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The Boy and the Pink Light by Mayra Clay and Line Andersen

A major focus for picture books over the last few years has been about mental health and well-being, linked with the concept of empathy.  It is always good to see new books which add to the collections available, to support the needs of young children, both at home and in school.

In this story, the central character is a young boy, who is full of life and enjoyment of the people and world around him.  Then one day he wakes up and the world seems a dark and upsetting place and he doesn’t know how to cope with the changes.   The appearance of a magical pink light acts as a catalyst, in that the boy is able to speak to it and explain his feelings.  He says that nothing seems to make sense anymore and he can’t find a way to feel better.The pink light tells him to take the light into his heart and whenever he is sad, to think about the warmth and love of the lights.  This works for the young boy and he is able to use the pink light to  help himself, but he is also able to help others who are in need of help and support.

This is a delightful and heartwarming story about how we all need help sometimes.  The text is simple and yet very warm and caring, so that a child can feel empathy with the story.  The delicate illustrations also bring a sense of calm and an understanding of the issues that we all face.  It will make a wonderful addition to any classroom or library for Foundation to KS1 children.

 

Mayra Clay profile image

About the author

Mayra Clay is Mexican who has lived in the UK since 2010 with her amazing husband and her two fantastic boys.

She has been a Meditation Teacher for The Bright Path Ishayas since 2011 and worked as a Teaching Assistant for several years at a local primary school near her home in Bethnal Green, London.

Having her two boys and working as a Teaching Assistant helped her realise that children are fountains of love and compassion. It was this realisation that inspired her to begin writing children’s books, in the hope that no child need lose awareness of this gift – a gift that we are all born with, but that most of us forget when we start to “grow up”.  (Thanks to Amazon UK and the publisher for this biography, found on the former’s website).

 

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A Necromancer called Gam Gam by Adam Holcombe

A Necromancer Called Gam Gam was the 2nd place finalist in BBNYA 2024!

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads

I was delighted to discover these awards a couple of years ago, through @The_WriteReads and have been lucky enough to take part in several blog tours since then.  It has given me the opportunity to read stories that I might have otherwise missed, particularly those that are readable by a large age range.

Whilst this story is listed as being adult, I think that it will be enjoyed by quite a number of Young Adults.  This is a novella of just over 100 pages and follows 12 year old Mina, as she desperately tries to escape from the solders who had just killed her father.  She finds refuge in the caravan of an old woman called Gam Gam, who manages to get rid of the soldiers, at least temporarily.  Mina discovers that she and her saviour have more in common than she could image.  Whilst Mina is a neuromancer and can read and remove people’s thoughts, Gam Gam is a necromancer and can raise the dead, even if only for a short while.  The events of the story take place over just a few days.

The two unlikely companions, plus a ghost and several of the ‘undead’ find that they have formidable enemies and they have to use all their magical abilities to overcome the sergeant, who leads the soldiers and who actually had killed Mina’s father.  There are some quite blood thirsty elements to this story and it is best not to read it just before bedtime; but horror novels are particularly in fashion at the moment, even among quite young people, so it should prove popular.

What really strikes me about this book is the relationship between the living and the dead, but also about how victims very often feel to blame for what others are doing to them and those around them.  When Gam Gam has sent the soldiers away and Mina is feeling responsible for her father’s death, Gam Gam says “ I have learned in my time that if two men are chasing a young girl, it is never the girl’s fault ”   throughout the book she is constantly reassuring Mina that she is actually the victim, something that really needs to be shown to the readers of this book.  We live in a world where people are bullied and threatened into losing their feelings of self-worth.  All in all this story has several threads that will act as starters for discussions about empathy, feelings, death and self-confidence.

Author Bio

Adam Holcombe daylights as a programmer and moonlights as an author. After spending years toying with the idea of writing, he decided to fully commit and work toward releasing his first novel. Then Gam Gam got in the way, and his first novel became his first novella. The novel will come later. When he’s not locked in a cold basement, typing away, he can be found hanging out with his wife, his dog, and his tortoise or playing D&D or board games with friends

 

 

Book Details 

Length: 110 Pages

Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: May 30, 2023

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/5PLyfAS (Canada) https://a.co/d/5OLFqPX (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/2ItLDuC (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122994594-a-necromancer-called-gam-gam

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/29693154-e3c8-4297-aaa3-b65a63af6046

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Art is for everyone

Over the last five years or so I have been lucky enough to be part of the judging team for the SLA Information Book Award.  During that time we would see groups of books on very similar themes although the actual content would be aimed a differing age groups and would look at a multitude of aspects associated with the theme.  Art has been a recurring topic and yet I am delighted by the way that authors and publishers are constantly able to find different ways of connecting with their audience.  Here are some of the titles that were put forward for the award in the last few years.

