BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations

In this post I review two sequels publishing this month. If you haven’t yet read the first one in each series, I highly recommend you read both!

1. The Elsewhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie (Kelpies)

Sequel to: The Nowhere Emporium

Magical, gripping and imaginative, The Elsewhere Emporium is a delight. This sequel to Ross MacKenzie’s award-winning The Nowhere Emporium is crafted with top-notch storytelling that weaves mystery and wonder into its dual plot structure.

Fans of the first book will be pleased to see the return of the Shop from Nowhere; a wondrous emporium that is fuelled by imagination as it magically pops up in different locations to allow people to enjoy its mystical treasures. Mr Silver has now left Daniel in charge, who along with his companion Ellie continues to delight the public with the shop’s wonders. When the emporium mysteriously disappears, it is up to Daniel and his companion Ellie to search for the shop before it is too late. It quickly becomes clear that a darker magic is at play, but no one expects that the source of the danger is lurking within the shop itself as a gripping mystery begins to unfold.

Immersive and enchanting, I highly recommended this series exploring a magical world where imagination makes anything seem possible.

See Ross Mackenzie’s The Nowhere Emporium featured on our list of Best Books for Year 5.

You can order The Elsewhere Emporium online or from your local bookshop or library.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book.

2. The Boy Who Lived with Dragons

by Andy Shepherd & Sara Ogilvie (Piccadilly Press)

Sequel to: The Boy Who Grew Dragons

I was a huge fan of Andy Shepherd’s first story, The Boy Who Grew Dragons (see my review here) so imagine my delight when the second instalment in the three-part series dropped through the letterbox last week.

Tomas and his endearing pet dragon, Flicker (who emerged from a dragon fruit tree in Grandad’s garden) are back and this time there is more dragon-shaped mayhem than ever before. While Tomas and his friends get to grips with the highs and lows of looking after secret pet dragons, they begin to notice some strange things happening– like super-sized gardening produce, a mystery in a shed and the school bully Liam suddenly acting very puzzlingly. This humorous sequel is just as charming and entertaining as the first story with likeable characters, endearing relationships and –of course – plenty of exploding poo. Sara Ogilvie’s illustrations hit the mark perfectly to capture the story’s warmth and humour. I also really loved the little hints dropped about what we might expect in book 3.

Andy Shepherd’s dragon series is busting with charisma and originality and makes for a superb read for Years 2-4.

Check out Andy Shepherd’s guest blog post about recommended dragon books or read our review of The Boy Who Grew Dragons here.

You can order The Boy Who Lived With Dragons online or from your local bookshop or library.