Older Fiction - Holiday Reading 2009
The Underneath - Kathi Appelt
An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner’s run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.
Poppy and Ereth - Avi
After a long, hard winter in Dimwood forest, Poppy the deer mouse finds new adventure thrust upon her while rescuing Ereth the porcupine from the mud.
Anything But Typical - Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.
The Time Quake - Linda Buckley-Archer
Abducted to 1763, Peter Schock and Kate Dyer begin to understand that history has reached a tipping point. The antigravity machine is in the hands of the cruel and ambitious Lord Luxon -- who has set his sights on the most valuable prize of all: America. He is determined to manipulate time to his advantage, no matter what the cost. And the cost is great indeed. As Lord Luxon changes more and more of the past for his own gain, terrible time quakes begin to sweep through all of history. Book Three in the Enlightenment of Peter Schock Series.
The Black Circle - Patrick Carman
Where are Amy and Dan Cahill? The two kids were last seen in Egypt, hunting for one of the 39 Clues that could make them the most powerful people on earth. But no one has seen the siblings since. Has the ruthless Irina Spasky finally tracked them down? Or worse … the Madrigals? Book Five in the 39 Clues Series.
The Unfinished Angel - Sharon Creech
In a tiny village in the Swiss Alps, an angel meets an American girl named Zola who has come with her father to open a school, and together Zola and the angel rescue a group of homeless orphans, who gradually change everything.
The Magician’s Elephant - Kate DiCamillo
When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her.
Dark Fire - Chris D’Lacey
With the Earth on the brink of recolonisation by dragons, David Rain is sent on an important mission: to seek out and destroy a trace of dark fire, the deadliest force in the universe. But with success could come a terrible price, the sacrifice of a beloved clay dragon. How much does the life of one small dragon count, when the alternative is the birth of a darkling…?
The Crossing of Ingo - Helen Dunmore
Sapphire, Conor and their Mer friends Faro and Elvira are ready to make the Crossing of Ingo -- a long and dangerous journey that only the strongest young Mer are called upon to make. No human being has ever attempted this thrilling voyage to the bottom of the world. Ervys, his followers and new recruits, the sharks, are determined that Sapphire and Conor must be stopped -- dead or alive!
Eating Things on Sticks - Anne Fine
Harry is in trouble. He’s burned down the family kitchen so now has to spend a week of his summer hols with his uncle Tristram - who’s heading off to stay with a new girlfriend - Morning Glory - on a tiny British island. Harry doesn’t expect it to be a lot of fun - with just a wacky competition at the end of the week to look forward to. He certainly didn’t expect to discover all the beards. Or the angel on the mountain. Or the helicopters circling overhead all week. And he definitely didn’t think it would be so wet.
Odd and the Frost Giants - Neil Gaiman
An unlucky twelve-year-old Norwegian boy named Odd leads the Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in an attempt to outwit evil Frost Giants who have taken over Asgard.
The Silver Blade - Sally Gardner
The second of two novels set in France and England during the French Revolution.
Grace - Morris Gleitzman
In the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins, and talk about happy families, we were bountiful. But it came to pass that I started doing sins. And lo, that was when all our problems began.
Then - Morris Gleitzman
I had a plan for me and Zelda, pretend to be someone else, find new parents, be safe forever. Then the Nazis came.
Boom! (or 70,000 Light Years) - Mark Haddon
From the moment that Jim and his best friend Charlie bug the staffroom and overhear two of their teachers speaking to each other in a secret language, they know there’s an adventure on its way. But what does ‘spudvetch’ mean, and why do Mr Kidd’s eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says it to him? Perhaps they’re spies. Perhaps they’re aliens. Whatever it is, Jimbo and Charlie are determined to find out. This is a nuclear-powered, one hundred-ton adventure with reclining seats and a buffet car. And as it gathers speed and begins to spin out of control, it can only end in one way…with a Boom!.
Salt River - Elizabeth Hegarty (NZ)
Novel based on the lives of the Pook family who lived in a remote area of the Kaipara Harbour during the 1920s. Describes the family life of Tom Pook and his younger sister who are left in charge and must complete all the daily tasks as well as take care of their younger siblings.
