Holiday Reading 2007

New Zealand titles: Fiction for older readers

Brocker, Susan Restless Spirit: Te Whakariuka Wairua: This tells the story of a wild white Kaimanawa stallion who cannot be tamed and the two young troubled teens who come to love him.
Catran, Wendy Summer Tiger: Amber reluctantly spends the summer with her uncle and twin cousins at their New Zealand Wildlife Park. Her parents have gone to Europe without her and she’s afraid they might split up. She is also afraid of Tiger, the one animal who appears to be always watching, always waiting. Strange things are happening. Is someone trying to sabotage the park? No one knows who to trust.
Dare & double dare : 30 New Zealand sporty stories: edited by Barbara Else A lively anthology of 30 stories for children. The theme is sport and the stories range from funny to serious, exciting and back to funny. Each story in some way is about triumph, enjoyment, bravery or failure. Some of the pieces are about physical experiences such as going off the high dive board, dancing, doing tae kwon do or going fishing.
Davies, Celia Shadow of the whale: Thirteen year old David finds living with his family very difficult. When involved in an accident, David is knocked unconscious and later awakens, with his sister by his side, in a humble and ramshackle 1840’s cottage. He soon discovers that he and his sister have been pulled back in time to a whaling station of settlement-era New Zealand.
Feehan, Brigid Maybe Stella: Stella’s big sister Penny has gone to live in Ireland with her new baby. When Penny fractures her shoulder, Stella is determined to fly over and help. But things don’t go smoothly when Stella tries to act as matchmaker for Penny and her Irish friend. Sequel to Stella Star.
Gardiner, Kelly The silver swan: After her adventures as a pirate, Lily Swann finds life ashore very dull. So when Napoleon’s siege threatens Malta, and her father prepares to leave his family again, Lily seizes her chance. Lily, her mother and her younger brother find themselves in the thick of a daring scheme to save Malta, but things don't go according to plan, and once again Lily has to face her nemesis, Captain Diablo. Book 3 in the Swashbuckler trilogy.
Harris, Jill Missing Toby: Ten-year-old Harriet misses her brother Toby, and refuses to believe that he’s not coming back. She is lonely and having difficulty coping with school. She notices the dog next door receives visits from other neighbourhood dogs. The dogs, who talk amongst themselves, befriend Harriet, and lead her to a garden shed where they’ve hidden a small, stray dog called Girl. Harriet’s life becomes intertwined with the dog community in her neighbourhood, as she tries to come to terms with the fact that Toby’s gone.
Harrison, Craig The dumpster saga: When Ben’s younger brother Chesney turns up wearing a plastic helmet, strange things start to happen in Ben’s life. His brother gets the power to see into the future. Some secret agents start poking around, and then a glowing dumpster materialises on the front verge in the middle of the night.
Hill, David Duet: Kallum plays the guitar and, despite reservations, accepts an invitation to play in the youth orchestra. There he meets Paige, a flutist, with whom he is to play a duet. The two begin a relationship and Paige becomes pregnant. Duet charts their relationship and Kallum’s growing love of classical music.
Hunt, Des Shadows in the ice: When something falls into the ice, it takes seven years to reappear. As it comes closer you can see its shadow in the ice. Seven years ago, a hunter was killed in a tragic accident. His body disappeared, some say into the ice, while some wonder if it was an accident. When Tony Hogan-White arrives in the tiny township of Fox Glacier, it isn't long before the stories surface about his odd new friend and his wacky kea. They draw him in, into mystery, adventure and into danger. But this time Tony is on his own, and it’s not long before he starts to wonder if this time he’s in too deep. Sequel to Frog Whistle Mine
Hunt, Des Where cuckoos call: Twelve-year-old Ben is a keen ornithologist who looks after endangered birds on his family farm in the Coromandel Peninsula. But Ben must grow up fast in the face of threats to his home, his family and his beloved birds.
Jackson, Jenny The moonbirds: While on holiday with her family, Ellie discovers some mysterious creatures of the night in the nearby bush. When nobody believes what she has seen, Ellie is determined to uncover the true origin of these birds.
Johnston, Phyllis Dead Dan’s Dee: In 1924, thirteen-year-old Dee is living with her mother and aunt: her father died during World War I. Her mother and aunt become sick with tuberculosis and Dee is sent to a Wellington children’s refuge. After her mother dies, her father’s army friends offer her a home on their farm. However, many adults in the area knew her father, and there are rumours going around. Dee realises she needs to find out the truth about how her father really died in the war.