 

Uclan, 9781915235565

“Art is Everywhere” by Joe Haddow is a book for KS2 and KS3, which introduces young people to the wide variety of  interests that can come under the heading of ‘Art’. It includes music, art, film, tv, and modern forms of digital art.  It will help the readers think in broader terms about the subject

Noodle Juice, 9781915613158

“What is Art” by Noodle Juice and Katie Rewse is an introduction to the concepts of art.  It is aimed at younger readers and starts by asking questions and then attempting to answer, but in quite broad terms.  Good for KS1

“Picturing my Anger” by Anna Shepherd and Alicia Mas.  What an excellent book to help young people learn to work through their emotions.  It uses cartoons, colours and other illustrations to help them understand and create strategies to cope with their negative feelings. (Franklin Watts, 9781445184852)

Wayland, 9781526320667

“Art Alive with Science” by Mary Auld and Sue Downing is a fascinating look at how science can be perceived through the medium of art.  From light, shapes, materials and many other aspects we can see how the two subjects are related.

“Busy Little Fingers: Art” by Eva Wong Nava and Eleonora Marton.  A short introduction to 10 art movements of the last 150 years.  It is aimed at the very young readers and you can see how these movements would appeal, as children will love to try and reproduce these styles.  (Big Picture Press, 97818000784642)

 

Macmillan, 9780753448274

“The Stories and Secrets of Colour” by Susie Brooks and Sirjana Kaur is a fascinating look at the importance of colour, both in the natural world and in the world of art.  It covers the science of colour as well as its development in the world of cinema and photography. the latter part of the book actually looks at colours themselves and how they have been used over the centuries.

Wide eyed, 9780711265363

“Whole world of Art” by Sarah Phillips and Dion Mbd is a chronological skim through art of the past 5000 plus years, starting in Ancient Egypt and covering civilizations around the world.  It is a shame that pre-historic cave paintings are not given a place in this , but otherwise it is a good introduction.

“The artist” by ed vere  is a delightfully whimsical look at the question “what is an Artist?”  It can be read as a picture book, or as an introduction to the process of artistic creativity.  (Penguin, 9780141376387)

“Colours, colours everywhere” by Julia Donaldson and Sharon King-Chai  as we follow the heroine and her pet frog, as the discover colours in the world around the.  This is full of rhyme and lift the flap feature, making a great book to read with the very young.  it will also help in teaching them bout the different colours.  (Two Hoots, 9781529078527)

Templar, 9781800783751

“Henri and the machine” by Isabelle Marinov and Olga Shtonda  shows us what it is like for those who have to visit a gallery (on a school trip), even though they do not understand art and would rather be at the beach.  Henri is bored, so when he sees an exhibit that invites him to sit in a chair, he does so and sets off the most amazing art installation with, lights, sounds and machinery.  A guide then helps him understand the purpose of art and the different ways that we can appreciate it.

“An Artist’s Eyes” by Frances Tosdevin and Clemence Monnet. When Mo and Jo go for a walk, Mo talks about the wonder of colours in the world around us, from the sea to animals and the trees.  Jo cannot see the same images, but as the walk continues that realize that he has found his own magical versions of colours.   (Frances Lincoln, 9780711264861)

“Beware the Blue Bagoo” by Karl Newsom and Andrea Stegmaier .  Once again the wonderful Karl Newson has given us a book full of fun and joy, whilst at the same time making us think about how we view those who are different.  It also makes us think about the prejudice we can have for someone or something that is unknown to us.  (Happy Yak, 9780711267824)

Tate, 9781849767873

“Mildred the gallery cat” by Jono Ganz.  Have you ever wondered what a gallery cat does when everyone has gone home?  Well this charming picture book gives us one version and it is something that will have you all horrified and delighted at the same time.

