Well how time flies?! Bookbabblers has been babbling now for over 4 months, and the babble is just getting bigger and better! We now have nearly 20 children and teens on our review panel and a few parents and children reviewing for little ones, too. We’re in touch with lots of great publishing houses, and to mention but a few, a special thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Usborne Children’s Books, Templar Books, Puffin Books, Tick Tock books, Simon & Schuster and Andersen Press for sending us some fab books so far. Along with the fantastic publishers, we’re getting to know some brilliant authors. Last month the lovely Ellen Renner was ‘in residence’, this month we have the fabulous Tamsyn Murray and next month, the talented LA Weatherly will be joining us. Remember, you can pop to our forum and ask these authors anything you like when they’re with us, so go on, be nosy!

We have well over 1000 Bookbabblers now, with members on the website, Facebook and Twitter. We’ve reviewed over 50 books already and given away as many! We’ve heard from lots of different authors and have got plenty of chats going in our forum. It’s you guys that keep this group going, so please do keep on spreading the word. To support Bookbabblers, remember to buy your books in our shop. Even if our shop doesn’t have what you want listed (though surely you’d be buying and reading our recommendations?!) if you click through our shop and then buy absolutely ANYTHING from Amazon, you’ll be supporting us. Thanking you in advance…!

Now, we mentioned we have LA Weatherly with us next month. Can we remind you all that the amazing Angel is out in October – you can read our review of it here.We have, thanks to Usborne Children’s Books, 1 copy now to giveaway, and we can assure you, you’ll want to read this! To enter, comment on this post, retweet it or like it on Facebook. We’ll pick a winner on Wednesday at 8pm. Now, if you’re not the lucky one, go and pre-order it in our shop now!!

Finally, please do get in touch if you want to have your say with us. Whether you’re a publisher or author and would like to be featured, or you’re a Bookbabbler with some ideas or comments, don’t hesitate to contact us And, most importantly, read and babble with us each month!

Happy reading!

As Tamsyn’s ‘in residence’ this month, Amber shares her review of Stunt Bunny with us..

Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation – Tamsyn Murray

Meet Harriet Houdini, a young rabbit with lots of attitude, as she settles into life with her new family. Never destined to be a boring bunny, Harriet finds herself scouted by the producer of hit TV show Superpets and starts her career on the showbiz ladder. From daring backflips to thrilling escape attempts Harriet really is a Stunt Bunny extraordinaire!

The cover is so cool! I love the way that it looks like Harriet is actually jumping out of the book; if you look closely and read the words behind Harriet, you can see that it’s an actual page from the book which I think is really clever. Also, it looks like Harriet has chewed her way through the cover, like she’s trying to escape, which is funny!

I loved Harriet’s thoughts. They were so funny and cute! Harriet is such a clever bunny. The character EE (stands for Evil Edward) is a really mean character, but he gets nicer near the end of the book.

Tamsyn is so good at writing comedy, so I expected this book to be funny and it didn’t disappoint! A bunny called Harriet Houdini who can do back-flips?! Genius. The idea for this book is amazing and I have no idea how she came up with it – brilliant!

Any reader, of any age, will love this book. I read this book in one sitting because it was just so funny – it made me laugh out loud in places. I definitely recommend this book if you want a light, short, humourous read and it would be ideal for your little brother or sister! I give this book 5/5, I loved it!

Thanks, Amber. remember you can ask Tamsyn any questions in our forum this month.

And again from Anna…

Blood Feud – Alyxandra Harvey

It has been centuries since Isabeau St. Croix survived the French Revolution. Now she’s made her way back to the living and must face the ultimate test by confronting the evil British lord who turned her into a vampire and left her buried for two hundred years. That’s if she can control her affection for Logan Drake, a vampire whose bite is as sweet as the revenge she seeks…

I enjoyed this book although I did have a few issues with it. It’s not as exciting or gripping as My Love Lies Bleeding and it took me quite a lot longer to read. My Love Lies Bleeding was new and had a sort of sparkle. I felt this magic was sort of missing in its sequel. It was still a fun read but it didn’t have that same punch that I anticipated, having read the previous story.

I do love Harvey’s writing style though and this was certainly a plus. She has a style that is lovely to read even if the content isn’t what I would associate with her best. I felt there were too many characters and they weren’t introduced properly as they were in the previous story. I prefer to have fewer characters that I can get to know well, but perhaps that’s just me.

Nevertheless I do think that Blood Feud had some superb things to offer and as a fan of historical books, I liked that Harvey had written in historical sections relating to Isabeau’s human life. This really did interest me and was probably what I liked most about the novel. I also liked how there were new protagonists as even though I really liked Lucy and Solange (protagonists in My Love Lies Bleeding), it was good to get alternative perspectives.

