Dark magic, a football mad girl and a fox called Finney By various authors - book reviews -

Age 9 plus:

Maggie Blue and the Dark World

Anna Goodall

Finding light in a dark world has never been more relevant than it is today and Anna Goodall’s coruscating middle-grade debut novel burns brightly for youngsters struggling to cope with the pandemic.

Inspired by her interest in animals (including talking ones!), other worlds, families and friendship, Goodall delivers a thrilling and thought-provoking story starring a troubled, angry 12-year-old girl thrust into a terrifying adventure and discovering the power of friendship, courage and simply being yourself.

Maggie Blue is an outsider, both at home and at school, and has always been happy to stay under the radar. The only people who seem to notice her are her eccentric aunt Esme, with whom she lives, and the carefree, gorgeous Ida, the school bully who takes great pleasure in being mean to Maggie.

Maggie’s only friends are the irascible Hoagy, a stray cat who can talk to her, and Miss Cane, the new guidance counsellor at school, who shows Maggie some rare kindness. But then Ida disappears and, despite an extensive hunt, no one seems to know what happened to her… well, nobody except Maggie.

Maggie followed Ida into the woods and saw the girl being taken through a window into another world by Miss Cane, the counsellor, who has transformed into a wolf. Knowing that people won’t believe her story, Maggie is determined to save Ida, whatever the cost.

With only Hoagy and his sarcasm for company, Maggie finds herself entering a dark world full of danger, a place where happiness is a commodity which can be stolen from people to be used as currency, and to which Maggie is connected in a way she never believed was possible.

There is a tangible current of emotion coursing through this thrill-a-minute, fast-paced story as the lonely, lost and lovely Maggie’s adventure in the chilling, mercenary Dark World becomes a journey of self-determination and self-discovery.

The baddies are super-bad and the whole cast of characters are magical and fantastical as Goodall spins out a ripping yarn that proves to be as bizarre as it is beautiful, and which cleverly explores the devastating impact of greed and cruelty on society.

With the grumpy, one-eyed Hoagy providing the wit, humour and much-needed friendship to courageous Maggie, and a stunning cover illustration by Sandra Dieckmann, this is the perfect gift package for every child that craves an all-round, cracking adventure story!

(Guppy Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 10 plus:

Thunderbolt

Wilbur Smith with Chris Wakling

Head off to the white beaches and turquoise seas of Zanzibar with a daring teenage boy as the master of adventure, Wilbur Smith, delivers the second book of his all-action Jack Courtney Adventure series for middle-grade readers.

Thunderbolt once again stars the youngest member of the world-famous Courtney family which has been at the centre of 88-year-old Smith’s novels since 1964, chronicling their lives from the 1660s through to the 20th century.

The series, co-written with author Chris Wakling, was inspired after Smith saw the action being taken by young people in the battle against climate change and this fantastic new adventure asks questions about conservation, child soldiers and modern-day pirates as well as addressing the timeless themes of love, betrayal and family which are the hallmarks of his novels.

Fourteen-year-old Jack and his friends Amelia and Xander are in Zanzibar diving for lost treasure to support Jack’s mother’s coral protection project. Going further than usual on their last day, their dive boat is lured into a trap and captured by Somali pirates.

Determined that his mother shouldn’t pay a ransom for their release, Jack won’t give up his attempts to escape. Transferred to a militia training camp for boy soldiers, the trio’s only hope is the resourceful Somali boy Mo who befriends them.