“Blue” by Sarah Christou is a picture book for the very young reader and aimed at explaining and supporting them when they are feeling sad and depressed; or as we say they are ‘blue’.  It reminds us that colour is used to describe our motions and this can link in to helping children develop empathy and understanding.  (Faber, 9780571376360)

Wayland, 9781526314949

“Masterpieces in Pieces” by Ingrid Swenson and Mary Auld is an excellent introduction to the concept of art interpretation.  It covers works by their themes, from animals and still life, to work and play.  We then get a focus on some of the elements that the artist has focused on.  A great start for those who want to understand the messages behind what they are looking at.

 

 

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Glunda, the Veg Witch by Keith W Dickinson

One of the excellent things about being involved with the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year (2024) is that you get to read stories that would not normally appear on your radar.  As many of you readers will know, I specialize in reading and then writing about books for children.  This is a huge range of materials, from picture books to YA and fiction as well as information works.  It is therefore great to have something that has a sense of familiarity, but which has managed to give an original twist to the work.

This story is set in a magical world, where the normal people live side by side with the Veg Witches and the  Drupe Mages  (wizards) and  depend on the witches to help grow their crops, as well as provide medical care and advice.  The mages, live in a castle and tend to keep away from the locals and they are also not very good at commonsense magic!  The main character is Glunda Ashwillow, who is about to become the current  head witch and Holder of the Golden Key; unfortunately the mages, in the guise of Alar Reave have decided not to hand over the Key (which is shared every six months), but intend to carry out all the magic themselves.  As I am sure you can imagine this turns out to be a recipe for disaster.  The question is whether the mages can be made to see sense, the local farmers can save their crops and the veg witches can get enough food to last the winter?

As I was reading this book, I had the distinct feeling that the author was paying a slight ‘homage’ to the memory of Terry Pratchett’s witches and wizards.  Although the main characters are a lot younger than many of those in the Discworld books, there is a real feeling that Glunda is akin to Tiffany Aching and there was even a hint of a cantankerous Granny Weatherwax.  The fun bit is that Glunda, Alar and a friend called Clum all attended the same school, so knew each other rather well.  This fact opened up all kinds of possibilities and allowed for the sort of verbal in-fighting that had grown since the characters were very young.  From the reader’s point of view it gives the opportunity for lots of humour and the chance to feel that they really need to try and get on.

This is a short book by modern standards, however it does carry the reader along at a fast pace and I think it will be popular with those who do not want a mammoth read.  I do look forward to reading more by the author, as I really liked his quirky sense of humour and the readability of the book.

The author

Born a stone’s throw from the Lake District, Keith studied film making at university before moving to London to work in film and TV. After twenty years of doing other people’s bidding he went around the world, trained as a yoga teacher, rode a camel, got a tattoo he doesn’t regret, and was finally able to publish his first novel, DEXTER & SINISTER: DETECTING AGENTS, something he has dreamed of since he was eight years old and asked for a typewriter for Christmas.

Currently residing in Leeds, when he’s not up a mountain Keith can be found trying to get his foot behind his head. He hasn’t managed it yet, but he’ll get there one day.

Keith has four books out, THE HAMMERSMYTH TALES, a steampunk series that includes two novels and a collection of short stories, and GLUNDA THE VEG WITCH, his first foray into cosy fantasy.

Keith can be found idling on social media at https://x.com/keithwdickinson, https://bsky.app/profile/keithwdickinson.bsky.social, and https://www.instagram.com/keithwdickinson/, and you can find out more about him and his work at https://keithwdickinson.com/ .

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Naeli and the Secret Song by Jasbinder Bilan

The stories of mixed race (sorry if this is an incorrect term) children feel they have often been ignored in the  literary world, at least that was the case until the beginning of this millennium.    Yet it has always been the case that empires have not just conquered, but have also partially integrated with the people that they have overcome.  From the Greeks and Romans to the British and the Americans we have seen the mixing of people and cultures.  In this country we most often hear about what happened in the British Empire, so that the time period tends to be centred around the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In this wonderful and evocative new book by Jasbinder Bilan we are taken from the heat and exoticism of India, to the hustle and bustle of London, where our heroine discovers that danger is lurking in the most unlikely places.  Naeli is the daughter of an Indian mother, who was a famous musician, and a British father, a doctor who was also a very proficient violinist.  Her father had to return to Britain when she was five years old, but now that her mother had died, she does not know hat her future holds.  When a mysterious letter arrives for her, it includes a ticket to England and some money, and so begins her adventure to try and find her missing father.  On the trip to England she makes friends with a young Anglo-Indian boy, who is going back to his school in Westminster.   However, it is when Naeli arrives in England that the real action begins.  After a rather difficult start, Naeli is taken to the home of her uncle, someone she has never heard of, but who seems happy to see her.  Unfortunately, he gradually shows his true colours, and he is not a very nice person.  What follows is a true Victorian melodrama, with kidnap, family secrets and a mysterious and brooding family house in the wilds of Northumberland.

