liked Mo right from the start. I really sympathised with her school troubles and was overjoyed when she made a friend and found some nice older kids who watched out for her. It was great to see her trying to keep her own personality, despite other people wanting to change her. Some action packed adventure as well as an emotional ending that left me with tears in my eyes.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to say if the autism representation is 100% correct or not, but to me it seemed very sensitive and well done. I feel like I learnt a lot about the concerns people might have.

The World According to David Hockney

This was full of great quotes and gave me an idea of the artist's personality, which I never really knew much about. A couple of my favourites:

You wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought. I am constantly preoccupied with how to remove distance so that we can all begin to sense we are the same, we are one.

It used to be you couldn't be gay. Now you can be gay but you can't smoke. There's always something.

It's good to rest and read.

The Soultrapper by Stanislava Buevich

Book Summary

Childhood friends Stef and Paul embark on an immersive virtual reality adventure, only to discover that The Disappearance of Eden Rose holds more than just puzzles and challenges. Encountering a mysterious character named Ollie James, they uncover a chilling link to a real-world tragedy: the unsolved deaths of numerous children over a decade ago. As they delve deeper, Stef and Paul realise they're not just playing a game - they're racing against time to unravel a shocking cover-up and undo its damage, risking their lives in pursuit of truth.

It was very easy to get into this book, I liked both the main character and the writing style right from the start. I felt immersed in the world, almost like I was playing the game too.

I love puzzles so the idea of a game with puzzles integrated into it sounds so much fun to me. Though of course without the sinister undertones and the fear of not making it out again! One thing I would really have liked would be to know some of Stef's thought processes. She's so clever but I have no idea how she solves the mysteries, we're just told that it's fallen into place and she's figured it out.

There are a few layers of mysteries to the game. I had my suspicions with regard to the ultimate baddie but mostly the twists were unexpected and satisfyingly surprising.

This was a really gripping story that I enjoyed so much and I'll be looking out for more by this author!

Author Bio

Stacy Buevich is a British writer and a film director with many award winning short films. She started writing novels during lockdown (wait did that really happen?), beginning with a magical mystery Maya Fairy, that she wrote for her daughter. Since then she has written several more and not planning to stop.

I've made a Lost Souls cocktail to go with this thrilling book. Shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. 30ml mezcal, 22.5ml Grand Marnier, 22.5ml beetroot juice, 15ml lime juice, dash of sugar syrup and a few drops of chocolate bitters.

Hallie and the Broken Ghost by Nadine Holland

Book Summary

Hallie Collins is moving again, but the new house hides more than mould and maggoty this new living arrangement comes with an unexpected resident – a broken ghost, who's not your typical, spooky apparition. Instead of spine-chilling scares, this spectral presence is accompanied by nervous farts, rendering his haunting attempts hilariously unsuccessful.

Hallie is determined to help her new spooky sidekick, and so begins an extensive training programme to hopefully alleviate this unique condition. Little does she know, however, that beneath the cellar of her new home lies a buried secret waiting to be unearthed; a treasure which attracts the attention of a devious archaeologist with a penchant for arson, threatening not only Hallie but everything she holds dear.

In order to foil the machinations of this despicable foe, Hallie comes up with a dangerous plan that will rely on fixing her newfound friend. But Hallie will stop at nothing to help her unlikely new companion and uncover the truth – even if it turns her world to ashes.

I couldn't help sympathising with Hallie right from the start. She's already going through so much, having to move house yet again, losing her friends and familiar life. But then she still tries to cheer herself up to make her mum feel less guilty!

Hallie is so brave and caring, and I did find it very refreshing to have a heroine who actually realises the dangers and doesn't just assume she can do everything. Particularly as the villain of the story is so creepy and diabolical. I was quite surprised how he managed to wrangle his way in and was not impressed at all with how oblivious Hallie's mother was. What would she do without Hallie to save the day???

I really enjoyed this gripping adventure. I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Hallie would be victorious, and it had such a sweet, touching ending that I did not expect at all.

Author Bio

Nadine grew up in Devon in the era of leg warmers, cassette tapes and scary public information adverts. The world baffled her a bit and so she preferred to bury her nose in books and one day dreamt of becoming a writer herself – mostly so that she would finally know enough words to beat her Grandad at Scrabble.

However, life had other ideas, and Nadine became a secondary school art teacher instead; where she has spent well over a decade promoting exploration, creativity, and trying (and failing) not to get paint on her clothes.

After her daughter was born, Nadine was drawn to the vibrant and playful world of picture books, and although she had dabbled in poetry, blogging, and flash fiction, it was in children’s literature that she finally found a home for her unquenchable urge to write.

Nadine writes smart and funny rhyming picture books and middle grade novels that explore themes of the paranormal, mythology, and folk lore; because that’s what she was obsessed with growing up. She hopes to inspire the next generation of curious children who dream of things that exist beyond the normal.

She lives in Gloucestershire, surrounded by magical hills and ancient forests, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, two silly cats, and a dog with giant ears.

To make a Green Ghost cocktail, add the following to a shaker with ice - 40ml gin, 10ml Green Chartreuse, 10ml lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass... delicious!

Spotlight on...
The Legendary Mo Seto by A. Y. Chan

Book Summary 

Mo Seto, martial arts movie star! Has a nice ring to it doesn't it? If only there wasn't a height restriction to audition. But 12-year-old Modesty (Mo) Seto has never let her height get in the way before, not when she became a black belt, or when she fought the meanest boy in her class, and she's not going to let it stop her this time! Now if only she can figure out a way to grow five inches and fool everyone at the auditions... Join Mo on an adventure (and audition) of a lifetime and find out if powerful things really do come in small packages!

Author Bio

A.Y. Chan is the author of The Legendary Mo Seto, a story about a 12-year-old female martial artist who auditions for a movie role opposite her favorite martial arts movie hero—only to find out she's too small for the role. Growing up in Canada's Greater Toronto Area, A.Y. read all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored a range of other types of martial arts, and she draws upon her experiences in learning new techniques and philosophies to inspire her writing. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.

Why I wrote this book:

I started training in taekwondo when I was six and, growing up, I longed to read books about kick-butt girls doing kick-butt things, but there really weren't as many as I had hoped for. The idea for this book has been percolating in my head ever since. I wish to inspire kids not only to be brave and never give up, but also to be proud of who they are.

My inspiration for my story came from a real city-wide competition, where, like Mo, my protagonist, I faced off against a bigger, stronger boy during the final match. At that time, pairings were determined by belt-level and age, not by weight class. I ended up losing. I remember feeling so crushed by my second-place finish, and I kept replaying the fight in my head, wondering what I could have done differently.

I was also inspired by martial arts movies—especially the stunt actors and body doubles, and the thugs in the background serving as punching bags for the protagonist. As an introvert, I never wanted to be the main character...but to get beat up by the main character? That seemed awesome. After achieving my black belt in Taekwondo, I explored other types of martial arts and came away with an appreciation for the similarities and differences in the different forms, and how each has a unique philosophy linking the physical to the mental (and spiritual). Martial arts is about discipline and practice, but it's also about respect (for oneself and for others) and integrity. And, of course, indomitable spirit, the all-encompassing light within us all that shines with determination and hope and an unshakable optimism for a brighter tomorrow.

Best,

A.Y.