Awesome New Reads (and Listens) on OverDrive!

Awesome news for all you audiobook listeners out there — the lovely librarians who buy books for the eLibrary have added a whole new collection of 100 amazing audiobooks that are always available for you to listen to! That’s right, there’s no need for you to hang around waiting for someone to return the book that you want — no matter how many people have borrowed it, there’s always room for another listener!

Head on over to the Unlimited Loans: Kids’ Audiobooks page on OverDrive or Libby to start borrowing — and while you’re there, why not check out our new Kids’ Lucky Day collection too? It’s a round up of some of the most popular eBook and eAudiobook titles for kids to be found this side of the Milky Way. You can only have these ones for 14 days, and can’t place reserves on them — these are the hottest titles after all — so snaffle them up while you can! By the time you’ve finished the ones you’ve chosen, there’ll be a whole new selection up for grabs.

Can’t decide what to pick up? Read on for some of our favourite top picks from the Unlimited Loans: Kids’ Audiobooks and Kids’ Lucky Day lists…

Unlimited Loans: Kids’ Audiobooks

Overdrive cover Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Ghosts, Katie Tsang (Audiobook)

Sam Wu is NOT a scaredy-cat (except he is). When a trip to the Space Museum goes terrifyingly wrong, Sam begins a mission to prove to the school bully, and all of his friends, that he is a fearless space adventurer. A truly laugh-out-loud, voice-led and madcap story of ghost hunting, snakes and mischievous pet cats called Butterbutt.

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Cloud Boy, Marcia Williams (Audiobook)

Harry Christmas and Angie Moon are best friends and almost-twins. Ever since they were born two days apart they’ve been partners in cloud-spotting, sweet-eating and treehouse-building. But when Harry is taken to hospital for headaches that won’t go away, he needs Angie more than ever. Because when things fall apart, only a best friend can stitch them back together. Told through Angie’s lively diary, this is a bittersweet story about friendship and growing up.

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Kid Normal, Chris Smith (Audiobook)

When Murph Cooper rocks up to his new school, he can’t help but feel a bit out of his depth. And it’s not because he’s worried about where to sit, and making friends, and fitting in, or not knowing where the loos are. It’s because his mum has enrolled him at a school for superheroes by mistake. And unlike his fellow students Murph has no special abilities whatsoever. But just because you don’t have superpowers, it doesn’t mean you can’t save the day…

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson (Audiobook)Alcatraz Smedry, practically the world champion of breaking things, never thought his most boring birthday present – a bag of sand – would get him into this much trouble. Yet now he’s fleeing from evil Librarians, releasing dinosaurs to create a diversion in the Fiction section, and learning that clumsiness can be a powerful talent!

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover To Be a Cat, Matt Haig (Audiobook)

Barney Willow thinks life couldn’t get any worse. He’s weedy, with sticky-out ears. Horrible Gavin Needle loves tormenting him. And worst of all, Dad has been missing for almost a year, and there’s no sign of him ever coming home. Barney just wants to escape, and find another life. Being a cat, for example. A quiet, lazy cat. Things would be so much easier—right?

(Overdrive description)

Kids’ Lucky Day Collection

Overdrive cover Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, Jessica Townsend (Audiobook)

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes. But worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her 11th birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears and whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor…

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover New Kid, Jerry Craft (ebook)

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enrol him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Karen’s Roller Skates, Ann M. Martin (ebook)

It’s going to be a great weekend! Karen has new roller skates and is a very good skater. She’s looking forward to trying some new tricks. But, oh no! Karen falls down and has to go to the hospital. Her wrist is broken!
Karen is determined to get everyone she knows — plus someone famous — to sign her cast. It isn’t going to be easy, but she won’t give up until the job is done.

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Dork Diaries, Rachel Renee Russell (ebook)

Nikki Maxwell and her bandmates are looking forward to an AWESOME time on tour as the opening act for the world famous Bad Boyz! The only downside? Nikki’s frenemy, MacKenzie Hollister, has weaselled her way onto the tour as a social media guru…
Nikki’s determined to stay out of MacKenzie’s way to avoid any drama, but then she learns that MacKenzie is going to be her roommate! TOTAL DISASTER! Will Nikki survive her dream tour as it quickly goes from AWESOME to AWFUL?!

(Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover The Deep End, Jeff Kinney (ebook)

In The Deep End, book 15 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley and his family hit the road for a cross-country camping trip, ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
But things take an unexpected turn, and they find themselves stranded at an RV park that’s not exactly a summertime paradise. When the skies open up and the water starts to rise, the Heffleys wonder if they can save their vacation – or if they’re already in too deep.

(Overdrive description)

Betty Gilderdale and The Little Yellow Digger

Betty Gilderdale, the author of the much-loved Little Yellow Digger series of children’s books, has passed away this month, just days before her 98th birthday.

