Fun Kids’ Fiction: Springtime Reading!

Spring is here, and some sunny days have started happening! YAY! The perfect weather to relax and lose yourself in one of these fantastic new kids fiction books which can now be found at your local library.

 

Quest for JusticeImage courtesy of Syndetics by Sean Fay Wolfe

New players join the game Minecraft every day. But dark forces are at work on the Elementia server, and when Stan, Kat, and Charlie arrive on the scene, they quickly find themselves in peril. The King has passed a law banishing all lower-level players from the server by the next Proclamation Day. Anyone who tries to help the noobs will be silenced. With the natural forces of the game closing in anf the King’s deadline approaching, Stan, Kat, and Charlie must work together to unravel the mysteries of Elementia and lead the battle for justice.

 

 

Dragonfly SongImage courtesy of Syndetics by Wendy Orr

The little girl found under a bush has no name and cannot speak. Is she a miracle child who escaped the raiders, or is she a bad-luck child, the one who called the Bull King’s ship to the island? No one sees the mama-stone around her neck, with the sign of the dragonfly. And only Luki, in training to leap the bulls, knows that she charmed the viper who would have killed him. When the girl turns twelve, she discovers her name – Aissa – and she knows that her one chance to live freely is to become a bull dancer, and be taken away to the island of the Bull King.

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsGorilla Dawn by Gill Lewis

The thrilling, heartbreaking, and inspirational new story from award-winning storyteller Gill Lewis. Deep in the heart of the African jungle, a baby gorilla is captured by a group of rebel soldiers. Imara and Bobo are two children also imprisoned in the rebels’ camp. When they learn that the gorilla is destined to be sold into captivity, they swear to return it to the wild before it’s too late. But the consequences of getting caught are too terrible to think about. Will the bond between the gorilla and the children give them the courage they need to escape?

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsWilf the Mighty Worrier is King of the Jungle  by Georgia Pritchett

Things Wilf was worried about before: 1) Fish sucking his toes when he goes for a paddle 2) Garden gnomes coming to life 3) Losing his ‘How to Stop Worrying’ leaflet. Things Wilf is worried about now: 1) Alan coming on holiday with him 2) Alan raising an army of terrifying animals in his quest for world domination 3) Being the only person who can stop Alan. As usual.

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsThe Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog, Master of Disguise by Jeremy Strong

Streaker, the fastest dog in the world, is on the run again!  There’s a mysterious pet-napper at large, Dad wants to send Streaker to behaviour boot camp and Trevor and Tina think they can save her with hair extensions and dye! No wonder Streaker’s desperate to escape!

Top 10 Children’s DVDs September 2016

dvd cover

Unpredicatble weather predicted for the school holidays? Set yourself up with some great movies and favourite series incase you get stuck indoors!

The Disney movie Zootopia has placed soooo many different animals together in one city.  Rookie cop, Judy, is the first bunny on the force meeting a huge range of characters that have their own ideas of who Judy is.  The directors of Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph have created a movie that looks at how different people treat each other.  Worth a watch this holidays.

bananas in pajamas1. Octonauts

2. My little pony, friendship is magic

3. Peter Rabbit

4. Zootopia

5. Bananas in pyjamas

6. Fireman Sam

cover image7. Inside out

8. Minions

9. Thomas & friends

10. Strawberry Shortcake

Top 10 Childrens DVDs July 2016

Long winter evenings are a great time to catch up with the latest movies.

It’s not just the one off movies people love to borrow from the library, there are the DVD series where you can follow characters through their many adventures. Building adventures with lego is great for your imagination and construction skills.  These building blocks have inspired quite a few series – do you know them all?

There’s: Legends of Chima,  Justice League, Ninjago Masters of SpinjitsuLEGO friends, Star Wars, Nexo KnightsBionicle and there’s a LEGO Scooby-Doo! Try saying all that in one breath!  Have I missed any? Let us know in the comments.

Here’s your Top 10 for July 2016: 

1. My little pony, friendship is magic

2. Inside out

3. Legends of Chima

4. Minions

5. Snoopy and Charlie Brown 

6. The good dinosaur

7. Strawberry Shortcake

8. Goosebumps

9. Geronimo Stilton

10. Rabbids invasion

New school year means new children’s fiction to try

We know you’re excited about the new school year school starting, and we reckon you should get excited about these new titles too! Give them a go; try something new!

Sammael’s Wings by Hilton Pashley

“Everything Jonathan loves is threatened. His angel father is wounded and lost, and his demon mother is missing in Hell. When his great-aunt Sammael, an archangel, returns from exile, Jonathan finally has a chance to bring his family back together. But a terrible new enemy wants to create chaos and fear throughout the universe, and he needs Jonathan’s wings to do it. Jonathan must go through Heaven and Hell to save them all…”–Back cover.

 

A Galaxy Too Far Away by Jamie ThomsonImage courtesy of Syndetics

Harry was just an ordinary teenage boy from Croydon when he was abducted by aliens and accidentally became the captain of their starship. His quest to get back home to Earth continues – but now he’s acquired an alien ‘son’ and a new spacecraft, and he’s being pursued by an eight-foot robot bounty hunter.

