Rivetting Fiction

These are great reads so read and enjoy.

Head Spinners Thalia Kalkipsakis (Allen&Unwin)
The subtitle is Six Stories to Twist Your Brain and that is most certainly true. With tittles like, Tick Tock Time Machine, It began with a Tingle, Alive Again, these stories, all of varying length with really hook in readers who want something not suite so predictable.
Tick tock Time Machine - about a clock, given as a present (Sam really wanted a surf board) from her ingenious Uncle, that becomes a time machine…
It Began with a Tingle - an itch on the arm that soon grew to be a rather useful appendage, that is about to surgically removed!
These are FUN! Great for jump starting imaginations too.

Vinnie's War David McRobbie (Allen&Unwin)
With war raging in London, and Vinnie homeless after a bomb destroys the pub where he was living, Vinnie is evacuated on a train to the countryside with nothing but the clothes he is wearing (he doesn't even have a gas mask) and his harmonica and amazing musical talent. Vinnie and his three friends arrive in Netterfold to begin their wartime stay. The children, labelled the Vaccies by the locals, are soon entwined in mystery as things start to go missing in the town and the blame is laid right at their feet. Vinnie stands tall, the truth is revealed, and his life after Netterfold will be amazing.      
This author writes wonderful fiction and this one is just fantastic. It is a wonderful crafted story about the impact of World War 2 in wartime Britain. It is the story of Vinnie, a homeless boy who starts by losing everything, and - through his experience as an evacuee in World War II - finds friendship, vocation and a place to belong. The characters and settings are vivid, the drama is real, and emotions, raw. I couldn't put this book dow. It is one of he my favourite reads so far this year.

Henry Hoey Hobson Christine Bongers (Random House)
Imagine being twelve and half years old, starting your sixth school in six years and finding out that in you are the only boy in the final grade at our Lady of Perpetual Succour ("a school that even Catholic boys avoid") - that's what happens to Henry Hoey Hobson - and he's not even Catholic. Henry also has braces, unfortunately they make his mouth bleed so he soon is known as a vampire. And when the strangers move in next door, with some very strange nightie activities, Henry really thinks his life has taken a plummet. Henry just doesn't fit in … but all is not lost. There is always the school swimming carnival for Henry to redeem himself (as well as seeing the school queen fall) and the neighbours next door one of whom has a secret that changes Henry drastically. heroes come in all sorts of styles.
This book, shortlisted for the 2011 Children's Book Council Awards, is a terrific read.

Yep - these are great reads.

Gorgeous Picture Books

Here is a collection of picture books that are just oh so gorgeous.

Dream of the Thylacine Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks (Allen&Unwin)
The release says that this is an "arresting and beautiful picture book" and it is so very true. The masterly illustrations of Ron Brooks are haunting as it twists from reflections of the Thylacine as it could have appeared in its natural state in the vast Australian landscape to the last known images of the thylacine as it appeared in captivity in 1937 in Hobart Zoo. These ilustrations will require repeated viewing.
 Margaret Wild writes some of the most lyrical and poignant picture books texts and this is one of those.
This book is another call to action for our vulnerable native animals and environments.

Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate Joy Cowley & Sarah Davis (Gecko Press)
This book is just delightful. I love the story about a fierce little woman who lived in a house at the end of a jetty. Here she knitted socks to sell the sailors who got their feet wet and played bagpipes to the seagulls. One stormy day a wicked pirate came to the house and demanded to be let in but the fierce little woman was strong and refused him entry even threatening to whack him with her knitting needles. but this wicked pirate wasn't as tough as his bluster made him out to be ... and things change!
The illustrations are just beautiful, imaginative and humorous and require repeated examinations - the parrot has many funny appearances. And don't miss the endpapers.

Goodnight, Mice! Frances Watts & Judy Watson (ABC Books)
A lovely good night tale in rhyming verse that will help those restless mice settle down to sleep.
It is time for four little mice to prepare to go to sleep - grandpa mouse is already snuffling and snoring and mother and father mouse have already called them to bed, but the four little mice have other ideas and want a little more play time before going to bed, first in the bathtub, then brushing teeth, right the way till the four little mice are fast asleep.

