CAVE BABY by Julia Donaldson and Emily Gravett. £10.99 hbk. ZOG by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler £10.99 hbk. TABBY MCTAT by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffle. £6.99 pbk
We've gone all Julia Donaldson this month after her hugely successful signing - along with lovely Emily Gravett - at Blast-Off on the 16th August. For those of you who couldn't manage we still have signed copies of both Julia and Emily's books.
The signing was to celebrate the launch of Julia and Emily's marvellous, Cave Baby. Cave Baby wants to be like his mum and paint pictures on the walls of their cave. But Cave Baby's pictures aren't quite what his parents want as interior decoration. Then one starry night a hairy mammoth comes to take Cave Baby on an exciting journey...
Zog is the keenest dragon in school. He's also the most accident-prone. Luckily, a mysterious little girl always comes by and patches up his bumps and bruises. But will she be able to help him with his toughest test: capturing a princess?
And finally, Tabby McTat the busking stripy pussycat is now into paperback. Tabby McTat was a busker's cat with a miaow that was loud and strong. The two of them sang of this and that, and people threw coins in the checked hat. Fred, the busker, and his cat, Tabby McTat, are purr-fectly happy, singing together all day long. But when Fred gives chase to a thief, the two are separated. Will they ever find each other again?
All in all these three new Julia books are a must for the home library of all small people and, of course, will make great birthday or Christmas gifts.
MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins. £6.99 pbk
Katniss has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem.
SHADOW WAVE by Robert Muchamore. £12.99 hbk
The series just keeps on going. After a tsunami causes massive devastation to a tropical island, its governor sends in the bulldozers to knock down villages, replacing them with luxury hotels.
Guarding the corrupt governor's family isn't James Adams' idea of the perfect mission, especially as it's going to be his last as a CHERUB agent. And then retired colleague Kyle Blueman comes up with an unofficial and highly dangerous plan of his own. James must choose between loyalty to CHERUB, and loyalty to his oldest friend. Will this really be James' last mission.
CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare. £9.99 pbk
This is the new series by Cassandra (City of Bones) Clare. We loved her first trilogy and this is shaping up to be more of the same excpet this time, set in Victorian London. Tessa arrives in England from New York only to find herself kidnapped by the creepy Dark Sisters. They force her to change into the forms of different dead people. She didn't know she could, she doesn't know why she has to and she's terrified as to what her fate might be. Then along comes those gorgeous shadowhunters to save her - led by handsome, yet secretive Will. Needless to say, Tessa and Will are attracted to each other but he's being such a sod about it - 'yeh I want you, nah, I don't', he's all brooding sarcasm she's all Victorian restraint and then, of course, there's the story. Where is Tessa's brother, Nate. What were the Dark Sisters up to? What is the wonderful Magnus Bane up to at the Pandemonium Club?
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: MORTAL COIL by Derek Landy. 12.99 hbk
Following the shocking revelations of Dark Days, get ready for the fifth instalment of the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series. Skulduggery is back, and reunited with his original head, but all is not well in the magical world - foreign powers are conspiring to take over the Irish Sanctuary.
LIES by Michael Grant. £12.99 hbk
It happens in one night: a girl who died now walks among the living, Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach, and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most - Drake. But Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness - or so they thought. As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake. And the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza, are preaching that death will set them all free. As life in the FAYZ becomes more desperate, no one knows who they can trust.
FURTHER NEW RELEASES
THE BLACKHOPE ENIGMA by Teresa Flavin. £6.99 pbk
When Sunni Forrest’s stepbrother accidentally transports himself into a Renaissance painting, she and her friend Blaise set out to bring him back. They find themselves in a strange world of labyrinths, monsters and pirates. Can they evade their greedy pursuers? And will they ever find their way home?
THE RED PYRAMID by Rick Riordan. £12.99 hbk
Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has travelled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe -- a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER by Stephenie Meyer. £11.99 hbk
The new novella is told in the voice of the teenage Bree, a "newborn vampire" whom we meet on page 569 in Eclipse. Ten pages later, she's dead. Bree is part of an army of newborn vampires created by Cullen family nemesis Victoria.
This 'cash in' novella is pretty much contained in the last week of the newborns' existence before the big fight and is the back story to one of these characters and her life as a killer in Seattle. Not much happens, there's not much tension and Bree is just another Bella - a bit pathetic and always in need of a man's protection. Yawn.
