Tag Archives: Cathy Cassidy

The other books in the Chocolate Box Girls series (by Cathy Cassidy of course)

cherrycrushCherry Crush – Cherry Costello’s life is about to change forever. She and Dad are moving to Somerset where a new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. And on Cherry’s first day there her head is turned by the gorgeous Shay Fletcher. But Shay already has a girlfriend, Cherry’s new stepsister, Honey. Cherry knows her friendship with Shay is dangerous – it could destroy everything. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to stay away from him . . .

MarshmallowskyeMarshmallow Skye – Skye and Summer Tanberry are identical twins, and Skye loves her sister Summer more than anyone else in the world. They do everything together, but lately Skye’s been feeling like second-best – it’s the story of her life. And when her friend Alfie confesses he’s fallen not for her, but for Summer, it hurts. Skye wants to be her own person, but with an effortlessly cool twin, how can she? Will Skye ever step out of Summer’s shadow and find her own chance to shine?

Ssummersdreamummer’s Dream – Summer has always dreamed of dancing, and when a place at ballet school comes up, she wants it so badly it hurts. Middle school ends and the holidays begin, but unlike her sisters, Summer has no time for lazy days and sunny beach parties. The audition becomes her obsession, and things start spiralling out of control . . . The more Summer tries to find perfection, the more lost she becomes. Will she realise – with the help of the boy who wants more than friendship – that dreams come in all shapes and sizes?

Coco CaramelCoco Caramel – Coco is the youngest of the Tanberry sisters but she’s as headstrong as any of them . . . Coco is crazy about animals and loves her riding lessons. When Caramel, her favourite pony at the stables, is sold, Coco scopes out the new owner – and she’s not happy about what she discovers. With big sister Honey going off at the deep end and Summer only just recovering from her eating disorder, there’s no-one at Tanglewood to help Coco out. Can Coco save Caramel alone – or will a new friend help her?

sweethoneySweet Honey – Honey is going to live with her dad in Australia. Determined to make a fresh start, she couldn’t be further away from the tough times at Tanglewood. Her new life is a dream come true – until school begins. The girls are different from Honey’s friends in England and the only person who seems to understand her is the cute boy from the beach she’s chatting to online. But when he, the girls at school and even her dad start breaking promises, who can she trust? All alone on the other side of the world, Honey’s past is about to catch up with her . . .

Book of the Week – Fortune Cookie by Cathy Cassidy

fortunecookieStrictly speaking Fortune Cookie is not one of the Chocolate Box Girls series – it is the only Chocolate Box Boy book! Jake Cooke (Cookie) is stunned to get a letter from Honey who claims that he is her half-brother. She even encloses a train ticket so that he can visit if he wants to, so when things go wrong at home, Jake takes up that offer.

The blurb says:

Jake Cooke has just had the surprise of his life. He already knew he had a no-good dad but now he’s got four half-sisters that he never knew existed. When Jake’s talent for trouble causes chaos at home, he runs away to meet his new family. Life in a rundown flat in Chinatown is a far cry from Tanglewood where the days are filled with picnics, beach parties and chocolate festivals. It’s already starting to feel like home. But Jake’s about to realize he can only escape his problems and his future for so long. However far you go, you can’t outrun destiny…

We have all the Chocolate Box Girls (and Boy) books in the library, and lots of other Cathy Cassidy books as well – ask at the desk if you need help to find them.

 

Puffin Virtually Live with Cathy Cassidy

Looking glass girlLooking Glass Girl by Cathy Cassidy was Book of the Week last month – and it has been on loan ever since. It is very popular, and is proving to be one of those books that is borrowed again as soon as it is returned! For those of you still waiting, if you click on the picture of the book you can go to the Puffin Virtually Live site and see a video of Cathy Cassidy talking about Looking Glass Girl, Alice in Wonderland and answering questions sent in by her fans.

Remember, if you want to make sure you can get hold of a book, you can always ask the Library Team to keep it back for you.

Looking Glass Girl by Cathy Cassidy, reviewed by EM

Looking glass girlLooking Glass Girl is written by Cathy Cassidy and is an amazing book. It’s based on the story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. It’s main character is a normal girl named Alice Beech.

Alice is a great actress and played the lead character in her primary school production of Alice in Wonderland, at high school, her and her friends split apart. Her friends befriend a popular girl named Savannah or Savvy, and her friend Erin.

