Story-Go-Round

However children of this age (approximately 10 to 13) vary greatly in their maturity and their reading needs. This can cause problems with suitability of theme. Parents and professionals need to be careful about matching the book to the child.

Recent Favourites:

• Cosmic  Frank Cottrell Boyce  (Macmillan)  ISBN 978 1 4050 5464 5

The introductory scenario is totally over the top - the hero is in a space rocket orbiting the moon. Of course you wonder how he got there, and the story jumps back in time to answer this question. Once you've accepted several almost impossible premises, you get hooked into the story - and can't put it down! Liam Digby is a twelve-year-old genius, but he's very tall and passes for a man. He enters a competition where he has to act as a father, with a classmate acting as his daughter. After some amazing events they end up in the rocket with several other genius kids - it's all been masterminded by a ruthless female business tycoon... Boys will love it.  (Nov)

• Scorched Bone  Vince Ford  (Scholastic NZ)  ISBN 978 1 86943 830 2

This is Book 1 in the Chronicles of Stone series. It's set in prehistoric times, focusing on the early North American Indian tribes. Trei and his twin sister Souk leave their tribe after a cruel drought and travel north to learn about more efficient ways of hunting. Trei is a hunter and Souk is an apprentice shaman. The setting was meticulously researched while the author was participating in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa - so the details of prehistoric life are fascinating. Boys will enjoy the action and adventure.  (Nov)

• Jack the Viking  Melinda Szymanik  (Scholastic NZ)  ISBN 978 1 86943 870 8

Boys will find a exciting read in this time-slip fantasy. Jack is having a tough time - he did badly at the interschool swimming championships, and Sam the bully is beating him up. A severe stomach pain results in Jack losing consciousness when Sam punches him. And then his adventures start! He finds himself back in the days of the Vikings, becoming friendly with young Stig and his family. But things turn nasty when Stig's settlement is attacked by an enemy warchief. The conflict isn't really resolved when Jack suddenly regains consciousness in his own time - because this is the first part of a two-part story...  (Nov)

• Skyfall  Anthony Eaton  (University of Queensland Press)  ISBN 978 0 7022 550 4

I've only just discovered this riveting fantasy series called The Darklands Trilogy, so was able to read this second book straight after the first title. It's set in a futuristic world where Earth has been poisoned by radiation, and the controlling races live in towering skydomes. The Darklands is an area of desert where a different race of people have adapted to the harsh environment. Initially the Darklands are part of a scientific experiment, but subversive elements within the skydome cities bring about their own destruction. Saria from the Darklands and Larinan from the skydomes escape the catastrophe and flee into the desert - together they are the last surviving hope for mankind.  (Oct)

• Here Lies Arthur  Philip Reeve  (Scholastic)  ISBN 978 0439 95533 1

This is a very prosaic, down-to-earth version of Arthur's story. It's written from the point of view of a child taken on as a servant by Myrddin, a bard who is trying to turn Arthur into a demi-god. In reality, Arthur is an ordinary, not particularly clever warlord. It's an absorbing and very readable tale of love and loyalty.  Recommended. (Oct)

• Night Hunting  Deborah Burnside  (Penguin NZ)  ISBN 978 0 14 330396 1

Nick is keen to go possum hunting with Rotorua Bill - who tells the tallest tales in the country. But things don't work out as planned. Rotorua Bill is badly injured, and Nick must make him comfortable and dash through the bush to get help. This is an exciting adventure story that boys will love. They'll relish the rough-as-guts humour, the technical details of possum hunting, and the nailbiting suspense of Nick's frantic rush to save his mate. As Tessa Duder said at the launch, this book is written in the best tradition of William Taylor and Jack Lasenby. Recommended.  (Sept)

• The River Runs  David Hill  (Mallinson Rendel)  ISBN 978 1 877423 22 2

As always, David Hill zeroes in on issues that are of concern to the boys of today. The story is set in a small farming settlement in 1967. Chris, the main narrator, is a bit of a nerd - he likes reading books and isn't much interested in physical sports. He's being bullied by his cousin, Roger, who hates schoolwork and likes bodybuilding. Every now and then the story switches to Roger's viewpoint, so readers get to understand the two opposing points of view. In a breathless climax scene the two boys realise they must work together to save the lives of some neighbours. It's an excellent read. Recommended.  (Sept)  

• The Secret of Spirits Bay  Stephen Barker  (HarperCollins NZ)  ISBN 978-1-86950-725-1

I like stories that combine the past and the present - such as this adventure story by a first-time author. Most of the story is told from the point of view of a young English boy, Tom, newly arrived at remote Spirits Bay. While cross-country running, Tom encounters another runner - a mysterious boy. This runner is from the past, and he has both a story and a warning to convey. The plot is perhaps a bit more complex than it needs to be (I had trouble accepting the magical voice of the emerald) - but it's a interesting read, especially for boys.  (Sept) 

