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Lucy Turns Pages

A Look At... Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Illustrated by Tom de Freston

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Title: Julia and the Shark
Author: Philipp Dettmer
Illustrator: Tom de Freston
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction / Mental Health
Buy links: Book Depository - Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com

Synopsis:

'Days before lockdown there was a fire in my studio that destroyed twelve years worth of work. From the burnt out husk I rescued burnt frames, bags of ash, fragments of destroyed artworks. Much of the artwork for Julia and the Shark was made using these materials, as an act of mourning, transformation and repair. It reflects the central message of the book, that even in the deepest darkness there is always the light of hope.' - Tom de Freston

A Look At... Immune by Philipp Dettmer

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Title: Immune
Author: Philipp Dettmer
Genre: Non-Fiction Science

Synopsis:

You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an utterly epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you drink your cup of tea and head out the door.

So what, exactly, IS your immune system?

A Look At... XOXO by Axie Oh

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Title: XOXO
Author: Axie Oh
Genre: YA Romance

Synopsis:

Jenny's never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk. 

Indie Showcase #1 Books for Free or 99p/99 cents

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Authors work really hard, pouring all of themselves into creating their passion projects and achieving their dreams. One thing that I want to do is to help authors to reach a wider audience and make more sales. Something very important for all authors, is receiving reviews. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones and other shop websites help authors to find even more readers. Sometimes authors will run deals such as offering their book for free or for a cheaper price so that readers can access their books and review them for others to find. In these indie showcase posts I am going to share some of these books. Please check out any books that you are interested in and leave reviews online!

If you are an author and you would like a dedicated post for your book, please check out my contact page for information on my paid spotlight posts. 

Keisha and The Rise of the Legacy (The Inferno Verse Book 1)

Currently free on Kindle

A Look At... The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

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Title:  The Hatmakers
Author: Tamzin Merchant
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Synopsis:

The first adventure in a spellbinding new magical world.

Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.

When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.

It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why...

My thoughts:

I have the hardback of this book and it is beautiful! This is an adventure story following magical hatmakers, it sounds very cool and I am really interested to see where it goes. The added mystery element makes this book even more intriguing and it feels like it will be a fast read.

A Look At... The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods: Book 1 of the Twig Saga by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell

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Title: The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods: Book 1 of the Twig Saga
Author: Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Synopsis:

Abandoned at birth in the perilous Deepwoods, Twig Verginix is brought up by a family of woodtrolls. One cold night, Twig does what no woodtroll has ever done before - he strays from the path.

So begins a heart-stopping adventure that will take Twig through a nightmare world of fearsome goblins, bloodthirsty beasts and flesh-eating trees. Can he discover the truth about his past?

Beyond the Deepwoods is the first book of the Twig Saga - second trilogy in The Edge Chronicles, the internationally best-selling fantasy series, which has featured on the UK and the New York Times best-seller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. There are now 13 titles and four trilogies in the series, but each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

My thoughts:

This is another book that is on my TBR. It is technically the fourth book in the series overall but it is book 1 in a series following a character called Twig. The synopsis intrigued me. This book sounds quite different to other middle grade books and I have heard good things about it.

Who Are We Without Fear? A Discussion on Supergirl, Anxiety & Being Our True Selves

 Warning, this post contains spoilers for the last ever episode of Supergirl

After a very emotional last ever episode of Supergirl, I was left with this thought: who are we without fear? 

At the end of this episode, we find Kara embracing her true self, a self that contains both her identity as Kara and her previous secret identity as Supergirl. Kara says how she is supposed to be the strongest person on the planet but she feels that she is the weakest because she is too afraid to embrace her whole identity. After an uplifting conversation with Lena Luthor, we see Kara cast aside her glasses, the barrier that has protected her superpowered alter-ego for all of these years. She reveals her true identity with the biggest smile.

