That’s right – new books (and a few DVDs)! All can be reserved or – if you’re quick – taken from the shelves.

Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud (389 pages) – An epic fantasy novel by the author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Halli loves stories about the past, when heroes were heroes and adventure was everywhere. So when he gets the chance to go on a daring quest of his own, he’s dead keen.

First sentence: ‘Listen then, and I’ll tell you again of the Battle of the Rock.’

3 Willows : A New Sisterhood Grows, by Ann Brashares (318 pages) – This is the fifth Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants book, and now there is a new sisterhood; Polly, Jo, and Ana. And of course the pants, which can’t be washed and are magical. A bit like my old Levi 528s.

First sentence: ‘The last day of school was a half day.’

Eon : Rise of the Dragoneye, by Alison Goodman (429 pages) – Another epic fantasy, Eon is inspired by the myths of Ancient China. Eon has the potential to become a Dragoneye, an apprentice to the terrifying Rat Dragon. He – or rather she, as Eon is in fact Eona – finds herself in the dangerous and opulent Imperial court.

First sentence: ‘No one knows how the first Dragoneyes made their dangerous bargain with the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.‘

Call me Mimi, by Francis Chalifour (178 pages) – Mimi lives in her own fantasy world; she loves beauty, the Queen, and chocolate. She doesn’t think she is beautiful, however, thanks to all the chocolate. Leaving her doting mother, Mimi heads to Toronto to try to find her father, and ends up finding much, much more. ‘Poignant, funny, and real.’

First sentences: ‘Call me Mimi. I used to be a pretty normal kid (I think) until high school, when I was accepted at St. Mary’s Academy for Girls.‘

Isabelle’s Boyfriend, by Caroline Hickey (185 pages) - Fifteen-year-old Taryn befriends Isabelle, the girlfriend of the guy Taryn thinks is perfect and has a crush on, so that she can steal him. Probably not the best plan, as Taryn quickly finds out.

First sentence: ‘When I get home from school, the dog is scratching at the back door, demanding to go out and pee.‘

Deadville, by Ron Koertge (212 pages) – Ryan’s sister died from cancer two years ago, and since then he’s been floating through life, doing as little as possible. When a popular senior has an accident and falls into a coma, Ryan finds himself visiting her daily. While at the hospital he encounters a boy who claims he can speak with the dead.

First sentence: ‘I’m washing my hands in the bathroom a couple of doors down from the principal’s office.‘

Winter Song, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (420 pages) – Four teenagers flee across icy mountains, trying to escape a pack of dog-men sent by the regime that had imprisoned them and searching for a secret resistance movement. This novel, about a despotic not-too-distant future, is translated from the French.

First sentence: ‘At a sign from the supervisor, a girl in the front row rose to her feet and went over to press the metal switch.‘

In brief:
Parsifal’s Page, by Gerald Morris (232 pages) - Book 4 in The Squire’s Tales series.
Blade : Breaking Free, by Tim Bowler (145 pages) -
A Beautiful Place for a Murder, by Berlie Doherty (147 pages) – Murder/mystery.
The Long Weekend, by Savita Kalhan (180 pages) – Thriller.

New DVDs:

The Tribal Eye : The Complete Series – David Attenborough looks at tribal art around the world.
Gossip Girl : The Complete First Season – This series is very popular with librarians.
Beast Wars : Transformers (Season One) and
Beast Wars : Transformers (Season Three) - This came out about 10 years ago, and its use of CG and well-written stories ‘brought fans back to the Transformers!’