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| Recommended for 8+ |
Awful Auntie
by David Walliams
Oct 2014 | HarperCollins | $19.99pb
Awful Auntie is a page-turning, rollicking romp of a read, sparkling with Walliams' most eccentric characters yet and full of humour and heart. From larger-than-life, tiddlywinks-obsessed Awful Aunt Alberta to her pet owl, Wagner – this is an adventure with a difference. Aunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat the young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance – Saxby Hall. But with mischievous and irrepressible Soot, the cockney ghost of a chimney sweep, alongside her, Stella is determined to fight back… And sometimes a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through.
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| BiP staff review by Cathy |
Boy 21
Matthew Quick
Aug 2014 | Hachette | $16.99pb
Finley’s had a tough life. He lives in a bad neighbourhood where gangs rule the streets. He doesn’t say much at all because he knows that talking can be dangerous. His mother was tragically killed when he was a young boy and his Dad and Pop have never really recovered from their loss. Two things keep Finley going - basketball and his girlfriend Erin. They both have huge talent and an all-consuming passion for the game and hope that basketball could be their ticket to a better life. When Finley’s coach asks him to look after a boy, Russ, whose parents were murdered, he reluctantly agrees. Russ is one of the most promising high school basketballers in the country but after his parents were killed, he changed his name to Boy 21, claimed he was from outer space and refused to play basketball at all. Finley soon realises that his role of encouraging Russ to play again will most likely be at the expense of his own position in the team. Against all odds, a friendship develops between the two boys but while Russ seems to be getting his life together, Finley’s world is shattered when he is faced with losing the two things he loves most. There is so much to love about Boy 21. It is a clever, well written and, at times, heart wrenching story and is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying young adult novels that I’ve read this year. Very highly recommended for readers 14+.
The Princess in Black
by Shannon and Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham
Oct 2014 | Walker Books | $19.95hb
Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret – she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From the award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.