Overall I did enjoy the book, it wasn’t what I expected and maybe I expected too much but if you have read My Love Lies Bleeding it’s probably worth a read. I’ll definitely be reading Out for Blood though as I’m sure Harvey has more to give. 6/10

Thanks, Anna, and thanks again to Bloomsbury for the review copy. The next book in the Drake Chronicles is Out for Blood, out November, and we’ll be bringing you our review of it soon..

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Anna..

My Love Lies Bleeding – Alyxandra Harvey

The Drakes are rather different to your usual neighbours. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange’s brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father’s killer.

My Love Lies Bleeding tells the tale of a family of vampires and the youngest of the family, Solange, on her journey towards her change to a full vampire which will take place on her sixteenth birthday. The chapters alternate between Solange and her best friend, a human, Lucy who shares the Drake family’s struggles as they are shunned by certain people in their area. What is so important about Solange though is that she is the first female born vampire and as a result is prophesised to become Queen. The action arises due to this prophecy, with the current Queen, Natasha, not wanting to give up her crown. This provides drama as many are desperate to get rid of Solange so that Natasha can keep the title.

Even though the vampire genre isn’t normally my first pick when I walk into a bookshop, when Bookbabblers recommended this book to me I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It’s gripping and the pages flew by. The mix of action, danger and romance is perfectly balanced and although at times I felt anxious for the characters I trusted Alyxandra Harvey that I would be satisfied with the ending. I was.

There are a lot of characters in this book but surprisingly this didn’t matter too much. Harvey introduced them carefully and I knew who she was referring to most of the time, be it Helena (the mother of the Drake children) or Kieran (a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father’s killer).  I was also a big fan of Nicholas, Solange’s brother, who ends up being perhaps more than just a friend to Lucy as they search together to find Solange.

One slight problem with it I felt was the two groups Helios-Ra and Hel-Blar. One of these is a group fighting vampires (HR) and the other being a group of erratic and dangerous vampires (HB). I felt the names were a tad too similar and not explained well enough to avoid confusion.

There has been some negativity towards this book and I don’t really agree with it. Maybe that’s because I’ve not explored the genre as fully as others may have but if you do like Historical fiction with vampires and a touch of romance try it. I wasn’t disappointed. 8/10

Thanks, Anna, and thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s books for sending us a copy. Look out for our review of the next book in the Drake Chronicles, Blood Feud, later today.

Today we’ve a review from Vjollca..

Emily and Jen Dance for Deeron – Jayn E Winslade

From the very moment Emily & Jen dance in Needwood, they encounter two worlds in one forest. One world is familiar, but the other is full of magic, danger and a battle soon to be lost. Deeron needs their help. In a race against time, Emily & Jen, along with Jen’s dog Bill, become the key to saving a magic herd of deer, a forest, and even their own mortal world. Undertaking a dangerous journey they risk their lives against the White Light of Evil to ‘Dance for Deeron.’ Based around a real life event called the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, Emily & Jen Dance for Deeron is an original and exciting work, blending folklore, fantasy, dance and music into a magical tale of good versus evil and enduring friendship.

This story begins when Emily is sent from her home in the city to spend the summer holidays at Oak Dale Farm with a girl called Jen.  The girls dance in the forest near the farm  and meet a magical herd of deer.  Emily and Jen help Deeron, the leader of the herd of deer, to fight evil Smolder Baggot.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes nature, dancing and adventures.  My favourite character is Deeron, who is kind and brave. The story is very exciting and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen in the end.

Thanks, Vjollca. You can buy it here now..

A review from Wendy, for little ones…

Big Red Bath – Julia Jarman

A story book about the theme of children in the bath and the mess that they can get into! The story starts with Ben and Bella in the bath splashing water and bubbles everywhere. They are then joined by various animals until a Hippopotamus slips and knocks the bath out of the door and they end up in space until flamingos tow them home again. It ends with Mum giving them a cuddle after their big red bath.

The book is a nice length for a bedtime story with bright and colourful illustrations. For parent s the book is easy to read and flows nicely.

My three year old enjoyed the story and liked naming the animals and guessing which animal was going to be next to jump into the bath.

I would also recommend it as an early reading book as my five year old was able to read it herself and was also interested in learning all the animals. She thought the book was very funny especially as she loves nothing better than making a mess in the bath!

Thanks, Wendy. Like the sound of it? You can buy it from us now..

A few weeks ago we heard from Sophia Bennett on her favourite heroines, and now we find out who Stephanie Burgis, author of A Most Improper Magick, would choose..

