Younger Fiction - Holiday Reading 2009

Hooray for Fly Guy – Tedd Arnold
Fly Guy joins Buzz's football team, despite Coach’s misgivings, and hits the field for a special, secret play.

Search for this title in the catalogueSaffron – Victoria Azaro
Meet Saffron and her family. Her mum is an artist who says ’darling’ all the time, her little sister Sage has an unquenchable appetite for asking annoying questions, and her dad is always travelling on business to bring home the bacon. Saffron has an uncanny knack for getting into difficult situations.

The Disappearing Moon – Simon Bartram
When the Stupendous Alacazamo makes the moon disappear, it looks like Bob might be out of a job! Join Bob and his dog Barry as they race to uncover the truth, with a little alien assistance.

Search for this title in the catalogueFriends: Snake and Lizard – Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop (NZ)
A new book of stories about the daily adventures of the popular Snake and Lizard. Snake is elegant and calm, and a little self-centred; Lizard is exuberant and irrepressible. Even though they’re opposites, they are good friends. With its wisdom, acceptance and good humour, Snake and Lizard captures the essence of friendship. The stories are beautifully illustrated by Gavin Bishop in the warm and clear colours of the desert.

Wyrm King – Tony DiTerlizzi
Nick, Julie, Laurie, and their friends try to prevent a hydra from destroying Florida in the third book of the Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles Series.

Search for this title in the catalogueGauge - Chris D’Lacey
Second title in a new series about the dragons made by Elizabeth Pennykettle. The stories set the scene for Chris D’Lacey’s epic dragon series, being set in the time just before David Rain arrives in the Pennykettle household.

The Fearsome Five – Wolf Erlbruch
Story of five social outcasts who win back their street cred by hanging out together at the beach.

Killer Cat’s Christmas – Anne Fine
So go on, ask me. ‘Dear, dear Tuffy. Why was your Christmas so horrible’? Well. I couldn’t climb the tree. I couldn’t touch the dangly decorations. And Ellie made me part of her sing-along Christmas performance. Horrible. But I showed them. I was Tuffy the Acting Cat, superstar. How was I supposed to know things would get so …messy?

Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday – Goscinny
The 34th story - the first for four years - is the highlight of Asterix’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2009. A collection of 12 new stories - all linked by the theme of Asterix’s anniversary celebration.

Search for this title in the catalogueWhere’s Wally? : The Incredible Paper Chase – Martin Hanford
A new “Where’s Wally?” Adventure that includes fold-out game and a press-out circus. As Wally travels through worlds of dinosaurs, soldiers, clowns and so much more he leaves a tiny piece of paper to look for in every scene.

Tollins : Explosive Tales for Children – Conn Iggulden
In these three tales, Conn Iggulden introduces the explosive, magical and adventurous world of the Tollins, all beautifully illustrated in full colour by Lizzy Duncan. Complete with thrilling stories of danger and derring-do, glorious drawings, maps and diagrams, this is more than a fantastic fiction debut for children -- it’s also the definitive guide to these remarkable little flying creatures. Just don’t ever call them fairies!

Search for this title in the catalogueGnome with the Knobbly Knees – Rebecca Lisle
If only Clinky Monkey the dog could speak — he’d tell everyone about the garden gnome creeping round the house. But he can’t. It’s not until they catch the gnome sneaking into Laurie’s bedroom that the three brothers find out about the amazing Great Gnome Robbery masterminded by tiny Mr. Gribble, the strange man next door. Using clever disguises, the boys devise a cunning plan to foil Gribble’s plot.

The Best of Times – Michael Morpurgo
A story can bring love and laughter, sorrow and tears. But to save a life…That will require the greatest story of all. When the Prince and the Princess marry, joy rings out across the land. But all too soon it fades away and a shadow hangs over the royal palace. As Christmas approaches, Prince Frederico must find a way to warm his new bride’s aching heart.

Search for this title in the catalogueThe Hero of Little Street – Gregory Rogers
A graphic novel for younger readers. To hide from a group of bully boys, the Boy slips into the London National Gallery where he makes an unexpected friend - a dog - and is introduced to the magic of painting. He and his new friend step through a portal into the world of a famous Vermeer painting and soon find themselves transported to Little Street, Delft in 17th century Holland. But the streets of Delft are a dangerous place for a dog and the Boy must again set his hand to rescue before his canine mate meets an untimely fate in a butcher’s shop. Book three in the Boy Bear Series.

The Big Elephant in the Room – Lane Smith
When one donkey tells his friend that they need to talk about "the big elephant in the room," his friend wonders what this embarrassing issue could possibly be.

Elephants Cannot Dance/Watch me throw the Ball – Mo Willems
Elephant and Piggie have more adventures in friendship in this early reader series.