The Great Fox Illusion wins the 2023 Kernow Youth Book Award

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The young readers of Cornwall have voted The Great Fox Illusion the winner of the 2023 Kernow Youth Book Award!

“KYBA (Kernow Youth Book Award) was set up in 2007 when a group of Cornish Librarians identified that most book awards for young people were books selected by adults with very little input from the young people that were reading the books.  We therefore wanted to give the young people of Cornwall a voice in what they chose to read and handed the decision making over to them!”

The Great Fox Illusion to be translated into Greek

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The Great Fox Illusion is going to get yet another translation, and this time it will be into Greek! It will be published by Patakis Publications.

“Patakis Publishers was founded in 1974. The first books were in the area of educational books and were written by Stefanos Patakis, the founder of the publishing house. Now, 46 years later, we publish books in all fields, with key areas of our publishing activity being in education, books for children and young adults, literature, the humanities, sciences, as well as dictionaries and general reference. We publish high profile Greek authors and our titles are awarded very often (National Book Award, Greek IBBY award etc). We have more than 6.000 titles in print and around 400 new titles are introduced to our wonderful list every year.”

Cover reveal for the Dutch edition of The Great Fox Heist as more early reviews come in

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The cover for the Dutch translation of The Great Fox Heist has been revealed. It’s called De grote vossenbuit which translates as The Great Fox Booty. Love it!

More early reviews for The Great Fox Heist have also come in. For example:

I really enjoyed ‘The Great Fox Illusion’ and its sequel ‘The Great Fox Heist’ is perhaps even better. The stakes are higher, the twists more confounding, the magic more incredible and the mystery even more compelling. Justyn Edwards really knows how to build a gripping narrative, like a tower of cards, using ‘sleight of writing hand’ to surprise you and thrill you. Questions grow, the peril increases and the ending, just like a great magician’s trick, is truly satisfying, while laying the ground work for the third book too. I really love this series!

The world-building in ‘The Great Fox Heist’ seems bigger and grander, while deepening the mysteries. Like an illusionist spinning words, Justyn Edwards brilliantly sets the scene in Linth – the combination of the old and the new creating a perfect atmosphere for trickery, history and drama. As with the ‘The Great Fox Illusion’, the narrative framing of the competition, with cameras and showmanship, only adds to the spectacle and the tension. Yet, in this second book, Justyn Edwards’ mythology of magic is deepened, given historical weight and immediate global threat. It seems this will be even greater in the third book too, with the devastating significance of the Bell System realised and finally suggestive of its power. ​

While the magic tricks and narrative tricks make reading ‘The Great Fox Heist’ so gripping, it is in the characters that the story pulls off its true magic. I love Flick. She’s such an inspiring role-model: intelligent, strong-willed, yet also vulnerable. Charlie brilliantly complements her, and in spite of some tension between them , they continue to be a great team. Even characters such as the chief of police or the head of the bank are fully realised, cinematic and with a depth that only makes their reactions to magic and mischief more authentic and enjoyable. 

This is such a cracking, original series that will keep children hooked and hankering for answers. Will Flick ever truly find her father? And what is next for the Great Fox, Flick, Charlie and the mysterious, dangerous Bell System…?

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Early reviews of THE GREAT FOX HEIST start to come in

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As early copies of The Great Fox Heist are sent out some reviews have started to come in.

“What is so fantastic about The Great Fox Heist is how maturely Justyn treats the reader – magic is such an alluring concept and you are instantly captivated by the impossibility of Flick’s latest mission amongst trying to work out who is trustworthy and who’s out to exploit the Bell System. Flick continues to be a fantastic role model for children (particularly in the way that her disability doesn’t deter her from the task at hand) and I also loved how this book gives us answers about magic’s most potentially dangerous weapon. It all leads to a shocking, twist-filled finale, which will leave your head spinning, and you’ll be desperate for more. Dispelling the illusion that sequels aren’t always better, The Great Fox Heist ups the tension and murky alliances so The Great Fox series just gets better and better. By the end, you’ll be thinking Paul Daniels who?”

