Not so normal Norbert by James Patterson
Normal Riddle lives in the United State of Earth, where normal means following the rules, never standing out and being exactly the same as everyone else. He’s been normal his whole life – until a moment of temporary hilarity when he does a funny impression of the country’s dictator and gets caught. Now Norbert’s been banished to the Astronuts Camp on planet Zorquat 3, where kids who defy the rules are exiled forever. He’s been taught his whole life that different is wrong, but everyone at Astronuts seems crazy creative, or are they just plain crazy?
War is Over by David Almond
It’s 1918, and war is everywhere. John’s dad is fighting in the trenches far away in France. His mum works in the munitions factory just along the road. His teacher says that John is fighting, too, that he is at war with enemy children in Germany. One day, in the wild woods outside town, John has an impossible moment: a meeting with a German boy named Jan. John catches a glimpse of a better world, in which children like Jan and himself can come together, and scatter the seeds of peace. Gorgeously illustrated by David Litchfield, this is a book to treasure.
Sea; Huntress Trilogy #1 by Sarah Driver
‘In the sky, the fire spirits dance and ripple. Grandma says they showed our Tribe that I’d be a captain, before I was even born. Ever since Ma died, Mouse has looked after her little brother, Sparrow, dreaming of her destiny as captain of the Huntress. But now Da’s missing, Sparrow is in danger, and a deathly cold is creeping across Trianukka. Sea-churning, beast-chattering, dream-dancing, whale-riding, terrodyl-flying, world-saving adventure”–Publisher’s description.
The case of the left handed Lady by Nancy Springer
Pursued by her much older brother, famed detective Sherlock Holmes, fourteen-year-old Enola, disguised and using false names, attempts to solve the kidnapping of a baronet’s sixteen-year-old daughter in nineteenth-century London.
The Slightly alarming tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty
I was taken by Whisperers at 2pm, so I never pulled the lever for the laundry chute. That’s what bothered me most. This is way ahead in the story, though. A lot happened before that. The town of Spindrift is frequented by pirates, Shadow Mages and charlatans. It’s also home to the Orphanage School, where Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley. When the two schools compete at the Spindrift Tournament, stakes are high, tensions are higher, and some people are out to win at any cost. Before long, the orphans and the boarding school are in an all-out war. And then Whispering Wars break out, and Spindrift is thrust onto the front lines. Children are being stolen, Witches, Sirens and a deadly magical flu invade the town, and all attempts to fight back are met with defeat. Finlay, Honey Bee and their friends must join forces to outwit the encroaching forces of darkness, rescue the stolen children, and turn the tide of the war. But how can one bickering troupe outwit the insidious power of the Whisperers? And who are the two mysterious figures watching them from the shadows?
