The Wild Before by Piers Torday

My dog Nell says that it is important you listen to the creatures and read this book.

Can one young hare save the world?

Rich with beautifully described nature, witty wordplay and gut-clenching drama, Piers Torday’s The Wild Before is a powerfully compelling read that has flavours of Richard Adam’s Watership Down.

When unseasonal snow falls in spring, Little-Hare discovers and names a newborn calf. The Bull - his Wildness - tells him that according to an ancient prophecy, he must save the calf and stop the Terribleness, or the end of the world will come. So, Little-Hare sets out on a quest to find the flower of hope, desperate to cure Mooncalf and prevent the end of the world.

I have loved every Piers Torday book that I’ve read. He’s one of the most interesting and imaginative writers creating books for young readers today. I’ve read all of The Last Wild series, so it’s unsurprising that I enjoyed The Wild Before. But this book is different from those that follow. Firstly, the narrative point of view belongs to the wild animals, and the natural world is delightfully and vividly brought to life through their eyes. I particularly loved the singing harvest mouse. Piers has created their language with clever naming conventions that create moments of joy and humour in what is an urgent and dramatic story that had me holding my breath at times.

It strikes me, that this powerful story stages the dichotomy of the times we are living in, where courageous children are striking for the climate and demanding change, but grown-ups in power refuse to listen and fail to act. There are layers of meaning in this slim volume that will make readers think and inspire conversations about climate change.

In short, you must read this important little book. For extra impact, read it in the shade of a beautiful oak tree on a summer day.

Vi Spy by Maz Evans

Pacy and packed with perfectly pitched puerile humour that will make you snort and that the kids will love. Vi Spy is a book on a mission, to get kids to read without them thinking it is a chore.

From the first sentence, the reader is dunked headfirst into Vi’s world of super spies and uber-villains. This book is a family story with a twist and is so inventive and lots of fun. It will keep you guessing and giggling with the turn of every page.

In a world where there are many humorous books written for young readers that don’t make much of an impact, because they lack depth, a varied vocabulary, content (so many of them are just lists), good characterisation and a protagonist that you can relate to, Vi Spy is a roundhouse kick of the butt followed by a karate chop to the windpipe. It deftly deals with the difficulty of having divorced parents, whilst totally staying focused on being an adventure. A trademark of Maz’s books is seamlessly weaving tough emotional realities through an utterly bonkers plot, surprising you with moments of overwhelming emotion and then making you laugh a sentence later.

Maz Evans is one of those authors who suffer from adults being the gatekeepers to things like reviews and prizes, as her books are one hundred percent written for children. This is why children LOVE her books and they are massive bestsellers despite some adults being sniffy about her rapid-fire quips and hilarious plots. Her Who Let the God’s Out Series is a massive hit in spite of these gatekeepers and Vi Spy will carry on this tradition of being a firm favourite amongst children, although I think it’s about time the grown-ups caught up.

That dastardly Maz Evans tried to blow up my cat with her book package!

FULL DISCLOSURE: Maz and I have known each other for a long time and are arch-enemies. My husband doesn’t know that I know, but I do know, that he is a Maz Mole, a super spy for Her Maz-nasty and part of a secret society of people she has hypnotised with her terrifying charm in an attempt to take over the book world. I would really like to tell you Vi Spy is terrible, and if one sentence of it was poor, I would quote it and dance around it singing ‘ner ner na ner ner’ and blowing raspberries. However, I am disappointed to have to admit that I have now read every sentence of the book, and it’s annoyingly good. It will be another slam dunk from Mrs Funny-pants Evans.

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor is wonderful. It will thrill, captivate and delight any young reader and did all of that and more to this older one. This will be why it won the Waterstones Children’s Book Award in 2018 for younger fiction and gets a glowing review from me now.

Middle years fantasy books are ten-a-penny and many employ tropes, tricks, narratives, and characters that the reader quickly recognises as thin copies of famous antecedents. It’s hard for any new book to muscle its way onto the shelf alongside His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings without looking like a poor cousin. Not Nevermoor. This book and I’d hazard a guess this series, is no scrappy distant relative to the greats. It makes its own space and will find its way into many hearts. It’s already in mine.

