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The House on the Edge by Alex Cotter

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cover illustration by Kathrin Honesta

ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Jul 2021

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“This story has one of the strongest voices I have ever read. The character of Faith is gripping – readers feel every bit of her panic and her urgency to protect her home and family. This is a captivating story of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Young readers will be swept away in this brilliant combination of folklore and modern family issues.” Scope For Imagination
“What a debut novel from Alex Cotter! A great, pacy plot, cracking characters (Faith herself, as well as Mrs Hollowbread, the grumpy teacher!), and the story being told first-person through Faith adding a real sense of engagement and empathy with/for everything that was going on.”  Whatiread
“There are great, surprising twists and by the end everything reaches a thrilling climax with the answers slotting together like bricks. This is unusually different – in all the best ways.” Chris Soul

A tense thriller that’s impossible to put down – perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and Fleur Hitchcock. Where has Faith’s dad gone? Why has he left his family living in an old house perched on a crumbling cliff top? A crack has appeared in the cliff and Faith watches anxiously as it gets bigger and bigger each day… Her brother is obsessed with the sea ghosts he claims live in the basement, and when he disappears as well, Faith starts to believe in the ghosts too. Can she find her brother and bring her father back before everything she cares about falls into the pitiless sea below? A great mystery with real heart, from a captivating new voice in middle-grade fiction.

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an enthusiastic reader-response:

Twitch by M. G. Leonard

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Jun 2021
Times Children’s Book of the Week 5 Jun 2021

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“…an absolute triumph. The perfect blend of mystery and adventure, a winning hero with an eye for ornithological facts and a heart as big as the countryside, plus a cracking whipsmart plot, I think this is M. G. Leonard’s best book yet.” Christopher Edge
“Right from the opening tense episode in which twelve-year-old Twitch successfully intervenes to prevent a group of lads from hurting a pigeon, this pacey adventure story immediately grabs your attention and ensures you’re already rooting for a boy who prefers the company of birds to most humans.” BfK 5 STAR review

From the internationally bestselling author of Beetle Boy and the Adventures on Trains series, comes the first book in The Twitchers, a brand new mystery adventure series celebrating friendship, bravery and the incredible world of birds, starring a birdwatching detective called Twitch!

Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict?

Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?

Waiting For Murder by Fleur Hitchcock

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A new, pacy thriller from the author of the Clifftoppers adventures.

It’s a long, hot summer. As the water drains away from the reservoir, a car emerges. And there seems to be a body in it, a body that then disappears… Daniel and Florence start to investigate and uncover a long-ago robbery, missing gold and murder. When the drought breaks, everything is swept downstream and the truth is revealed… Another thriller from the brilliant author of Murder at Midwinter.

Check out this Reading Zone interview with the author.
Follow Fleur Hitchcock on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleur.hitchcock/
Look for more information on this Nosy Crow page…

Agent Zaiba Investigates 3: The Haunted House by Annabelle Sami ill. Daniela Sosa

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The third book in a fun, fresh and exciting new detective series, for newly independent readers.
Previously:

Determined to be the world’s greatest detective, Zaiba is always on the lookout for a crime to solve!
When a new family moves to the village, Zaiba is intrigued to hear about the strange happenings in their home. Things go missing, objects are smashed and unfriendly messages are painted on the walls. There have always been rumours that the house is haunted, but is a ghost really causing all this trouble? Zaiba and her team are convinced that the culprit is very much alive – and won’t stop until they get what they want…

Follow the illustrator Daniela Sosa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniela.illustrations/
Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellesamibooks/

Sticky Pines: The Thing At Black Hole Lake by Dashe Roberts

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Mar 2021

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The sequel to The Bigwoof Conspiracy takes us back to Sticky Pines, a small US town where weird things happen. Milo, loyal to his double-crossing, business-mogul father, has taken a trip to Black Hole Lake, leaving Lucy to continue her search into alien life and the Truth that she knows is out there. Milo’s discovery of a sinister, dark creature in the Lake will put them both in terrible danger and also – if they survive their adventure – make them friends again. Perfect for younger siblings of Stranger Things’ fans, The Thing at Black Hole Lake is laugh-out-loud, hair-raising sci-fi that will raise more questions about extraterrestrial life on earth than it answers…

Take a look inside…

The Lake by Natasha Preston

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“An eerie thriller reminiscent of summer horror movies that will keep readers on edge.” KIRKUS

Esme and Kayla were once campers at Camp Pine Lake. They’re excited to be back this year as CITs (counselors in training). Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it’s funny how scared they are of everything—spiders, the surly head counsellor, the dark, boys . . . even swimming in the lake! It reminds her a little of how she and Kayla used to be. Before . . . it happened.

Because Esme and Kayla did something bad when they were campers. Afterwards, the girls agreed to keep it secret. They’ve moved on—or so they say—and this summer is going to be great. Two months of sun and flirting with the cute boy counsellors. But then they get a note. THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS. And the secret they’ve kept buried for so many years is about to resurface.

Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authornatashapreston/
Follow the author on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorNPreston

Winterborne Home For Mayhem And Mystery by Ally Carter

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“Fans of cliffhanger escapes, captures, recaptures, and surprise revelations are well served.” KIRKUS

April is one of five foster kids living at Winterborne Home, a sprawling mansion full of secrets. The biggest secret is that Gabriel Winterborne, their reclusive millionaire guardian, is actually The Sentinel, a masked vigilante tasked with protecting the city.
When Gabriel goes missing (again!) it’s up to the kids to find him before his enemies do. And when April’s past catches up with her, she will have to decide how hard she’s willing to fight to hold on to her new-found family when everyone seems determined to tear them apart …

Join April and her ragtag group of friends as they unravel family secrets, creepy legends and mysterious identities in the second book in the captivating new middle-grade series from the bestselling author of Gallagher Girls.

Murder On The Safari Star by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman ill. Elisa Paganelli

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Join Hal and Uncle Nat as they plunge straight into an exciting mystery – this time while on Safari!

All-aboard for the third amazing journey in the bestselling Adventures on Trains series, Murder on the Safari Star, from M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated throughout by Elisa Paganelli.

Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat are on the journey of a lifetime aboard the Safari Star – a luxurious steam train that will take them from Pretoria to the stunning Victoria Falls. Close encounters with the amazing animals and landscape of Southern Africa are adventure enough, but things get mysterious when a passenger is found dead inside a locked compartment. Is it just a terrible accident or is something more suspicious afoot? It’s up to train detective Hal and his new friend Winston to find out.

Lock The Doors by Vincent Ralph

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“Mum says most memories are Post-its on the fridge door of your life. But a few, she says, are tattoos on your soul.”

A second thriller from Vincent Ralph, following his debut YA novel Are You Watching?

Tom’s family have moved into their dream home. But pretty soon Tom starts to notice that something is very wrong – there are strange messages written on the wall and locks on the bedroom doors. On the OUTSIDE. The previous owners have moved just across the road and they seem like the perfect family. Their daughter Amy is beautiful and enigmatic but Tom is sure she’s got something to hide. And he isn’t going to stop until he finds the truth behind those locked doors. . .

A Double Detectives Medical Mystery: Diagnosis Danger by Roopa Farooki

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See the first book in this series The Cure For Crime.
 
Ali and Tulip know all about being medics. They know something about being detectives too, which is a good job because there’s a new case that needs their skills. A fun fresh take on the detective genre, full of excitement, humour, and medical know-how.
 
Roopa Farooki is an established adult novelist and a doctor. She has been awarded the John C. Christopher prize in recognition of her multicultural writing. 
 
Recommended video from A Book Week Scotland Author Event: