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The Skull in the Wood by Sandra Greaves

In Old Scratch Wood, cousins Matt and Tilda find a buried skull.  From that moment, black things begin to happen: Birds and Animals go bad, and there’s talk of the return of an Ancient Curse.  But what can Matt and Tilda do to stop it…? –(from book cover)

 

 

 

Wild Born (Spirit Animals Book 1) by Brandon Mull

As a dark force engulfs the land, the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers who each have forged a rare bond with their spirit beasts — a bond that gives great powers to all of them.

 

 

 

A friend for Grace by Sofie LagunaImage courtesy of Syndetics

It’s 1808… and Grace is on board the ship Indispensable with her friend Hannah.  The girls wonder what the new land will be like – the convict women say there are gigantic rats and other strange animals!  Then sickness strikes the ship… Will they survive to reach the shores of New South Wales?  Follow Grace on her adventure in the second of four exciting stories about a convict girl who is given another chance.  –(from book cover)

 

 

Monsters, Mayhem and a Sprinkling of Crumbs by Tracey CorderoyImage courtesy of Syndetics

Trouble has a way of finding Otto, Marth and Scarlett Crumb no matter where they are! –(from book cover)

 

 

 

 

Diamond by Jacqueline WilsonImage courtesy of Syndetics

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Tanglefield’s Travelling Circus is proud to present *THE INCREDIBLE* *THE EXTRAORDINARY* *THE MAGICAL*; *DIAMOND* the acrobatic child wonder!  Pull back the curtain, enter the big top and discover her amazing story of heartbreak, danger, courage and friendship! –(from book cover)

 

Fresh New Fiction

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Atticus Claw Settles a Score by Jennifer Gray (sequel to Atticus Claw, Breaks the Law)

Atticus Grammatticus Cattypus Claw, the world’s greatest REFORMED cat burglar is back. This time, the tabby with talent is on the right side of the law. And when Jimmy Magpie and his gang are busted out of jail by a mysterious villain and an evil cat called Ginger Biscuit, Atticus knows from bitter experience he’s going to need all his skill and courage to catch them.

 

 

 

A Very Peculiar Plague by Catherine Jinks 

The thrilling second book in this 3-part series, set in a time when science clashes with superstition and monsters lurk in chimneys. Jem takes on the role of bogler’s apprentice and gets the fright of his life.

 

 

 

 

Osbert The Avenger by Christopher William Hill

Meet Osbert Brinkhoff, the unlikeliest of avengers.  His is a tale of dark delights and ghastly goings-on, of injustice and revenge.  The Villains are VICIOUS.  The settings are SINISTER.  And good does NOT always prevail…  If you prefer CLEAVERS to kittens and FIENDS to fairies…. then welcome to the GRUESOMELY FUNNY tales from Schwartzgarten.; (taken from book cover)

 

 

 

 

Project Huia by Des Hunt

“Logan’s grandfather grew up near Palmerston North in the 1940s. One day, he and his sister Mavis spotted a beautiful and unusual bird in the kowhai tree outside their house: it was a huia bird, which was believed to be extinct. The bird flew away, and in an attempt to photograph it they managed to track it deep into the Manawatu Gorge. It was a dangerous journey through two train tunnels, made even more so when the horrible Carson boys got wind of their mission and decided to try and find the huia first so they could shoot it and sell its highly valuable feathers. More than 60 years later, 11-year-old Logan has returned to the Manawatu with Grandpop and a scientist to try and solve the mystery of what happened to the huia that he and Mavis found all those years ago. Grandpop must remember all the details of the events of many years ago. Can the group rely on his version of the events, and find the huia’s final resting place? Will the huia still be there, and will its DNA still be valuable for scientific research into NZ’s native fauna? And whoever would have thought that those Carsons are still living in the area and on the loose, and still up to their nasty tricks?”–Publisher information.

 

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers.

 

 

 

New Non Fiction: The Monster Issue.

Katie

The Usbourne Big Book of Big Monsters and some little ones too…

Your one stop monster encyclopedia has arrived at Wellington City Libraries! Featured is everything you have every wanted to know about monsters. Read and get the information about monsters you may know, like dragons and serpents, some featured in mythology like the Scylla, Cyclops and Cerberus, the three headed dog. You will even read about mixed up monsters (human/monster hybrids) like the minotaur and the chimera. Overall an amazing book. Great to use if you are studying the mythology of monsters and beasts.

Warning: This book contains some seriously scary monsters! Do not read before bed or when the wind is howling outside.

 

Let’s rock! : science adventures with Rudie the origami dinosaur.

Ready to rock with Rudie the oragami dinosaur? Let her take you on a journey back to the prehistoric ages and discover  how sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks are formed. Complete with pictures and easy to understand facts, Let’s Rock is the sort of book that makes the average rock look cool. As an added bonus, you will also find a craft activity enclosed on how to make an origami T.Rex. A science and craft book in all one. You can’t beat that?

 

 

Zombies and Electricity.

Doing a science project on electricity? Like graphic novels? Ready for another two for one deal? Check out Zombies and Electricity. In cartoon and graphic novel format, uses zombies to explain the science of electricity. What’s even more amazing I read an article recently that zombies are becoming a new tool to teach kids about science and mathmatics. (See FACT down below) This is the sort of book that makes science interesting and explain how electricity works the the simplest way possible. Great for ages 9 to 12 years.

FACT: Zombies are becoming a new tool to teach kids about science and mathmatics. The loss of coordination in the zombie/undead display is a prime example of  damage caused to the nuclei, which is at the base of the forebrain known as the basal ganglia.

