lovereading4kids Latest: Featured Books for 11+ readers

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil - Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil
Derek Landy

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/09/2010
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Best-selling Skulduggery Pleasant has taken the world by storm. A hugely entertaining mix of fear and fun in a magical community where the strangest things seem to happen for unpredictable reasons, this fifth volume tells a new chapter in the life of the maverick Skulduggery. All is not well in the magical world as thousands of wicked souls possess any available body in their attempt to reach the messiah which means soon no one can trust anyone else – even their very best friends. Skulduggery Pleasant has to set about trying to put things right in his own very unusual way.

Scat - Carl Hiaasen

Scat
Carl Hiaasen

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/09/2010
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Totally topical, Scat is a brilliant fast-moving eco-aware thriller set in the swamps of Florida. Nick and Marta get sucked into the world of corrupt oil prospectors and fanatical eco-activists when Mrs Starch, a formidably horrible teacher at Truman School, takes the class on a trip to Black Vine Swamp and simply disappears. Behind the great adventure are serious messages and warnings about the despoliation of a very special area.

The Search for WondLa - Tony Diterlizzi

The Search for WondLa
Tony Diterlizzi

Format: Hardback - Released: 01/10/2010
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Creator of the best-selling Spiderwick series, Tony Diterlizzi has created a hugely imaginative world in which twelve year old Eva Nine sets out on a seemingly impossible quest with just small picture with the word ‘WONDLA’ on it to guide her. Eva has never seen another human in all of her life. Now, travelling through a wondrous landscape she meets a host of unlikely characters as she searches for home and family. It’s a touching story and the imaginary world is brilliantly envisaged in words and additional pictorial material. Fans of the Spiderwick Chronicles will devour it as will anyone with a penchant for fantasy storytelling. This author is one of the best.

The Dead - Charlie Higson

The Dead
Charlie Higson

Format: Hardback - Released: 16/09/2010
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Charlie Higson packs a punch with the second in his gripping adventure series set in a dystopian future in which adults have ceased to be protectors. England has been struck by a deadly disease which takes out young people as soon as they turn fourteen. Just occasionally a few survive; they are even more terrifying as they become zombies greedy for human flesh. As the world implodes buildings are destroyed and there is no food to be had. Contagion is every where. And yet, the children must survive. Jack and Ed take up the burden of leadership but they are really only kids and the responsibility for the survival of the growing group of children under their care is enormous. Against this challenging setting Charlie Higson has created a story which shows the power of friendship and courage in extreme circumstances.

Airhead: Runaway - Meg Cabot

Airhead: Runaway
Meg Cabot

Format: Paperback - Released: 03/09/2010
Lovereading4kids Price: £7.49 - Saving £2.50 (25%)

From the author of the hugely successful Princess Diaries, this trilogy for 11+ year olds featuring two girls, one of whom finds herself inside the body of the other and doing things she could never imagine doing. Now Em, whose brain has been stuck in the body of Nicky is on the run: from school, from her family and from herself. She's reeling from the shock that Nikki, the girl whose body her brain was forced to inhabit, is still alive. And she's furious. Manipulative Brandon plans to use Em to discover a secret that will ensure his success, whilst Christopher is out for revenge, fuelled by his jealousy. With everyone around her playing a dangerous game, maybe Em should just keep on running...

Hunger - Michael Grant

Hunger
Michael Grant

Format: Paperback - Released: 06/09/2010
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This paperback edition will be available in September 2010. Here's what Hugh (14), one of our teenage reviewers think of Hunger: Hunger, like it’s prequel Gone was unputdownable. It's an excellent follow-up to an original idea. More children are developing powers and the world inside the FAYZ is spinning out of control. New leaders emerge and the tensions rise. As the name ‘Hunger’ might suggest, the book it mainly about the fights that occur when the food is running out. Everyone is hungry, and not just the children. A strange creature is stirring in the dark, which is infiltrating and enslaving the minds of the children. New characters are introduced, and the struggle between the two brothers, Sam and Caine continues. But how many lives will be lost before one comes out on top? Hunger has a gripping plot and the reader can easily relate to all the well-developed characters. A brilliant read. Hugh 14. To see the first in this series, GONE, click here

No Such Thing As Dragons - Philip Reeve

No Such Thing As Dragons
Philip Reeve

Format: Paperback - Released: 06/09/2010
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This is the author’s first stand alone novel since the spectacular Here Lies Arthur, winner of the 2008 Carnegie Medal. Reeve’s brilliant imagination has conjured up a dragon story in the grand tradition of children’s fantasy fiction, but one that is spectacularly different – one that has a very contemporary perspective. Ansel serves Brock, the famous dragon slayer who makes his living by slaying creatures whose very existence he doubts. But is his doubt misguided? Ansel and Brock climb the perilous ice face to find out the truth once and for all. How myths become reality and the impact they have on people’s lives fuels this witty and original story from the master craftsman of Mortal Engines. It’s a classic novel for children from a monster talent.