 

The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela BrownImage courtesy of Syndetics

When seven bored children discover an abandoned chapel in their home town, they decide to renovate it and to form the Blue Door Theatre Company. The talented and resourceful group soon discover that they are serious about their theatrical ambitions, but will their parents stand in their way?

 

The Power of Poppy Pendle by Natasha LoweImage courtesy of Syndetics

Ten-year-old Poppy will do anything to realize her dream of becoming a baker, although her parents insist she attend Ruthersfield, the exclusive girls school for witchcraft, where she excels despite her dislike of magic. Includes baking tips and recipes.

 

 

Pieces of Why by K.L. GoingImage courtesy of Syndetics

Twelve-year-old Tia lives in a white slum in New Orleans with her mother, and her whole world revolves around singing in the gospel choir with her best friend, Keisha–but when practice is interrupted by a shooting outside the church, and a baby is killed, Tia finds that she cannot sing, and she is forced to confront her feelings about her incarcerated father who killed a girl in a failed robbery years before.

6 new children’s non fiction to read before the end of summer.

Looking for some great reads for the end of these long summer days. Look no further! Here’s are some books that are so new that you might be the very first to read them – wouldn’t that be cool!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsHairy Tales and Nursery Crimes + Arabian Frights and other Gories.

A classic and an absolute favourite from childhood, Hairy Tales and Nursery Crimes + Arabian Frights and other Gories is a hilarious and sometimes twisted parodies of well-known fairy tales and nursery rhymes. A book where you will be guaranteed to laugh yourself silly.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsHello Ruby: Adventures in Coding.

Meet Ruby–a small girl with a huge imagination. In Ruby’s world, anything is possible if you set your mind to it. As Ruby embarks on her adventure, kids will be introduced through storytelling to the basic concepts of coding. With activities included in every chapter, future kid coders will be thrilled to put their own imaginations to work.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsA sky of Diamonds.

A story for children about loss, grief and hope.

 

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsDia De Los Muertos.

Join the fun and festivities of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)  and learn about a different cultural tradition, and brush up on your Spanish vocabulary, as the town honors their dearly departed in a traditional, time-honored style.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsYou rule! : create your own country.

A fantastic, innovative book that allows you  to design your very own nation, completely from scratch. Believe it or not, this is a book where you get to choose where it is, who can live there and what the rules are, establish your borders, design your flag and take charge. You can be king, queen, big chief, emperor or president. Because right here, right now, you rule!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsI Made That! The Kids’ BIG Book of Craft Idea.

This book is in a word… AWESOME! Not to mention the only craft book you will ever need! You will get ideas on how to  make natural beauty products, (I’m still tickled pink that this book can tell you how to make hair gel!), how to give your room a makeover? and giving your wardrobe a fashion revamp. Plus, for the eco-conscious girl there is lots of information on ethical fashion and cosmetics, sustainable shopping and fair trade. Overall you will have a lot of fun with this book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Childrens DVDs for January 2016

Road trips with DVDs? Turns out that it’s now a thing! There are some great DVDs in the Childrens collection to while away the easy summer hours. Our collection has classic series like Scooby-Doo and newer cartoon series following the Lego heroes of Chima, the ponies from the world of Equestria or the Strawberry shortcake gang.  Inside out from Pixar has had some great reviews, from the writer of Monsters, Inc., Wall-E and Up, Pete Docter, the little voices in Riley’s head are brought to life as she struggles with the move to a new city. The animation deserves a mention as Pixar uses a more cartoonish style this time round.  Heading to Tokyo in the next few months? you can catch the Pixar exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art

1.  My little pony, friendship is magic

2.  Minions

3.  Inside out

4.  Home

5.  Dragons

6 . Cinderella

7.  Scooby-Doo! 13 spooky tales

8.  Strawberry Shortcake

9.  Legends of Chima

10. Paper planes

Top 10 Children’s DVDs December 2015

There are some great new movies in December’s popular DVDs. Paper Planes is an Australian production that shows the joys of invention and team work (and how to make a cool paper aeroplane). Minions – the movie – shows the great and terrible journey the Minions had to follow to find their evil master mind Gru. Want to find your own Minion? Take a look at the seek and find book based on the movie

  1. My little pony, friendship is magic series
  2. Minions
  3. Strawberry Shortcake series
  4. Home
  5. Legends of Chima series
  6. Dragons 
  7. Inside out
  8. Cinderella
  9. Paper planes
  10. Scooby-Doo! 13 spooky tales series

Movie Review: Inside Out.

A very funny interpretation of what happens in the human mind when emotions set in.

Produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inside Out is set in the mind of a young girl, Riley Andersen (Kaitlyn Dias), where five personified emotions—Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling)—try to lead her through life as her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) move the family to a new city.