The Runaway Hug Nicholas Bland & Freya Blackwood (Scholastic)
A heart warming story with gorgeous illustrations makes this a loving book that must be shared with the whole family.
Lucy has borrowed her mother’s very last hug which she will bring back as soon as she has finished with it. First she visits her father and gives him a hug which he immediately gives back, then her twin brothers, and then her sister Lilly. Each in turn returns Lucy's hug but when the family dog Annie runs away with the hug Lucy has to tell her mother that her very last hug has gone ... or has it?


These are just perfect for sharing!

New Junior Fiction

All new titles for younger readers ... grab them and enjoy!

Brigid Lucy Wants a Pet Leonie Norrington & Tamsin Ainslie (Little Hare)
This is the first title in the new Brigid Lucy series. These are terrific books with generously sized text and each page has a few 'enhanced' words. There are lots of delightful coloured illustrations (some full page) and solid covers that make for great page markers - all important for these titles. The storyline is well written and appropriate for the intended audience.

In this title Brigid Lucy has a pet slug but it dies in very unhappy circumstances so a new pet is required but unfortunately Brigid's dad is allergic to just about every pet available - except for a goldfish which Biddy has to choose. That is no easy task with so many good looking goldfish. And then there are the other pets to distract them too ... and when all the cages in the store happen to get unlocked, a little trouble develops. Home with her goldfish Brigid Lucy has to care for it and help it and ... she even tries to train it. All of which makes great reading. as does the invisible imp hiding in Brigid’s hair who is the cause of much of the chaos - and tells the story! Delightful.

Mr Moonlight (Aussie Bites) Jane Carroll & Anne Spudvilas (puffin)
A new Aussie Bites title is always terrific and this one continues that tradition. A "what was that noise under the house last night?" asks Tom at breakfast. It certainly isn't rats or rabbits as other family members suggest and it definitely is not a possum. There are lots of possums on Tom's farm and the noise he heard does not sound like any other possum noise. So Tom sets about finding out what animal is making the noise and discovers a very wonderful resident. But when the creature goes missing more investigation is required.

Aussie Bites are great for younger readers moving into chapter books. the text is well spaced and there are ample illustrations. The stories are also always terrific reads.

Mr Badger and the Difficult Duchess Leigh Hobbs (Allen&Unwin)
This is the third title in the Mr Badger series. They are delightful amusing reads, again with generous text and humorous illustrations in Leigh Hobbs' quirky and very amusing style. A great fun read!

In this Mr Badger adventure we discover that Mr Badger has to deal with a very difficult guest, at the same time as the Philatelic Society is having its annual dinner. The difficult guest causes quite a commotion and is most definitely not who she seems to be. She is a Duchess, although she didn't make a reservation for her stay at the hotel and she is extremely TALL (and so will require an extra long bed), and she requries the Royal Suite. Mr Badger wl certianly have some work this time.

The titles in the Mates series from Scholastic are great. The stories are very Australian. The titles are very short chapter books with very generously spaced text and lots of full colour illustrations. The books are short - ideal for younger readers moving out of picture books.

Hanging Out Catherine Bateson & Adam Carruthers (Scholastic)
Ben has told lots of fibs to his cousin and that is a big problem because his cousin Weston is coming to stay for a week. After failing to convince his parents that it is not a good idea, and that they have already seen all that there is to see in the city, Weston has arrived and he is itching to do all the great things that Ben has told him about. How will this get resolved?

Also look out for Barnesy (Allayne Webster and Tom Jellet)

Lightning Strikes

The Lightning Strikes series

Have you been struck by lightning - well at least lightningn of the reading kind.