The Eyeball Collector - F.E. Higgins
When his butterfly-collector father is swindled to within an inch of his life, a vengeful Hector leaves the city of Urbs Umida in pursuit of a fiendish villain with a glass eye. The trail leads to Withypitts Hall, a forbidding Gothic mansion as warped as its inhabitants and their secret schemes. Soon Hector finds himself embroiled in mysterious deeds more poisonous than his worst imaginings, but every twist and turn brings him closer to his revenge …The third dark and diabolical book from a devilishly talented author.
Whale Pot Bay - Des Hunt (NZ)
Jake lives with his father in a remote part of the Wairarapa, where he can surf and watch the whales. But then Jake’s dad begins a relationship with a new partner, who moves in with her daughter Stephanie, and at the same time a local photographer starts stalking their next door neighbour Milton Summer, an international rock celebrity- and Jake’s peaceful life erupts into violence and deceit. An when a whale and her calf get into trouble on the treacherous coast, the history of Whale Pot Bay seems doomed to repeat itself unless Jake, Milton and Stephanie can survive the deadly tide.
Secret of Jelly Mountain - Des Hunt (NZ)
Jelly Mountain is a mysterious place. Its straight sides mean the top has never been explored and there are many rumours about strange creatures inhabiting it. Then a light plane tries to land on top, and the action really starts.
Tough Enough – Tania Hutley (NZ)
Matt and his mother have gone to a small seaside camping ground for a holiday. Matt has been warned the area is ‘tough’ and the local news has announced that a murder has taken place in the week before their arrival. Matt enjoys hanging out with the other kids at the camping ground and all is fine until they dare him to sneak into the house where it is rumoured the suspected murder lives.
Brother Sister Soldier Cousin - Phyllis Johnston (NZ)
It’s war time and a challenging year lies ahead for Helen. Her brother Harry is fighting in Egypt, her sister Jess treats her with unreasonable contempt and her Dad hasn’t told anyone his heart is wonky. Also, Ginger, Helen’s faithful old friend, is wearing out, and her friend Barbara is keeping secrets from her. Then Helen discovers that all is not as she has been led to believe.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - Jacqueline Kelly
In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers, and studies the natural world with her grandfather, the latter of which leads to an important discovery.
Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Frozen Hearts - Emma Kennedy
A stolen jewel. Some frozen hearts. And a fish scale. Sounds like a case for Wilma Tenderfoot! Wilma Tenderfoot dreams of one day becoming assistant to the world-famous and very serious detective Theodore P. Goodman. But the last thing Mr Goodman wants is a small and slightly accident-prone sidekick - especially one with an over-friendly beagle called Pickle who keeps eating all the clues. Still, be warned - Wilma Tenderfoot may be small, but she is very determined!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid : The Last Straw - Jeff Kinney
Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father’s attempts to change Greg’s wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school.
Love Aubrey - Suzanne LaFleur
Something terrible has happened. Eleven-year-old Aubrey is on her own. ‘It was fun at first, playing house. Nothing to think about but T.V and cheese. A perfect world’. She’s determined to hide away and take care of herself, because facing the truth is too much to bear. ‘I couldn’t let anyone know that I was alone. I was staying right here’. But with the love of her grandmother and the letters she writes, can Aubrey begin to see that even though she’s lost everything - all is not lost?
The Witching Hour - Elizabeth Laird
In seventeenth-century Scotland, everyone knows the devil is real. Everyone knows that witches exist. Everyone knows that saying the wrong thing can get you hanged…When fourteen-year-old Maggie’s grandmother is accused of witchcraft, Maggie has to run for her life. With English soldiers on the march, nowhere is safe - certainly not Ladymuir, where her uncle is determined to defy the king. And wherever Maggie goes, disaster follows…A gripping historical novel about a young girl’s journey through the Killing Time.
Dark Angels - Katherine Langrish
A gripping and wonderfully spooky standalone adventure from critically acclaimed author Katherine Langrish. When Wolf runs away from the monastery where he grew up, he finds himself lost on Devil’s Edge -- a hill riddled with old mine shafts, said to be infested with ghosts, boggarts, elves, and perhaps even the Devil himself. Wolf meets a local knight out hunting, who offers him work and shelter in his castle -- a place inhabited by a host of unexpected characters -- a hearth hob, a ghostly white lady and a mysterious wandering juggler…Together Wolf and Nest, the knight’s daughter, become embroiled in a mystery which leads Wolf into the very darkest depths of Devil’s Edge…
The Silver Door - Holly Lisle
When Genna is chosen as the Sunrider of prophecy, her destiny is to unite the magic of the sun and the moon for the good of both Nightlings and humans. Book Two in the Moon and Sun cycle.