Betty was the author of five Little Yellow Digger picture books, which she created alongside her husband, illustrator Alan Gilderdale:

  • The Little Yellow Digger
  • The Little Yellow Digger at the Zoo 
  • The Little Yellow Digger Saves the Whale 
  • The Little Yellow Digger Goes to School 
  • The Little Digger and the Bones 

The original Little Yellow Digger picture book is one of New Zealand’s all-time bestselling children’s picture books with over 500,000 copies in print!

Betty was born in London in 1923 and emigrated to New Zealand with Alan and their three children in 1967.  She was a lecturer at North Shore Teachers’ College, Auckland College of Education, and at the University of Auckland as well as being reviewer of children’s books (amongst many other things). And from an interview for Christchurch City Libraries in 2002, her favourite food was “apricots – raw, cooked, dried, crystallised!”

You can find out more about Betty’s life and achievements HERE.

“But the Little Yellow Digger stayed to finish off the drain. It helped to make a driveway that would stay hard in the rain.” — Betty Gilderdale, The Little Yellow Digger, 1992


The little yellow digger / Gilderdale, Betty
“When little yellow digger gets stuck in the mud, a range of bigger diggers are sent to finish the job. Suggested level: preschool, junior.” (Catalogue)

The little yellow digger at the zoo / Gilderdale, Betty
“The little yellow digger comes to the rescue when hippo pool at the zoo needs to be made bigger. Suggested level: junior.” (Catalogue)

The little yellow digger saves the whale / Gilderdale, Betty
“”Rolling and leaping at their play, two whales swam in a sunlit bay.” But when the tide turns, the baby whale gets stranded on the beach. But don’t worry, the Little Yellow Digger is on its way. This is the third story about the much-loved Little Yellow Digger by Betty and Alan Gilderdale.” (Catalogue)

The little yellow digger treasury / Gilderdale, Betty
“In the next door garden they were digging out a drain when the weather turned quite nasty and it poured and poured with rain. When digging out a drain, the little yellow digger gets stuck in the mud. So they bring in a bigger digger… Since the publication of the first story more than 20 years ago. the much-loved stories about the Little Yellow Digger have spanned generations of readers to become classics. All five stories have been compiled in this delightful treasury collection, which features a special word from the author, 20-plus years down the track!” (Catalogue)

My life in two halves : a memoir / Gilderdale, Betty
“Betty Gilderdale lived the first half of her life in England and the second, in New Zealand. This book follows her early childhood in London, the war years, university study, professional life, marriage and children, through to making a new life in New Zealand when she and her husband Alan and their three children moved here in 1967. It was here that she pursued her interest in teaching, and in 1982 published her ground-breaking work “A sea change : 145 years of New Zealand junior fiction: Her story describes a rich and full life of diverse experiences peopled with teaching colleagues, writers, friends and, most importantly, family.” (Catalogue)

It’s Your Lucky Day: New Collection on OverDrive Kids!

While the country was in lockdown, there was one thing that everyone seemed to be doing an awful lot of — reading! You read the books you got out from the library before we closed, you re-read all the books on your shelves at home, and you borrowed record numbers of eBooks from our OverDrive Kids collections as well. Our hard-working collections team have been working hard to get more books to you faster, so they’ve created a whole new eBook collection for you — the Kids’ Lucky Day collection.

Check out the Lucky Day collection next time you log in to the eLibrary!

What is the Lucky Day collection, you ask? Think of it as a buffet of all your favourite titles — books by Raina Telgemeier, Andy Griffiths, Erin hunter, Dav Pilkey, and more. Because books by these authors are so popular, they have a reduced loan period (14 days instead of 21), and you also can’t place holds or renew Lucky Day items that you have out. Every time you log in to OverDrive, be sure to check out the Lucky Day collection and see what’s available — who knows, maybe it will be your lucky day!


At the moment, there are about 80 different titles on the list, but as with all of our collections we’ll be adding to it as time goes on. For now, though, here are some of our favourites:

Overdrive cover The 13-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths (ebook)

Andy and Terry’s 13-storey treehouse is the most amazing treehouse in the world! It’s got a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a tank full of man-eating sharks, a giant catapult, a secret underground laboratory and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you’re hungry. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up! (Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Wonder, R J Palacio (ebook)

Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things – eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary – inside. But ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren’t stared at wherever they go. Born with a facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he’s being sent to a real school – and he’s dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted – but can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, underneath it all? (Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (ebook)

Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer holidays, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it. As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him… and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother Rodrick knows all about the incident. And secrets have a way of getting out… especially when a diary is involved. (Overdrive description)

Overdrive cover The Poison Jungle, Tui T. Sutherland (ebook)