Link to early copy review website

 

“The Great Fox Heist is a thrilling adventure that will keep you guessing; loyalties are tested and questions are definitely raised.  With twists that will leave you reeling, I promise that this is a sequel that is even better than the first book and one that will leave you desperately hoping that there will be a book 3.  It’s a compelling read and one that got me out of bed early on Saturday morning so I could finish it.  I loved this book and will be shouting about it every chance I get – and I will absolutely be adding it to my April display in Waterstones Newcastle.”

Link to early copy review website

“I was hooked in from the very off and desperate to see what was going to happen – both in terms of the illusions themselves and to Flick. Through his fabulous writing and clear specialist knowledge of illusions, Justyn Edwards ensured that as before I was unable to work out how the tricks were pulled off and could not see how the plot was going to develop, making this one of my favourite books of the year so far – one I urge you to treat yourself to if you haven’t already. I have no idea as to a date for a possible Book 3 but I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for it, as I know many others will. Until then, I will continue to hope that I will be able to magically increase my shelf space somehow!”   Link to early copy review website
“A magician will try to pull the wool over your eyes and have you believe you are seeing things you are not. There’s no pulling the wool over any eyes here though as I tell you that Justyn Edwards’ sequel to The Great Fox Illusion is spectacular.
After being victorious in a televised magic contest, Flick Lions and her accomplice magician Charlie are in the Swiss town of Linth. Flick is hoping to find her father and that the Great Fox is true to his word. The Great Fox hopes to become the new chancellor of The Global Order of Magic. For them both to get what they want, Flick must pull off a seemingly impossible trick…steal a priceless necklace from the most secure bank vault in the world…
Penned with the magic wand of a master illusionist, The Great Fox Heist is another sparkling story of magic, deception and misdirection. This brilliantly original and fresh series continues apace and this time the stakes are higher, danger is lurking around every turn and nothing is as it seems in the picturesque town of Linth.
When magicians roll into town, you can be certain of one thing…trickery. And in this fast-paced, uber-slick tale Flick needs to quickly unravel what exactly is going on if she is going to pull off an impossible heist, get the answers she needs about her dad and keep the Bell System, the greatest trick of all time with the power to change the world forever, out of the wrong hands.
Brilliantly written, this thrilling, page-turning mystery will keep you guessing. Like the best illusionists Edwards holds you in the palm of his hand, completely mesmerised by what is happening and frantically trying to piece together the puzzles and clues as you work alongside Flick in a frenetic race against time to uncover the truth. This won’t be an easy task though, the book even warns you about this with its opening line, ‘This book is a trick.’
At the heart of this magnificent story is a main character who is feisty, observant, intelligent and somewhat vulnerable. Desperate for answers but unsure who to trust, Flick often goes it alone and even her prosthetic leg – that is written about sensitively and authentically – cannot slow her down. Her ever-developing friendship and connection with Charlie is another magic thread as once again  we root for the duo to pull another rabbit out of the hat and to find the truth through the lies.
If you’re a magical nerd like me who not only loves magic acts and fascinating illusions but wants to learn some of the tricks of the trade then you need to read this book. Whilst members of the esteemed Magic Circle may not be too fond of Edwards revealing closely guarded secrets I am loving it and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Big twists, big turns and even bigger reveals! Superb entertainment value. Justyn Edwards, take a bow.”   Link to early copy review of The Great Fox Heist

New Upcoming Events

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The Great Fox Roadshow (now with added lasers) will be appearing at the following events over the next few weeks and months.

A series of World Book Day school visits 2-3 March
Dudley Children’s Book Awards Ceremony 21 March
The Great Fox Heist launch – Waterstones Truro 8 April
The Great Fox Heist launch – school visits 18-19 April
Reading Rocks – virtual event 26 April
The Great Fox Heist launch – World Tour of some London bookshops (more details to follow!) Early May
The Festival of Imagination at the Eden Project 27th, 28th, 31st May
St Austell Festival of Children’s Literature 17 June
Kernow Youth Book Awards Ceremony 5 July

 

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