TIPS FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS (AND LIBRARIANS): To teach kids about the regions of the brain that handle problem solving and impulse control, tell them zombies have highly compromised frontal lobes. If you want to explain the cerebellum to kids,  tell them  zombies must have damage to that area because they can’t walk well.

 

The Unsolved Mystery of Bigfoot.

We all know the story of Bigfoot… or do we? In many areas of North America, people have claimed to see a Bigfoot in the woods. Read this book allows you to explore the unsolved mysteries that have fascinated people for years. You will also learn why some people believe the legend is real and why other don’t. Are they real? Are they fake? You be the judge.

 

 

 

Big Cats.

The information and pictures contained in this book shows without question that big cats are some of the world’s most agile, powerful and beautiful animals.  Explore grasslands prowled by hunting lions, get close to quarrelling cheetahs, playful leopard cubs and powerful jaguars, and discover all the amazing big cats that live around the world. I thought this book was fantastic. You will learn everything you need to know about big cats including how big cats hunt, their habitat, anatomy, breeding and how to save their amazing species from extinction.

FACT: Pet cats belong to the same family as wild cats. Cats lived with people 5,000 years ago. They guarded stored of food from mice. Now cats are our companions.

 

Monsters University.

Seen the movie? Now read and enjoy this fantastic photo-filled movie book. Relive the story of the lovable monsters from Monsters Inc., (and before ‘Boo’.) Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan. We know them as  an inseparable pair now, but that wasn’t always the case.  From the moment these two mismatched monsters met, they couldn’t stand each other. This unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley became the monster world’s greatest scare team. So join Mike and Sulley on their journey at Monsters University and meet their frightening professors, talented opponents and quirky new friends.

 

 

 

Monster and chips

debbie

Monster and Chips by David O’Connell

Hey kids – did you know that there are places where our ordinary world rubs against strange, magical worlds? When this happens holes sometimes get worn between the two, creating doorways.

It can happen anywhere. Perhaps on a street near you. An ordinary-looking door will appear, so ordinary that you might not even notice it. Like the door of a takeaway- just the place that sells burgers and chips. But there might be a very special takeaway on the other side of that door, with very special customers.

Joe has been sent on a perilous quest by his mum to find the finest chips in the land. He now stands at the doorway to McGreasy’s takeaways and I bet he can’t guess whats waiting for him through the door.

New Non Fiction that will leave you spellbound!

Katie

The Ultimate Moshlings Collector’s Guide.

Move over Pokemon, there are very cute, cool and collectible creatures  to catch! Check out this new and amazing guide book on the Moshlings! Monstro City’s top Moshling collector, Buster Bumblechops, shares his tips on collecting all the little Moshlings roaming wild in the world of Moshi Monsters! Buster is the ultimate collector and this awesome book is packed full of his stories from years of Moshlings tracking. Find out how to plant the right seeds to attract Moshlings, and how to keep them entertained once you have adopted them! As well as Buster Bumblechop’s collector’s notes the guide contains extracts from his diary plus an exclusive extra Moshling (available only with this guide). Great for anyone a fan of Pokemon and Digimon.

 

Spellbound: Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland.

If you are bored with Fairy tales and Greek mythology, why not try out Irish Folk Tales? This book is a wonderful treasure that holds a collection of seven stories from Ancient Ireland linked by themes of magic and enchantment that are that will make you spellbound! Great for kids aged 6 to 9 years, who love adventure, romance and the occasional nasty shock.

 

 

 

 

Horrible Histories: The Beastly Best Bits – The executioner’s cut.

Well, Terry Deary has done it again! More horrible histories for your viewing and reading pleasure… with all the nasty bits left in. Read all about the awful Egyptians, the Rotten Romans, the vile Victorians and the woeful Second War World. The beastly Best Bits is a wicked history of the world collected by Terry Derry from twenty years of Horrible Histories Books.

 

 

 

 

The Fairy-Tale Princess : Seven Classic Stories from the Enchanted Forrest.

This beautiful collection of seven classic fairytales is organized around the theme of the fairytale princess. Su Blackwell’s paper sculptures evoke a magical world of beauty and mischief are accompanied by Wendy Jones’ lyrical retellings of the stories. I really liked how each fairy tale emerged from the pages through a series of intricate paper sculptures cut from the pages of  each of the fairytales. A great book for girls and anyone a fan of fairy tales.

 

 

 

 

Follow, Follow: A book of reverso poems.

Imagine fairy tales upended. / Upended fairy tales? Imagine!

In the mood for some reverso poems? This book is a  collection of short poems called reversos. First you read the poems from top to bottom, then when you reverse the lines and read from the bottom to top, they provide new perspectives on the fairy tale characters they feature. A fantastic book that plays with language and fairy tales to create a celebration of sight, sound and story.

 

 

Just Joking 2 : 300 hilarious jokes about everything, including tongue twisters, riddles, and more.

This book is the book you must read if you wish to master all the silly jokes known to kids, which includes knock-knocks, tongue twisters, riddles, traditional question and answer jokes and much more! Just Joking 2 comes complete with  colorful photos of laughing animals, including amazing facts about each animal featured, funny people, and other colorful photos are paired with each joke, which is gurenteed to add  an extra laugh on each page.

 

 

Kids’ Review by Lesieli

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Who’s Your Mummy? Goosebumps HorrorLand #6 by R . L. Stine

Three rides in one. Abby and Peter are staying with old Uncle Jonathan. He is really into Egypt. His house looks like a real pyrimid, and it has a tomb with secrets. Will the secrets stay down in the basement, or will they come out? Will Abby and Peter survive? Next, Abby gets an awsome invitation to Goosebumps HorrorLand, where all your nightmares come true. A monster named Byron offers them help, but only if they can find him. 5 stars.

Review by Lesieli of Mangere Bridge