11 June 2022 • The Week Junior 23
Book club
*If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize.
Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at http://www.futureplc.com/privacy-policySnuggle down for some thrilling twists on
these strange stories with familiar echoes.5
books of dark
new fairy tales
Roxy & Jones: The Curse of the
Gingerbread Witch
by Angela Woolfe
and Paolo Escobar
(Walker Books)
In the second hilarious Roxy & Jones
adventure, Cinderella Jones has a new mission:
to find the children who followed the Pied Piper
into the mountains 30 years ago and disappeared.
The trail leads everywhere from Jack’s beanstalk
to the cottage of the evil Gingerbread Witch.Frankenstiltskin
by Joseph Coelho.
Illustrated by Freya Hartas
(Walker Books)
An animal-loving artist is given three
horrible (and impossible) tasks by
the king: to bring his son’s pets back to life. When
a sinister creature appears from the shadows of
the castle, things get even weirder. This is a
deliciously dark and funny mash-up of fairy tales.The Beatryce Prophecy
by Kate DiCamillo.
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
(Walker Books)
In this enthralling medieval tale,
a girl appears at a monastery.
Beatryce is ill, covered in dirt and blood, and
holding fast to Answelica – a bad-tempered goat.
As Gentle Brother Edik nurses her, he learns of her
secret and must help her on a journey through the
dark woods to a distant castle.Wilder than Midnight
by Cerrie Burnell
(Puffin Books)
Set in a fairy-tale world of tangled
forests, castles and strange secrets,
this is the story of three very different
girls: Saffy, who is tired of following the rules;
Aurelia, locked up in a tower; and Wild Rose, who
was raised by wolves and is fearless and cunning.
Can they save the village of Silverthorne?Rumaysa Ever After
by Radiya Hafiza.
Illustrated by Rhaida El Touny
(Macmillan Children’s Books)
Rumaysa is searching for her
long-lost parents in a magical version
of South Asia. When she gets an invitation from
the Queen of Bishnara, she hopes it will help, but
instead she is pulled into a dark adventure. Will
Rumaysa ever find her own happily ever after?BOOK OF THE WEEK
ASK THE AUTHOR
While the
Storm Rages
It’s 1939 in London. The Second World
War has just broken out and the
Government is advising people to have
their pets put down because of the
feared chaos ahead. Noah could never
do that; he and his best friend Clem
can’t bear the thought of losing their
beloved dogs. Instead, they set out on
a bold adventure to save their pets –
and as many other animals as they can.
They have some unlikely new allies,
too: the school bully, his pet snake and
a donkey with a hat. Author Phil Earle
won lots of awards for his previous
wartime adventure story, When the Sky
Falls, including the Book of the Year:
Children’s Fiction prize at the British
Book Awards. This, his latest book, is
just as heartwarming, funny and
exciting. It’s a great story of adventure,
courage and friendship.Phil Earle
The While the Storm Rages author
talks about dogs and ice cream.YOUR TURN
Email your book review to hello@
theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review
is printed in the magazine you’ll
receive a Roving Reporter badge. Tell us
what you liked about the book and why
you’d recommend it to others, and don’t
forget to include your name and address.*From 18 to 25 June, 700
independent bookshops will
be celebrating Independent
Bookshop Week (IBW) 2022.
There will be festivals organised
by independent bookshops,
special podcast recordings,
local school events and much
more. Find out all about it at
tinyurl.com/TWJ-IBWINDEPENDENT
BOOKSHOP WEEKSAR
AH^
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by Phil Earle
(Andersen Press)Favourite season?
Summer. Always. I live in the
north, I see enough cold.Do you have any pets?
Two Bedlington whippets
called Nancy and Lennie,
and a bearded dragon who
answers to Bazzer.What’s the secret to
writing a good story?
Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell
you, as then everyone would
be at it! I do know you need towrite the story you’d want to
read, though.Favourite ice cream
flavour?
Ice cream: Phish Food. Every
time.Do you have anything in
common with Noah?
I wish I was more like Noah.
I’m not great at taking risks
like him. That said, I’d do
anything for our dogs...Roving ReporterJuniorWIN!
We’re giving away five copies of
While the Storm RagesFor a chance to win a copy, just send your name and
address to [email protected] and put
STORM in the subject line.* Closing date: 17 June. See
theweekjunior.co.uk/terms for rules.