The Lightning Strikes series published by Walker Books Australia are just the perfect titles for readers who want fast-paced action-packed rivetting stories. Each title, often less than 100 pages, has short chapters and clear well-spaced print. These books encourage a love for reading and are perfect for readers, both boys and girls, aged 9-13. The stories have authors who include, James Roy, Sue Whiting, Moya Simons, Janeen Brian, Meredith Costain, Meg McKinlay,

Have you been struck yet?
Check out the website too (http://www.lightningstrikes.com.au/)

Here are two of the latest:

Lightning Strikes: Dead Certain Sally Gould (Walker books)
Uncle jack has died and Max and his family are at the funeral. The problem is that after the funeral service Uncle Jack is going to be cremated but Max knows that Uncle Jack wanted to be buried next to his own dad. The problem is that Max is the only one who knows this so he has to set about delaying the cremation until he can confirm Uncle Jack's wishes. But when Max's dad tells him that it is too late to change the plans Max has to work out what else he can do and there is only one thing - and that is to steal the body!

A fantastic read that will have the young readers in stitches and wondering all along how Max will solve the problem and save his Uncle from being cremated.

Lightning Strikes: Spaced Out Moya Simons (Walker Books)
Jesse lives on earth but his dad, who is a space scientist, is taking him on a trip to CenCity on the planet Centuria in deep space (not just to the outer planets like other kids in his class) to help teach him some responsibility. And Jesse has some serious spending money - 250 space credits which his dad wants him to use wisely! Soon Jesse is rescuing Michael, a human-like robot boy, who is part of a bad confidence trick by the robot's creator. But it costs Jesse a lot in space credits. But that is just the beginning of his problems because Jesse has to return Michael to his robot family who are living in the Farlands and he has to get back to CenCity, and then Earth.
This sci-fi adventure is action packed with robots, rockets, sledge-racing and fascinating inventions.

Enjoy these great Lightning reads and look out for MORE Lightning Strikes.

Easy Reading books for Beginners

This has been a fun bunch of books to read. Younger readers who are itching to move from picture books will love these as they are perfect for beginners!

Rascal Bumps His Head Paul Jennings & Bob Lea (Penguin)
In this series (17 titles so far) moving from picture books to reading books is easy. Each title has minimal text and lavish illustrations. They are small in size, perfect for little hands.

Rascal is a dragon and this time Rascal thinks he is a chicken. He chases chickens, pretends to lay eggs like a chicken, sleeps in the hen house like a chicken, even runs from a fox like a chicken ... but Rascal is a chicken, not for long!

Boris Andrew Joyner (Puffin)
I just love this new series of Borris books, great for readers who have moved from picture books. each page is heavily illustrated in full colour. The story is written on the page as well as in speech bubble and the book is also broken into chapters.

Boris is a loveable warthog and lives with his mum and dad. They live in a bus that once travelled the world but now stays in the garden. Boris even has a world map with red pins for the places he liked to see and a green pin for Hogg Bay - the place he had seen. Boris wanted to travel. Then one morning when Boris was reading his favourite book and suddenly the bus starts moving and they are off - but it is not quite the travelling that Boris was hoping for.

Also look for Boris Gets a Lizard

The Aussie Nibbles series has been around for ages and is filled with books by some of Australia's best authros and illustrators. each book has shrot chapters, are filled with black adn white illustrations and have large print size. they are also the perfect books for young readers who have moved from picture books but are not quite ready for novels. Here are two more:

Aussie Nibbles: Fast Grandma Margaret Clark & Craig Smith (Puffin)

This is no ordinary grandma. This grandma is fast, even her grandkids Evie and Matthew can't keep up. When most of the other grandmas (and grandpas) sat around reading books drinking cups of tea and minding the bags Evie and Matthew's grandma is on the go! What is grandma's secret behind her fast pace? It might just have something to do with the vegetables that she eats, the vegetables that Evie and Matthew don't like eating!

Aussie Nibbles: Crusher Kevin Penny Matthews & Andrew McLean (Puffin)

Charlie wants a dog. His parents have promised him a puppy when they move into the new house that is being built. bvut he doesn't want a dog like crusher, who is on the building site guarding all teh building materials. Crusher is a huge scary dog but soon Charlies starts to see Crusher in a very different light.

Younger readers will love these.

Perfect for PreSchoolers

These are two just wonderful new series for preschoolers!