• Superior Saturday  Garth Nix  (Allen & Unwin)  ISBN 9781741145908

Book 6 in the Keys to the Kingdom series. As always, Arthur is hurled straight into the quest for the sixth part of the Architect's Will, and Saturday's magical Key. His hunt involves him in Saturday's ambitious attempt to build a tower high enough to invade the Incomparable Gardens, where Lord Sunday resides. Arthur is on a rollercoaster dash to escape the encroaching Nothing, climb the tower with the help of some Piper's Children, and ride the magically-driven ram into the underskirts of the Gardens. But will Suzy and Leaf survive? And what will happen to Arthur now that he's 75% Denizen and only 25% human?  (Aug)

• Gool  Maurice Gee  (Puffin)  ISBN 978 014 3304005

This is the sequel to Salt (see listing for September below). Sixteen years have passed since Pearl from Company and Hari from Blood Burrow defeated the tyrant Ottomar. Now their children, Xantee and Lo, face a mysterious and dangerous foe - a creature called the Gool, which eats all matter. Hari is slowly being killed by a fragment of Gool attached to his throat. Xantee and Lo (who can both use telepathy) go on a quest to the city to find a book to tell them what to do. This is absorbing reading, with the extra value of being a parable - hatred and violence can easily destroy our world.  (Aug)

• Then  Morris Gleitzman  (Penguin Australia)  ISBN 978-0-670-07278-1

This is a sequel to Once, which was published a few years ago. Because of the time gap, I found it useful to re-read Once before I started this one. Together, the books tell of the trials of Felix, aged 10, and Zelda, aged 6, as they try to escape from the Nazis in Poland during the Holocaust. In the second book, the pair manage to jump off a train taking Jews to a death camp. They end up hiding on a farm for a while, but eventually Zelda is shot. Felix continues to hide, determined that he must live to tell their story. The horror of the historical events is leavened by Felix's kind-hearted, hopeful and innocent narration. (Aug)

• The Tooth  Des Hunt  (HarperCollins)  ISBN 9781 86950 638 4

Another jolly good adventure story that will be popular with boys. Tim and his friend are determined to locate a toothlike object, possibly a dinosaur fossil, hidden in the cliffs near Tim's grandparents' farm. Tim vaguely remembers this tooth from a tragic experience when he was four. But the location of the fossil is about to be flooded for a dam; Tim has problems with the class bully and his criminal cousins; and then it starts to rain and the river is rising... Will Tim and his helpers retrieve the precious relic in time?  (July)

• Blart II  Dominic Barker  (Bloomsbury)  ISBN 978 0 7475 8429 2

In this sequel the author has more or less repeated the obviously winning formula of the first book, Blart. Blart, a pig herder, joins up with his old gang - Beowulf (a warrior), Capablanca (a wizard), and Princess Lois (a feminist), along with a double-crossing conman called Uther - in order to go on another mission to ensure the evil wizard Zoltab is still incarcerated at the top of the tallest mountain. Lots of accidents, mistakes, and disagreements ensue, together with the occasional stroke of good luck. Some of the humour is fairly sophisticated, so it's best for advanced readers. (July)

• Airman  Eoin Colfer  (Puffin)  ISBN 978 0 141 38335 4

This exciting adventure story is set in a faux Victorian age where flight is an obsession with many. Conor Broekhart was born in a balloon basket, so flying is in his blood. He lives in a small independent state on two island off the coast of Ireland, called Great and Little Saltee. A wicked courtier kills the king and falsely accuses Conor of the murder. Conor is locked up in the penal diamond mine on Little Saltee. But then he manages a daring escape by building a hang glider... Tons of action and adventure - boys will love it.  (June)

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures  Brian Selznick  (Scholastic)  ISBN 978 0 439 81378 5

This large book covers 533 pages, but many of them are pencil illustrations. It's an unusual story set in Paris in 1931. Hugo is an orphan living in the secret passages of a railway station, where he keeps the clocks running on time. But he's a driven character - he's determined to repair an automaton he found in the rubbish after a museum fire - because he thinks the automaton will tell him what to do. But where do the toy salesman and his inquisitive daughter fit into Hugo's life? It's definitely a different reading experience, but many readers will enjoy the combination of image and text. (June)

• Joe Rat  Mark Barratt  (Random House)  ISBN 978 1 862 30218 1

In the dark underbelly of Victorian London a boy named Joe scavenges for valuables in the rat-infested sewers of the East End. He is a "tosher". He is viciously exploited by an evil old woman - the local gang controller - called Mother. But one day he meets Bess, a young miss from the country who has run away to avoid being "sold" by her unscrupulous mother. They both get involved with the local madman, who is crazed with grief over the death of his daughter - and these three characters eventually achieve their own deliverance... It's a dark, fascinating, and at times horrifying story - best for mature readers. (June)