It’s no secret that Sundew wants to destroy the HiveWings. It’s her life’s mission to exact revenge on the tribe that tried to wipe out the LeafWings and ripped every tree from the surface of Pantala. Every tree, that is, except the wild and dangerous Poison Jungle, where the surviving LeafWings have been hiding since the war. Hiding, plotting, and waiting for a dragon like Sundew, who is uniquely qualified to bring down the Hives. There are dark secrets in the jungle, though – some that Sundew is keeping, and some that she’s only just beginning to discover. And now that a new war is upon them, Sundew and her friends must unearth the oldest secret in the jungle-even if what they find has the power to destroy them all. (Overdrive description)


So what are you waiting for? Check out the Lucky Day collection today — and keep your eyes peeled for more bookish goodies on the way on OverDrive.

Ever wondered who the most popular children’s authors are?

Wonder no more! Here’s a list of the 25 most popular authors for the last month or so, based on how many times their books have been borrowed from Wellington City Libraries.

1. Daisy Meadows – author of the Rainbow Magic series

2. Geronimo Stilton – funny comics about a mouse detective

3. Enid Blyton – classic stories of school mischief, adventure, and magical fantasy

4. Jacqueline Wilson – loads of popular books, you’ll never run out

5. H. I. Larry – author of the action series ‘Zac Power’ that’s perfect for younger readers

6. Erin Hunter – author of the Warriors series

7. Susannah Leigh – writes those amazing puzzle adventure books

8. Adam Blade – author of the Beast Quest series

9. Roald Dahl – classic laugh-out-loud funny fantasy stories, many have been made into movies too!

10. Andy Griffiths – writes very funny short stories

11. Jeff Kinney – author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

12. Megan McDonald – author of the Judy Moody series

13. Stephen Cole – author of the Astrosaurs series

14. Sally Rippin – author of the Billie B. Brown series, great for younger readers

15. Rick Riordan – author of the Heroes of Olympus series and others, great fantasy adventure based on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myths

16. Alan MacDonald – author of the Dirty Bertie series

17. Francesca Simon – author of the Horrid Henry series

18. Dav Pilkey – author of the captain Underpants series, great for those who like disgusting humour

19. J. K. Rowling – author of the classic series Harry Potter

20. Thea Stilton – similar to Geronimo Stilton, comic-style mouse mysteries

21. Cressida Cowell – author of the How to train your Dragon series, which has been made into a popular movie too.

22. Emily Rodda – an author who has written many fantasy adventure series, including Rowan of Rin, Raven Hill Mysteries, and Deltora Quest.

23. R. L. Stine – author of many spooky horror stories

24. John Flanagan – author of the Ranger’s Apprentice series

25. Lemony Snicket – author of the zany series A Series of Unfortunate Events

 

You can search for these authors in the library catalogue. Which one’s your favourite?

 

 

Most Wanted

Geronimo Stilton has no less than FIVE of this month’s top ten titles, which is pretty astounding for a little Italian mouse!

In the other half of this month’s top ten…

The Wimpy Kid’s latest diary makes it to number one, with 49 of you wanting a copy it’s THE Most Wanted book of the year, the Warrior wild cat clans are hanging in there,  Jacqueline Wilson makes her first appearance, the latest Rangers Apprentice gets on the board, and Percy Jackson, long on this list, makes way for the new kids at Camp Half Blood.
Syndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book coverSyndetics book cover

1) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (up 1)

2) Warriors: Omen of the Stars: Night Whispers (up 3)

3) The Karate Mouse  (up 5)

4) The Peculiar Pumpkin Thief  (up 6)

5) The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid (back again)

6) Field trip to Niagara Falls (back again)

7) Christmas Catastrophe (back again)

8 ) Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero (new)

9) The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (new)

10) The Longest Whale Song (new)

The books you most want to read

Only CHERUB can push out the Greek/American demigod from hogging all this month’s top spots. In other news the original Wimpy Kid makes it back on the Most Wanted list, and many of  you are patiently waiting for the latest (and penultimate*) Artemis Fowl.

*Penultimate = second to last.

 

 

 

 

 

1 ) The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan (up 1)

2 ) Divine Madness Robert Muchamore (down 1)

3 ) The Last Olympian Rick Riordan (back again)

4 ) The Sea of Monsters Rick Riordan (back again)

5= ) The Titan’s Curse Rick Riordan (back again)

5= ) The Battle of the Labyrinth Rick Riordan(back again)

7 )  Now Morris Glietzman.(up 3)

8 ) The Karate Mouse Geronimo Stilton (down 2)

9) Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal Jeff Kinney (back again)

10= ) Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex Eoin Colfer (NEW)

10= ) Christmas Catastrophe Geronimo Stilton (down 2)