SmartyCat

One of the most frequent questions preschoolers ask - 'But Why?" and the answers are here (for some of them) in the SmartyCat series. this is glorious. Wonderfully written text explaining what is happening and lusciously illustrated full colour pictures - and all in an easy format for the young hands to hold. And at the end of each of the SmartyCat books there is a joke and an activity related to the topic of the book. These little books are educational, fun and wonderfully created.

SmartyCat: Frogs Louise Park & Jeannette Rowe (ABC Books)

And the question from SmartyCat for this book is: Where do frogs come from? and the answer is provided by Buddy beaver one of SmartyCat's friends from SmartyTown. There is a simple explanation for preschoolers of the lifecycle of a frog. And that final page activity - making Frog in a pond.

SmartyCat: Butterflies Louise Park & Jeannette Rowe (ABC Books)
And the question from SmartyCat for this book is: Where do butterflies come from? and the answer is provided by Mooey the cow. There is a simple explanation for preschoolers of the lifecycle of a butterfly. And that final page activity - making a clothes peg butterfly.

Little Mates

With slightly more text comes the Little Mates series - a series of 26 small books, again perfect for little hands, that introduces the alphabet. Each title is also themed with a question asked of the reader at the end (Are you amazing too? Are you Bouncy too?) that will stimulate further chatting. The text is filled with alliteration and the illustrations are lovely.

Little Mates: Amazing Amelia Susannah McFarlane & Lachlan Creagh (Scholastic)
Amelia is the most athletic ant on the ant hill but when she has an accident it is up to all her ant friends to give her a helping hand.

Little Mates: Bouncy Ben Susannah McFarlane & Lachlan Creagh (Scholastic)
Ben is the best bouncer in the bush but one day he bounces a little too high and gets stuck in a bush so it is up to his friends to set him free.

 
 
 

Junior fiction and New Historical Fiction - especially for girls

These new Junior Fiction Reads will be loved by kids and really can't be missed.

Bungawitta Emily Rodda & Craig Smith (Scholastic)

Bungawitta is the latest creation by Emily Rodda of Deltora Quest fame and this title is another great one.

The town of Bungawitta has been hit severely by the drought. The residents have left in droves so that it was "like Noah's Ark in reverse" ... until there were only 12 people left in town. The folks would gathered every morning at the general store to drink tea and to watch the morning news. One morning they decided that enough was enough, even if the rains came tomorrow they still needed money to help keep Bungawitta alive. And a festival would attract city tourists with money to spend. But can such a small band of enthusiast pout on a festival?

Our Australian Girl Series.

This is a fantastic new series. The books are un-put-downable. They are history, wonderfully written, about girls and the development of early Australia. Each of the four titles Meet Poppy, Meet Grace, Meet Letty, Meet Rose, are the first books and each character has four titles in the series telling their stories. Each title also has as sample chapter from the next title and a few pages of facts about the period of time that each character is in. Must reads that will make history real!

Our Australian Girl: Meet Poppy Gabrielle Wang (Penguin)

It is 1864 when we meet Poppy. She is a young Chinese Aboriginal girl, who lives on a Christian mission with her brother Augustus and other children. When she discovers a letter about her brother's removal to a new home in a room she was dusting in the Mission Office she immediately warns Augustus who flees that night. But poppy is also to be moved, so using the secret Her brother told her about a secret passage behind sacks in the Darkling Room Poppy to flee ... in search of her brother of freedom and a better life and the gold that will save them.

Our Australian Girl: Meet Grace Sofie Laguna
It's 1808 when we meet Grace who soon becomes a convict girl. She is living with her uncle in London. Her Uncle sends her daily to scour for anything that he can sell for money. She is barely fed and lonely. But Grace loves talking to the Fleet Street horses and so when one day, when she has hunger pangs after her uncle has drunk all the money from her latest find she takes an apple and then more from a grocer's cart fleeing on the back of horse. She is pursued and in a hopeless escape she is caught. What will happen to her? Will she be sent to prison and hanged ... or worse.

Other titles:
Meet Letty (1841) and Meet Rose (1900)
see the terrific website (http://ouraustraliangirl.com.au/) for lots more information and fun!