The Well Between The Worlds - Sam Llewellyn
Eleven-year-old Idris Limpet, living with his family in the once noble but now evil and corrupt island country of Lyonesse, finds his life taking a dramatic turn when, after a near-drowning incident, he is accused of being allied to the feared sea monsters and is rescued from a death sentence by a mysterious and fearsome stranger.
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean
When Pepper wakes up on his 14th birthday he knows this will be the day that he’ll die. But as the day wears on, and Pepper finds himself still alive, he decides to set off to sea in an attempt to try and avoid death for as long as possible. As time goes on Pepper steps into many roles and personas and has numerous outrageous adventures. But can he stay one step ahead of death? Or will fate catch up with him? And, if he does live, which of his many lives will he choose to adopt? This riot of a story is a wonderful adventure, and Pepper is an unforgettable character who stays with you long after his story has been told.
Wishing For Tomorrow - Hilary McKay
Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe’s happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that ‘nothing is the same as it was before’. But life must go on at Miss Minchin’s as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.
The Dark Blue 100-Ride Bus Ticket - Margaret Mahy (NZ)
When Carlo and his mother, Jessica, accept a free bus ticket from a strange old woman in the supermarket, they are really only being polite. Secretly they think she must be slightly batty, with her talk about hundred free bus rides to the supermarket at the end of the world. How absurd! And yet, right outside their supermarket, which is of the most ordinary, everyday kind, a Number 13 bus pulls up … dark blue and with gold stars, just like the ticket. Feeling suddenly adventurous, Jessica and Carlo take their seats … and nothing turns out the way you would expect.
Bute View - Janice Marriott (NZ)
When Arlo goes to SPACE in the northern hemisphere to show his inventions to the clever scientists there, he thinks he had finally made it. At last, fame and fortune will be his. But the Big Boss of SPACE has a more sinister fate planned for Arlo and soon he is a prisoner.
Running Wild - Michael Morpurgo
When 10-year-old Will’s father dies in the Iraq war, his mother surprises him with a trip to Indonesia. But little could she have known what awaited them both there. The first Will knows that anything is wrong is when Oona, the elephant he is riding along the beach, begins to spook. Then, suddenly, she takes off into the jungle with Will on her back. And that’s when Will sees the wave come crashing in! With his mother almost certainly drowned, with nothing to cling onto but an elephant and nothing to help him but the clothes on his back, Will faces a terrifying future. But maybe the jungle, and Oona the elephant, can help him!
Grip of the Shadow Plague - Brandon Mull
Kendra and Seth along with Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson discover that someone or something has released a plague that is turning the light creatures of Fablehaven into creatures of darkness. And for the first time, Kendra and Warren must visit another magical preserve called Lost Mesa in Arizona and try to recovery another hidden artefact. Can the plague be stopped? Can the artefact be found? And most importantly, is the Sphinx a traitor? Part of the Fablehaven Fantasy Series.
Faith, Hope and Ivy June - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
During a student exchange programme, seventh-graders Ivy June and Catherine share their lives, homes, and communities, and find that although their lifestyles are total opposites they have a lot in common.
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight - Jenny Nimmo
The eighth and final adventure starring Charlie Bone! The race to find the box containing the secret regarding the Bloors’ fortune has become deadly. The Bloors are gathering their evil forces. Charlie is determined to stop them from finding the box and destroying it. But can the Red Knight help Charlie defeat the Bloors?
The Strange and Diverting Story of Loblolly Boy - James Norcliffe (NZ)
The loblolly boy has the gift of flight: he’s invisible to most people, apart from a very few who are known as the Sensitives. When the loblolly boy swaps identities with the narrator of this story, we are taken on an exciting, truly imaginative odyssey. We follow the loblolly boy through a chain of transformations and encounters with intriguing, fantastic characters, and travel at a dizzying pace
Starclimber - Kenneth Oppel
Pilot-in-training Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, expert on high-altitude life-forms, are invited aboard the Starclimber, a vessel that literally climbs its way into the cosmos. Matt and Kate embark on their journey into space, but soon the ship is surrounded by strange and unsettling life-forms, and the crew is forced to combat devastating mechanical failure. For Matt, Kate, and the entire crew of the Starclimber, what began as an exciting race to the stars has now turned into a battle to save their lives.