If you are looking for a wonderful fantasy for children that has a cast of diverse characters, then look no further. Jessica Townsend is inventive, masterfully seeds the plot and builds the tension to create a story that feels familiar, like a friend, and yet is utterly new and keeps you guessing. Nevermoor is a pleasure to read, Townsend’s use of language is sparing but on point, she balances pacy storytelling with character and world-building, spices it up with well-timed injections of humour to counter that darkness (I loved the barrel of frogs) and this fantastic story is all told in handsome prose.

If you are looking for something to restart your reading mojo, then I think this book might be it. If you want something to magically whisk you away from a life in lockdown, well this worked for me. You certainly close the cover with the immediate intention of reading the second book… which I’m off to do right now.

UPDATE: I have now enjoyed books two and three, Wundersmith and Hollowpox. I am delighted to discover that the author hopes to write nine books in this series and that her publisher has bought at least the first six, so that’s three more books to come! Hooray!

The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read & Laura Trinder

I finished The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder a couple of weeks before Christmas, and it was the perfect time of year to read this book. The story works well with cozy socks, a cup of hot cocoa, and a cat on your lap.

Our hero’s name is Emily's. Her parents have vanished into the secret world of the Midnight Hour - a Victorian London, frozen in time - home to magic and monsters. This fantastic magical adventure features a cast of Ghibli-esque characters, a feisty heroine, and an adorable hedgehog.

The inventiveness of the authors is charming and wonderful. The action is pacy and the mystery intriguing. Their other London, where time has stopped to prevent magic from our London, is a fabulous creation and constantly surprising. There are postbags stuffed with drama and mirth in the pages of this book, and I’m reliably informed there will be a sequel. Hoorah!

Any young reader who loves a magical tale will adore this book.

Evernight by Ross MacKenzie

Set in the Silver Kingdom, Evernight is a story about witches, toshers (similar to a mudlark, although scavaging sewers for lost riches, not river banks) and an evil darkness threatening to smoother the world unleashed by the power-hungry Mrs Hester. The Evernight is ancient magic that can only be stopped by the Doomsday Spell, and this story is the battle to find and control that spell.

There is no doubt in my mind that Ross MacKenzie is a wizard with words. Evernight is an artfully spun story, vividly conjuring a complex and convincing world of witches and magic unlike any other. Gripping from the first line, this book with thrill and delight in equal measure. A triumph of the imagination.

Lara, our unwitting hero, is a resourceful and gutsy girl. Loyal to her friends, fair-minded and fierce, her relationships with Joe and Double Eight are intriguing and I really hope there will be more to this world than just the one book.

I enjoyed reading this book immensely. It’s as if Ross got a massive cauldron and threw in all the best ingredients for a fantasy book: it’s inventive - check out the wands - has great characters - Shadow Jack is terrifying - has elements of myth, legend and old religion, mixed together with a giant imaginative spoon by Ross MacKenzie, and piff paff poof, a wonderful book!

If you like thrilling fantasy stories with gutsy protagonists, then Evernight is for you. I liked it so much I blurbed the cover.

The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomary

Ugly slugly fairies, chatty chavy trees, a shiveringly scary villain and a hero called Cal with Guardians he imagined into being when he was little - A giant tiger, a natty badger and a mouthy miniature knight!

I loved this book. It is a nail-biting adventure with so much heart, history and imagination. It must have been exhausting to write, but Ross Montgomary has done a beautiful job, and in my opinion, it’s his best book yet.

Set during the Blitz in WWII, Cal is journeying to London to try and save his sister, and on the way picks up a companion called Ruth who broadens Cal’s very limited, personal, view of the war. The pages of this joyous page-turner are jam-packed with fantastic folkloric creations and despite a gripping adventure, there’s humour and heart aplenty.

This is one of those books that children hug and read more than once. Teachers will love it because it has so much accurately researched history woven through it as well as a tender depiction of the Jewish faith and the journey of children on the kindertransport. Children will love the characters. It’s a veritable carnival of memorable, enjoyable and magical creations. (I loved Pendlebury - the tiger - who is motherly, and the character I most related to.) Parents will enjoy reading this with children and it has that ‘cuddle up and read it by the fire’ vibe with episodic adventure, dark moments, and then the light.

