Susan Gates Children's Writer : 2013

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Animal Investigators, Bill's Silly Hat, Ghost Dogs, Killer Spiders, Red Eye, The Monster in the Mudball, Viridian, Viridian Venus Angel, Wolf Man

BOOKS PUBLISHED 2013 - 2014

(Cover illustration Melvyn Grant)

A virus is turning people into human/plant hybrids. But the new species, the Verdans are peace-loving, calm and happy. Everyone wants to be Verdan! Soon people are queueing up to get infected. The only humans left are Immunes like Jay and a few stubborn hold-outs, like his dad.

Then the Cultivars rise. Bred from the most aggressive plants on the planet, they're violent, powerful warlords. Their leader is the ruthless Viridian - Jay's blood brother and worst enemy. And Viridian won't stop until he's wiped out the entire human race.

(Published A & C Black)

Click to find Viridian on Amazon

Click to listen to Viridian Audio Book sample on YouTube

(Cover illustration Melvyn Grant)

In the sequel to Viridian: The Verdan threat is ending. There's a vaccine for the virus that turned people into plant/human hybrids. Jay's desperate to cure Toni, once his friend, turned into a beautiful but deadly Venus Angel by the terrible Viridian. But Toni is a winged predator now, made to kill. The vicious Verdan warriors, known as Cultivars are still fighting on, killing humans and Verdans alike. And, hidden from sight, the monstrous warlord Viridian plots his return to power ...........

(Published A&C Black)

Click to find Viridian Venus Angel on Amazon

(cover art Shawn Boyles. Jacket design Isaac Stewart)

A Junior Library Guild Selection.

"Monster in the Mudball is a light-on-its feet adventure full of surprises, humor and heart!" Jessica Day George

A Monster is loose in England! The terrible monster Zilombo has hatched out of a mudball on top of a wardrobe and it's kind of Jin's fault she escaped. Jin teams up with Mizz Zauyamakanda (Mizz Z. for short) the formidable Chief Inspector of Ancient Artifacts from Africa, to re-capture the monster Zilombo. But meanwhile, Jin's elder sister Frankie has lost their baby brother, Smiler. Zilombo has kidnapped him! Can they rescue him from Zilombo's clutches before she eats him?

(Published in America by Lee and Low Books and in UK as "Zilombo" by Tamarind)

Click to find The Monster in the Mudball published in the United States on Amazon

The Monster in the Mudball is published under the title Zilombo in the UK - click here to find it on Amazon

(Cover illustrations Adam Willis)

One of the four books (the others are "Red Eye", "Killer Spiders" and "Wolf Man") in the "Animal Investigators" series.

"Adrenalin fuelled adventures with a dark supernatural twist."

Expert tracker Ellis is investigating rumours of a haunted forest when he stumbles across a ghostly dog pack led by a strange feral boy with lethal supernatural powers .......
(Published in America and UK by Usborne)

Click here to find Ghost Dogs on Amazon

(cover illustration Adam Willis)

Expert tracker Ellis and animal mind reader Meriel are investigating a savage attack at Wolf Camp, a training centre for young offenders with its own wild wolf pack. A rogue wolf with supernatural strength is on the loose. But where did it come from? And can they stop it before it destroys the pack and starts hunting people?

(Published in America and UK by Usborne)

Click here to find Wolf Man on Amazon

(Cover illustration Adam Willis)

"Myths, monsters and mysteries - it's all in a day's work for the Animal Investigators!"

Famous explorer and T.V. star Jack Nelson has shut himself inside an experimental eco dome. System reports show all is going fine. But then he sends out a panicky call for help. What's going on in there? Expert tracker Ellis and animal mind reader Muriel must break in and defeat the horror within ...........

(Published in UK and America by Usborne)

Click here to find Killer Spiders on Amazon

(Cover illustration Adam Willis)

A half-crazed boy has turned up at the Animal Investigator's HQ, raving about an army of savage birds, led by the malevolent Red Eye, terrorizing his town and enslaving the people. The Animal Investigator team think it's a joke - until they go there .......
(Published in America and UK by Usborne)

Click here to find Red Eye on Amazon

Illustrations Anni Axworthy

One of the series of four "Bill" books for newly independent readers, with colourful, funny and action-packed illustrations by Anni Axworthy The others are "Bill's Baggy Trousers", Bill's Bouncy Shoes" and Bill's Scary Backpack".

Bill hates the hat his gran's knitted for him. It makes him look like a bee! But he's got to wear it or she'll be upset. How can he get rid of it?

(Published Franklin Watts)

Click here to find Bill's Silly Hat on Amazon

Saturday, November 30, 2013

The Curse of the Crocodile King,The Wolf Cupboard,Big Trouble

Cover Illustration Chris King

The Sequel to "Zilombo" ("Zilombo is published as "Monster in the Mudball" in America.)

NO ONE THAT THE CROC KING CURSES EVER ESCAPES AVENGER .... AVENGER NEVER GIVES UP. IT ALWAYS TRACKS YOU DOWN.

Frankie and Jin and the formidable Mizz Z find themselves caught up in a centuries-old curse. Can they help Mizz Z to break it? Or will the evil Avenger claim another victim?

Frankie sprang back, startled.
A carving as tall as her brother Jin was staring at her. It had a square body and blocky hands and feet as if it had been roughly hacked, in a big hurry, from a lump of wood. It had jointed arms and legs, like a clumsy life-size puppet and it bristled all over with bits of sharp metal, that had been hammered into its wooden body. A crest of giant spikes ran , like a Mohawk, over its wooden skull, from its forehead to its spine.
"It's called Avenger," said Mizz Z, coolly. "And it once belonged to the Crocodile King."

And what have an ancient Chinese bun-steaming stove called the Iron Dragon and an African Giant Pouched Rat ................

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Reward.JPG

.........like this one, that's trained to sniff out land mines, got to do with it? Read "The Curse of the Crocodile King" to find out!

(Published by Tamarind)

To find "The Curse of the Crocodile King" on Amazon click here

Illustrator Cherry Whytock

"If you're naughty at school they shut you up in the wolf cupboard. And there's a big bad wolf in there. And he eats you all up!"

It's Leon's little brother Danny's first day at school and someone has told him there's a wolf in the cupboard. Leon can't make Danny believe there are no wolves at school. So he tells Danny the wolf is friendly. And that's where Leon's problems really begin ......

Illustrator Dylan Gibson

One of the "LEVI" books. Levi's other adventures are "Killer Croc" and "Man Eater".

Anna and Levi are in big trouble. City girl Anna has taken a baby baboon. She wants to keep it as a pet. But the other baboons want it back. And the maize farmers want to kill it!
Can Levi sort out the mess and save the day?

(Published Barrington Stoke)

Friday, November 29, 2013

Zilombo

Cover illustration Dan Chernett

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Water Bears

The Amazing World of Water Bears

Illustrations Uwe Mayer, Ley Honor Roberts

The proper name of Water Bears is Tardigrades. There are millions of these cute little creatures all around you. But they’re only a fifth of a millimetre long. You need a microscope to see them. They like living in moss (they’re known as “moss pigs” in America) and moist places. They eat moss and they have eight stubby legs that end in claws so they can clamber about among the moss leaves.

The amazing thing about them is that they’re practically INDESTRUCTIBLE! Their eggs can survive boiling water, being frozen in ice. They can survive in outer space without a space suit which we humans will never be able to do.

This is what you'd see down your microscope.