• The Last of the High Kings  Kate Thompson  (Bodley Head)  ISBN 978 0 370 32925 3

Having read most of this author's books since her original Switchers series, I think she's going from strength to strength. This story picks up some of the same characters from The New Policeman, but many years have gone by and JJ  Liddy is now grown up and has children of his own. One of them, 11-year-old Jenny, roams the countryside talking to ghosts and other supernatural creatures. The plot focuses on an attempt by ancient monsters to trick a guardian ghost into abandoning his post and allowing them to take over the world. Just as humorous and intriguing as The New Policeman. (March)

• Pharaoh: The Boy Who Conquered the Nile  Jackie French  (Angus & Robertson)  ISBN 978 0 2072 0082 3

A fascinating story based on a real person from Ancient Egypt. Prince Narmer of Thinis (a town on the Nile) is betrayed by his brother and badly injured by a crocodile. He is helped back to health by a trader and his translator (a girl called Nithotep). He accompanies the trader on his travels, learning much about the world and gathering ideas that would help his small town become powerful. He eventually marries Nithotep. The historical setting is very convincing, and the plot keeps you turning the pages to the end. (March)

• The Titian's Curse  Rick Riordan  (Hyperion)  ISBN 978 1 4231 0145 1

This is Book Three in the very popular series Percy Jackson & the Olympians. The plot hardly needs explaining, because it's really just more of the same - which is exactly what readers want. Percy and his friends race to the rescue of a goddess in trouble - and find it's all part of the devious plot by Kronos to take over the world... Heaps of action and adventure, and suitable for both boys and girls.  (March) 

• I Am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere  Jonathan and Shirley Tulloch  (Egmont UK)  ISBN 978 1 4052 2325 6

This tough, moving story is set within a dispossessed tribe in a country similar to Zimbabwe or Zambia. Mulumbe is a brave heroine in her early teens who travels to join her brother in the City of Gold over the border - after her stepmother sells her as a wife to an old drunkard. She meets many people, both good and bad - but in the end she finds her brother and begins a new life. (Feb)

• The Land of the Silver Apples  Nancy Farmer  (Atheneum)  ISBN 978 1 4169 0735 0

It's helpful to have previously read The Sea of Trolls. Apprentice bard Jack sets off to find out why his sister Lucy is behaving so strangely. He is accompanied by Pega, an ex-slave girl with a lovely singing voice. Eventually the travellers end up in Elfland, where they discover that Lucy is a changeling - she is really an elf, hence her rude and shallow nature. This clever blend of Norse, Saxon and Celtic mythology is packed with action and adventure. (Feb)

• Questors  Joan Lennon  (Puffin)  ISBN 978 0 141 31916 2

This is a complex but appealing fantasy about three children from three different worlds which exist in perfect balance. A cataclysmic disruption in the space-time continuum threatens all three worlds, so the controlling Council summons the three questors to save the worlds. Unfortunately the summoning is 10 years too early, and the questors are still children. They have to visit each world to collect an unknown item. This is the first time the three half-siblings have met each other, so there's lots of bickering and disagreement going on. I suspect this is the first book in a series.  (Dec)

• Kauri in My Blood: The Diary of Laura Ann Findlay, the Coromandel, 1921-24  Joanna Orwin (Scholastic NZ)  ISBN 978 1 86943 761 9

In the 1920s the last remnants of the kauri forests were being felled. Elaborate machinery was used to transport the massive logs to the nearest port - hauling engines, locomotives, inclines, dams, gates and booms. Laura's mother is a bush cook and her father is an engineer working on the haulers and the locomotives, so Laura definitely has logging in her blood. This My Story diary outlines her adventures in the logging camps - based on the adventures of a real woman, now in her nineties, who was interviewed by the author. Fascinating stuff.  (Dec)

• Barfing in the Back Seat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip  Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver  (Grosset & Dunlap)  ISBN 978 0 448 44328 7

I must admit my eye was caught by the name of the first author - yes, only people of my generation will remember The Fonz, in the TV series Happy Days. So I had to read the book. It's Book 12 in a series called Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever. Hank and his family go on a road trip so his father can attend a crossword competition - but there's an amusement park close by for the kids. Hank can only go to the amusement park if he finishes a great pile of homework. As always, things don't go well in the homework department. It's a light, funny story with a very American tone that will appeal to boys who have an aversion to serious stuff. (Nov)

• The Possibility of Fireflies  Dominique Paul  (Simon & Schuster)  ISBN 978 1 4169 1310 8

Fourteen-year-old Ellie has big family problems. Her father has left, her mother is drunk and abusive all the time, her older sister has turned into a punk. Ellie develops a crush on a 19-year-old boy living over the road. When her mother nearly strangles her sister, Ellie knows she has to get away. She asks Leo if she can go to California with him. He talks sense to her, and eventually she takes control of her life and sets off to find her father. It's a lyrical, absorbing story for advanced readers about growing up. (Nov)