From the publisher: The Addams Family meets The Westing Game in this exhilarating mystery about a modern magical dynasty trapped in the ruins of their once-grand, now-crumbling ancestral home.Twelve-year-old Garnet regrets that she doesn’t know her family. Her mother has done her best to keep it that way, living far from the rest of the magical Carrefour clan […]
Category: Book Recommendation
Happy New Year & Classic Irish Childrens Fiction
Happy New Year! Yes, another year has arrived! Although I am not happy with how quickly 2022 came and left us (seriously, how did that happen so fast?), I am pleased with how my writing year went. My second book was published, I gave writing classes for kids, I did school visits, I was interviewed […]
Book Review: Emba Oak & the Terrible Tomorrows
Emba lives in a cave with Fred, the Wise Hermit of Witcherly Wood. Fred is the guardian and interpreter of the Tome of Terrible Tomorrows, a book of obscure prophecies, as well as the only mother Emba has ever known. When Emba sees a dragon that no one else does, Fred decides come clean about […]
Book Review: Knights of the Borrowed Dark
Recently I was at an event in the Museum of Literature Ireland hosted by author Dave Rudden, so naturally I picked up a copy of his middle grade series, the Knights of the Borrowed Dark. The son of a friend of mine loved the first book in the trilogy so much he lent me his […]
Book Review: A Storm of Sisters
I really enjoyed A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison which I read in the summer, so when I saw another in the series, I happily bought it. I didn’t realise it was book 4, but it’s a standalone adventure so it didn’t matter that I had missed books 2 and 3. This time, Betty, […]
Book Review: Amari and the Great Game
“Being good is a choice, and it’s one you have to keep making.” So Maria Van Helsing tells Amari, and this theme is threaded throughout the book as Amari, surrounded by enemies, old and new, must choose between right and wrong, being selfless or self-interested, or showing forgiveness and mercy to those she has reason […]
Book Review: The Green Ember
The Green Ember was first published in 2014 but I only came across it recently when my sister recommended I read it. She thought I’d like a fantasy tale featuring sword-wielding rabbits. I didn’t like it… I loved it! (Apologies, channelling UK Bake Off the professionals!) Siblings Heather and Picket are two young rabbits approaching […]
Book Launch: Revenge of Queen Rose
I am thrilled to announce that today, Monday June 27th, is publication day for book 2 in my middle grade fantasy series, Revenge of Queen Rose, so this is a special post to mark the occasion. June has been a busy month for me, between interviews, delivering fantasy writing workshops to eager and very talented […]
Book Review: Murder on the Safari Star
By M. G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman Hal is thrilled when Uncle Nat takes him on a steam train (the Safari Star) to travel from Pretoria, South Africa, to the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe/Zambia border. This is their third train holiday together and each of their previous trips have led to Hal solving a […]
Book Review: A Wilder Magic
This week TOTP shares the photo with his half-sister who lives close to him. Sybaline Shaw lives in a beautiful magical valley in the Appalachian mountains, but when the government builds a damn and plans to flood the valley, Sybaline is determined not to leave her home. For the valley is filled with magic, magic […]
Valinora Troy 