Perfect for a Christmas stocking, but a brilliant read any time of year. Why not grab The Midnight Guardians today?

The amazing cover and all artwork is by David Dean

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny is a beautifully written, gothic, imaginative tour de force. I loved it.

The Monsters of Rookhaven is a many-layered story. It’s about assumptions. It’s about grief. It’s about love. It’s about home. It’s about friendship, and it’s a coming of age story. But best of all, it’s about monsters. Some of the monsters I met in these pages will live on in my imagination forever - I particularly loved the Flowers of Devine Lapsidy and Piglet - and some of them will haunt my nightmares.

If you’re looking for a beautifully written, gothic horror (with a small H), exploring big themes, then I can’t recommend this highly enough. It delivers thrills, tears, warm feelings, and air punches aplenty. It really is marvelous.

You may or may not have noticed, but I haven’t posted a book blog in a while. This is because I’ve been writing so many of my own books. When I’m writing, I can’t read. My head is too full of the world I’m making to allow another one in. The Monsters of Rookhaven is one of the first books that I’ve opened and read all the way to the end in two days straight. All my other books are waiting, bookmark inserted, hoping for my time and attention so they can fulfill their destiny. It is a mark of how original and compelling Kenny’s narrative is that I managed to finish it so quickly. I couldn’t put it down.

This book is a perfect Halloween read, but The Monsters of Rookhaven is a timeless monster story for all year round. For ages 9 to 90.

The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods by Samuel J. Halpin

The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods by Samuel J. Halpin is a thrilling read. It’s a perfect autumnal or winter scary story. If you’re looking for a halloween read, or something to make your children hug you tight as you read together, then this is the book. It will appeal to fans of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. So, you have been warned. This book may scare you!

Of course if you enjoy being frightened whilst being safe and cosy under your duvet then you’ll probably enjoy reading The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods. Poppy is spending two weeks of the summer holiday staying with her Gran in a place called Suds. When she arrives mysterious things keep happening and she is greeted by whispered stories about children turning grey and disappearing. She meets an odd boy called Erasmus (who is a fantastic character and my favourite in the book), an eccentric and clever boy, and together they decided to uncover what is happing to the disappearing children…

Samuel J. Halpin has created a great detective story flavoured with fairy tales, drizzled with a syrup of fear and sprinkled with intelligence and heart.

The Malamander by Thomas Taylor

First and foremost The Malamander (great title) by Thomas Taylor is a really enjoyable read. I was steeped in the briny world of Eerie on Sea from the very first page.

In Eerie on Sea, mythical beasts walk the misty shores and legends of strange disappearances are part of the furniture. Nobody is what they seem.

The author Thomas Taylor gained notoriety for his covers, the first covers, of the Harry Potter books, but (rather annoyingly) it transpires that he writes as well as he draws. In this, his debut middle grade novel, he introduces us to a wonderful pair of detectives - Herbie and Violet – who have a riddle to solve, and an evocative location. Eerie on Sea is a seaside town and the unsettling mystery of the Malamander takes place in the wintry off-season when there are no tourists to fill the place.

The Malamander is fantastical storytelling at its best, with a Dickensian cast and a terrifying beast from the deep. This enthralling oceanic adventure had me hoping our heroic lost and foundlings will have more mysteries to solve in books to come.

I wanted to read on and on.

Charlie Changes into a Chicken by Sam Copeman

Sam Copeland’s debut, Charlie Changes into a Chicken is brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely moving. I would recommend this book to readers of age 6 and upwards. I’m definitely older than 6 and I hooted with laughter when I read it.

However, Charlie Changes into a Chicken is more than a joyous romp of a read. Through its relentlessly hilarious narrative it ingeniously communicates an important message for children who struggle with anxiety or are confronted by difficulties in their life. In the story, the bonkers transformations into crazy creatures occur when Charlie panics. He has to try and find a way to cope with these moments. In this, the first book in a series, it is his older brother’s ill health that is making Charlie anxious.

A great debut is one that you feel must have always existed, and this is one of those books. Every school library needs to have multiple copies and may I recommend it to every single parent out there.

