'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Sunday 28 July 2013

KBR Recommends: New Junior Fiction, July 2013

The Girl Who Brought Mischief by Katrina Nannestad, ABC Books, $14.99, 9780733332005, ages 8 - 12

When Inge Maria arrives on the tiny island of Bornholm in Denmark to live with her grandmother, she′s not sure what to expect.

Her grandmother is stern, the people on the island are strange, and children are not allowed to run wild or express themselves the way they did back in Copenhagen -- especially if you are a girl.

Inge Maria tries not to feel sorry for herself, but she misses her mama. And on top of everything else, mischief seems to have a way of finding her no matter how hard she tries to be good ... but could it be that a bit of mischief is exactly what Grandmother and the people of Bornholm need?

Boy Versus Rat Dog (Lost World Circus #4) by Justin D'Ath, Puffin, $14.99, 9781742535913

From bestselling Extreme Adventures and Mission Fox author Justin D'Ath comes this bold new fantastical children's book series for 10+ readers about a futuristic world infected by rat flu, and Colt Lawless – the boy who could save it all.

Colt doesn't know his own strength. When a showdown with a $100,000 Rat Dog has tragic consequences, his arch enemy Officer Katt seeks revenge. She steals the thing that matters most to Colt, right when his superpowers seem to have disappeared.

But superpowers or not, Birdy and Colt are on the case, and the dark secrets that they uncover could change Colt's life forever...

 
Time to Shine (EJ12 Girl Hero #16) by Susannah McFarlane, Scholastic, $12.99, 9781921931383, ages 8 - 11

Emma Jacks remembers her early days at the top-secret SHINE Agency...

Evil agency SHADOW was leaking oil in to the ocean and demanding a ransom. SHINE Agency Agent-in-Training, EJ12, had to be at her brightest to save the marine animals. That's always been the easy part.

As EJ12, Emma Jacks can do anything. Will she still be able to to when one of her best friends moves away? Perhaps she will after all...

For more information about this popular action series for girls including games, competitions and more, visit the EJ12 Girl Hero website.

The Missing Mongoose (The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno and Alberta #3) by Ursula Dubosarsky and Terry Denton, Allen & Unwin, $12.99, 9781743312605, ages 6 - 8

Coco Carlomagno has a national emergency on his hands! A rare mongoose has vanished from the legendary Buenos Aires Zoo. But with rabbits in the Tiger Taj Mahal and hippos in the Panda Palace, the Zoo is a very confusing crime scene indeed.

Coco knows that only his calm and brainy cousin Alberta can help. Can they follow the clues and crack the case of the missing mongoose?

The Missing Mongoose is the third book in this fun junior fiction detective series. See our KBR review of the first book, The Perplexing Pineapple, here.

Meet the Werewolfsons (Freak Street) by Knife & Packer, Scholastic, $10.99, 9781742836713, ages 6 - 9

Meet a brand new Freak Street family!

The Werewolfsons are just your average, everyday family. Yes, they're covered in hair and howl at the full moon. Yes, Wilf's obsessed with finding a new star to name after his mother. Yes, their dad is the world's most embarrassing disco dancer. And yes, there are fleas everywhere and the whole town's itching! But that's nothing out of the ordinary, right?

Welcome to Freak Street, a street like any other... until you take a closer look!

For more information, visit the Freak Street website.

 
The Great Ice-Cream Heist by Elen Caldecott, Bloomsbury, $14.99, 9781408820506, ages 7 - 10

'Those McIntyres are nothing but trouble!'

Eva's dad says the McIntyres are a 'problem' family - they are noisy and get into fights. But Eva is curious about Jamie, who she often sees on the roof of his garden shed, espcaping from the family chaos.

Then Jamie is accused of vandalising the local park, and it is up to Eva to speak up for him. Can she find a way to do it?

A warm, funny adventure about sticking up for your friends - and lots of ice cream!