new books

New non-fiction to get you moving

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Great kids non-fiction books with an ‘action’ theme.

 Free Running

Have you ever heard of free running? Free running is an awesome sport that is popular in many urban centres around the world, such as London, New York and Tokyo. This book talks about the short history of free running, why it has become so popular and how you can start free running! Unlike a lot of the other extreme sports, you don’t need any special equipment…just a good level of fitness and nerves of steel! This book is part of the ‘Adrenelin Rush’ series.

 

 

 

Snowboarding

This is another book in the Adrenelin Rush series, for those who love nothing more than to hit the slopes! It talks about the history of snowboarding, its famous athletes, and how you can start snowboarding yourself. It’s also got some good basic information on the types of tricks you do, and how to buy and get the best out of your equipment. It also gives some great tips on how you can stay safe while looking cool.

For those who like to draw rather than do there’s a great book for you as well:

 

 

How to draw manga action figures

This is a great book for those who are just starting out drawing. It’s got great instructions on important topics like perspective, what drawing tools to use and action poses. After you’ve mastered those basics, this book will show you how to draw figures who are jumping, kicking, falling or in a defensive posture…all essential if you want to draw your own action-packed manga!

If machines are more your thing, take a look at:

Drawing Speed Machines

This is another great book for those who have just started to draw. The pictures are large and clear, and the instructions will teach you, step by step, to draw sports cars or stunt planes or any other vehicle you could want! It’s got some interesting information about the machines featured as well.

 

 

Avoid being a ninja warrior!

This book will tell you everything you need to know about the real Ninjas of Japan.  Follow a young Ninja through his training to the end of his first mission, and learn all about the training, discipline and skills that made the Ninjas so famous.

 

 

 

 

Warships

Why fight with a sword when you can fight with a ship? Or even better, a fleet? If you want to learn about the modern warship, this the book for you!  It talks about how warships are built, and has great cross sections showing you different parts of the ship.  There are some great illustrations showing the different types of warship, and there’s a few pages on the warship through history.

 

 

 

 

Fighter Planes 

Did you know that pilots earn the title “Ace” after five victories in the air? If that and other facts about Spitfires, Hurricanes and the modern fighterplanes such as F-22 Raptors interest you, get this book out! It’s got plenty of information about fighter planes from the early biplanes to the futuristic UCAVs.

Top 10 July

wcl staff

Get in quickly! The most popular kids’ books reserved at Wellington City Libraries for the month of July are:

1. Mark of Athena, Rick Riordan – (new) – up from #2 last month – Book 3 in the Heroes of Olympus Series.

2. Guardian Angel, Robert Muchamore – (new) – up from #3 last month – Book 2 in the Cherub Series.

3. Summer’s Dream, Cathy Cassidy –  up from #4 last month – Part of the Chocolate Box Series.

4. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, Dav Pilkey – (new) – up from #5 last month – Can Captain Underpants stop Tippy Tinkletrousers?

5. Yellowfang’s Secret, Erin Hunter – (new) – The 5th book in the Super Edition Arc.

6.  Big Book of Billie B. Brown, Sally Rippin (new) – Another one of Billie B. Brown’s exciting adventures!

7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling – You loved the book – you’ll love the audio book – narrated by Jim Dale.

8. Angel and the Flying Stallions, Stacy Gregg – one of the popular Pony Club Secrets.

9. All Because of a Cup of Coffee, Geronimo Stilton – Geronimo Stilton falls in love! What?? Geronimo in LOVE?? What will he get up to?

10. The Demigod Files, Rick Riordan – a collection of three short stories featuring your favourite hero, Percy Jackson!

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian – New Book!

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The wait is over! the brand new Artemis Fowl book is in our library catalogue (but not on the shelves yet because it is so new), which means you can put your name in the waiting list for it. When the book arrives in the library we will let you know when it’s ready for you to pick up.

Opal Koboi is back in Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian! She is plotting to exterminate humans and take over as the Fairy Queen. If she is successful the spirits of the long-dead fairy warriors will rise from the earth, take over the nearest available bodies and create havoc on Earth.

Can Artemis and Captain Holly Short stop Opal in time and save the world? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

 

P.S. This is the very last and final book of the Artemis Fowl series. Haven’t read it? Start with Book #1 in the series and read on.

Who is for chocolate?

wcl staff

Not many can resist chocolate. Plus baking (and eating) is the perfect winter activity. The Children’s Chocolate Cookbook is a recent addition to our libraries.

There are recipes for brownies, cupcakes, cheescake, fondue and even a savoury chilli dish. I really like the look of the rocky road!