Since I read this book, Sam Copeland has managed to produce a follow up story about Charlie, called Charlie Changes into a T-Rex. It’s bound to be a belter and I hear there’s a third one in the works and a film deal too. Grab a copy as soon as you can.

Bearmouth by Liz Hyder

The unique, dark, gem that is Bearmouth is a debut written by Liz Hyder and published in September 2019 by Pushkin Press. I would recommend it for readers aged 12 and upwards. The protagonist, Newt, is a child, but I’m not sure I would call this a children’s book. There is violence and death aplenty in the mine.

This book springs from the intelligent and generous imagination of Liz Hyder, a debut author who is no stranger to those who work in the book world. Liz is a Catherine-wheel of a human being, an effervescent delight to work or play with. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine she’d write a black diamond like Bearmouth. I’m a little in awe.

Bearmouth is a book about questioning authority and social structures, both religious and political. At times it reminded me of Emile Zola’s Germinal. It is a book about bravery, hope and the power of brains over brawn.

The story of Bearmouth is told by a child called Newt, in a powerful first person narrative. It is diary-like and the words are spelled phonetically as he learns his letters. You’re with Newt, cheek by jowl, every step of the way. His relationships with Thomas, Tobe and Devlin provide the pillars for his sanity in this hostile place. Newt’s methods of coping with the fear and danger of living and working in the mine show him to be smart, resourceful, strong and a thoroughly relatable protagonist. The world of the mine is evoked as solidly as the rock it’s hewn from, through Newt’s account of his day-to-day experience of working deep underground.

I read several books at once, and I happened to be reading Robert Macfarlane’s Underland at the same time. The two books are perfect siblings, Bearmouth a fictional sister to Macfarlane’s exploration of underground realms. The claustrophobic world below the rock is conjured equally well by both authors.

Every syllable of Bearmouth has been considered. There is not one word too many. There are twists and shocks waiting for you in the mine. This book is an accomplished, intelligent, gripping, and unforgettable debut. It is both tender, brutal, and at times truly terrifying. You will not read another book like Bearmouth and once you start reading you will not be able to put it down. I thoroughly recommend you read it. It’s a story you’ll never forget.

Fire, Bed & Bone by Henrietta Branford

On the advent of the twentieth anniversary of the Branford Boase award, Walker Books have brought out a new edition of Fire Bed & Bone by Henrietta Branford, for which she won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of this book and read it.

I won the Branford Boase award in 2017, but all I knew about Henrietta Branford was that she was a talented writer who had tragically died early in her career. I had not read any of her books.

Fire, Bed & Bone is unlike any historical children’s book I have read. Set in 1381, it tells the story of the Peasant’s Revolt through the eyes of a loyal dog, whose master Rufus is a peasant supporting the revolt. Compelling reading, this book powerfully evokes a brutal time, staging the conflict between the peasants and the landowners in a vivid and easily imagined way. I was gripped as soon as I opened the book and I didn’t stop reading until the last page. The story is gritty and horribly exciting with truly shocking moments. The dogs are invested with a truth and mysticism which highlights the crass nature of the humans. I can see why Henrietta Branford was heralded as a fresh, exciting and important voice when this book was first published, and despite the passing of twenty years, she remains so.

I heartily recommend this book to teachers engaging with the topic of the peasants revolt or the middle ages. It is a short, dramatic read that children will be immediately invested in, but be aware that the subject is violent and there are scenes that will upset some, so do read ahead.

Anyone out there who loves a good read, enjoys historical fiction, or wants an advanced class is narrative voice should read this book.

When I closed the book I was overcome with the feeling that if Henrietta Branford had had more time to spin stories, the world of children’s fiction would have been richer for it.

The Ravenmaster - My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife *****

Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to be at a Waterstones event featuring a gaggle of writers, one of which was Christopher Skaife, the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. I bought several of his books and got them signed, as I thought they’d make good Christmas presents. They did.

On the way home I opened my copy of the book, to see what I might find inside. I didn’t put it down until I got to the end. What a book! Once I had read it, I left if alone for a week and then read it again. I have read aloud more than a couple of passages to Sam, my husband, who has now read it and loved it, and the book has inspired a family visit to the Tower to see the ravens.

The Ravenmaster is a very special book. If you are interested in either birds, history, literature, the military, life in a castle, folklore, mythology, unusual careers, interesting people, then this book will delight you.