I have dealt with anxiety for so much of my life. I have tried to do the things I am anxious about regardless. But being so filled with fear does affect how I feel on a daily basis. After watching this episode of Supergirl, I felt like I had a sudden realisation. I am terrified of teaching. I have taught children and adults, each time I have been anxious beforehand. Sometimes the lesson has gone well and other times I've been left with this heavy fear. But you know what? I am a good teacher. I did well in my teaching qualification and received great feedback. Even more importantly, when I teach, I feel fulfilled, like I am using this innate ability and it makes me happy. Yet, my anxiety tells me to 'run away', the fight or flight response that is unnecessarily set off when you have an anxiety disorder. This episode of Supergirl made me think; if I were to scrape away my fear, what would I do? Who would I be? What is my true self? And part of that is being a teacher. I want to be a teacher. I was meant to teach. I fully believe that. I help my students to learn and empower them to be who they are and for me, that is one of the greatest things that I can do.

So, going forward, I am going to aim to be more like Kara, even though I am afraid, of so many things, I will look beyond the anxiety and see my true self-- Who I am, without fear.



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A Look At... The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr

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Title: The Book of Stolen Dreams
Author: David Farr
Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy

Synopsis:

An exhilarating, awe-inspiring debut from a master storyteller writing for children for the first time, perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Katherine Rundell and Eva Ibbotson.

When Rachel and Robert are passed a stolen book by their librarian father, they have to go on the run and protect it at all costs. With their father captured and everyone hunting for the Book, they must uncover its secrets and track down the final, missing page. But the cruel and calculating Charles Malstain is on their trail.

When the children discover the astonishing, magical truth about the Book, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it falling into his hands. For if it does, he could rule forever. Step inside the pages of an immortal adventure and discover a truly unforgettable journey of wonder, courage and magic...

My thoughts:

Firstly, I have a hardback copy of this book and it is absolutely stunning. Secondly, I really like when books have a story about books. I have a few of these kind of books on my TBR. This book sounds really interesting and I can't wait to get to it.

Book Spotlight: Where There's A Will: Inspector Stone Mysteries #1 by Alex R Carver

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Title: Where There's A Will: Inspector Stone Mysteries #1
Author: Alex R Carver
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Crime Fiction
Price - $0.99/£0.99 for the e-book copy
Buy links: Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk - Kobo - Google - Apple - Barnes & Noble
Add it on Goodreads

Synopsis:

The kidnapping of a child is every parent's worst nightmare, for the Keatings though it isn't a nightmare, it's a reality.

Inspector Stone is tasked with finding Alice Keating and bringing her home safely. Hard enough under normal circumstances, but between investigating an unrelated armed robbery, family problems, and the machinations of an ambitious underling, it's almost impossible.

Unbeknown to either Stone or Alice's parents, the kidnappers have more in mind than collecting a ransom. And when it turns out that the Russian Mafia might be involved in the kidnapping, things begin to spiral out of Stone's control.

Can Stone find Alice before the kidnappers make good on their threats? If not it won't just be Alice that becomes a victim to their deadly plans...

Author bio:

After working in the clerical, warehouse and retail industries over the years, without gaining much satisfaction, Alex quit to follow his dream and become a full-time writer.

His non-writing dream is to one day earn enough to travel, with a return to Egypt to visit the parts he missed before, and Macchu Picchu, top of his wishlist of destinations.

When not writing, he is either playing a game or being distracted by Molly the Yorkie, who is greedy for both attention and whatever food is to be found.

Links:

A Look At... The Weather Weaver by Tamsin Mori

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Title: The Weather Weaver
Author: Tamsin Mori
Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy

Synopsis:

What if you could befriend a cloud? What weather would you choose? What if the weather matched itself to your mood, whether you wanted it to, or not?

11-year-old Stella has returned home to Shetland to spend the summer with her Grandpa, but it's nothing like she remembers. Grandpa is lost in his grief for Gran, the island is bleak and Stella feels trapped, until she encounters an old woman, Tamar, who can spin rainbows and call hurricanes.

With the help of Nimbus, a feisty young storm cloud, Stella begins to learn the craft of weather weaving. But when her cloud brain-fogs Grandpa and The Haken (a sea witch) starts to close in, she realises that magic comes with big responsibilities. It will take all her heart and courage to face the coming storm...

My thoughts:

The Weather Weaver sounds like a super cute children's fantasy with a pretty unique concept. This one is on my TBR and I can't wait to read it!
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