mystery – Kids' Blog

How are you feeling now that you are back at school? Ready for new challenges? Are you getting confident with reading short stories all by yourself? If so, this selection of easy chapter books will be perfect for you!

Spooky house, by Sally Rippin

Billie and her friends have started a Secret Mystery Club! There’s just one problem – they don’t have any mysteries to solve. But then Billie thinks of the spooky house at the end of her street. She has always wondered who lives there. Is it a witch or a ghost?

It is up to the SMC to find out!

Age 7 and +

Stink it up! A guide to the Gross, the bad and the smelly, Megan McDonald

Stink has a nose for yuck and muck, and this book is full of it: moose-poop festivals, mouse-brain toothpaste, maggot cheese, and more.

The pages are packed with more than two hundred facts and bits of trivia about things that are gross, bad, and smelly – loads of P.U. served up just for YOU!

Age 7 and +

Thea Stilton and the Spanish dance mission, by Geronimo Stilton

The Thea sisters are visiting friends at a lively festival in Spain. But the theft of a precious fan turns their trip into an investigation! They end up hot on the trail of a secret treasure… but they’re not the only ones searching for it. Can the mouselets solve the mystery in time? It’s a mission full of flamenco dance!

Age 7 and +

Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort, by Belinda Murrell

Lulu and her family are visiting their uncle’s farm for the Easter holidays. There are horses to ride, a creek to swim in, and they can even sleep outside in a tent. What fun!

Lulu loves being a cowgirl on the farm, especially when all the cousins decide to build the best cubby fort ever. But when she sees a calf get stuck in the mud, Lulu has to find help – fast!

Age 7 and +

Try These Exciting New Fiction Books!!!

admin5 February, 2014

Boris Gets a Lizard by Andrew Joyner

Boris has a lot of pets, but what he really wants is a Komodo dragon, so he comes up with a plan–and invites his class to come and see his lizard.

The Kensington Reptilarium by N.J Gemmell

This is the story of how four loud, grubby urchins from the Aussie outback find themselves in the heart of London, where the first peacetime Christmas after the six long, hard years of World War II promises to be a big one…

Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve

Oliver grew up in a family of explorers but his biggest adventure is about to begin! Along with his new friends, a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid and a friendly island called Cliff, Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. But before he can put his rescue plan into action there’s the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with.

Get Yourself Gone by Oisin McGann

‘Vulgar Pluck is in trouble. Big trouble. He’s tangled with the wrong people and now he’s on the run from Psycho Cyrus and his gang of Lost Boys. Vulgar needs to get out of town – fast. But first he’s got one last job to do. And he’s got to do it quick, before some really dark magic is unleashed… ‘ (from book cover).

A Question of Magic By E.D Baker

Serafina is summoned from her village to the magical cottage of a great aunt she has never heard of and learns that she is meant to become the new Baba Yaga, whose magical role is answering the first question any stranger might ask her with the truth.

Top 10 fiction for January

admin22 January, 2014

Here are the most popular fiction books for this month. Grab one TODAY!

1. Diary of a wimpy kid series by Jeff Kinney (Check out the new book – ‘Hard Luck’)

2. Dirty Bertie series by Alan MacDonald

3. Where’s Wally? by Martin Handford

4. Conspiracy 365 series by Gabrielle Lord

5. Four mice deep in the jungle by Geronimo Stilton

6. Hide and seek things that go by Dawn Sirett

7. Hang on to your whiskers! by Geronimo Stilton

8. Ruby Redfort series by Lauren Child

9. Judy Moody & Stink series by Megan McDonald

10. Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone by J. K. Rowling

New Fiction Books!

admin27 November, 2013

Roof Toppers by Katherine Rundell

My mother is still alive, and she is going to come for me one day. Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck which left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive, but that means still possible. You should never ignore a possible. So when the Welfare Agency writes to her guardian threatening to send Sophie to an orphanage, she takes matters into her own hands and flees to Paris to look for her mother, starting with the only clue she has – the address of the cello maker. Evading the French authorities, she meets Matteo and his network of rooftoppers – urchins who live in the sky. Together they scour the city for Sophie’s mother before she is caught and sent back to London, and most importantly before she loses hope

Dunger by Joy Cowley

“William and Melissa have been roped into helping their old hippie grandparents fix up their holiday home in the middle of the Sounds. They’ll have no electricity, no cellphone reception and only each other for company. As far as they are concerned this is not a holiday.”–Back cover.

Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise by Wendelin Van Draanen

“Teen sleuth Sammy Keyes solves a classic locked-room mystery aboard a cruise ship”–Provided by publisher.

I Funny: a Middle School Story by James Patterson

Hi, I’m Jamie Grimm – and I want to make you laugh! Do zombies eat doughnuts with their fingers? What do you get when you cross a parrot and a shark? What do mallards wear at a wedding? To find out the punchlines to these jokes and TONS of others, listen on! You’ll hear the story of my insanely un-funny stepfamily, my mostly funny friends, an amazing person called Cool Girl, and the school bully, who happens to live in the same house as me – plus a secret I’m not exactly ready to tell you yet. But I will tell you that I’m on an unforgettable mission to win the Planet’s Funniest Kid Comic Contest.

