Chicklish

NEWS: Ask Amy Green by Sarah Webb Young Editors Competition

Thanks to Sarah Webb and Walker Books, we have details of a competition for young book-lovers...

The Ask Amy Green Young Editor Competition

To celebrate the publication of the latest Ask Amy Green book, Love and Other Drama-Ramas by Sarah Webb, Walker Books are holding a competition to become one of Sarah’s new young editors.

Want to read and comment on chapters from the next Amy Green book, Dancing Daze (coming in 2012) months before anyone else? Fancy being featured on a very special Young Editors page on the Ask Amy Green website? Want to win signed books, a special Ask Amy Green T-shirt and other great prizes?

Simply visit www.askamygreen.com and click on the Write-a-rama Competition button and tell us in 300 words or less why you like Love and Other Drama-Ramas or any other Ask Amy Green book and who your favourite character is and why.

Enter before 31st October 2011. You must be aged 9 or over on 1st January 2011. Winners will be notified by 30th November.

Good luck!

NEWS: Maureen Johnson Competition

We've just received news of a competition run by HarperCollins UK to celebrate the publication of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Details below...

JACK THE RIPPER FAN WALK

To celebrate the publication of Maureen Johnsons new YA thriller The Name of the Star, HarperCollins Children’s Books is offering 10 lucky readers the opportunity to accompany Maureen Johnson on a private Jack the Ripper walk in London on Thursday, 13th October 2011.

The walk begins at 5:00 PM and will carry-on for two hours into the night! Visit the haunting sites of Jack the Ripper and hear first-hand from Maureen how they inspired her new book The Name of the Star.

To enter, simply email nameofthestar@harpercollins.co.uk for a chance to attend the event with a friend.

Disclaimer: Entrants must be 13 or over. Please ensure that you are available to attend the event on Thursday, 13th October from 5.00pm to 7.00pm before entering. Winners will be informed on Friday, 7th October, and will be provided with further instructions then.

REVIEW: Invitation Only (Private book 2) by Kate Brian

Review by Mya.

Synopsis from Goodreads: "Reed Brennan's future is looking as bright as the two-karat diamonds in her new housemates' ears. Being accepted to the most prestigious private boarding school in the country wasn't enough for Reed. She had to break every rule to do it, but she has accomplished the impossible: Reed is a Billings Girl now. And with her new status comes respect, envy, and, most important, opportunity. Not to mention the parties. Unfortunately, at the next illicit party in the Easton campus woods, her roommate snaps some pictures of Reed in more than one compromising position. She uses the photos to blackmail Reed: Dig up dirt on the most powerful and popular Billings Girls or she will have Reed expelled. And speaking of parties, the Legacy is coming up. It's the invitation-only Halloween party in NYC and it's rumoured that Thomas -- Reed's MIA boyfriend -- will be making an appearance there. Too bad Reed isn't even close to invited."

There was a lot of dispute over the previous instalment of the Private series, but bear with me. I was completely awe-struck by this book. The book picks up from where Private left off, and the characters still seem to be thorough and as detailed as they were in their last appearance. The ending tormented me until the very last page, and left me searching for the next book somewhere in my room.

If you like books such as the ‘It Girl’  or ‘Darke Academy’ then this is simply a must read.

Review by Mya.

REVIEW: Private by Kate Brian

Review by Mya.

Reed Brennan is a scholarship student at Easton Academy, a private school in New England. She’s eager to forget her dull past and leave it behind her, from her drug-addicted mother, complete lack of social life, to her scrawny suburban home in Croton, Pennsylvania.

So when Reed begins her first term at Easton she becomes infatuated with fitting in with her over-privileged classmates, especially when the Billings Girls; the clique Reed dreamed of being in, took notice of her. To Reed they seemed the most popular and powerful clique on campus and being the new girl, joining their ranks seemed like the perfect way to finally find her place at Easton Academy.

Some people don’t think this book is particularly exciting, and others say it’s predictable. I would really have to disagree. The characters in this book are probably the most well-developed characters I’ve ever read about. Their personalities are so in-depth that by the end of the book you feel as if you’re at Easton with them. This may be classified as chick-lit but it does have some sinister twists and turns which make the book stand out from others similar to it.

If you’re a fan of the ‘It Girl’  series, you’ll find this series ten times better. It’s a must read, but if you’re like me, I wouldn’t just buy the first book as you’ll just want to read on!

Review by Mya.

Kate Brian is a pseudonym for Kieran Scott. Check out a full list of her books below, from Fantastic Fiction.

REVIEW: Catwalk Queen by Cathy Hopkins (Million Dollar Mates book 3)

Review by Faun.

Jess is a normal teenage girl who lives at a posh estate in London called Porchester Park. Her group of friends includes mischievous Pia, who I felt really pulled Jess into every thing wether she liked it or not. Then there's Flo the dreamer, feisty Meg and rich-girl Alisha with the big heart and bigger wardrobe! Jess has boy trouble and to top it all her favourite pop diva Tanisha is running a modelling contest that she thinks Jess can win.