There is also an interesting chocolate info section. Easy to follow step- by- step instructions and mouth watering photos make this a really yummy book.

No nonsense non-fiction to blow your mind

wcl staff

Wild Buddies …and Baddies

In this amazing book I learnt that a worm can control the mind of a weta! Read it for yourself and find out all about tuataras that like to snuggle up to seabirds and why keas can be  the biggest of all bird bullies.

 

 

 

 

 A Black Hole is Not a Hole

Then what is it?  This book has the most amazing space photographs and the text for older readers will totally have you knowing all about black holes by the time you reach the back page. A book full of surprises (because sometimes a black hole is where you least expect it! )

 

  

 

 What’s Maths all about?

This is a hugely informative and very funny book about numbers and mathematicians for the older reader. Pages are packed with fun facts and helpful explanations of everything from measurement to probability. Also contains a great internet link for more maths fun.

 

 

 That’s Life

How did life begin? What’s at the top of the food chain? What are the weirdest life forms on Earth? Find out in this fact-packed, brilliantly illustrated book and put the buzz back into biology.

 

 

Lives of the Great Spiritual Leaders

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one” Mother Teresa once said.  Jesus challenges us to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”  and the Dalai Lama asks us to “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

Older readers will enjoy learning about the great spiritual leaders of the world in this inspiring book.

 

 

The Awesome Book of Unusual Bible Heroes

This book has some seriously weird stories and one chapter even comes with a warning that that only males between the ages of 8 and 12 will truly appreciate its graphic and gruesome details! For some reason the author thinks that girls will probably run screaming from the room when they discover the gory details of the story. Hmmm. Makes me want to get every girl to read it and prove him wrong! Come on girls, don’t let me down now….

 

The not-for-parents Travel Book

This is your very own Lonely Planet book kids. Find out really cool stuff about every country in the world.

 

  

We’ve Got A Job

This is the incredible story of a key piece of civil rights history that I had no idea about. One of the kids tells about their time marching for civil rights in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. “When my mother took me to school Monday morning, I went straight though the school. In one door and out the other. There must have been three to four hundred kids leaving the school, headed towards downtown.” These kids were hosed with water canons and arrested for standing up for their rights and the rights of their parents who couldn’t march for fear of losing their jobs. Great book.

 

Knight

Join a joust, examine armour and discover the long forgotten rules of chivalry all from the comfort of your own home. This is another great Eye Witness book crammed full of information, photographs. Basically everything you ever wanted to know about knights.

 

 

Henry Vlll

Good old Henry Vlll. Apparently he was a very clever and fun-loving Tudor king. But he and his wife Catherine did not produce a son. (Pretty essential back in the day.) Henry’s solution is to change the rules of the church so he can divorce and marry again, and again, and again, and again and again. Find out all about this character and his six wives in this excellent little book. Other important people in this Famous People Great Events series are Anne Frank, Queen Elizabeth ll, Elizabeth l, Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King. And two great events in this series are The Great Fire of London and The Gunpowder Plot.

 

 

The Bumper Book of London

London will be in the news a lot soon when it hosts the Olympics, so get to know the place now by reading all about this amazing city in this fact packed book. You too can gasp at London’s smallest dingeon, walk under the Thames (without getting wet), scare yourself silly in the most haunted palace in London and learn a bit of London lingo to chat with with the locals.

New non-fiction for busy fingers and inquisitive minds

wcl staff

What an eclectic (random and mixed up) selectionof new books we have for you this month! And every one of them a great read.

Get Cooking!

I should not be reviewing this book just before lunch! The recipes are amazing and the photographs make the yummy food look so easy to cook. Lemon and lime cake, pancakes and pizzas. Where to start? My favourite is Fridge cake. In my childhood we used to call it fudge cake. Delicious whatever you name it!

  

 

 

 

 

My First Art Activity Book

I have never made bubble wrap bunting, surf board pendants or printed boot bags  but now I really, really want to. The ideas in this activity book are so cool and most of them seem pretty easy so I am going to try them. Check this book out and you can have fun being creative too.

 

 

 

 

Titanic

This year is 100years since the Titanic sank, so of course we have had lots of new books about  this amazing ship and its demise. This is one of the smaller books great for the intermediate reader. Learn heaps and have fun flicking the pages to get a flipbook animation of the sinking!

