Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe is the latest book from fantastic author Victoria Eveleigh.

It follows Joe and his family as they move from Birmingham to the countryside. Joe thinks he’ll hate living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, especially when he finds out there is not yet an internet connection. Joe doesn’t know how he will cope with his new life, but things start to look up when his mother buys two ponies called Lady and Lightning. At first, he thinks that his mother and sister will take care of the horses, but when his mother is unable to ride Joe has the opportunity to step in and look after the horses.

There are some great characters in this story that are very likeable, from neighbour Caroline and her family to local Romany woman Nellie. I particularly enjoyed the way in which Eveleigh draws aspects of Joe’s city life to his new area, such as when Joe is surprised that he can continue with aikido in one of the local towns.

Victoria Eveleigh has got to be one of the best writers of pony stories around and it was refreshing to read a pony story with a boy as the lead character. Her books are fun to read and are also packed full of knowledgeable information. For example, readers of Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe will read about shoeing and navicular among other things. This is a magical, classic story that I loved reading and highly recommend. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment in this series.

Thank you to Orion for sending me a copy to review.

Burn for Burn is a fast-moving story about three very different girls out for revenge. Lillia has always been a pretty, popular girl with no boy troubles. But when one goes too far, Lillia will never let the same thing happen to her little sister who seems determined to live Lillia’s life. Kat has had the insults, rumours and jokes for a long time. And all because of one person – her ex best friend. Mary left the island because of a boy but now she’s not the same girl anymore and she can finally prove it.

All three girls are drawn together by a mutual desire for revenge. They were hurt and they want to hurt those people right back.

Burn for Burn started off a little on the slow side for me but once it picked up, wow! I could barely put it down. It was intriguing, funny, painful and emotional to read. Very reminiscent of Mean Girls but with more of an edge. And sadly, no Karen.

I felt for each and every one of these girls and was sorry for what happened to them. This story is full of drama and action, and I for one can’t wait for the sequel.

Review by Pamela.

Thanks Pamela and thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending us a copy to review.

The Bone Dragon is an outstanding debut novel by Alexia Casale.

It is a dark, magical story about fourteen year old Evie who has to undergo major surgery and have a rib removed. There is a strong sense of mystery surrounding this book, which is prominent from the very beginning with the circumstances leading to Evie’s operation. Evie’s lovely Uncle Ben carves the rib bone that has been removed into a dragon for her to keep. At night, the dragon awakens and whispers messages that will help Evie regain her confidence. We know that something bad has happened to Evie in her past and this is something that she must recover from as well as the operation. It is not until later in the novel that you begin to get an idea of what Evie really went through.

As Evie slowly recovers, she finds herself spending more and more time with the dragon and going on adventures. It is an absorbing plot that blurs reality and fantasy, I was completely hooked. Friendship is also an important aspect of the novel and the relationship between Evie and her two close friends Phee and Lynne is prominent throughout the book.

This is a beautifully written book that is full of mystery, suspense, friendship and hope. It is a powerful read that is like a modern day coming of age story. I did not want to put it down and can’t stop thinking about it now that I have finished.

I loved the cover of this book, it’s one of my favourite covers of the year so far.

5 stars

Thank you to Faber for sending me a copy to review.

Magic Trix – The Witching Hour is the first in a delightful new series for young readers by talented author Sara Grant.

On her tenth birthday, Trix learns that she is going to be in training to become a witch and ultimately a fairy godmother. The training is carried out in secret in an after school club. It is a very select group of five girls including three from The Enchanted Grove School, a nearby school. The hardest thing for Trix is that she must keep this a secret from everyone, including her best friend Holly. This becomes even harder when Stella from The Enchanted Grove School starts to be nasty.

This is a lovely and beautifully illustrated story, which delicately deals with some important issues including friendship and bullying. My favourite aspect of the book was seeing the familiars link up with their young witches – I completely fell in love with Jinx the little kitten. I can’t wait to read the next instalment in this series.

You can find out more about Sara Grant and the Magic Trix series on her website: http://www.sara-grant.com/magic-trix-2/

Thank you to Orion for sending me a copy to review.

Poppy Cat Birthday Treasure and The Mystery Trail are part of a collection of books about Poppy Cat. There is also a TV series on Nick JR and Poppy Cat can be found at http://www.poppycat.com/

Birthday Treasure finds Poppy Cat on her birthday where she is given lots of lovely presents by her friends including a treasure map that takes her on an adventure in a hot air balloon into the mystery jungle.

The Mystery Trails find Poppy Cat and her friends on the mystery of Owl’s disappearing book complete with their own detective kit. The adventure takes them on a trail to the purple pine forest.

Poppy Cat is illustrated with bold bright colours with the characters drawn in a simple way and Poppy Cat herself has a lovely beaming smile. My 2 children love watching Poppy Cat on the television so were very excited when these books arrived and they read them straight away. As the books are simply written they are ideal for reading aloud with your children as well as early reader books.

Reviewed by Wendy.

Thanks Wendy and thank you to Macmillan for sending us a copy to review.

Holly Webb is a fantastic author and I was excited to read that she had a new detective story out set in Victorian London.

