Have you ever thought you'd just have a ten minute read before going to sleep and ended up staying awake for hours reading? In this issue of Book box we look at some page-turners - books you just can't put down.
For younger children
Why not try Spy dog (giant print 1v) by Andrew Cope? Lara is a dog trained by the British Secret Service, but her last mission did not go to plan and now she is being hunted down by Mr Big, an evil drugs baron. She 'chooses' a family to look after her, but will she eventually have the heart to leave them? Can she keep her true identity secret, and what will happen with Mr Big?
For readers aged 9 and over
Journey to the river sea (braille 3v, giant print 2v, TB 15910) by Eva Ibbotson is an adventure story set in the Amazon. Maia is an orphaned English girl forced to stay with relatives there. She befriends an English boy who lives with the local Indians, but then they must flee upriver… One reader said: "It's full of surprises and never fails to delight me or anybody else who reads it".
Hazel Townson's Deathwood letters (braille 1v, giant print 1v) tells the tale of a decidedly different pen pal relationship. Damian rescues his dog from down a well and a girl called Frances starts writing to him after seeing his picture in the newspaper. In the midst of their correspondence, something terrible happens. The book is written as a series of letters and the reader has to fill in the gaps, solving clues along the way.
The doomspell (braille 4v, giant print 2v) by Cliff McNish is the first book in a fantasy trilogy in which two children are sucked into another world through the wall in their cellar and trapped in the power of Dragwena the evil Witch. One reader said the book "grabs you in from the off and does not let go". The sequels are also available.
For older readers 11 and upwards
We begin with Walk two moons (braille 4v) by Sharon Creech. It tells the tale of Salamanca Tree Hiddle, a girl on a quest to unravel the mystery of what happened to her mother who has disappeared. It's been described as 'amazing' by one reader and another said, "You haven't lived until you've read this book!"
Tim Wynne-Jones' A thief in the house of memory (braille 3v, giant print 1v) is another story of a mother's disappearance and is something of a psychological thriller. Dec returns to his old family home to find a man crushed to death in the hall. The house is suddenly alive with memories. Dec hasn't seen his mother for several years - now he must piece together the puzzle of what has happened to her.
Wolf brother (braille 3v, giant print 2v, TB 14202) by Michelle Paver, is the first book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. One reader sums up just how much of a page turner this is: "I am a 12 year old boy who absolutely hated reading. One day my mum asked me to just try reading this book …I read 224 pages in around four days - I would normally read that amount in about 2 months!" The story is set thousands of years ago when something supernatural, a demon contained in the body of a bear, is conjured up and set to destroy the world. Only Torak, a twelve year old boy, has the power to stop this. Will he succeed?
David Clement-Davies' The sight (braille 6v) will also keep you gripped. A legend clings to a pack of wolves seeking shelter in the Carparthian mountains. One reader commented: "I found myself feeling for the characters and wanting to read on, sometimes staying up late into the night so I could find out what happened in the next few chapters."
Shortlisted for the Carnegie medal 2009, Creature of the night (braille 5v, giant print 2v, TB 16560) by Kate Thompson brings gritty realism together with the Supernatural and has been praised for its gripping storyline. Something of a wild child, Bobby has moved with his family from Dublin to the country when his younger brother claims he has seen a creature of the night. Is the rumour of a murder in the neighbourhood real?
We hope that's given you lots of ideas and that you will be able to put these books down once you have started reading them - we wouldn't want you to be awake all night!