 

 

 

 

 

Helicopters

 Discover the cutting-edge technology and innovative designs which feature in the very latest helicopters. Whether it’s the Super Stallion CH-53E that can fly 2,000 kilometres without refuelling and then can even refuel midair,  or the CH-47 Chinook that can carry 46 people, helicopters are amazing machines. If you are interested in machines with huge engines then you will love this series.  Motorbikes, Tanks and Miltary Vehicles, Trucks and Warships are other great books in the Ultimate Machines series.

  

 

 

Skylanders

“The ancient Portal Master Eon has sent out a plea for help. With your Portal of Power, an army of Skylanders, and this guide, you have everything you need to answer his call and take down the dark forces that threaten the world.” (Book cover). Sounds easy doesn’t it! Learn everything you need to know about Skylanders; their Elemental type, their stats and all their powers and save our world now!

Wide mouthed frogs and other books to make you smile

wcl staff

This month we have new non-fiction books that will unlock your imaginations and bring smiles to your faces. Read on…
Syndetics book coverOpen wide! A look inside animal mouths  by Catherine Ham.
This is a cute book of photographs of animals with their mouths wide open. Each photo is accompanied by a verse which includes an interesting fact or two. The teeth of Komodo dragons for example, contain poison. And as for penguins! They have one terrifying tongue. Check it out.

 

 

 

Syndetics book coverEven my ears are smiling by Michael Rosen ; illustrated by Babette Cole.
You’ll never get the toy you want if you nag your dad. Nagging will annoy him, nagging drives him mad. What you have to ask for is a special kind of toy: a toy your dad can play with ‘cos your dad was once a boy.

A fantastic new collection featuring classic favorites and brand-new poems by poetry legend Michael Rosen. Includes a CD of the poems read by the author.

 

 

 

 

Syndetics book coverThe LEGO ideas book : unlock your imagination byDaniel Lipkowitz

Get some expert advice from LEGO Master Builders in this new book out.  New LEGO building projects, tips to jazz up your own LEGO creations and some amazing builds are all here.

 

 

 

 

 

Syndetics book coverPokémon black version & Pokémon white version handbook : stats and facts on over 150 brand-new Pokémon!
Come meet the newest, coolest Pokmon! Ash and his friends are entering a new region with over 100 all-new Pokmon. Get the latest stats and facts in this exclusive handbook, which includes info on two amazing legendary Pokmon: Reshiram and Zekrom.

 

 

 

 

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Everything dolphins : all the dolphin facts, photos, and fun that will make you flip by Elizabeth Carney ; with National Geographic explorer Flip Nicklin.

Meet Maja who lost her tail in a crab trap as a baby. Now she swims with ease with a specially designed fake tail or prosthetic. Learn how to speak dolphin and much more in this lovely book containing great photographs and inspiring information.

 

 

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Math fables by Greg Tang ; illustrated by Heather Cahoon.
Cute collection of rhymes about animals which introduces counting and grouping numbers. Also new out is Math Fables Too. These two books are part of the wider series of Math books from USA including Math Potatoes and The Grapes of Math.

 

 

 

 

Syndetics book coverJames Cameron’s Avatar : the movie scrapbook by Maria Wilhelm and Dirk Mathison ; based on the motion picture written and directed by James Cameron.
Learning to see is the great gift of Pandora. So keep your eyes open and stay curious as you read through the pages of this movie scrapbook. Learn how the Avatar world has been created, the creatures that inhabit it, and many other cool facts. What type of vehicles and  rainforest creatures  would you invent if you were invited to work on a similar project?

Be Creative and Sporty! Heaps of new books to get you started

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This month is a month to get cracking, creative, crafty and cooking. Check out this selection of new non-fiction books and go for it.
Syndetics book coverSo you think you know the Olympics / by Clive Gifford.Packed with over 1000 questions covering everything from the first ever games to London 2012, this quiz book will really have you thinking. Luckily for me and those of you who may not be so knowledgeable about every olympic sport, the answers are in the back of the book. I now know that the word citius in the olympic motto means faster. 

Olympic champions / Nick Hunter.

Just in time for the London Olympics, this series will give you heaps of material for your school projects. We have four titles in the series covering everything from paralympics to behind the scenes. Check out our titles but be in quick. These ones will fly off the shelves.

Olympic Champions, Behind the Scenes at the Olympics, Olympic Sports and The Paralympics.

Syndetics book coverHorrid Henry’s sports / Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross. Street dance : the people, the music, the moves / Liz Gogerly.

 Did you know that a cricket match in Tasmania had to be stopped four times when camels from a nearby circus charged onto the pitch and that Olympic GOLD medals are made mostly of silver ? Make your school  sports projects come alive with this weird and wonderful, hilarious and horrid guide to everything you wanted to know about SPORTS.