Alice is bullied by this group and when she is invited to a sleepover by Savvy she goes but ends up having to go to hospital after a nasty fall when she shatters a mirror over her head. She is taken to hospital and it is discovered that she is in a coma. We are taken into her mind where she is in her own wonderland and the other characters try to bring her back by talking to her.

But will Alice wake up?!

I loved this book and found I couldn’t put it down – it’s an amazing twist on Alice in Wonderland.

 

Book of the Week – Looking Glass Girl by Cathy Cassidy

Looking glass girl

This year is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, so this week we are going to have an Alice week on the blog, starting with a brand new book by one of my favourite authors. Looking Glass Girl, by Cathy Cassidy is a modern re-telling of the Alice story – the blurb says…

Alice nearly didn’t go to the sleepover. Why would Savvy, queen of the school, invite someone like her?

Now Alice is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Lost in a wonderland of dreams and half-formed memories, she’s surrounded by voices – the doctor, her worries friends and Luke, whose kisses the night of the fall took her by surprise…

When the accident happened, her world vanished – can Alice ever find her way back?

Looking Glass Girl is on the display stand on the library desk, ask if you want to read it!

 

 

Five books to read whilst eating chocolate eggs…

BloodAndChocolate1. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Clause – Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

OppositeChocolate2. The Opposite of Chocolate by Julie Bertagna – It’s a long, hot summer – and a climactic one. For 14-year-old Sapphire it brings the awesome, terrifying realisation that she is pregnant – a discovery that catapults her into the eye of a storm as her body, her future, her life, become a battleground for everyone’s needs but her own. Meanwhile, out in the humid urban night, a mysterious firebug is running wild, working out his own anger and confusion with dramatic consequences. Somehow, from this cauldron of emotion and fear, Sapphire must find a way to take control of her life – and make the most agonising and lonely of choices.

LovePeaceChocolate3. Love, Peace and Chocolate by Cathy Cassidy – Jess and Kady are best friends forever. They think nothing can come between them, but then the gorgeous, blue-eyed Jack Somers gets in the way.

He’s melted their hearts – but he won’t break up their friendship . . . Will he?

CharlieAndChocolate4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – Enter the world of Golden Tickets, chocolate bars and the mysterious chocolate factory owner, Mr Willy Wonka. Charlie has won the chance of a lifetime and is one of the five lucky children to be allowed to enter the chocolate factory, but what delicious surprises await them on the other side of the factory gates?

Chocolat5. Chocolat by Joanne Harris – Chocolat is an enchanting novel about a small French town turned upside down by the arrival of a bewitching chocolate confectioner, Vianne Rocher, and her spirited young daughter.

All synopses from book jackets or publishers’ blurbs.

Short & Sweet

Sometimes you don’t know whether you are going to like an author’s style or not, and it’s good to try out a shorter extract before you commit yourself to reading a whole book by them. The World Book Day books are ideal as ‘tasters’, and if you enjoy them you can always go ahead and read other books by those authors.

We always buy multiple copies of the World Book Day books – and this week they are all on the Book of the Week display stand.

bittersweet funworstwitch hangintherebozo iamnitaloser

Queen of Teen 2014

Queen of TeenYou still have time (just) to nominate your favourite teen author for Queen of Teen 2014. Previous winners include Maureen Johnson in 2012, Cathy Cassidy in 2010 and Louise Rennison in 2008, and of course we currently have books by these authors on display.

Who do you think would be a good Queen of Teen? What about Rainbow Rowell, or John Green? David Levithan or Dawn O’Porter? You don’t have long to make up your mind, because nominations must be made by the 29th April – go to the Queen of Teen website to find out more!

Tuesday 1st April – New books in the library

Coco CaramelCathy Cassidy’s books are always popular here, so I don’t expect the newest – Coco Caramel, the fourth in the Chocolate Box Girls series – to stay on the shelves for long! We have all Cathy Cassidy’s other books too, ask at the desk and we’ll sort them out for you.

The blurb for Coco Caramel reads…

Coco may be the youngest of the five Tanberry girls, but she can be as tough as big sister Honey and as determined as either of the twins, Summer and Skye.

 

So when she discovers her favourite pony, Caramel, needs her help she has to do something. But why does Lawrie, the moodiest guy in the school, keep getting in her way? Can Coco rescue Caramel in time or is she riding into deeper trouble?

Read about the other Chocolate Box Girls in Cherry Crush, Marshmallow Skye and Summer’s Dream, the first three books in the series and click on the book cover to go to Cathy Cassidy’s site which is absolutely full of gorgeousness!