Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone Update

I've just posted my review of Linda Buckley-Archer's The Tar Man over on the Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone.

Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone Update

I've just posted a review of Catherine Fisher's Incarceron over on the Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone.

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I've begun reading Linda Buckley-Archer's The Tar Man - so far, so good (nice bit of horse riding in the opening chapter !!) - but I honestly haven't got far with it yet as it's been a busy morning.

Book parcels that make me squeak

I got two book parcels in the mail today which almost made me squeal with pleasure (almost - I was at work after all!)

The first was Catherine Fisher's Incarceron which has been loaned to me by the very kind Lady_Shrapnell of So Many Books.


I also got a signed copy of the ARC of Linda Buckley-Archer's The Tar Man as well. Of course this means I'll have to re-read Gideon the Cutpurse (I reviewed it last November) - which of course will be such a hardship ! (Jest)

Right now I'm finishing up Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse which is great - review to follow within the next couple of days.

Gideon the Cutpurse - Award News

Linda Buckley Archer's wonderful novel Gideon the Cutpurse has been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, which celebrates the most promising book by a first-time UK children's novelist, and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new authors. Gideon was edited by Venetia Gosling at Simon and Schuster.

Also on this year's shortlist of seven are A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd, edited by David Fickling, and Beast by Ally Kennen, edited by Marion Lloyd; the judges include Frances Hardinge, who won the award last year for Fly By Night.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday, 28th June in London.

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The sequel to Gideon, The Tar Man is out soon. I'll be interviewing Linda for The Edge of the Forest later in the year. And you can visit the trilogy's website here.

Gideon the Cutpurse - Linda Buckley-Archer

Linda Buckley-Archer's Gideon the Cutpurse has been on my radar for some time, thanks to the LoveReading for Kids website where I read an extract of the first chapter. This book is the gripping start to a trilogy, which ends on an absolute cliff-hanger !

This first book tells the tale of two British teenagers, Peter Schock and Kate Dyer. Kate is the eldest of several children and comes from a happy family home. Peter is an only child, whose parents both have high-powered jobs (his mother is a film director and is currently working on a film in LA). It's almost Christmas and the day Peter has been for so long has finally arrived. Today his father is going to take him out for a day to belatedly celebrate his twelfth birthday (3 months late). However, Peter's visions of sledging on the dry ski slope, lunch in London and a Premiership football match are dashed when his father breaks the news that he has to go to an important work-related meeting. Instead, Peter will be going to Derbyshire for the weekend with his au pair, staying with the Dyers. Peter is desperately upset at his birthday treat being postponed yet again and yells after his retreating father "I hate you!"

He and Margrit arrive in Derbyshire before lunch and Kate's dad takes the two of them to the science lab where he works in order to see his colleague Tim's antigravity machine. Kate and her father show Peter their "party trick", which involves touching a statically charged metal dome. Unfortunately, Kate's dog Molly leaps into the room through the ground floor window and when Kate touches Molly, she races away in sheer terror. Kate, Peter and Dr Dyer give chase, and the next thing that Peter and Kate know, they're waking up in a Derbyshire valley. What they don't immediately know is that they've been accidentally transported through time by the antigravity machine, and it's now 1763 !

Fortunately for the pair, they are befriended by a kindly young gentleman named Gideon and the upper class family by whom he has recently been employed. Before very long they're off on the adventure of a lifetime intending to get back the antigravity machine, which has been take by the utterly creepy yet dangerously powerful Tar Man (whose name was born out of his tragic youth), whilst struggling all the while to adjust to living in the 18th Century. Back in the 21st century, a massive police hunt has been launched for the missing children, but Dr Dyer and his colleagues aren't helping the police with their enquiries as they're desperate to keep to themselves what the antigravity machine can do. However, their plans are thwarted time and again by the children re-appearing, in 18th century dress, at intervals, usually in odd situations, and often in a fairly transparent state ! What is going on ? And will Peter and Kate ever get back to their families and the 21st century ?

Gideon the Cutpurse is also available from Amazon.com, and if you want to know more, check out the Gideon the Cutpurse website.