The Immortal - Michael Panckridge
For Cameron, it looks like the summer holidays at Sea Cottage will be two weeks of boredom, but that quickly changes when he hears a voice calling for help. In the tunnels beneath the sand dunes, Cameron uncovers a secret that will change his life. In the gloom he discovers a man who has been waiting for over 50 years to be rescued — a man who should have been dead long ago.
Ghost Hunter - Michelle Paver
As winter approaches and Souls’ Night draws near, the Eagle Owl Mage holds the clans in the grip of terror. To fulfil his destiny, Torak must seek his lair in the Mountain of Ghosts. He must defy demons and tokoroths, and find his way through the Gorge of the Hidden People. Wolf must overcome terrible grief. Renn must make an agonizing decision. And in the final battle against the Soul-Eater, Torak must face the most heart-rending choice of all. Book Six in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.
No Such Thing as Dragons - Phillip Reeve
This title presents a dragon story with a brilliant twist from multi award-winning writer, Philip Reeve. Ansel’s new master slays dragons for a living. He says he’s hunted the monstrous worms all over Christendom and has the scars to prove it. But is Brock just a clever trickster in shining armour? Ansel is sure there are no such things as dragons. So what is the man-eating creature that makes its lair in the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must climb the ice face to discover the terrifying truth.
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
The greatest monster of all, the storm giant Typhon, is on the loose, wreaking havoc and destruction across the U.S. - while Kronos’ army lays siege to Manhattan. Soon Percy Jackson must make the hardest choice of his life - a choice that will save or destroy the world.
Battle for Rondo - Emily Rodda
Adventurers Leo and Mimi return to the world of Rondo and with the help of Rondo’s seven best wizards and witches, have brave plans to combat the Blue Queen. But this time the Blue Queen has an enchanted dragon at her side and so there could be terrible times ahead, as the Queen sets out to evoke revenge on all those who have defied her. The final book in the Rondo trilogy.
Syren - Angie Sage
In the fifth book of this Magykal series, Septimus and his friends find themselves on an island whose secrets are as dark and dangerous as its inhabitants. Septimus Heap returns to the House of Foryx with Spit Fyre to pick up Jenna, Nicko, Snorri, and Beetle. But the journey home does not go well and when Septimus and his friends are caught in a storm, Spit Fyre crashes into the Rokk Lighthouse. They are rescued by the lighthouse keeper who is disturbingly sinister, and who has an equally sinister cat And all the while, Septimus is trying to fight the strange pull he’s feeling to the island and its mysterious secrets.
The Boy in the Dress - David Walliams
The sparkling debut children’s novel from David Walliams, co-creator and co-star of the multi-award-winning Little Britain. Dennis was different. Why was he different, you ask? Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book!
Hetty Feather - Jacqueline Wilson
London, 1876 and Hetty Feather is just a tiny baby when her mother leaves her at the Foundling Hospital. The Hospital cares for abandoned children - but Hetty must first live with a foster family until she is big enough to go to school. Life in the countryside is hard but with her ‘brothers’ Jem and Gideon, she helps in the fields and plays imaginary games. Together they sneak off to visit the travelling circus and Hetty is mesmerised by the show, especially Madame Adeline and her performing horses. But Hetty’s happiness is threatened once more when she is returned to the Foundling Hospital. The new life of awful uniforms and terrible food is a struggle for her. But now she has the chance to find her real mother. Could she really be the wonderful Madame Adeline? Or will Hetty find the truth is even more surprising?
My Mother’s Eyes : A Story of a Boy Soldier - Mark Wilson
A fifteen-year-old Australian farm boy lies about his age to enlist to war and is caught up in the horrors of World War I in Egypt and on the Western Front, where 5,500 Australian troops were lost in two days at Fromelles alone.
Dandelion Fire - Nathan D.Wilson
Presents the continuing adventures of Henry York, who has been living in Kansas with his cousins, where he discovers doorways leading to other worlds and becomes involved in a multi-world struggle between good and evil.