ZunTold

The Golden Skull is the third book  in Kate Wiseman’s Mudlarking Mysteries, the cosy crime series for teens. Ottilie Zhang has flourished since her escape from the clutches of China Jane. Her greatest joy is combing the Thames foreshore with Joe, looking for treasure.  During one mudlarking expedition, she uncovers something astounding and troubling: a golden Aztec skull, once the property of a legendary pirate. It comes with a grim reputation. Ottilie’s hard-won happiness is threatened when China Jane once again tracks her down, offering an impossible choice: hand over the skull, together with a golden skeletal hand that once accompanied it, or Jane will order the deaths of her cherished friends, one by one. With only days to complete the task, Ottilie turns to fledging suffragette Adelaide Bing for help, encountering obstacles both human and ghostly as she fights against time itself to save her friends.

Pomegranates for Peace is a Middle Grade novel centred on the aftermath of the October 7th 2023 atrocities conducted by Hamas in Israel and the terrible war in Gaza which followed. The story takes place in November 2023 in London when Tamara Cohen learns that her cousin Gidi who lives in Israel, is coming to stay with the family because his dad as a medic is on the front line and his mum has been taken ill and is in hospital. At first Tamara is upset because she has to give up her bedroom. Dad is withdrawn and angry and spends all of his time following the events unfolding in Isreal and Gaza. Mum is anxious about it too and worried about Gidi who hardly speaks and seems to have arrived with little clothing. Over the next few weeks, friendships in school become strained and Tamara is concerned that she is losing her best friend Yaz. Bouts of racism against Jewish and Muslim children and families, inside and outside of school are becoming more frequent and everyone in school, including the teachers, are taking sides. In the end it is Gidi who teaches the children that Peace is the path to sorting out the mess created by adults and opens their eyes to the youth leaders in Israel and Gaza who work tirelessly to build bridges of communication. Released on the 20th November, on World Children''s Day. The day marks the United Nations General Assembly''s adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. In 2025, World Children''s Day calls on adults to listen to the future. Miriam Halahmy is a Jewish Anglo author and Peace Activist.

Mary, Georgia, 1851 ''My Momma always told me that, one day, remarkable things would happen to me. ‘No, Mary,’ I hear her say, voice dripping like treacle, ‘not happen to you; you will do remarkable things.’ Not now though, trapped and with no room to properly breathe – nowhere to look even but the sky above and the earth under my feet pressed flat on the ground from working and walking from dawn until the sun sets low in a stretched wide sky of cerise and crimson. For now, my space to breathe is inside. In that little pocket deep deep within my chest or heart or something – the bit they can’t touch.'' Clover has felt so alone since her mother passed away - there was only ever Mum and Clover and they were a team. That is until Clover discovers a box of old letters, dating back to 1851, where the voice of a young woman will tell Clover about her true heritage and the dark secrets that Mum hid from her. A YA novel by debut author, Natalie Lucy about the intergenerational legacy of enslavement.

In a galaxy beyond the Milky Way, three friends and their goofy sidekick discover a mysterious glowing orb. It draws them into the Emotosphere, where their adventure begins. Feelings run high and friendships are tested as they face the Galaxy of Woah and the swirling Vortex. Can these friends work together to master the 7 Cosmic Powers and navigate the Emotosphere? Will the cast of intriguing characters they meet along the way help them find their ultimate treasure? Through the 7 Cosmic Powers, young readers are introduced to tools for mental wellbeing, to help them cope with life’s ups and downs. A variety of evidence-based psychology strategies, from mindfulness to gratitude, are woven into the story using child-friendly imagery and language.Tales of the Emotosphere is a graphic novel with a fun adventure story at its heart, to engage young readers in social and emotional learning. Co-written by Russ Daff and Dr Susannah Redhead (Clinical Psychologist) with illustrations by Russ Daff.

Winter, 1942, and eighteen months since the Germans invaded the beautiful island of Jersey.For Joe, Spinner, Clem and Ginger, memories of carefree days are fading. They try to lift everyone’s spirits with their band, and they play tricks on the enemy. The local newspaper is controlled by the Germans, there’s no post to England and telephone calls are monitored.Everybody is hungry.16 year-old Clem is angry. His brother’s been killed in action and his father is unwell. Then he and Joe discover that Russian slave labourers have been brought to Jersey to build bunkers for the German army. These prisoners are beaten, starving and desperate.The gang devise a plan. What if they can help the prisoners? Risking life and limb, they embark on an adventure to help in any way they can. But danger lurks in every corner and will it make it wors? acqueline King is a Channel Islander living in Somerset.