The Piper by Danny Weston ****

Andersen Press

9781783440511, £6.99

The cover immediately caught my attention and after reading the blurb I couldn't wait to get hold of a copy. I wasn't disappointed. 

Peter and his little sister Daisy are evacuated to an isolated farm during World War II and taken into care by a very peculiar and reserved family. Immediately you sense there is something very sinister going on, it is up to Peter to discover the secrets and keep Daisy safe. There’s the creepy pipe music that plays in the evening, the ghostly girls lingering outside the farm, the mysterious stories surrounding the old marsh, and not to mention the eerie china dolls, they were the worst! Weston’s writing is spookily enchanting and familiar; even though it was freaking me out a little I just couldn't stop reading. Don’t miss out on this one, totally creepy and completely brilliant.

The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony *****

Hodder Children's Books,  9781444919141, £11.99 hbk

A sudden gust of wind sets off a spectacular London escapade as the Queen and her guards try to retrieve Her very special hat. Join them on their quest across Trafalgar Square, over London Bridge, up Big Ben, in the Zoo and on the London Eye. The witty and super stylish illustrations are a celebration of London and one of the Queen’s very important relatives. A certain future classic, and without a doubt my absolute new favourite picture book!

Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris

It didn’t take me long to get through this book, I was dying to find out where this plot was going. Usually, with most YA fiction, I can sort of guess what’s going to happen. Who the good guys and bad guys are etc. This time I really wasn’t sure until close to the end, very refreshing.

Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck after leaving the beach, a truck that apparently appeared from nowhere with no record of its existence anywhere on this planet. She’s dying, and then someone is leaning over her, healing her before the emergency services even arrive on the scene. This someone is Ben Michaels, a stoner ‘nobody’ from her school. Or so she thought.

Janelle’s father works for the FBI, and by some snooping around with her best friend Alex, she begins to uncover more unusual events and discovers a terrible secret. Unless they can figure out exactly what is going on, the world is going to end in twenty three days.

This is fast paced and very clever. Right from the start we’re introduced to many X – Files references, secret meetings and mysterious characters; and so Norris leads us to believe Janelle’s discovery may take us to another world. It really is hard to put this book down; I wanted to figure out what on earth was happening.

Janelle is a strong character and I instantly liked her. Her relationship with Ben’s relationship turns into something electric – it’s super hot, but of course, as with all these intense YA romances, things are never quite straightforward.

I’m assuming this is the first in a new series, well at least I hope it is. Although Norris leaves us with a satisfying ending, I’m not happy about abandoning Janelle and Ben in their current situations. We need to know more! A brilliant story, but due to Norris’ very real use of language this is definitely one for older teens.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I’m not usually a fan of historical fiction, but the cover is so beautiful I thought I’d give it a go. I’m so glad I did, it’s truly remarkable.  ‘Verity’ is arrested by the Gestapo in France during the Second World War. She’s a secret agent and about to undergo her worst nightmare, either reveal her mission or be subjected to horrific torture followed by execution. She decides to confess, and by doing so, is given writing materials so she can document her case.

The book opens with the agent’s words ‘I am a coward’, and from here we continue to read how she was captured and what is happening to her at present. We don’t even learn her real name until half way through. ‘Verity’ tells of how she arrived in France, flown by her best friend Maddie, a rare female pilot. She had to abandon the plane in mid flight and doesn’t know if Maddie is still alive. She has reason to believe she’s dead.

‘Verity’ writes of how they met, how they became great friends and later entangled in the war effort.  These women are amazing. Whilst I was reading ‘Verity’s’ confession it was hard to believe it was fiction. I didn’t for one minute think she was a coward.

I don’t want to spoil the plot so I won’t elaborate too much, but suddenly, half way through, this book changes speed. It’s difficult to explain but it was a thrill to read. Full of tension and conflicting emotions, I’ll remember this book forever. I’ll remember these two women and their unwavering love for one and other. Wein has written something very powerful here, something important. For me, I think this book is firstly about friendship, and secondly, but just as prominent, about a woman’s role during the war. Code Name Verity is inspiring. I loved it.

The Flask by Nicky Singer

This is a story focusing on realities – friendship, family, life and death. Yet, to the serious subject matter Nicky Singer has added a flask full of wonder, hope and magic. The Flask is a beautiful story.

There are lots of different themes running through this book. We start with twelve year old Jess, who is grieving for her favourite aunt, Edie. She’s also dealing with the worry of her mother, who is pregnant with twins. There’s a problem, the twins are conjoined so they are all expecting complications. As her mother goes into hospital Jess is presented with Aunt Edie’s desk, in it there’s the flask. It’s hidden far back in one of the draws.