The Only Child Club by Anne Fine

Ryan has no brothers or sisters so he invites Tasha and Oliver to join his special new club. Now he can find out what it’s like not to be an only child. Will it be better? Or worse? -Back cover

Top 10: DVDs for November

admin18 November, 2013

Looking for something to watch? Try one of these, the top 10 most popular DVDs for November. (Actually, just for fun, this month we’ll post the top 24 DVDs – lots to chose from!)

1. Strawberry Shortcake series

2. Dino Dan series

3. Ninjago, masters of Spinjitzu series

4. The cat in the hat knows a lot about that! series

5. My little pony, friendship is magic series

6. Dinosaur train series

7. Thomas & friends series

8. The Garfield show series

9. Babar and the adventures of Badou series

10. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series

11. Hotel Transylvania

12. Wreck-It Ralph

13. Escape from planet Earth

14. The little mermaid

15. Rise of the guardians

16. Brave

17. Ice age

18. Madagascar

19. Shaun the sheep series

20. Oz the great and powerful

21. The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes! series

22. Arthur Christmas

23. Horrid Henry

24. Room on the broom

Top 10: Fiction for November

admin12 November, 2013

Here are the most popular fiction titles and series for November. Will anything knock Diary of a Wimpy Kid from its #1 spot??

1. Diary of a wimpy kid series by Jeff Kinney

2. Dirty Bertie series by Alan MacDonald

3. Where’s Wally? by Martin handford

4. Conspiracy 365 series by Gabrielle Lord

5. Four mice deep in the jungle by Geronimo Stilton

6. Puzzle pirates by Susannah Leigh

7. Attack of the bandit cats by Geronimo Stilton

8. Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone by J. K. Rowling

9. Hide and seek things that go by Dawn Sirett

10. Ruby Redfort series by Lauren Child (check out the latest in the series: Catch your death)

Fantastic New Fiction!

admin3 November, 2013

Texting the Underworld by Ellen Booraem

Conor O’Neill faces his cowardice and visits the underworld to bargain with the Lady who can prevent the imminent death of a family member, but first Ashling, the banshee who brought the news, wants to visit his middle school.

The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman

Twelve-year-old Jackson Opus is descended from two powerful hypnotist bloodlines, but he has just begun to realize that he can control other peoples’ actions with sometimes frightening results–especially when the head of the Sentia Institute plans to use Jackson for his own benefit.

The Mysterious Misadventures of Clemency Wrigglesworth by Julia Lee

Clemency is utterly penniless and entirely alone, until she’s taken in by the marvellous Marvels – a madcap family compleately unlike her own. But it’s a surprise to them all when she’s mysteriously bundled from the house by the frightening Miss Clawe.
Concerned about her fate, the Marvels set out to find her. Enlisting the help of some not-quite-genuine Red Indians, it’s a calamitous race across the country. But Clemency’s misadventures are more dire than her rescuers suspect… will they reach her in time? – (taken from www.Goodreads.com)

Kurt Gets Truckloads by Erlend Loe

“Kurt is a truck driver. He’s been a truck driver for many years. Almost ever since he was a boy. He’s always been a very kind man, until… One day Kurt rescues a man who sleepwalks off the pier, and he gets rewarded with a diamond as big as a football. But what use is a diamond? Kurt sells it and gets 50 million dollars. With all that money, it is perhaps not surprising that Kurt turns nasty”–Publisher information.

Stay Well Soon by Penny Tangey

When Stevie’s brother is taken to hospital, her dreams seem further away than ever. Stevie’s after school world is filled with hospital visits and there’s even less money for anything, especially her dream of a pony. With her mum spending more time with her brother, Stevie’s has to learn to figure out the hard things in life by herself.
Stay Well Soon is a charming novel filled with a mix of hope, humour and sadness that children remember long after the last page is turned. Best of all, it reminds you about the value of friendship as well as focussing on and enjoying the special moments in life. (taken from www.Goodreads.com)

Holiday of a Lifetime by Megan de Kantzow

“If you ever get stuck on the holiday of a lifetime with your family, read this. And good luck. You’ll need it. Is a lucky seahorse charm strong enough to protect Anna’s family from potential disaster as they travel around Europe? Just in case, Anna’s going to keep her backpack and survival manual close at hand, because sometimes luck has nothing to do with it”–Back cover.

The Trouble with Mummies

debbie29 October, 2013

Review: The Trouble with Mummies by F. R. Hitchcock

Something strange is happening to Sam’s family. He comes home one day to discover that his dad is building a pyramid in the back garden and his mum is starting to redecorate the house in hieroglyphics. What is going on?

He then discovers strange things happening in the town – rampaging Roman rugby players, hairdressers turned cave women and a teacher who wants to sacrifice the Year Ones to the Aztec sun god.

Along with some help from his friends Sam must set out to save his town. Why not go along for the ride!

Upside Down in the Jungle!

debbie25 October, 2013

Review: Upside Down in the Jungle by Helen Phillips

Are you up for a crazy adventure?

Then join Madeline and Ruby as they set off on an adventure to find their missing father – a renowned bird watcher who is missing in a Central American jungle.

All they have is a very strange and incredible creepy letter which they think maybe in code. The sisters have to learn to depend on each other to survive their journey and they discover that not all the people they meet can be trusted.

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