Overall this is a cute movie that provides a very funny interpretation of what happens in the human mind when emotions set in, what roles each our emotions play in our personalities, how we communicate and form relationships with people.

Some very funny moments in the film, especially when Anger loses his temper, Disgust’s sarcastic and cynical behaviour and finding what role Sadness plays in our lives (Spoiler: Very important role).

Rating: 8/10

For a sneak peek of Inside Out, check out the trailer here.

Start Term 3 with this awesome new kids’ ficiton

Check out these great new fiction titles. Get them while they are hot!

Coco Banjo is having a Yay DayImage Courtesy of Syndetics by N.J Gemmell

Coco Banjo loves her life. She sleeps in a tiger onesie, wears her mum’s diamonds just because she can, and has dolphins and penguins for friends. Today Coco’s planning a Yay Day of fun on her secret island home in the middle of Sydney Harbour. But wait . . . what’s that Secret Signal? Oh no, Narianna (known as N) is being bullied! Coco sets off for school to rescue her. But when cranky school principal Miss Trample sees Coco’s school uniform (customised, thank you very much), Coco might be in even more trouble than her best friend. How will she get out of this one?

 

 

Absolutely Almost by Lisa GraffImage Courtesy of Syndetics

Ten-year-old Albie has never been the smartest, tallest, best at gym, greatest artist, or most musical in his class, as his parents keep reminding him, but new nanny Calista helps him uncover his strengths and take pride in himself. First person recount.

 

 

 

Lost in the SunImage Courtesy of Syndetics by Lisa Graff

“As Trent Zimmerman struggles to move past a traumatic event that took place several months earlier, he befriends class outcast Fallon Little, who helps him understand that he can move on”– Provided by publisher.

 

 

 

The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave BarryImage Courtesy of Syndetics

When the eighth grade civics class of Miami’s Culver Middle School goes on a trip to Washington, D.C., Wyatt Palmer finds himself in deep trouble before the plane even lands because his best friend Matt’s decided the men sitting behind them are terrorists–and it’s up to the boys to stop them.

 

 

 

Image Courtesy of SyndeticsKenny Wright Superhero by James Patterson

Kenny Wright is a sixth grade ‘Grandma’s Boy’ in a tough inner city school, struggling with bullies, schoolwork and keeping his detentions secret from his ‘G-ma’. Though in his active imagination he’s a world-famous superhero, Stainlezz Steel, who fights crime, saves lives and rescues helpless animals. But now Kenny’s neighbourhood needs him – can he step up in his real life and help his ‘G-ma’ save the best School Principal he’s ever had?

New Non Fiction: Back to School, Part 2.

101 Hidden Animals.image courtesy of syndetics

Read this book and discover the amazing ways 101 animals hide in plain sight and defends themselves from predators. Overall this book is a very enjoyable read. There are some fantastic images and amazing facts about how animals hide themselves. For example, bullfrogs rest in shallow water to look just like rocks and zebras’ stripes confuse predators.

 

Ballet Spectacular.image courtesy of http://www.roh.org.uk/

Ballet, spectacular? You bet! Hands down, this is one of the most amazing, beautiful and captivating books I have ever come across in the junior non fiction collection! Grab this book today and get a full and unique insight into the magical world of ballet seen through the eyes of The Royal Ballet!

 

 

Discovering Dinosaurs.image courtesy of syndetics

Check this ultimate, most up to date guide to the age of dinosaurs and discover over 165 fascinating prehistoric creatures from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, including every major dino discovery made to date.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsHow to be a space explorer.

Ever wanted to go into space? This book gives you the lowdown on everything young explorers needs to know to travel in space, covering what life in zero gravity is like, how to find your way around the solar system, and the all-important question of how to pee in a spacesuit! (Hee, hee, still tickled pink over that one!) Overall a fantastic read, complete with unique illustrations take kids to the heart of the action and amazing photos show what the universe is really like. Not to mention, incredible stories of real-life space exploration for kids aged 8 and up, by author and astrobiologist Professor Mark Brake.

 

How to handle low self-esteem.image courtesy of syndetics

If you feel under pressure or having trouble dealing with what ever life is throwing at you, then this book can help. How to Handle Low Self Esteem is an essential guide that can help you understand how and why you might hold a low opinion of yourself and  what you can do to improve things for yourself. The book highlights areas that may trigger these feelings, such as bullying or peer-pressure. Perhaps you are under pressure because of your sexual orientation, your race or religion or because you simply don’t fit the mould. This book will help you confront your issues and offers solid advice based on the experiences of real people. A great book to read to calm those ‘

 

How to handle bullying and gangs.image courtesy of syndetics

No one should ever have to cope with bullying. Inside this book you will find: Practical advice for dealing with bullies, suggestions as to where you can find support, advice on how to feel positive about yourself.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsHow Maui found his father and the magic jawbone.

An oldie but a goodie. Check out this this new addition Peter Gossage’s classic tale about how Maui found his father and the magic jawbone. Perfect timing with Waitangi day around the corner.