This flask is special; it appears to contain something. Something that is very difficult to explain without using Singer’s words. ‘It is very plain, very ordinary and yet it is like nothing I’ve ever seen before’. As the story develops it becomes apparent that the flask and its contents are somehow connected to the birth of the twins, in particular Clem, who is the weaker of the two. It responds to music and the feelings of those around, especially those of Jess. Lots of things are changing in her life, not only has she lost her aunt and is worried about the twins, she also feels as though she’s losing her best friend Zoe. These girls are growing up, and maybe growing apart. It’s this storyline for me that makes The Flask a real coming of age novel. Their friendship is tested.

I feel like I’m struggling to review this book accurately and I’m not doing Singer’s magnificent storytelling skills justice. The Flask is complicated, the past becomes intricately linked to the present, and Jess is enticed to delve into her Aunt’s life where tragic truths are discovered. The plot becomes particularly interesting when Jess starts work on a school project to do with Buddhism, she begins to realise why The Flask presented itself to her. I’ve never read anything like this before, it’s a very real story with what can only be described as a majestic, uplifting and spiritual ending. Read this and you will not be disappointed. The Flask is one of those books that will stay with you forever.

Ashes by Ilsa J.Black

Another great addition to the dystopian/apocalyptic genre. Ashes claims to ‘leave you breathless’ and it actually does. I found myself gasping out loud more than once, usually from sheer terror but there’s a lot of shock tactics involved too.

After reading the first couple of chapters I almost couldn’t continue, the tension hits you straight away and builds the whole way through. For a horrible moment I was sure I was going to have to face another Manchee scene (Knife of Never Letting Go). I’m overly sensitive though and forced myself to get a grip, I just about managed to and I’m so glad I did. Bick’s writing packs a hard punch, but it’s worth it. The story and the strong characters are brilliant. It isn’t all just terror; there are friendships and a likely angst-ridden love triangle forming too. I never tire of these!

We join Alex as she is struggling to come to terms with the ‘monster’ growing instead her head. As she embarks on a personal mission that doesn’t become clear until half way through, the world is thrust into complete devastation. Animals go crazy, power cuts out and people either drop dead, change into murderous brutal zombies, or become ‘chosen’. Few people of a certain age, providing they escape the zombies, seem to remain unchanged. They live in fear of a world full of uncertainty. Those that ‘change’ seem only to be adolescents, yet Alex has remained in control of her mind. What has made her different? What has made her one of the chosen? I’m still not sure about the answers to these questions, the plot intricacies slowly develop and deepen, we’re given some answers and some clues, but these just lead you to more questions and a certain hungery desperation to discover the truth. To me, Bick’s writing is competitively strong. This destructive world seems so eerily real, like what’s happening to Alex could happen to us at anytime. I feel invested in this story and I literally cannot wait to find out where it’s going to go next.

I warn you, this book ends on the most gut wrenching cliff hanger I have ever read and I’ve made it my personal mission to get hold of the next manuscript as soon as it’s ready. There’s no way I can wait until autumn 2012 – no way!

Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

After being buried deep in sci-fi and fantasy of late, this was a refreshing change. Falling Fast did seriously weird things to me, Sophie’s writing transported be right back to my 17 year old self.  I was immersed from the first page.

River is on her way to audition for a part in Romeo and Juliet. Well, not a part, the part. Not because she is desperate to be centre of attention or have the lead role, but because she can truly connect to Juliet. She’s a real romantic soul, but not at all in an annoying way. River craves love, to be loved. That sort of ‘worth dying for’ love that young girls (and older girls too!) can sometimes find themselves dreaming about. Their very own Romeo.

However, things don’t go to plan. She meets Flynn, a guy so brooding, intense and talented that she can barley concentrate on delivering the lines she learnt, never mind performing them well. He’s such a complicated character I was immediately intrigued to find out what made this boy so exceptionally unique, I read on as these two characters lives became inevitably entwined through quite real and difficult circumstances.

This isn’t one of those books that is set to make you laugh all the way through, it isn’t your average teen romance read. I think it is incredibly real. You could know the main characters, I sort of felt like I did. River, and Flynn especially, have different things going on in their lives that make being a teenager really hard. McKenzie captures all this angst perfectly. She mirrors hopes and fears which you can possibly remember having yourself and I’m sure teen readers will be able to relate to. The story is complex, so romantic and heart wrenching at times. I always like McKenzie’s books, they never disappoint, but Falling Fast is definitely my favourite. I think perhaps this is because there is potential for an epic romance here, a romance set now, in the real world. Plus Flynn is super hot, a real contender for the top of the YA male lead list. There are no superheroes, zombies or ‘end of the world’ chaos. Instead we’re faced with absolute emotional turmoil as two people fall fast for the very first time.