Lauren TARSHIS I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 Scholastic, 2014 103pp $9.99 pbk ISBN 9781743627396 This melodramatic story purports to detail how two Jewish children, Max Rosen and his sister, Zena, escape from a ghetto in Poland after their father had been taken away by the Nazis. The book ‘is dedicated to the Jewish partisans of World War 11, with special mention to those whose incredible life stories [the author] discovered in [her] research and inspired the characters in this book.’ The lurid front cover shows a young fellow wearing the yellow Star of David fleeing an oncoming Nazi tank…
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SEGEL, Jason & Kirsten Miller (text) Karl Kwasney (illus.) Nightmares! Corgi, 2014 355pp $16.99 pbk+e ISBN 9780552571920 SCIS 1678007 When twelve year old Charlie Laird moves into the house owned by his stepmother, who he believes is a witch, he unwittingly opens a portal between the Waking World and the Netherworld. Charlie’s nightmares come to life even during his waking hours and he discovers that when asleep a person’s spirit can travel to the Netherworld and, if they are scared enough, their body can also go there and be trapped. A witch from the Netherworld steals his brother while its…
LLOYD, Alison 1841 The Bushranger’s Boys 163pp ISBN 9780143307563 SCIS 1644231 MITCHELL, Simon 1931 Tough Times 191pp ISBN 9780143308010 SCIS 1644223 Penguin (Do You Dare?), 2014 $14.99 pbk The Bushranger’s Boys is part of a historical fiction series aimed at 8-12 year old boys. The series picks a particular year and weaves a story through real historical events of that year. In the first, Alison Lloyd has woven a story around the real life bushranger and escaped convict William Westwood (alias Jackey Jackey). Her story captures the brutality of life in 1841 through the eyes of two young boys, Alfie…
HERRICK, Steven Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain UQP, 2014 200pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9780702250163 SCIS 1657961 Steven Herrick has nailed it again. This novel is a departure from Herrick’s verse format but the dry humour is still front and centre as eleven year old Jesse James Jones negotiates family and school life within the overtly ‘inclusive’ environment of Kawawill school. The voices of each chapter alternate between Jesse and his nemesis Hunter, the ‘class anarchist, law breaker and boy most likely to set the record for continuous detentions’. We shiver with recognition at the anxiety of turning…
FORSYTH, Kate Escape from Wolfhaven Castle Scholastic (The Impossible Quest Book 1), 2014 185pp $7.99 pbk ISBN 9781743624067 SCIS 1673517 Cook’s son Tom is given a warning by the wild man of the woods – the wolves smell danger in the wind. Tom is tasked with imparting this to the Lord of Wolfhaven, but has trouble convincing many people of the warning. When the castle is attacked he is one of only four to escape capture. Escape from Wolfhaven Castle is the first in the series and is a fast-paced book aimed at readers in late primary school. The book…
FARRELLY, Elizabeth Caro Was Here Walker, 2014 312pp A$16.95 NZ$18.99 pbk ISBN 9781922244833 SCIS 1672441 Today is the second last day of term and Caro is determined to win the election for the post of Winter Captain. The only drawback to that certainty is the new girl Ellen Aurelia Dufresne who is American, hot, and furthermore, has three names. Forced to sit next to dorky Nigel on the bus, Caro is seething with annoyance by the time they reach school, and a horrible day of frustration and misunderstandings follows. Caro is so fed-up that she decides to take the last…
WILSON, Tony Jack 90pp ISBN 9780143308225 SCIS 1671166 GWYNNE, Phillip Michael 88pp ISBN 9780143308102 SCIS 1674429 DADDO, Andrew Ned 91pp ISBN 9780143308096 SCIS 1674363 KOSTAKIS, Will Sean 91pp ISBN 9780143308119 SCIS 1673796 Puffin (Stuff Happens), 2014 $9.99 pbk This is a great series written especially for boys. Each book relates difficulties encountered by a Year 5 boy: attending a new school, having a teacher he does not like, breaking school rules, and disappointing his parents. Lest that all sounds too tedious, the books are full of humour and situations that schoolboys will immediately recognise. The stories, and all the characters…
WHEELER, Samantha Spud and Charli UQP, 2014 154pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9780702250187 SCIS 1671941 The perfect novel for horse-loving young girls, this is the story of Charli’s first riding camp. The opening chapters rehearse details that will be of great interest to this cohort, from how to groom a horse, to the early riding lessons. Interspersed with these facts are accounts of the usual social difficulties young girls may experience at such camps when they are sharing accommodation and have to get along. However the big twist to the story comes with the introduction of bats and the risk of…
RUSHBY, Allison How to Save the Universe in 10 Easy Steps Allen & Unwin, 2014 281pp $12.99 pbk ISBN 9781743319000 SCIS 1675761 Cooper and Molly are twins; but one is an alien sent to assist the other twin who is an earthling destined to save the universe. They don’t live on Earth but rather on a planet called Peregrination created to look like Earth except for minor inconsistencies, such as green dirt instead of grass and too many moons. Cooper is unaware of his destiny until intergalactic bounty hunters arrive in Peregrination and strange things start happening. Before Cooper can…
BEALE, Fleur I am Rebecca Random House (NZ), 2014 272pp NZ$19.99 pbk ISBN 9781775535492 SCIS 1674362 Based in the community of the Children of the Faith, I am Rebecca is a thrilling psychological novel. A sequel to I am not Esther, this novel explores deeper into the life of a young woman growing up in a religious cult. Rebecca Pilgrim, the cousin of Esther (Kirby) records her life in the community after her brother Daniel and Esther escape. Starting with a move from Wanganui to Nelson, this New Zealand based novel keeps readers engaged with the unique traditions and beliefs…