Even if you are not remotely interested in any of those things, this books is a biographical, non-fiction work that is quick to read, well written, funny in places and sometimes utterly profound. The relationship between the Ravenmaster and the ravens in the tower is fascinating. The job is fascinating. Christopher Skaife is fascinating. The birds are fascinating.

I cannot think of a single type of person who wouldn’t enjoy this book. Please, pick up a copy and read it. It is the very best kind of book. It gets my full five ***** and is appropriate for readers 12 and up.

Lightning Chase Me Home by Amber Lee Dodd

In Amber Lee Dodd’s new book, a girl called Amelia - with the spirit of an explorer - makes a powerful wish and begins a mythical quest. In Lighting Chase Me Home, Amelia tells us the story of her surprising, touching and magical adventure.

This is the kind of book I loved to read when I was eleven. It reminded me of an Enid Blyton adventure. It’s set on a remote Scottish Island, which is a character in the story itself. The greatest female adventurers  to have ever lived provide courage and inspiration to our hero Amelia who is struggling with the separation of her parents and the repercussions of making a wish on her eleventh birthday.

Amber Lee Dodd has conjured up an emotional and thrilling tale, which is a delight to read, fast paced and hard to put down. Good for the adventurous girls and boys in your family.

The Skylarks’ War by Hilary Mckay

As I write this, Hilary Mckay’s book The Skylarks’ War is the Waterstones book of the month, and I’m not one bit surprised.

I read this over Christmas and can thoroughly recommend it. It is a beautifully written story about young people growing up during World War One, but in particular about Rupert, Peter and Clarry Penrose.

It starts off with hazy summers in Cornwall and the threat of boarding school. We follow the Penroses through their respective educations as they grow into young adults and war is declared.

The book deftly describes social structures, political views and prejudices without them weighing down the narrative. The characters are fully rounded, multifaceted creatures with social restrictions and struggles and passions each their own. The reader is emotionally invested in each and every one of them which is no small feat.

This book is a complex, engrossing, moving and joyous read, that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Hilary Mckay is a master of her art, her prose is a delight, and The Skylarks’ War feels like a classic from the very first chapter.

This book has been shortlisted for the Costa award and I would be delighted if it won. There’s something for everyone in this book. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy. It’s pretty special.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Me, on a sun lounger in Gran Caneria. Yes I am sat in the shade drinking tea. Can’t help being English now can I?

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd has been recommended to me by so many people, but it was Robin Stevens who made be buy it, because she wrote a sequel called The Guggenheim Mystery which I am eager to read, but of course I can’t read it until I’ve read the original mystery.

This book has been sat on my TBR (To Be Read) pile for over a year, so it went straight into my suitcase when I nipped off for a half-term holiday with the family.

Everything I have been told about this book is true. I consumed it in a gulp. It is brilliantly written and a fabulous mystery. The central characters of brother and sister, Ted and Kat, are complicated, fascinating and relatable. The set out to solve the mysterious disappearance of their cousin Salim, who got on the London Eye, but never got off.

Ted’s autism is handled deftly and sensitively, leading one to assume Siobhan Dowd must have done her research. What I enjoyed about the mystery is that the book is not about Ted’s autism, nor does it turn it into a mysterious superpower, however his way of thinking lends wonderful layers to the writing, as he shares his passion and knowledge of the weather.

I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this book. It’s refreshingly contemporary as well as challenging for those little grey cells, and the best thing is that Robin Stevens has written the sequel, so I get to read more.

The City of Secret Rivers by Jacob Sager Weinstein

A hilarious fantasy adventure set in modern day London.

A truly imaginative caper, involving a giant pig and the sewer system of London. In The City of Secret Rivers Jacob Sager Weinstein puts his screenwriting experience to good use, every chapter ends with the reader thinking: 'I'll just read one more.'

This is an exciting subterranean London adventure, and the first instalment of a middle-grade trilogy.