Haywired - Alex Keller

Haywired
Alex Keller

Format: Paperback - Released: 01/09/2010
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Fans of Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engine sequence will love this debut novel, Haywired – a ‘steampunk fairytale’ as described by the publisher. It's packed with murderous inventions, two desperate runaways and one mad dad. Published by a smallish publisher this compelling tale of unearthed family secrets as well as some diabolical plans to turn the world inside out, it’s up to 11 year old Ludwig to rescue the world before any of the ghoulish machines hunt him down. With a plot that’s full of twists and turns on every page, it’s not to be missed. If you love Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines sequence you should also read Haywired by Alex Keller. Also, click here to read Alex Keller's interview with Philip Reeve in The Solitary Bee.

My Name is Mina - David Almond

My Name is Mina
David Almond

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/09/2010
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For everyone who loved David Almond’s Skellig, My Name is Mina is its prequel written over 10 years after Skellig was published to such acclaim. Over 10 years on it remains one of THE bestselling and well known novels of the last decade. So here, David Almond revisits the world of Mina. Why is she being schooled at home? Why is she so wonderful and yet so exasperating at times? My Name is Mina is a collection of stories, thoughts, dreams – and amazing words. It is a story of grief, of growing, of learning the courage to be yourself in a world where you don’t seem to fit. Trembling on the edge of self-knowing, Mina shares her innermost thoughts and fears, and in doing so she becomes, like Skellig and Michael, unforgettable and, as Mina would say herself – extraordinary.

A Trick of the Dark - B R Collins

A Trick of the Dark
B R Collins

Format: Paperback - Released: 06/09/2010
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Prize winning B.R Collins' A Trick of the Dark is a gripping supernatural thriller which explores the darker sides of adolescence. Annis sees her older brother Zach crushed and broken when the walls of a ruined house fall on to him. But apparently Zach isn’t broken after all. Someone just like Zach steps from the accident. The new Zach has cheated death but he is subtly different from the old one and soon Annis is caught in a terrifying and dangerous situation as the two parts of her brother try to join together. Full of the anger of adolescence this is an edgy read from start to finish. His prize winning debut novel, The Traitor Game, is also available here.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days - Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days
Derek Landy

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/09/2010
Lovereading4kids Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

This is the fourth Skulduggery Pleasant adventure… only Skulduggery Pleasant himself is lost on the other side of a portal, with only some evil gods for company. Can he possibly survive? (Yes, all right, he’s already dead. But still.) Sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones, and if his bones haven’t already been turned to dust, chances are he’s insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him. But Valkyrie's never had much time for plans. The problem is, even if she can get Skulduggery back, there might not be much left for him to return to. There’s a gang of villains bent on destroying the Sanctuary, there are some very powerful people who want Valkyrie dead, and as if all that wasn’t enough it looks very likely that a sorcerer named Darquesse is going to kill the world and everyone on it. Skulduggery is gone. All our hopes rest with Valkyrie. The world’s weight is on her shoulders, and its fate is in her hands. These are dark days indeed.

The Legacy - Gemma Malley

The Legacy
Gemma Malley

Format: Hardback - Released: 06/09/2010
Lovereading4kids Price: £8.24 - Saving £2.75 (25%)

What started with The Declaration and continued with The Resistance is brilliantly brought to conclusion in The Legacy. A thrilling finale in which Anna and Peter and their friends risk all to expose the truth behind the quest for Longevity. The plot is pitch perfect, no loose ends are left and the characters continue to be brilliantly portrayed. Thought-provoking on every page but also utterly compelling this trilogy should be on everyone’s reading list.

Conspiracy 365: September - Gabrielle Lord

Conspiracy 365: September
Gabrielle Lord

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/09/2010
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On New Year's Eve, Callum Ormond is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They'll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days. Cal feels like a failure -- it seems as if he's fighting everyone and getting nowhere. He needs his friends like never before. Nobody knows the answer to the riddle, but Cal begins to understand that the mystery may be far bigger than anyone realises. He can't give up now, no matter what the cost.

Trash - Andy Mulligan

Trash
Andy Mulligan

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/09/2010
Lovereading4kids Price: £8.24 - Saving £2.75 (25%)

Headlong and heart-stopping, this is an adventure you just can’t put down. When Raphael and Gardo find a bag among the piles of steaming rubbish which they spend all day everyday sorting through, they just think it is a good find. But soon the police arrive in their shanty town and it is not long before the boys and their friend the Rat are caught up in a terrifying, nail biting fight for survival as they try to unravel a mystery with the police hot on their heels.The boys and the few adults they have to involve tell their parts of the story picking up where each other left off and propelling the story forward at a great pace.

To the Extreme - David Gatward

To the Extreme
David Gatward

Format: Paperback - Released: 26/03/2010
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A fun adventure about facing your fears with high quality graphic novel-style illustrations depicting the action throughout and gripping narrative with stacks of fun facts. Particularly suitable for reluctant readers who prefer non-fiction/fact books. FYI, the series, also entices them into reading fiction. . It really is an excellent title for the reluctant, struggling or dyslexic reader of 9+ but particularly for those whose reading age is nearer 8+.