I absolutely love this story of how a young girl copes when her world is quite literally torn apart.  Whilst she remembers her English heritage, she has been brought up in her mother’s world and is having to cope with some really dramatic changes, not least about people treat her.  It is fascinating to see the ways in which class and race are dealt with in this period.  Both Naeli and her new friend Jack are caught between two different worlds.  They are travelling in second class cabins, so not with the returning colonial elite, but not down in third class with the cramped conditions and lower class treatment.  I think the saying  that describes this kind of issue is, “neither fish nor fowl”.  However the central theme of the story is the way that music is at the core of the family’s life and has been for more than a generation.  We gradually become aware that there are some secrets that are being hidden and the wicked uncle thinks that Naeli has the key to unlocking those secrets.  There is a real build up of excitement as we see the two children navigate the dangers surrounding them and try and find those people that they can actually trust.  The finale will have the readers cheering and jumping for joy as mysteries are solved, the villain gets his comeuppance and Naeli is re-united with the most important person in her life.

Jasbinder Bilan

The author was born in northern India, but her family moved to England when she was young.

I am delighted that she attended Bath Spa University and now still lives near Bath.  This makes me think of her as one of my local authors, as I have spent a lot of time working with schools and authors who are based in this area.

 

 

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Place of a Thousand wishes by Sarah Merrett and Ewa Beniak-Haremska

I had the great pleasure to review Sarah’s previous book “The Others”, so I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour for her latest work.  What I really enjoy about her work is the way that she takes a known genre and finds ways to make some very significant changes to the expectations that we have about the plot.

This new story is set at the end of the Victorian period and centres around Mason and his father, who has set up business as an ice-cream seller.  Unfortunately they are in the middle of a really hot spell of weather and do not have the money to buy ice, so they can stop their wares from melting.  When everything is looking bleak, something magical happens; the sky suddenly fills with air balloons, which then spill bubbles into the air.  This really excites the crowd as they recognise that it all means that a famous wish bringer called Darlington has arrived back in his hometown.  However, Mason gets the biggest shock when a bubble bursts in front of him and it holds an invitation for him and his father to visit the famous magician.  The ensuing story shows that they are related and that there is someone who does not want Darlington to make this new connection.  The question is whether they and a young girl called Clem can outwit the villain, or will the chance of a happy future be ruined?

This delightful story has a real sense of Victorian melodrama and combines the reality of that period with a sense of magic and the wish that everyone has, to have a better and happier life.  The realities of life are shown in a very straightforward way and we see that despite their best efforts, it is very difficult for people to improve their lot.  I think this really highlights the effort that many went through in order to become not just successful, but also rich and powerful.  The core of this story is all about family and the way that jealousy and envy can destroy relationships.  In any family, members have a wide variety of skills and gifts and it can be difficult not to feel aggrieved when someone has a talent you would love to have.  the reality is that we all hopefully have something that we excel at, even though it is not always recognized or appreciated.

The magic of this story is really brought to life by the incredible illustrations.  The use of the monochrome palette, some how adds to the period feel and the sense that we are in a time before colour photography.  However, it also highlights the gothic atmosphere, something we particularly feel in pictures  of Darlington manor.  Once again Sarah Merrett has produced a tour de force that is going to be a great hit with KS2 children.  It is an absolute delight.

 

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Place of a thousand Wishes: The Settings by Sarah Merrett

The Settings

One of my favourite things about writing fiction is coming up with exciting new settings, and the more atmospheric the better. I had so much fun inventing Darlington Manor, the home of world-famous wish maker Darlington the Miraculous. But Mason’s story begins in much humbler surroundings, a stark contrast to the magical and mysterious manor house. Mason and his father move to the city from their rural village to start a new life running an ice cream cart on the high street. The city is a relentlessly noisy place, with carts and carriages rumbling by all day. Street sellers yell to hawk for customers on pavements bustling of people. Poverty and crime are rife, so Mason and his father need their wits about them.