 

 

 

  Garden crafts for children : 35 fun projects for children to sow, grow, and make / Dawn Isaac.

 Make your very own fairy ring, spectacular ice bowls for yummy desserts, bird feeder pinecones, cress caterpillars or sprouting birthday cards. You can even learn how to write your name in the lawn! Heaps of really creative and easy crafts to enjoy.

Syndetics book coverFolding for fun : origami for ages 4 and up / Didier Boursin.
Great ideas for hours of fun. I love the paper planes and the noise makers!

 

 

 

 

Syndetics book coverJunior MasterChef Australia series 2 cookbook : around the world in 80 amazing recipes.
The introduction to this book states that This is a lively, colourful cookbook taking young cooks around the globe to explore different cuisines through simple, achievable recipes. As with the first  junior masterchef book, these dishes look so yummy. Having step by step guides really helps. I am definitely going to try cooking the Moroccan fig and walnut cigars, the Japanese beef and vegetable rolls and the egg nets from Thailand!

Syndetics book coverI’m good at English : what job can I get? / Richard Spilsbury.

Are you tired of people asking you what you want to be when you grow up? If you are, then you are probably like me and don’t know! (I’m not fully grown up yet..) This new series could help us both. Each book in this series gives details of 12 jobs, including  characteristics and  qualifications we will need, a job description and even a comment from a professional. Titles in this series: I’m Good at Science, I’m Good at Maths and I’m Good at ICT.

Syndetics book coverMad cars / [written by Jonathan Empson].
These Top Gear books are for little petrol heads only, adults keep out! The presenters have driven some pretty mad cars and now you can find out even more . We have five other great titles in this series: The Racers, The Racers V.2, Supercars, , The Challenges,  and Winter Olympics. These books are full of crazy stuff. I love that even their  rocket powered, superthrust mini was beaten in a snow jump by a local schoolboy on skis! 

Syndetics book coverCool cars and trucks / Sean Kenney.
There are no limits to what can be created with LEGO.Whether you’d like to build an SUV, an excavator, a tanker truck, or a race car… author Sean Kennedy will show you how. Sean has more than one million pieces of LEGO in his studio and once built a 12-foot bridge on live television in just two hours. A great wee book for any LEGO lover.
Syndetics book coverA stick is an excellent thing : poems celebrating outdoor play / by Marilyn Singer ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

This is a great collection of poems about a group of children and how they find things to do on a summer day.do my college essay

Special is the word for this month’s selection of new non-fiction

wcl staff

Syndetics book coverSpecial brothers and sisters : stories and tips for siblings of children with a disability or serious illness / edited by Annette Hames and Monica McCaffrey ; illustrated by Brendan McCaffrey.
Is your brother or sister a bit special? You may be able to relate well to the young people in this book who explain in their own words what it’s like to live with their special siblings. Learn how they feel and cope with love, frustration and sadness. Plenty of tips and good questions for you to talk over with your parents, grandparents or teachers.

Syndetics book coverNo return : Captain Scott’s race to the Pole / Peter Gouldthorpe.

Plenty to learn in this great book retelling the dramas of this most special  explorer and his race to the South Pole. Did you know for example, that Scott’s photographer, Herbert Ponting was attacked by killer whales and almost eaten! Find out when and why Oates said those most famous words, “I am going outside. I may be some time.”
Syndetics book coverElephants closeup.

Elephants are just so special! I love them. They are some of the smartest land animals on earth. Lovely photographs help make this a great read for younger readers.

Syndetics book coverHow to write and give a speech / by Cecilia Minden and Kate Roth.

It’s that special time of year again, when you have to prepare and deliver a speech to your class. Instead of groaning just check out this book and deliver the best speech ever.

Syndetics book coverChildren’s book of baking cakes / Abigail Wheatley ; illustrated by Jessie Eckel ; photography by Howard Allman.

Special occasion coming up? Or maybe just a rainy day. This yummy book is ideal for both. So many different types of mouthwatering cakes it is hard to choose just one to bake. My favourite are the butterfly and bug cakes, closely followed by the miniature cheesecakes.

Syndetics book coverBuried treasures : uncovering secrets of the past / Stéphane Compoint.

What can be more special than buried treasure!  In this beautiful book, chock full of amazing photographs are mysterious colossal statues, a mythic bear covered in blue fur, a whole city wiped out by a volcano. From sweltering deserts to the frigid North Pole to an ancient, underwater city, follow scientists as they uncover the secrets of our past.