The Enemy by Charlie Higson (Puffin)

Halo by Zizou Corder (Puffin)

Nobody’s Girl by Sarra Manning (Hodder Children’s Books)

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace (Andersen Press)

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (Orion)

Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes (Quercus)

For more information visit the Booktrust Teenage Prize website.

You may be asking yourself who is this Jack Christie? He is the son of a professor who was part of a team that created the Taurus time machine. He gets involved in fighting against a shadowy cabal known as the Revisionists who want to change the present by altering history.

In his first adventure Day of the Assassins, the year is 1914. The place: Sarajevo.

The mission: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Should they intervene? And, more importantly, will they survive?

By picking up the second book in the series the last question is answered but if Day of Deliverance is your first taste of the Jack Christie Adventures I would recommend reading Day of the Assassins first!

Who are:

The Revisionists? A group of scientists and their followers, who, using sophisticated computer simulations to model interventions in the past want to use their technology to change the past to improve the present.

VIGIL? Former colleagues of the Revisionists who believe that changing the past would be dangerous and work to make sure that the Taurus is kept secret and that no one is permitted to meddle with history.

About the Author
Johnny O’Brien was inspired to write the novel after seeing some of his grandad’s war medals in an old cupboard. “A few years ago my dad showed me some medals that his dad (my grandfather) had received during the First World War. He explained that my grandfather had been injured in the war and had later lost part of his leg. Apparently, my grandfather was reluctant to speak about how he got the injuries or how he won the medals. I don’t really know why. But I know what he did was brave – because I have a citation at home signed by the ‘Minister of War’ – Winston Churchill. Anyway, unlike millions of others, my grandfather survived the war and went on to have children and live to a ripe old age – although I never knew him. It got me thinking though. He made important choices in his life – he chose to fight in the war. It seems he chose to do something brave. Later he chose to have a family. If he had made different choices, of course, I might not be here.”

To enter the competition, reading groups just need to tell us, in 300 words, why their reading group should be ‘reporters’ on this year’s Teenage Prize for Groupthing. The reporting will take place from September to November.

The winning reading group will receive a flip cam which can be used to produce short videos of reviews of the books, debates, and events to tie in with the Prize. They will also receive one set of books and three sets of tickets to attend the awards ceremony in November in London.* The videos will be shown on Groupthing and the Booktrust website.

Please submit your entries to judith-shipman@readingagency.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 20 August.

The winning reading group will be announced the week beginning 23 August, and the flip cam and books will be delivered to the reading group in time for the shortlist announcement on 7 September.
There will also be a set of books for the runners-up.

*Please note that travel expenses to the awards ceremony are not included.

The Choir Boats was selected by January Magazine as a Top Ten YA Novel for 2009.
Reviewers describe it as “Gulliver’s Travels crossed with The Golden Compass and a dollop
of Pride and Prejudice,” and “a muscular, Napoleonic-era fantasy that, like Philip
Pullman’s Dark Materials series, will appeal to both adult and young adult readers.”

I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you is the first book in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter and introduces the reader to Cammie (the Chameleon) Morgan, a resourceful young woman fluent in 14 languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways. She is, in fact the perfect spy in training. She is also a teenager, with all the shortcomings that being 15 years of age brings.

Being trained as a superspy is no help when she meets a cute boy when she is out on assignment, add to this a devilishly attractive male teacher and a troublesome new classmate and you have the makings of La Femme Nikita meets Gossip Girl (only far superior).

I’d tell you I love you but the I’d have to kill you is BRILLIANT! A New York Times bestseller, it has strong female protagonists that will appeal to teen boys as well s their female counterparts. It has been my guilty pleasure read this week and it made me the envy of my Teen Book Group.

I am now looking forward to Cross my heart & hope to spy

Bleaker in tone than the first book; Fire Djinn is just as compelling and entertaining. Ushering in new villains to challenge the at times reluctant heroes with a horrific plot to scorch the face of the world leaving only a chosen few survivors dedicated to serving the dark. With the Light Fire Djinn missing and his forces scattered and broken, Finn and his friends stand alone, his allies in the sea kingdom being of limited use against the earth-bound power of the Dark Fire Djinn.

Linda Davies makes good use of the characters standing in the many shades of grey between the Light and the Dark. I was kept guessing about the motivations and allegiances of a number of the characters up until the end. The secondary characters are proving to be just as interesting as the primary protagonists, with a number of new faces popping up and hopefully staying around to be fleshed out more in future books. A number of the story strands from Sea Djinn were tied up in Fire Djinn and others were expanded and elaborated on. There is a firm sense of continuiity from the first book and Fire Djinn felt like a firm continuation of a solid narrative. The main characters are developing nicely and the morals within the tale are subtle and give pause for thought long after the end of the book.

An epic book that starts with a bang and burns through its pages to a satisfying conclusion and set up for further adventures!

Forget Twilight, banish Buffy, discard Dracula – only this book can save you from the Fallen Ones!

Vampireology is the true history of vampires, or the ‘Fallen Ones’, who have lived amongst us since the beginning of time. Drawing on the ancient truth about vampires, the book is a warning to a world in great danger. Inside the reader will discover the origins of vampires, learn about famous vampires from history and find out how to recognise and destroy these terrible creatures!

Visit Ologyworld to find out more about this book and others in the series.

Win one of 2 Vampireology T-shirts and Tattoos courtesy of Ologyworld & Galactus. To enter leave the name of your favourite vampire or vampire slayer in the comments field and why you think you should win a shirt.