Maisie lives with her grandmother in a London boarding house (there is a lovely illustration of the house and various rooms at the start of the book). When she finds an abandoned puppy, she knows that she must take it home but is not quite sure how to persuade her grandmother to let her keep it. She is determined to be a detective and the puppy becomes her first mystery, after all who would abandon such a cute creature? It is the puppy who then leads Maisie to her first real case, tracking down a thief at the local butcher’s who has framed one of the young boys working there.

I loved Maisie’s character, she comes across as very brave and full of energy. I really enjoyed the setting of Victorian London, as it lends an edge of mystery to the plot.

Beautifully illustrated, this is a wonderful book for younger readers especially any budding detectives out there. I am pleased to see that there are more books to come in this delightful series.

Thank you to Stripes Publishing for sending us a copy to review.

I am a huge fan of Mary Hooper and couldn’t wait to read her latest novel ‘The Disgrace of Kitty Grey’.

The story begins in Devon where Kitty works as a dairy maid at Bridgeford Hall. She clearly loves her job and speaks affectionately of her cows and dairy. She looks up to the young ladies of the household and is eager to please them. She is also in love with Will the local river keeper and is sure that he will propose to her. However, one day Will disappears and Kitty is certain that he has gone to London to try and earn more money. She is shocked and upset that he would desert her and jumps at the chance to go to London on behalf of her mistress to fetch a new book from a publishing house, in the hope that she can also track Will down. London, however, is not at all what Kitty imagined and she soon finds herself trapped in a ruthless city with little money. Will she find Will and manage to make it back to Devon?

Kitty is a wonderful heroine and tries her best in every situation, I felt so sorry for her at times as everything seems to go wrong. Mary Hooper is brilliant writer and the descriptions of early nineteenth century London are vividly brought to life complete with all of the sights, sounds and smells. There are also a number of issues covered which were prominent at the time, such as the justice system and prisons. I found this book addictive to read and finished it in one sitting.

I loved this novel and would recommend it for fans of historical fiction. I also thought that the cover is beautiful.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review.

Forbidden Friends is the second book by talented author Anne Marie Conway.

Bee and Lizzie make friends whilst on holiday in Spain and quickly become inseparable. However, when their parents discover their new friendship they are forbidden from seeing one another. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Lizzie hatches a cunning plan that would mean the two friends can meet up once they get home.

At the same time, both Bee’s and Lizzie’s families have been acting strangely. Bee’s dad has disappeared and the holiday to Spain is something that her mother would never normally arrange. Then there are the strange pink letters that keep arriving at the house, Bee is desperate to find out what they contain. Lizzie’s parents are completely overprotective and do not allow her to go anywhere alone, they don’t even allow her to go to school, so she knows that she must try and keep her friendship secret. However, even she is not prepared to be told that she can never see Bee again. Is this somehow related to the strange events in Bee’s family and is it just a coincidence that they were on holiday in the same place?

The novel is told from the dual perspectives of Bee and Lizzie, I really loved this aspect of the story as it allows the reader to get to know both characters.

This is a fantastic story that is gripping, moving and full of suspense. I didn’t want to put it down and would rate it as a five star read.

Thank you to Usborne for sending me a copy to review.

Harmattan is a moving and heart wrenching novel set in the Republic of Niger. Told from the viewpoint of twelve year old Haoua, it explores a number of complex and important issues including child marriage and aids.

Haoua lives at home with her parents and two young siblings in a remote village. Her elder brother Abdelkrim, to whom she is very close, is in the military and is often away. School is not something that everyone attends in Niger, but Haoua has been lucky and is sponsored to attend school through the Vision Aid scheme. She is a very conscientious student and loves her studies so much that she hopes to be able to become a teacher when she is old enough. However, when Haoua’s mother suddenly falls sick it falls to her twelve year old self to take over most of the household roles.

Set against the backdrop of increasing instability in the country, Weston cleverly intertwines political upheavel and civil unrest into the plot. In the scenes set in the capital of Niamey, the tension is so prominent that the reader can feel it pulsing through the pages.

Haoua is such a brave heroine and seems to go through so much for her age. It is only at points when she gets excited about little things, such as a calculator, that you remember how young she really is. I particularly like the way that we get to know Haoua through the letters that she sends to her Vision Aid sponsors, the Boyd family, in Ireland. This presses home the stark difference in reality between Hope and Katie Boyd’s western existence in Ireland and Haoua’s own life.

This is a beautifully written story that I urge everyone to read. I was interested to read that the author has spent time working in Niger and this is certainly evident in his writing.

5 stars

Let’s Talk About is a series of first experience photographic books aimed at toddlers to pre-schoolers and their parents that are Informative and humorous.

In My New Baby Jack will soon be having a new baby brother or sister. In the book Jack narrates what is going on around him and the changes that are happening in his life and to his Mum. The story is illustrated with funny photos that are augmented with some black and white cartoons and these show Jack’s perceptions of what is going on. The book is hardback and just the right size for little hands and uses lovely bright colours for the text. At the back of the book are ‘nuggets of wisdom’ from parents.

This is a great book for little ones that are expecting a new brother or sister as it allows them to consider the arrival from their own unique perspective and the photographs give authenticity.

Reviewed by Wendy.

Thanks Wendy and thank you to Macmillan for sending us a copy to review.