More Series Fiction

Mischief Afoot (Walk Right In Detective Agency Bk3) Moya Simons (Walker Books)

These books (about two best friends and their detective agency) are a wonderful read ... just great for younger readers looking for adventure and absorbing reading!

Now there is another major mystery to solve and a few minor cases (involving flashing lights and aliens) as well. A magician from the visiting circus disappears, money is stolen from the evening admissions, a parent who needs expensive surgery and stacks more are akll part of this mystery to be solved. This time the detective have to enlist the services of a big time lawyer to help them solve their case.

A Riddle Of Green (The Legend Of Little Fur #4) Isobelle Carmody (Penguin Australia)
Little Fur is a healer and has been so all her life. Now she must use her healing to heal troll kind and bring them to the flow of the magic, and must remain in contact with the earth magic at all times. she communicates with the creatures of the wilderness but this time she must venture far from her own land to find the healing and to find earth spirit.
This is a delightful fantasy series for the older younger readers who want longer books to read. This hardcover book has a beautiful velvet black and white illustrations throughout.


Wombat and Fox Thrillseekers Terry Denton (Allen & Unwin)
Terry Denton is great at craziness and this book filled with fun and action is another. Read the story and look for the wonderful happenings in the illustrations as well.
Best friends Wombat and Fox don’t go looking for trouble but it sure has a way of finding them. This time it is wombat's birthday and fox's present to him (which he didn't even buy himself) is a pen and a notebook. Together they create a list of wild and dangerous deeds that must be accomplished before wombat's next birthday. and so begins the chaos that include riding a scooter down wombat hill and getting frozen at the top of a roller coaster and lots of more zaniness.

When Children find something they like to read they will want more and more! Series titles are great for helping to keep children reading.

New Series books

Children often enjoy reading books in a series. Here are a three new titles in already established series that readers should continue to enjoy!

Atomic Testing Alan Tucker (Scholastic)
The My Australian Story is a great series and this title is another one. It is wonderful to read Australian history in an accessible format. the books not only have a entertaining story based on actual events but they also include historical notes about the events.
It is 1953. Anthony's family has to relocate to Woomera from Townsville. his dad is in the army and is assigned to work on the top secret atomic energy project for the Australian and British government. Sometimes he can't even tell Anthony where he has been! Anthony loves his new home and is waiting for the approaching testing of the new bomb. Interspersed with relevant cultural references, like test cricket scores, climbing Everest, and the Korean War, this is an enjoyable read.


Motorbike Bob (Pet Vet: #3 ) Darrel & Sally Odgers (Scholastic)
Trump, the animal liaison officer at Pet Vet Clinic is back and this time he tells about Motorbike Bob a border collie who thinks he will never need the services of the Pet Vet ... that is until Bob cuts his paw. But that is just the start of the trouble because Bob's human is also in trouble ... but where is he?
These books are fun reads with short chapters. With definitions for highlighted words and animal health information scattered throughout.


Anaconda Ambush Justin D'Ath (Penguin Books)
On this extreme adventure Sam Fox is found on a filed trip in the Amazon with his uncle (a botanists studying climate change) and when he's swept over a waterfall and lands in an underground lake - that's when the real adventure starts. There's treasure discovered and a rather large reptile. Native Indians, and other explorers (who aren't quite what they appear) are two more of Sam's Amazonian encounters!

The books in this series are great adventures and also riveting reads. Readers, especially boys, will really enjoy the fast paced adventure and excitement of each page. There is also a supporting website at www.puffin.com.au/extreme with previews and extracts, author information, games and competitions.

More series book soon!

Wonderful Picture Books

Here are three delightful picture books published late last year.

Just Jack Jane Tanner (Penguin)
Jane Tanner creates wonderful picture books with a sense of fun and excitement and much realism ... and this is another.
First kinder days can be quite a mountain to climb and this is so for jack. Jack was worried because he wouldn't know anyone but wearing his super jack costume would be sure to help him - but what happens at the end of the day when the costume needs a wash! What will super jack do? And what will happen when just jack goes to kindy?


Tom Tom Rosemary Sullivan & Dee Huxley (Working Title Press)
This is a lovely book, a book about the day in the life of a small boy living in a typical Aboriginal community in the Top End of the Northern Territory.
Tom Tom lives at Lemonade Springs and has a very large supportive extended family network. His day is filled with family, preschool, games, imagination, more family, friends and swimming. It is busy and fun. Tom Tom is delightful!


Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury (Penguin)
Fingers and toes, parents just love them and so do babies.
In this book the easy to read lilting words of this text are coupled with exquisite baby illustrations of fingers and toes and faces and noses (and one with a cold!) and hair and eyes ... all things baby-ish of babies from all over the world.
This is a delightful book to begin reading with new-borns.

These books are sure to be enjoyed by both parents and children. Read them aloud, share them and don't forget to explore the delightful illustrations too!

Short Story Excellence

Need a great book that will keep readers entertained this holiday time? These two books are great reads and full of fun and just perfect for a new bunch of readers!

