Tag Ann Bryant

Paper Dragons: The Rise of the Sand Spirits / Treasure Hunt

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Paper Dragons: The Rise of the Sand Spirits
Siobhan McDermott
Hodder Children’s Books

The second in this gripping series sees Zhi Ging continuing her journey in the magical underwater school Hok Woh. Now she undertakes a highly dangerous mission to rescue her friends and the villagers of all six provinces in the realm from attack. Accompanied by now-phoenix Malo she has to face dangerous sand spirits, enemies hungry for power and awesome lightning breathing dragons if she’s to save both her new home in the world of the immortals and her friends. However as secrets are uncovered, Zhi Ging must work out not only who she can trust but vitally, how she can survive.

With the author’s wonderfully imagined world-building and vivid, lyrical descriptions that include communicating jellyfish, readers will soon find themselves fully immersed in the twisting turning, fast moving plot. However, Zhi Ging’s journey is not only physical but it’s also one of self-discovery and personal development. She gains a considerable amount of wisdom concerning compassion and the power of words. With its blend of Chinese folklore, this is spellbinding indeed. Wither next, one wonders.

Treasure Hunt
Ann Bryant, illustrated by Laura Wood
Graffeg

This book continues the tale begun in The Rock. The twins, Finola and Zane are at a traditional country fete in Cafner where they enter a treasure hunt that they hope might lead them towards their father. A local girl named Sylvie helps them understand the meaning of the clues but it’s not long before Zane catches sight of Nick Robinson whom he believes is somebody dangerous.. Should they abort the hunt and hurry to safety or continue following the clues to the end; clues in which their Dad has left messages for them. They really need to apply those lessons from Mum about Earth’s culture as well as the analytical thinking that Dad has advocated. And what about Nick Robinson – friend or foe?

The exciting story ends on a cliffhanger leaving readers eager to know if the family will ever be reunited.

Tourmaline and the Museum of Marvels / The Rock

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Tourmaline and the Museum of Marvels
Ruth Lauren
Little Tiger

Since falling into the Source of all magic on the island of Elsewhere during a mission to rescue her mother, Tourmaline has developed magical powers that are almost uncontrollable, the result being chaos. Her powers are virtually impossible to hide from others though her loyal buddies George and Maia are well aware of her plight.

When Tourmaline unexpectedly receives a postcard addressed to her, offering answers she heads off by airship, despite her friends’ reservations, to the market rendezvous mentioned on the card – the Dark Market – so the Living Archive informs her. She’s accompanied by Mai, her Mum Persephone and George, who stows away..

So begins a mysterious new adventure for Tourmaline, one wherein she finds it hard to know whom to trust, that sees her visiting incredible places where she receives further postcards, has some surprising and unexpected encounters, takes huge risks and makes astounding discoveries.
The final chapter of this thrilling fantasy neatly sets things up for the next book in the series due to be published early in 2025. I eagerly anticipate it.

The Rock
Ann Bryant, illustrated by Josephine Birch
Graffeg

Twins, twelve year old Finola and Zane and their mum from planet Sevent, have crash-landed on Earth. Eager to be reunited with Dad, they have begun to search but after several months they’ve heard nothing other than the telepathic message Mum received when first they arrived. The twins know they have to keep themselves out of sight from prying eyes. Mum has found a job in hospitality, and now the twins’ desire to stop hiding from everyone is becoming overwhelming, especially when Zane reveals that he’s received two cryptic messages – pictures of a rock – from Dad. On hearing what the children want to do, Mum says they must sleep on it, but that night on the news is an announcement from a scientific research company offering the ‘alien family’ 250,000 euros to participate in their ‘research programme’ and the same sum to anyone with information about the whereabouts of the ‘aliens’.

Next morning, an anxious Mum gives her blessing to the twins, now disguised, to teleport themselves to Albrigart, a rocky place with a conservation park. No matter what they do or where they go, it seems that eyes are on their every move. Can anybody at all be trusted?

Eventually Zane decides they should to go back to the flat but they become separated. With her energy depleted Finola finds herself alone, left to her own devices to return to Mum and Zane. Once reunited, the three talk and conclude that thus far, as Finola puts it, they only have one truth: “We want to find Dad and he wants to find us.”

As the book ends they know nothing of what the future holds but are sure that no matter what, they’ll undertake things as a team. This cliffhanger leaves the way open for the search to continue.
I suspect that like myself, child readers will be eager to discover if the family is finally reunited.