Sammy Versus the Smartphone by Victoria Williamson

This book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions! Some parts are heart-breaking, how Sammy gets so hurt by just one negative comment, and how easy it is for people you trust to surprise you or let you down. It's also very hopeful, that we can find a way to work with technology rather than letting it rule our lives.

Hollis is super creepy and I don't know how the whole family didn't think so right from the beginning!

It was amazing to see how easy it is to get addicted to the range of apps and tools on a smart-phone and even parents can forget their initial reservations. A good lesson from this is that the whole family is susceptible, it's not just kids and peer pressure.

Book Summary

My parents have a new daughter.

One who’s smarter. Prettier. Better.

Her name is Hollis. And she’s my worst enemy.

Tonight, I made a decision. It’s either her, or me.

I only have one way to win my family back.

I have to KILL Hollis!

Sammy loves football, being creative, and spending time with her family and friends. But when she gets a smartphone for her eleventh birthday, everything changes.

HOLLIS, a holographic AI interface, is Sammy’s perfect digital double. She’s determined to get Sammy hooked on scrolling on social media, posting stunning selfies, and obsessing over likes and comments. Soon enough, Sammy’s family and friends become addicted to their devices too, and, thanks to her tech-obsessed head teacher, the hands-on learning Sammy loved is no more.

Stressed, unhappy, and bullied online, Sammy decides to fight back!

Can Sammy win the war against the attention-sucking smartphones that have taken over her life?

To appease Hollis, I have created the Pretty (Smart) in Pink. Crush a few chunks of watermelon in a glass and then either keep the bits (I like them) or strain (whatever you prefer!). Add 30ml vodka and 10ml lemon juice. Add some ice, top up with lemonade and then stir.

Spotlight on...
A Dangerous Crossing by Jane Mitchell

Book Summary

Ghalib doesn't want to leave his home in Syria. But the city has become too dangerous, and his family has no choice but to flee. Together they make their way through Syria to the Turkish border, where Ghalib gets separated from his family. Stricken with grief and fear, fighting cold, pain and hunger, he manages to make it to a refugee camp in Turkey. Ghalib is safe for now, but life in a refugee camp is wretched and hopeless, and this boy's journey in search of safety is far from over. Based on true accounts and real Syrian children, A Dangerous Crossing is the story of one boy's search for refuge.

Author Bio

Jane Mitchell lives in Dublin and works with children with physical disabilities. Her Amnesty International- endorsed novel A Dangerous Crossing (Little Island), about a Syrian family fleeing the war, has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide. Jane spent time volunteering at the refugee camp in Calais to research the book. Chalkline (Walker), about child soldiers in Kashmir, won the Children's Choice Award at the 2010 CBI Awards.

Spotlight on...
Fiona and the Forgotten Piano by Kate DeMaio

Today I am spotlighting the amazing winner of BBNYA 2025! It's a middle grade fantasy and you can find out more about both the book and the competition below.

Book Summary

Eleven-year-old Fiona isn’t allowed in the Fermata woods. And though its unique trees are fascinating, Fiona has no problem following her mother’s rules. That is, until the trees begin to sing.

Suddenly, it feels as though long forgotten memories are being unlocked in Fiona’s mind. As she nears the woods edge, the trees fall silent, so silent even the leaves stop rustling. Fiona will finally break the rules and venture into the woods. She’ll soon find herself traveling through portals to undiscovered worlds. And she’ll have to trust her instincts and her quirky new friends to bring back the music or she may get lost within its notes.

Author Bio

Kate grew up in Salem, Massachusetts surrounded by ghost stories and witch tales. As a microbiologist, she studies the tiny worlds of bacteria, viruses and antibodies. As a writer, she creates magical worlds of her own. Kate now lives just outside of Boston with her husband, son, dog and cat.

Kate can be found online at:

Website X Instagram Bluesky

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. 

Author Interview with Jonathan Brough 

I'm back with an interview with the author of Aaha! Racing to the Rescue — A Bear Trapped in Time. You can read my original post here including my book review and a guest post from the author.

I love astronomy, so I was very keen to read about this protagonist! Is astronomy a passion of yours? What made you include it?

