#43. The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell

Witches are creating havoc in the Wildwoods and danger lurks behind every tree trunk. Wish is in possession of a powerful, Magic Spelling Book; Xar has a dangerous Witchstain on his hand. Together they can save the Wildwoods from the curse of the Witches but they are separated by the highest wall imaginable, and time…

#42. A Girl Called Justice: The Smugglers’ Lodge by Elly Griffiths

When Justice returns for spring term at Highbury House, it’s not long before murder is back on her mind. Assigned to look after the elderly Mr Arthur in Smugglers’ Lodge on the other side of the marshes from school, Justice is initially dismayed. But dismay quickly gives way to intrigue as she finds herself drawn…

#41. Evernight by Ross Mackenzie

Thousands of years ago, the Evernight came to the Silver Kingdom and turned everything to darkness and chaos. It was only defeated thanks to the skill and bravery of the Witches. But now the Evernight is about to return, released by the evil Mrs Hester, and the only spell that might stop it is lost,…

#40 Matilday by Roald Dahl

Matilda is the world’s most famous bookworm, no thanks to her ghastly parents. Her father thinks she’s a little scab. Her mother spends all afternoon playing bingo. And her headmistress, Miss Trunchbull? She’s the worst of all. She’s a big bully, who thinks all her pupils are rotten and locks them in the dreaded Chokey….

#39 James and the Giant Peach

Paperback |150 pages Publisher: Penguin Random House UK (2016, as part of a set of 15 books) Read – Thursday 14th May, 2020. I’m pretty sure I read this as a kid, but I can’t be 100% certain. It’s definitely one of Roald Dahl’s stories that I know more. There’s a lovely poem in the…

#38 The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

Everything has changed for Dr Ruth Galloway. She has a new job, home and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk police’s resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March…

#37 The Darker Arts by Oscar de Muriel

Madame Katerina, Detective ‘Nine Nails’ McGray’s most trusted clairvoyant, hosts a séance for three of Edinburgh’s wealthiest families. The following morning everyone is found dead, with Madame Katerina being the only survivor. When questioned she alleges a tormented spirit killed the families for revenge. McGray, even though he believes her, must find a rational explanation…

#36 Loch of the Dead by Oscar de Muriel

The Scottish Highlands, 1889. When a young heir receives a sinister death threat, Inspectors Frey and ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray answer a desperate plea to offer him protection. The detectives travel north to the remote and misty Loch Maree, site of an ancient burial ground. They must stay with the mysterious Koloman family – any one of…

#35 Trust Me, I’m Dead by Sherryl Clark

She hasn’t seen her brother in years. Now, he’s dead. When Judi Westerholme finds out her estranged brother has been murdered, she assumes it’s connected to his long term drug addiction. Returning home, she is shocked to discover he had been clean for years, had a wife – now missing – a child and led…

#34 Esio Trot by Roald Dahl

“I do actually happen to know how to make tortoises grow faster, if that’s really what you want.” Paperback | 56 pages Publisher: Penguin Random House UK (2016, as part of a set of 15 books) Read: 29th April I have not read this Roald Dahl book before, but I did watch the BBC adaptation…