They live in a run-down basement room owned by a callous landlord who demands rent they can’t afford. They’re on their last warning to pay up or be made homeless, but the heatwave is severely hampering their business by melting their ice cream.

When Darlington the Miraculous returns to town, Mason is stunned to be invited to his first performance at his manor, a magical country house set in beautiful, tranquil surroundings. It’s a dream come true for Mason, to escape the city and see such grandeur, if only for one night. The manor house is vast and filled with mystery. It’s the opposite of their grimy basement room. There is quirkiness around every corner, and the grounds with its lake are a wonderful place for a child to explore. Mason is particularly taken with Darlington’s magical ice house (see illustration) which is hidden behind the lake, and the beautiful glasshouse full of tropical plants and fruit. The labyrinth of unusual rooms in the manor makes the perfect place for Mason’s adventure and mystery solving.

Darlington Manor is by no means the end of the story, as Mason embarks on a dangerous and exciting journey beyond the manor and the city. He encounters one of my favourite settings yet,
but I shall keep that plot-spoiler to myself.

Sarah Merrett

 

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Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

With the publication of the third and final book in this series (it came out on the 8th May), the publishers have decided to take the opportunity to go on tour with the first in the series.  For those of you who are already fans, this is a chance to remind yourselves of the fantastic characters and world building that the author has created.  If you are new to the series, then you are in for a really fabulous treat.

Jude Raven is the youngest in her family of famous magic thieves, but the problem is that no one takes her seriously.  So in an attempt to show them what she is made of, she decides to rob a wealthy family  of a famous  magical treasure; the only problem is that the item has been cursed and brings bad luck on whoever takes it.  You can probably guess where all of this is leading?  A whole range of mishaps begin to occur in Jude’s family and she is certain that it is her fault; but when she tries to return the stolen treasure, she is discovered by the two children of the house.   It appears that the bad luck can only be removed if Jude apologizes to the owners of the magic, but they have been missing for a year!  So Jude and the two children decide that they will have to join forces and try and find the parents and bring back the good luck to the Raven family.  The problem is that they seem to uncover many more issues and solutions are always just out of reach.

This is an absolute roller-coaster of a story, full of action and intrigue.  Jude is discovering that there are things that she has never known about her family and it means that she no longer knows who she can really trust.  It is fascinating to see the development of the relationships, particularly between Jude and her older sister Moorley, as Jude realizes that her older sibling has been trying to protect her from some very harsh realities.  One of the great pleasures of reading this book is knowing that there are two further titles in which to become totally immersed and I am hoping to dive in later this week.

About the Author

A born and bred Londoner, Ravena writes MG and YA, usually featuring antiheroines or snarky narrators. She is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and hopes to use the knowledge gained from her experiences to plot her books, whether that’s wild MG fantasy adventures, or twisty YA murder-mysteries.

 

Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Middle Grade
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Number of Pages: 320 Pages
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62018486-the-thief-of-farrowfell
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/05b998c4-6ac9-41a8-a423-f92f6ad48be6
Amazon: https://a.co/d/akN8Evl (Canada) https://a.co/d/cBViD8E (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/eyqvgyQ (UK)

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Emily Knight: I am …Power by Abiola Bello

This is the final book in the series and the second that I have had the honour of reviewing.  There are four titles in the series and the two I have written about are numbers three and four.  Looking back on my previous review I voiced the thought that I would like to know about the back story of some of the characters; I am please to say that the author has given me what I asked for, so thank you for this.  Although it is possible to read this book as a stand alone, in order to fully appreciate the storyline you need to read the preceding three books in the series.

Hashtag Press, 9781913835286

In this amazing finale to the series we have a world that is living in fear of the renegade warriors, who are following the infamous Neci, and who is yet again trying to destroy the warriors and in particular Emily and her family. Neci is raising an army by taking control of warriors, so that they become mindless robots.  The time is fast approaching when there will be a final showdown, but although her father thinks he will be the one to battle Neci (for the second time), Emily knows that it will be her turn to face their mortal enemy and she is worried that she might not have strong enough powers for the fight.