I am not going to put any more than that about the story because I would accidently give away the plot. It is a really funny book that is gripping and the only reason it took me two days to read is because my mum wouldn't let me read until midnight because I had school the next morning. As the story moves along I think Jess really grows as a person because at the beginning she seems a bit wet.

My only complaint was that near the end there was an unwritten law of the universe that said everything that can go wrong will go wrong. It quickly corrected itself though.

I think this book is really good whether or not you have read the first two.

Review by Faun, aged 11.

Huge thanks to Faun, and welcome to Chicklish!

REVIEW: Ruby Redfort - Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child

"Here’s the low-down on Ruby Redfort: she’s a genius code-cracker, a daring detective, and a gadget-laden special agent who just happens to be a thirteen-year-old girl. She and her slick side-kick butler, Hitch, foil crimes and get into loads of scrapes with evil villains, but they’re always ice-cool in a crisis. In this first book, we go right back to Ruby’s beginnings as an agent. When an anonymous caller sets Ruby a challenge, it’s not long before she finds her way into the HQ of the most secret of secret agencies – SPECTRUM. They need her help to crack a code but her desk job soon spirals into an all-out action adventure, as Ruby uncovers the dastardly plans of the formidable Fool’s Gold Gang..."

7-year-old Isabella reviews Ruby Redfort - Look Into My Eyes: This book is fantastic and it is based on the series of stories that Clarice Bean loves. It's about an ordinary girl who loves cracking codes. She goes to a secret club and gets into lots of mischief. The story was so exciting that we didn't want to put it down. I loved all the adventure and guessing. I would give it ten out of ten because it was just so brilliant!

9-year-old Rocco adds: A thrilling and exciting read, full of adventure. I would recommend it for people who like suspense and mystery.

A parent says: Ruby Redfort is sassy, funny, friendly and smart and it was real fun spending time with such an above-average girl who is so down-to-earth – and that's even when she's employed as a undercover agent for the mysterious Spectrum. What's even more surprising is that she does all this with such dull parents...

Overall: Highly recommended!

• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (29 Sep 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0007334060
• ISBN-13: 978-0007334063

Watch the Ruby Redfort trailer below.

NEWS: The Gentlemen Press Writing Competition for young writers

If you're a writer aged between 13 and 21 and living in the West Midlands, you might be interested in entering a short story competition run by a new Birmingham-based independent publisher called The Gentlemen Press. Judges include Jean Ure, David Belbin and Nine Arches. The closing date for entries is 31st October 2011.

Find out more at The Gentlemen Press's competition page.

REVIEW: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger

Rocco, aged 9, writes about one of his all-time favourite books. Synopsis from Amazon.

"Tommy and his classmates narrate this middle grade mystery, each recounting an episode in which they received wise advice from a finger puppet of Yoda, perpetually worn on the finger of their classmate, Dwight, a loser who can't get anything right. Is this puppet really Yoda? Or is Dwight a bit more together than he seems?"

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is really really really funny. My favourite character was Dwight, with how he seems always in the clouds, but Origami Yoda on his finger solves problems. I liked the mystery in this book, and I really enjoyed making my own Origami Yoda using the instructions in the back of the book.

Review by Rocco, aged 9.

NEWS: Duelling Magicks short story by Stephanie Burgis

This isn't brand-new news, but I was away when it was announced and I'm still catching up, so I wanted to share it in case anyone else might have missed it.

Fans of A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis and its sequel A Tangle of Magicks should check out a special short story written by the author. It features the sparky heroine Kat and her wonderful sisters Elissa and Angeline, and is set after the first book and before the second.

The story is called Duelling Magicks and it's available to read at StephanieBurgis.com.

REVIEW: Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey

Review by Daria.

"Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult enough. The strict curfew that Lucy's parents enforce is the worst part. Something really dangerous couldn't possibly happen in this tiny town. But Christabel has noticed some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn't understand—one that seems deadly serious. Although she won't admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. But when she is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Christabel must cause more and more trouble in Violet Hill, Lucy and Connor finally fill Christabel in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good." (from Amazon)

Bleeding Hearts is the fourth book in the fantastic Drake Chronicles, and this book was just as good as the others and maybe better. The plot of this novel was enticing and exciting. New and unpredictable things happening, which kept me reading and reading. I didn't want the book to end. I loved how all the heroines are smart, sassy and brave, not damsels in distress who just wait around, hoping to get rescued. I like how Alyxandra Harvey's writing is witty and edgy with hints of light and darkness. I also loved the ending, and I am really looking forward to the next book in the Drake Chronicles.

I liked all the main characters in the book, Connor, Lucy and Christabel. I liked that the story was written from three different points of view. It made it come alive in my mind and that made it even better. The characters that Alyxandra Harvey created were great and young, just the type of characters that I like to read about and learn about.

Review by Daria, aged 15.

Read an extract of Bleeding Hearts at Bloomsbury

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