Troll Fell – Katherine Langrish

A secret kingdom of trolls lies in the mysterious shadows of Troll Fell. It is to this eerie and dangerous place that Peer must go after his father’s sudden death, to live with his greedy uncles, Baldur and Grim. When Peer discovers his uncles’ plan to sell children to the trolls, he has to bury his fears and set out to stop them somehow. In a world filled with magic and mystery, Peer has only his bravery, his wits, and two new allies — a daring girl looking for adventure and a mischievous house spirit looking for a good meal.

Fantastic fiction

Emil and Karl – Yankev Glatshteyn

This is the story of how two young boys — one Jewish, the other not– survive when they suddenly find themselves without homes or families in Vienna on the eve of World War II. The best friends meet all types: the good who work to save people and end the occupation; the bad who force people to do terrible things; and the indifferent who watch and do nothing.

This important book published in 1940 is believed to be the first in any language about what was happening under the Nazi regime. It gives a chilling portrait of a world descending into madness as experienced by two innocent children. As terrifying as their experiences were, the story was written at a time when the full horror of Hitler’s reign was yet to be realized.

Text Publishing

Stolen – Lucy Christopher

“It happened like this.

I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.”

Fantastic Fiction

The story of Tom Brennan – J. C. Burke

For Tom Brennan, life is about rubgy, mates and family – until a night of celebration changes his life forever. In a drunken rage, Tom’s older brother, Daniel, causes a car accident in which their cousin is seriously injured and two friends are killed. Tom’s world explodes as Daniel is sent to jail and the Brennans’ are forced to leave the small town where Tom’s lived his whole life. Will he ever be able to rebuild his life? A heartbreaking story that shows how one mistake can impact on the lives of so many.

Random House

A rose for the Anzac boys – Jackie French

It is 1915. War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France. Sixteen-year-old New Zealander Midge Macpherson is at school in England learning to be a young lady but the war is coming closer. Midge’s brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as ‘missing’ in the devastating Anzac defeat at Gallipoli. Desperate to do their bit Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Then Midge is recruited by the ambulance service and she witnesses scenes of carnage and courage she could never have imagined.

Bomerang Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney

A year in the life of Greg Heffley as he starts Middle School and finds himself in some tricky situations and doing some incredibly dumb things in a constant quest for popularity. A very funny and easy to read novel in cartoons.

ComicMix

I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you (Gallagher Girls: 1) – Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is 15 and a student at Gallagher Academy, a top-secret boarding school for girls who are spies-in-training. Her studies include covert operations, advanced martial arts, computer hacking and learning 14 languages. Her troubles really begin when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Can she have a relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

Wheelers

The last song – Nicholas Sparks

Seventeen year old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry at her parents, especially her father…until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer with him in the quiet beach town where he is living. What follows is a compelling family drama and a heartrending tale of first love.

Fantastic fiction

Dear John – Nicholas Sparks

John Tyree, once an angry rebel, joins the Army. While on leave he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Attraction quickly becomes love with Savannah vowing to wait for John to finish his tour of duty. But 9/11 changes everything, as John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. The long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love–and face the hardest decision of his life. A novel of romance and heartbreak.

thebookskoob

The great switcheroonie – Alex Shearer

Bill is bored with his ordinary life and Benny is tired of being in the spotlight- so why don’t they just switch lives for one day? Bill thinks switching lives with Benny, the son of a world-famous footballer, is going to be brilliant. But the boys get more than they bargained for when they choose the wrong day to swap lives.

Hodder Education

Gone – Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye, everyone older than thirteen disappears. Suddenly there are no adults, teachers, police, doctors or parents. There are also no phones, internet or television. No way to figure out what’s happened. And no way to get help.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else…

Boomerang Books

Sweet little lies (L.A. Candy: 2) – Lauren Conrad

Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own hit reality show, L.A. Candy. But life on camera is getting complicated. . . .

Lauren Conrad, a television star herself, writes from experience about Hollywood, the gossip, lies, secrets and scandals.

Fantastic fiction

Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie

Detective Hercule Poirot has an uneasy feeling that something is dangerously amiss when he meets the beautiful and rich Linnet Doyle and her new husband Simon Doyle, aboard a cruise ship on the Nile. When Linnet is found murdered, the brilliant detective must sort through a boatload of suspects to find the killer before he (or she) strikes again. One of the most baffling Hercule Poirot mysteries.

Fantastic fiction

The Book of Lies – James Moloney

One dark and stormy night, four hooded men deliver an unconscious boy to a home for orphans and foundlings. There, a wizard awaits, ready to erase the boy’s memories and implant new ones with the help of a magical book, The Book of Lies. A small girl who watches the scene from her hiding place tells the boy that his real name is Marcel. With the help of three new friends, Marcel begins a quest to find the truth about his real identity. A quest of adventure, mystery, magical flights, brutal swordfights and riddles to solve.

Harper Collins

Missing you, love Sara – Jackie French

At 11.35am, Thursday May 4th, Sara′s sister Reenie disappears.

Was she kidnapped? Did she kill herself? Did she simply decide to vanish? Or is her body lying somewhere waiting to be found? How can someone like Reenie just disappear? And are the police really doing everything they can to find her? This is Sara′s story as she searches for answers.

Jackie French

Poison study (Study: 1) – Maria V. Snyder

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered a  choice: A quick death . . . or slow poison . . . In a last minute reprieve she becomes the food taster for the Commander of Ixia. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace — and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander. Escape is impossible. As Yelena’s magical talent grows she is increasingly attracted to her captor, chief of Security Valek. Trouble is brewing  in Ixia. Yelena’s life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear . . .

Student excuse for why this book was overdue. “It’s so good that I keep re-reading it.’

Persnickety Snark

Machine-gunners – Robert Westall

Chas McGill has the second-best collection of war souvenirs in town, and he desperately wants it to be the best. When he stumbles across the remains of a German bomber crashed in the woods – its shiny, black machine-gun still intact – he grabs his chance. Soon he’s masterminding his own war effort with dangerous and unexpected results. The pace is unrelenting in this British World War II thriller.

Fantastic fiction

Bumface – Morris Gleitzman

 Angus is desperate – he must stop his Mum having more babies. A book to make you laugh and cry.

Readings