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Happy September one and all! In the midst of back-to-school chaos we’ve got two special reads to take you away from the pandemonium, and into both the savanna of Kenya and the mountains of Norway …

THE HURTING by Lucy van Smit

Nell hates her sister’s illness, her drunken dad and the daily absence of her mum. When she meets Lukas, adopted heir to a Norwegian oil fortune, she sees her escape: the two of them running away from the world. But Lukas has his own dark wishes. Soon it’s clear that what joins them goes way beyond love. Stealing a baby? Hiding on a mountain stalked by wolves? This is survival. And is any boy worth her soul?

YUP. Right now you're probably yelling 'I WANT MORE, CHICKEN HOUSE' at your screen, and we don't blame you. If we had to condense this book into three words, they'd be escape, obsession and survival - plus, if we were to cheat a little, we'd add danger, romance and atmospheric-Norwegian-fjords. (Ok, cheat a lot.)

Head over to Lucy's Twitter to find out more!

WARRIOR BOY by Virginia Clay

London schoolboy Ben is heading for Kenya to meet his Maasai family. But how is an outsider like him going to fit in? When he meets his cousin Kip, he discovers they share more than he thought – if only Ben can keep up …

Together, the boys must survive the African savannah: hunt for food, defend elephants from poachers – and even face the king of the beasts. Does Ben have what it takes to be a twenty-first-century warrior?

Virginia Clay's debut was shortlisted for our Times/Chicken House comp in 2016 - but we loved it so much we couldn't bear to part with it. Fast forward two years, and we're so pleased to be bringing this thrilling story of adventure and belonging to readers.

Find out more by following Virginia on Twitter!