What a fantastic series this has been, with some really strong characters and a very clever plot line, where you are not always sure what side many of the protagonists are on.  At one level this is about the fight between good and evil; but in reality it is about the way people react to those around them who are different. This can be a matter of skills, powers, colour or diversity and of course all of this can create frictions and make it difficult to trust those around, even close family members.  This author is becoming one of those go to people when you want to read about fantastic and magical happenings and the whole series is highly recommended.

 

About the Author

Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children’s and YA author
who was born and raised in London. Abiola is an advocate for diversity in books for
young people. She was nominated for the CILIP’s Carnegie Award, won London’s
BIG Read 2019, and was a finalist for the People’s Book Prize Best Children’s Book.
Abiola contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club and The Super Sunny
Murder Club, a collection of mysteries from exciting and diverse children’s writers
published by Farshore, and selected as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month.
Her debut YA for Simon & Schuster, Love in Winter Wonderland, published in
November 2022 and was an Amazon’s Editor’s Choice and was featured in The
Guardian’s Children’s and Teens Best New Novels. Only For The Holidays was her
second YA book with S&S, followed by The Love Dare, which released in summer
2024. In March 2025, Abiola’s “Wild Magic” children’s fiction series will launch (also
with S&S) its first title: Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion.  She performed for more than a decade in prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, Hammersmith Apollo and Unicorn
Theatre. Abiola has also appeared on BBC’s The Apprentice, Got To Dance and Street
Dance AllStars The Movie.
Abiola wrote her first novel at the age of eight – when she fought monsters
and dragons on a daily basis – and experienced her first taste of ‘being published’ after
winning a school poetry competition at the age of 12. Seeing her words in print fuelled
a passion for writing that remains to this day.

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Star Quest Academy by Adrian Lynch

As I am sure many people have noticed, there has been a rise in the number of science fiction stories that are being published, particularly for young and middle grade readers.  Part of this may well be because of the number of films and TV series that are set in alternative worlds.  I many of these we find a blurring of the lines between science fiction and fantasy, but this provides the opportunity for the authors to play with the plot lines and create something truly original.  Having said that, this particular story brings back memories of a much loved 1980s film that my sons were very fond of.  This is “The Last Starfighter” and it is the story of a normal human boy who finds himself recruited to help save the universe.

In this story by Adrian Lynch, the hero is a young girl  called Amelia, who is a streetwise, smart and also vulnerable orphan.  She lives in an orphanage run by the  disgusting Mr Belcher and he seems to harbour a special grudge against Amelia. However, one night everything changes when Amelia is forced to run away and meets a stranger who says she has been accepted at the Star Quest Academy, as part of a programme to see if Earth is now acceptable as part of the Intergalactic Federation.  Together with three other Earth children, Amelia has to prove herself, but it appears that someone wants her to fail and her life is in danger.  Whilst they are aware of the dangerous Lord Fog, who wants to take over the Earth, they also need to find out who is the secret agent lurking in the Academy; but will they find the correct person?

This is a wonderfully fast paced and exciting story that will be enjoyed by aficionados of the genre (and yes, I have been a fan for many years).   Amelia and the other human children have all come from difficult  situations and they will have to learn to work together and make the most of the ‘powers that they have.  Because this is set in an imaginary version of the Universe we have a multitude of citizens, many of whom would be very strange to those of us on Earth, but they have the same perceptions about us.  So this is really about different races and cultures learning to have respect and understanding of each other.

As we get to the end of the story there are one or two surprises in store, but I can only say that it does leave the plot open for a return to the Academy and the adventures of the four children.  I can’t wait to join them on their next adventure.

 

About the Author

Adrian was born a long time ago in Harrow Weald, North London. He is dyslexic, which wasn’t allowed in those unenlightened times. As a kid, when he wasn’t learning to be ‘normal’, (he failed), he would hang out in the nearby bluebell-carpeted woods. To him, they harboured space aliens, mysterious creatures and the ghosts of Grims Dyke whose mournful songs rustled autumnal leaves. This inspired stories that Adrian would tell eager audiences for pocket money.

Following successful careers within the NHS and as a Company Director, Adrian obtained a BA degree in Creative Writing from the Open University and is now bringing those fantastical stories to life in his novels. The Star Quest Academy – Above and Beyond is the first to be published. Adrian hopes that it will be as exciting and fun to read as it was to write.

Adrian now lives in North Bedfordshire.