WHERE'S WALLY AND THE INCREDIBLE PAPER CHASE by Martin Handford. £6 .99 pbk
The search for Wally and his friends continues through more astounding scenes in this new classic title in the Where's Wally? series. As Wally travels through worlds of dinosaurs, soldiers, clowns and so much more he leaves a tiny piece of paper to look for in every scene. Featuring a fold-out Muddy Swampy Jungle Game - with press out counters and tongue-twister forfeit cards - and a press-out circus for Wally fans to put on their very own show. This is the most interactive Where's Wally? title ever.
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzgerald. £6.99 pbk
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
THE BRIDE'S FAREWELL by Meg Rosoff. £6.99 pbk
Pell rises early, leaving her wedding dress spread out on a chair, saddles her horse Jack and slips away from the house. She's decided she can't possibly marry Birdie, the smith's son, so she's running away. But her plans are complicated by Bean, her mute little brother, who insists, silently, on accompanying her. Pell has no real plan beyond going to the Salisbury horse fair and finding work. She certainly doesn't anticipate losing Bean and her horse. But Pell rises to every difficulty life throws at her. Brilliantly written adventure, love, coming of age story.
WORLDSHAKER by Richard Harland. £6.99 pbk.
This ‘steampunk’ adventure is set aboard the huge ship-city Worldshaker, where the elite live on the top decks while the 'Filthies' toil below, powering the massive engines. Col lives on the upper deck and he has been chosen as next Supreme Commander but when one of the ‘filthies’, a girl, a bit younger than him escapes and hides in his room Col is forced to make a shattering decision that will change the lives of everyone on board. His safe, elite world is about to fall apart.
UNINVITED by Tim Wynne Jones. £6.99 pbk
Mimi Shapiro had a disturbing freshman year at NYU, thanks to a foolish affair with a professor who still haunts her caller ID. So when her artist father, Marc, offers the use of his remote Canadian cottage, she’s glad to hop in her Mini Cooper and drive up north. The house is fairy-tale quaint, and the key is hidden right where her dad said it would be, so she’s shocked to find someone already living there — Jay, a young musician, who is equally startled to meet Mimi and immediately accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside: a dead bird, a snakeskin, a cricket sound track embedded in his latest composition. But Mimi has just arrived, so who is responsible? And more alarmingly, what does the intruder want? Part gripping thriller, part family drama, this fast-paced novel plays out in alternating viewpoints, in a pastoral setting that is evocative and eerie — a mysterious character in its own right.
GIFTS, TOYS AND GAMES
Lovely, lovely things for lovely, lovely people. Yes, that's you I'm talking to. We are now keeping book tie in items such as Penguin Classic notebooks, Ladybird, Little MIss and Mr Men, Dennis the Menace and the Dandy mugs. We have loads of Gruffalo related products like lunch boxes, water bottles, giant pencils, mugs and even an indoor croquet set which is ideal for us Scots and our rainy climes.
For both big and little kids alike we have a gun shaped LED dynamo torch. It's so cool if a little un-pc. We've got funky sound and light yoyos and real, metal slinkies - the kind that do go down stairs. I've tried it – one of the cats loved it and the other was freaked by that satisfying shooshing noise a real slinky on the move makes.
Then there's our games and puzzles. Big 24 piece Gruffalo and Hungry Caterpillar floor puzzles for small people. Rainbow Fairy, Where's Wally and Glow in the Dark Dinosaur jigsaws. And the cutest 101 Dalmation dominoes.
Add our gorgeous Roger La Borde cards and gift wrap and you have a one stop shop for all your birthday/Christening/Xmas/Mother's Day/Father's Day needs.
BUTTONBAG CRAFT BOXES
Whilst on holiday in Suffolk, Blasties came across these cute and incredibly easy sewing kits. Suitable for kids from about 8 upwards, the kits have everything included to make lovely birds and animals. And the little boxes then turn into homes for the plush creations. Genius.
Buttonbag say "Buttonbag sewing kits are perfect for both beginners and more accomplished sewers. Each design has been created for hand-sewing and offers plenty of scope for personalising and embellishing with ribbons, embroidery, beads and buttons. All the kits have clear paper patterns and instructions."
