Spotlight Magazine for North Mansfield March 2015 Spotlight Magazine for West Bridgford March 2015 | Page 14

Spotlight Magazine A Good Read Delphi and the Glass Slippers Darcey Bussell The Secret of Crickley Hall James Herbert At over 600 pages, this novel from the master of horror does not disappoint as the pages fly by. Gabe and Eve Caleigh have moved with their two daughters from their London home to the West Country to escape the memories of their five year old son who disappeared without trace from a playground a year ago. Their new home is Crickley Hall, a large house with a checkered past, but it has been empty for many years. It seems a bargain price. As they settle into the community they learn more about the village, and Crickley Hall. Tragedy occurred during the Great Flood of 1943, when the hall was being used to house orphans evacuated from London due to the Blitz. The children and their guardians all perished in the flood, and it would appear that the young victims are not content to remain quiet. For most young readers, Darcey Bussell will be familiar through the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. What they may not be aware of is her career with the Royal Ballet, and she has poured this love and knowledge of ballet into her series of books for young ballet obsessed girls. The Magic Ballerina books follow the adventures of Delphie, a young girl who attends a ballet school. She is given a pair of red ballet shoes which turn out to be magical, and are able to whisk her away to the land of Enchantia where characters from famous ballets live. In this book Delphie has to help Cinderella. Something strange is happening and, as the clock chimes seven o’clock, time jumps and she never gets to attend the ball. Along the way, Delphie also encounters a mysterious cloaked figure who tries to keep the Prince from finding Cinderella. Guaranteed to delight any budding ballerina, this book is exciting and full of little glimpses into the world of ballet and dancing. By Willow Coby Soon Eve starts seeing her missing son and, like an unstoppable wall of water, the horrors that lie lurking in Crickley Hall flood to the surface, and Gabe must fight to save his family as the truth of that night in 1943 emerges: a truth that it is worse than any nightmare. Read it if you dare. 14 www.spotlightlocal.co.uk • 0115 822 4995 • [email protected]