Thanks! Good question, Stephanie – tell us, Bookbabblers! You can buy Stephanie’s book in our shop now..

Today we have a review from Bookbabbler Amber…

Chocolate Box Girls: Cherry Crush – Cathy Cassidy

Cherry Costello’s life is about to change forever. She and Dad are moving to Somerset where a new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. And on Cherry’s first day there she meets Shay Fletcher; with suntanned skin and sea-green eyes he’s the kind of boy who should carry a government health warning. But Shay already has a girlfriend, Cherry’s new stepsister, Honey. Cherry knows her friendship with Shay is dangerous – it could destroy everything. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to stay away from him…

The cover is so gorgeous and yummy. I love that some of it is illustration, but the pictures of the chocolate aren’t! Mmm… I also love the silver against the bright red. It looks fun and entertaining, yet also sophisticated and…..well….chocolate-y!

The whole idea of The Chocolate Box Girls is just genius. Apparently there will be five books in total (Cherry Crush being the first one), each book being from the point of view of each sister. This one is from Cherry Costellos. I love the way she looks at things, and yet I feel sorry for her sometimes too. Her stories are magical, and mysterious….love it!

My favourite character, apart from Cherry, is Shay. When he first appears in the story, I thought he was a bit weird, but then further on in the book, I thought he was quite cool.

My overall rating of this fabulously amazbrilltastic book is 5/5! It has friendship, a gypsy caravan and chocolate….what more could a great book need?

Thanks, Amber. Thanks to Puffin Books for sending us a copy.

Tamsyn’s ‘in residence’ with us this month, and has written this fab post…

Danger, Danger! Why It’s Not Always Good To Talk.

Picture the scene; you’re reading a brilliant book, with a plot that twists and turns more than Nemesis at Alton Towers. The main character is in mortal danger…you’re not sure if they’re going to make it…they’re stranded miles from anywhere and the villain is closing in…then they whip out their mobile and call their mum. Straight away, the tension deflates like a balloon dog with a puncture and suddenly, you’re not sure this is such a great book after all.

In the olden days, it used to be so much easier for writers to put their characters into dangerous situations. Look at The Famous Five, forever falling down abandoned mines and catching smugglers in the act. How much fun would it have been if Julian had pulled out a phone and called 999 instead of exploring murky tunnels? Or if instead of carrying on through the wardrobe into Narnia, Lucy had texted Edmund to come and find her?

That’s why writers are always looking for ways to escape from the tyranny of modern technology. Historical novels don’t have a problem, obviously; nor do fantasy stories.  Science-fiction brings different challenges but it’s easy to invent some future catastrophe to wipe out the network.  It’s writers of stories set in the modern day who have it worst. Most come up with ingenious plot devices to give reasons why mobile phones aren’t available to save their characters; in My So-Called Afterlife, Lucy is a ghost and can’t text the living (but I took pity on her and gave her a ghostly mobile to keep in touch with other ghosts). In Dark Life by Kat Falls, the characters spend a lot of time underwater, with no way to keep in touch. It gives the more dangerous scenes a real edge, especially when you know there’s no help around the corner.

So, next time you’re reading a book and start wondering why the main character doesn’t just phone a friend, have pity on the poor tortured writer. They’ve probably spent ages thinking up reasons why the mobile isn’t working. Because let’s be honest, a flat battery lacks imagination. And none of us wants to be guilty of that.

Thanks, Tamsyn! You can chat to Tamsyn in our forum and ask her any questions you like…

Today we have a review from Wendy, for little ones….

Stan and Mabel – Jason Chapman

A story book about a cat called Mabel and a dog called Stan and how they set up the greatest animal orchestra in the world. Every book sold means a donation to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home where the author is artist in residence.

The book starts with Stan and Mabel living in a high rise block and how unhappy they both are, the only happiness they have is listening to the lady downstairs playing her beautiful music. When the music suddenly stops they set off to investigate why and find a letter about auditions for the greatest orchestra in the world that are being held in Italy. The book then follows their adventure travelling to Italy and how they form an animal orchestra along the way. It turns out that the lady downstairs is a judge and they become the greatest animal orchestra and tour the world.

This book is wonderfully illustrated. It has a mixture of black and white cartoon type drawings that help to tell the story and coloured ones that exemplify the written words.

My three year old enjoyed this book but did lose concentration as it’s longer than we would normally read him.

My five year old enjoyed the book and was very curious about how the animals could play the instruments and travel all round the world which made for a nice discussion about the book.

I would suggest that the book would be most appropriate for children who have started to read as it is longer than the average story time read.

Thanks, Wendy and thanks to Templar for sending us a copy.