Hyacinth Hayward has recently arrived from America and is having difficulty adjusting to her new surroundings, especially being in the sole company of her eccentric mother. Everything feels strange. Very strange. And it gets stranger the day she accidentally unleashes the power of a secret river running through London. To prevent a second Great Fire, Hyacinth needs to retrieve a single, magically charged drop of water from somewhere in the city sewer system. Along the way she encounters an eclectic cast of characters – the shambling, monstrous Saltpetre Men who kidnap her mother, the Toshers who battle for control of magical artefacts and a giant pig with whom she has a tea party. The clock is ticking – will she figure out who to trust?

The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Full disclosure upfront. I love the lady who wrote this book. But, there is nothing that I'm going to say about The Way Past Winter that won't be backed up by a hundred other voices, and reviews. In the last two years, Kiran has become a well loved storyteller whose gift of creating beautiful emotional metaphors have become a trademark of her exquisitely told stories.

The Way Past Winter is another treat from the masterful author who gave us The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Island at the End of Everything. It is a fantastical snowy tale, about a family of three sisters and a brother, Mila, Pipa, Sanna and Oskar, who, having lost their mother to illness, lose their father to grief. Leaving his ring behind, he disappears into the forest and never returns. His disappearance coincides with the arrival of a winter which never melts into spring.

One day a fur-clad stranger arrives at their cottage in the forest with a band of men. In the morning both he, his men and Oskar have gone. The three sisters set out to find their brother and bring him home.

This story has the feel of an old Russian Folk tale, or fable. It is rich with evocative prose as the sisters travel north across frozen landscapes following the trail of their brother.

This, more than any of Kiran's other stories, is a page turner. It's truly gripping and otherworldly. A magical read about family, love and grief. For me the standout part of this books is the relationship between the three sisters, tender, blunt and fierce.

This book is published as a beautiful hardback in October, and I think will end up being a Christmas present in many a child's stocking, and what a wonderful gift it would be to receive. But, if you don't think anyone will get it for you, I recommend you treat yourself.

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit *****

I did not read The Railway Children when I was a child. Nor did I see the film. All that I knew was that there was a scene in the movie where Jenny Agutter waved a red flag at a train to stop it, with some other children.

My new writing project is all about trains, and so I immediately picked up this pretty pink hardback edition of the classic and set about reading it. I don't know what I thought it would be. If I'm honest, probably dull, fusty, written using antiquated language with some Famous Five type children and some trains. I was wrong. So wrong.

This book is about family, and bravery and decency and of all things, socialism. Oh goodness, how I loved it. I loved the children, Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter. They squabble and are ghastly to each other, and love each other desperately a moment later, just as real children do. And the railway is the wonderful device around which the whole book hinges, and is described in delicious detail.

Yes, some of the language is old-fashioned. E. Nesbit has a strange habit of breaking the fourth wall to skip bits she thinks aren't of interest, or that the characters wouldn't like us to know about, which both hurls the reader out of the story, yet makes us feel the characters to be all the more real.

What I wasn't prepared for was how much I grew to care about this fictional family and how much I wept at the end. Of course, you have probably read this book and are nodding, but if like me you haven't, then you are in for a treat.

A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars by Yaba Badoe

Some books are just special. A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars by Yaba Badoe is one of those books.

It is the story of fourteen year old Sante, who is part of Mama Rose's circus, has the skills of an acrobat and an uncanny affinity with animals.

Sante was found by Mama Rose when she was a baby, washed ashore in a chest stuffed with treasures. A survivor from a refugee ship that had sunk.

One day the circus arrives in a place where people recognise Sante, and her dreams of her dead family become cries from beyond their watery grave for revenge.

When I was reading this book, I fell in love with Sante. She is a great protagonist. And in fact I loved all the females in this book and the relationships between them. This book has strong, interesting and complex characters a plenty and they're mostly women.

The story is a powerful one, jam packed with the magic of the circus, the ghostly otherworld of the dead, and the horrors of people-trafficking. It is written artfully, rich with the imagery and magic of African folklore. You will not read another book like it. It is a page turner that had my heart beating a thousand different rhythms. At one point I could hear my heart galloping in my chest as I read, it is that dramatic.

I enjoyed every page of A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars and I will be buying it for every teenage girl I know with a birthday, because it should be read widely. If you haven't come across this book yet, then please seek it out, because, as I said, it is special, and you will thank me.

I can't wait to see what Yaba Badoe writes next. I'll be first in line at the till.