The Paw Collection Natalie Jane Prior & Terry Denton (Working Title Press)
All three Paw books (originally published as picture books) are back again - this time in one easy to handle book with new illustrations. New readers will love the adventures of The Paw! The Paw is the world's cheekiest cat-burglar, aka The Paw and this is her story ... a cat burglar who outwits thieves, gets caught in a smuggling racket and who even catches crooks.


Paul Jennings' Trickiest Stories Paul Jennings (Puffin)
Paul Jennings has been creating wonderful kids stories for over 20 years -- this book is a collection of 20 of those short stories that have switched both boys and girls to reading!
Full of twists and turns and kid appeal these stories are just perfect for a new generation of younger readers to consume and older readers muight just remember them too.


Enjoy these wonderful fiction reads.

Picture Books for Youngsters

Here are three delightful picture books for young kids ... the stories are lovely and there's lots in the illustrations to discover too!

The Littlest Pirate Sherryl Clark & Tom Jellet (Penguin Books)
Nicholas comes from a pirate family but when the littlest pirate's family won't let him go to sea, what does the littlest pirate do? He takes matters into his own hands and of course who comes to the rescue when his family is captured by Red Bear the pirate ... I am sure you will work that one out! A lovely story and great illustrations.

Teaching the Teacher Joan van Loon & Chantal Stewart (UQP)

Every school child at some stage wishes that they could swap places with the teacher ... then they could do the teaching and show the teacher that learning is tough! And that is just what happens when one child imagines!

Felix Pamela Allen (Penguin Books)
When Felix comes down for breakfast he soon finds that Grand is very cross - bread has been nibbled and jam has been licked. And it's up to Felix the cat to find out who the culprit is. When he spies the mouse licking the last of the jam in the jar Felix pounces ... and that's when the trouble really begins - Felix gets stuck and soon the whole family, grandpa, grandma and Molly are trying to free Felix! Pamela Allen picture books are always a delight to share!

Happy reading and picture book investigating.

Dragons

These two new titles have dragons within - one is also from Deltora! Dragonlovers will enjoy!

Belmont and the Dragon: The Forest Of Doom And Gloom Mike Zarb & Robin Gold (Random House)
There's a princess to be rescued, a contact wearing SNAD (sensitive new age dragon) a witch, pink pixies ... and uniting them all in medieval metropolis of Old York is Belmont, the boy who escapes from the orphanage to be a knight.
Just perfect for younger readers, and especially boys, this new series is filled with craziness and chaos and wonderful animation-like illustrations.


Secrets of Deltora Emily Rodda & Mark McBride (Scholastic)
A new addition to the Deltora collection of books is this large book filled with new information (and new art work) on Deltora's many creatures, Deltora's dangers, and places of interest including information about the seven gem territories - all told from the perspective of Doran the Dragonslayer. This is the definitive guide (and it actually looks like a travel guide too) to the land of Deltora!


Great gifts for dragon lovers!

Read & Look

Here are the latest picture books - some for very young chilren and others for older readers.

Sleep Tight, My Honey Lisa Shanahan & Wayne Harris (Lothian)
I cannot believe I have taken this long to get this book up here.
Lily and Monty are proud rabbit parents but their new baby bunny just will not sleep. They have unsuccessfully tried everything they could think of as well as suggestions form other neighbourly animals ... but there is one solution to the problem!
This is a delightful book - just perfect for bedtimes! Beautiful illustrations combine perfectly with a lovely text.


Little Cat and the Big Red Bus Jane Godwin & Anna Walker (Penguin)
Little Cat and her big sister catch the bus to and from school every day. One day Little Cat has to travel on the school bus all by herself and on the way home she falls asleep on the bus only waking after the bus has arrived at the terminus. How will she get home? A lively charming story of a little girl's adventure.


Tiny: A Little Dog on A Big Adventure Jennifer Castles & Steve Otton (Allen&Unwin)
This is a picture book illustrated in photographs with wonderful, images of Australia - especially of life in the outback. This is the story of Tiny the dog and his best mate Steve, and how they look after each other and of friendship.


Purple Snow Eric Lobbecke (Random House)
A quirky tale with a good environmental message.
Cockatoo takes a trip to the North Pole to see the snow which just happens to not be a thick as usual! But when invited down under only polar bear believes that purple snow exists and makes the trip. Exhausted from the heat polar bear falls asleep under a tree at night without seeing any purple snow. But next morning...!


Enigma Graeme Base (Penguin)
A new book by Graeme Base is always highly sort after and this one will continue that tradition. This book is filled with the visual puzzles that Base is renowned for creating. When a thief steals the props from a group of retired magicians Bertie sets out to sort out the crime. There are clues to the identity of thief and missing things to find in every illustration - as well as Enigma. There are other puzzles to solve as well - and a magical code breaker in the back of the cover to decipher ... this will have readers entertained ... and absorbed for hours!

Lovely reads and great illustrations are in these picutre books. Enjoy devouring them!