Gosh- lots of reasons really! Partly there’s the whole sci-fi thing: the great unexplored space (literally!) where anything can happen: if black holes definitely exist and wormholes are theoretically possible, who’s to say that anything at all in the imagination isn’t possible- even a belligerent Starship Commander in a repurposed airport on the outskirts of London!

More practically, though, I worked as a primary school teacher for over 30 years and know all too well that children can understand complex topics more easily when they’re wrapped up in a story. So, whilst the novel is undoubtedly an accessible and fast-paced adventure, the reader will find out what they need to know about the Earth in Space at primary school too- all through osmosis and jokes!

Getting to the airport on time is always a bit of a mission. I really related to the experience in the book, especially getting up in the middle of the night! Was this how you remember childhood holidays, too?

We didn’t often fly abroad when I was little, although I do remember a certain middle-of-the-night escapade to what is now East Midlands Airport when I was about six. If my memories are to be trusted, we were going all the way to Guernsey… fortunately, though, I’ve been able to fly quite a lot during my adult life. Checking in on time, and then having to find ways to keep entertained during subsequent delays never seems to get any better though!

Can you tell me a bit about your writing process?

For me, it’s undoubtedly the idea generation that takes the time. I love love love A6-size hardback notebooks that fit into a trouser pocket, and I can fill them with emerging ideas as they slowly grow and mature. Then I plot everything really, really carefully into ten key plot points. By the time I’ve done all that, which sometimes takes months, the writing happens quite quickly because I don’t get stuck. Editing still takes a while, though, and I do it two full edits before I let work get anywhere near a publisher or industry professional. First, I edit the manuscript in the same text font and size that I used when I wrote it, then I deliberately change font, style and line spacing so that different parts of each sentence are in different places on the page- it’s amazing how many extra things I spot after that.

The end of the book had me feeling quite emotional. Did you plan to get your readers tearing up?

I’m glad the climax of the book had an impact on you as a reader! Whilst, of course, I don’t want to distress anyone, I do want to take the subject matter- that of realising responsibilities to younger siblings- seriously, and I need to show that the protagonist has learned from her experiences. I agree that there’s half a page or so when it seems like all is lost… and if the reader lives that alongside Aaha, I feel I must have done a good job… but of course there’s a happy ending when the time comes; this is middle-grade fiction after all!

Finally, I have to ask, what's your favourite cocktail?

Definitely a kir royale- all the fun of childhood blackcurrant cordial with the sophistication of champagne!

Thanks so much to Jonathan for those thoughtful, informative answers and here's how to make a Kir Royale for anyone intrigued! It's very simple but delicious.

Pour 15ml of crème de cassis into a champagne flute, then slowly top up with champagne or prosecco.

Undercover Angel: Grounded by Lisa J. Allen

Book Summary

Trainee angel Phoebe Speedwell is stuck in the human realm and under strict instructions not to do ANYTHING. Which is tricky when she finds a dangerous beast in the school basement and unwelcome guests on her doorstep.

Helped only by her banshee best friend, a terrified trainee who’s completely out of his depth and a football-obsessed schoolboy, will Phoebe risk losing everything, reveal her secret identity and use her powers to save everyone?

Phoebe is a fantastic main character. She's a sarcastic, 503 year old trainee angel in the body of an 11 year old school girl, her best friend is a banshee and she lives with Auntie and what seems like a million cats! 

After (almost) completing her mission on the human realm, she was hoping to go back home. Unfortunately, vanquishing the banshees but letting Chloe the young banshee stay, isn't quite what her bosses had in mind so she's stuck for now.

Phoebe has definitely been given a tough deal but she won't let that stop her proving herself and becoming the love angel she's determined to be. All she has to do is stay put and resist interfering, then persuade the powers that be that she's much better suited to love than disease. You'd think that would be easy but a giant 3-headed dog, 3 Furies and some cryptic hints at her unknown strength, all make being docile that much harder.

I am now fervently hoping there will be more books in the series as book one was fun but now the overarching story is shaping up to be very intriguing! 

To make an Angel's Delight cocktail, put 30ml gin (I used pink gin for an extra flavour shot), 30ml triple sec, 40ml cream (or milk) and a few dashes of grenadine into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass, then enjoy!