Jordan, Sherryl The silver dragon: Apprentice wizard, Denzil, lives in Medieval times, and only knows books as rare and precious handmade objects. So when Denzil travels to the future and sees books made on machines, he wants to invent such a machine himself. But, as usual, Denzil’s spell gets out of hand and he puts himself, and his friends from the future, in terrible danger.
Lasenby, Jack Billy and Old Smoko: Billy befriends a talking horse and together they gradually piece together a series of loopy clues that reveal how a whole village of mothers have gone missing.
McNabb, Linda The Shadow Hunters: Elves who live secretly in the midst of the human world are know as Shadows, and after a tragic misunderstanding involving the death of the Crown Prince, elves live in fear of the King’s Shadow Hunters, who seek to capture and enslave them.
McNabb, Linda Timeweaver: Over the site of the Circle of Dreams hangs a raging storm that threatens to destroy the castle and undo all the work Zaine has done to free the wizards from their books.
McNabb, Linda Valley of silver: When the dangerous Red Dragons break free of their enchantment they will seek a terrible revenge, unless Logan and his friends can stop them.
McVeagh, Janine Be counted! the diary of Amy Phelps, Dunedin, 1893: Thirteen year old Amy goes to live with her aunt and uncle in Dunedin to continue her education. At Otago Girls’ High she pursues her dream of becoming an artist like her hero, Frances Hodgkins. Meanwhile, all Aunt Delia can talk about is the campaign to get women the vote. But Amy soon finds some girls who need more urgent help. Her efforts to find her wayward friend Mary lead her to discover a dark side lurking behind Dunedin’s stately buildings. Includes historical photographs. A title in the My story series.
Manderson, Marie The keeper of secrets: After waking from a dream, Zachary Michael Matthews discovers he has access to magical powers and will be the next ‘Keeper of Secrets’. He is plunged headfirst into a quest to save the planet, teaming up with an obnoxious English girl who can’t focus without an ice-cream fix, a Native American boy who needs to ‘lighten up’, and a Māori boy who rebels against overseas hunters who invade his forests. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, and are forced to awaken Celtic and Maori warriors from the past to help them.
Nagelkerke, Bill Sitting on the fence : the diary of Martin Daly, Christchurch, 1981: It is 1981 and Martin senses big trouble brewing at home. The South African rugby team has been invited to tour New Zealand. Martin’s sister, Sarah, is out to stop the tour in protest against South Africa’s racist apartheid system. His rugby-mad dad is equally determined that the tour should go ahead. And Mum is behaving oddly. Then a new school leads to a new friendship, and Martin is faced with a choice. He can walk away, or he can become involved in something that will end up being bigger than anybody could have predicted.A title in the My story series.
Orwin, Joanna Kauri in my blood : the diary of Laura Ann Findlay, the Coromandel, 1921-24: Laura Ann Findlay lives with her family among the mighty kauri trees of the Coromandel forest. It is the 1920s, and the last remnants of kauri forest are being cleared for timber and farmland. Laura describes how the family lives under canvas and cooks on open fires, and how she longs to be able to go to school. A title in the My story series.
Out of the deep and other stories from New Zealand and the Pacific: edited by Tessa Duder and Lorraine Orman.
Pulford, Elizabeth Castlecliff and the fossil princess: Going on your mum’s honeymoon trip, to your new step-dad’s grandmother’s house, isn’t Jamie’s idea of a perfect holiday. But the mysterious Castlecliff, perched high above the sea, holds many secrets. Secrets about Lani with her passion for fossils; secrets about Grancliff and her brother William; secrets about the past and of the future. Will Jamie uncover the truth about them all?
Simpson, Vicki Yo, shark bait: Rory loves fishing more than anything, but an accidental swim with a huge mako shark affects him deeply. Now he’s developed a fear of the water, and fishing doesn’t have the same appeal. So when his school principal decides to put him in charge of the school’s fishing competition, will Rory over come his fear?
Thompson, Tulia Josefa and the Vu: When Josefa is met by a giant mysterious warrior claiming to be an ancestral spirit, everything gets chaotic. Meanwhile Jack Bucksworth, the school bully, has stolen the sacred tabua and to get it back, Josefa and his friend must embark on a terrifying and dangerous adventure.
Werry, Philippa The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off: Nicholas doesn’t think he’s much good at anything, until he discovers he has a gift for baking. Everyone likes his cakes, even his incredibly annoying next-door neighbour Ruby. But can he come up with a recipe that’s good enough to get him to the finals of the Great Chocolate Cake Bake-Off? Ruby’s determined that he will. And then there’s his Special Secret Ingredient.