YEAR 6 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Adventure/Action/Mystery

Two Wolves – Tristan Bancks

Thirteen years old Ben ‘Cop’ Silver is bewildered when his parents rush home, insist he

and his sister Olive pack a few things, and roar off in the family car. They are going on

holidays? It is a strange holiday where his mother insists on cutting everyone’s hair and

his father won’t provide ID at a motel. Then they arrive at a hut in the forest... (The

Source)

Arrival by Chris Morphew

When Luke arrives in Phoenix he looks around at the neat as a pin houses and thinks ‘The

Brady Bunch’. His mother, noticing his unease assures him moving towns, ‘isn’t the end

of the world’. As it turns out she is very wrong!

Phoenix is a one horse/business town with the Shackleton Co-operative running

everything, right down to what school shirts children wear or what furnishings are in the

cookie-cutter houses. Luke is on high alert immediately. Why are there no cars, no

phones, and no internet except the town intranet? (The Source)

Jimmy Coates: Killer - Joe Craig

38% human, the rest of his body composed of cellular mechanics interwoven into his

DNA, eleven-year-old Danny Coates is unaware of his make-up, that his parents are not

his biological parents and that he has been programmed to be a very efficient killer. His

programming was supposed to kick in when he reached the age of eighteen but he is

needed now by the prime minister and his secret organization NJ7. (The Source)

Assault by Brian Falkner

In the 2030s a group of six teenaged soldiers have been specially trained and physically

modified for reconnaissance work in a war with alien invaders, the Bzadians. The

Bzadians hold most of Earth–with only the Americas holding out against their attempts

to wipe out all humans. An adventure thriller, with the young soldiers battling the odds

to find what the Bzadians are constructing beneath Uluru. (The Source)

The Real Thing – Brian Falkner

This book is about taste. Fraser "Fizzer" Boyd is an Auckland schoolboy who has a sense

of taste so highly developed that he can tell any kind of soft drink in a blind tasting. He

can even distinguish which size of container it came from. When the only three Coke

executives who know the secret Coke recipe are all kidnapped, Fizzer and his close friend

Tupai White (a Maori-Chinese boy, who is a karate expert) are flown to Coke’s

headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. (The Source)

Red - Libby Gleeson

‘Red’ wakes to a world of mud. She has no recollection of her name, the place she is in,

only that she has been uttering ‘jaymartin’. Together with Peri, another survivor, she

begins to piece together a few clues which lead her to the understanding there is

something she has to achieve, and with almost no resources except her own quick

thinking, she does so. (The Source)

White Ninja - Tiffiny Hall (series)

Every morning boys Heroshi, Krew and Bruce wait inside Gate Two, the school gate for

nerds and outsiders, to taunt Roxy and Cinnamon and spit chewed paper at them. Why

‘Hero’ should so dislike Roxy is at first a mystery. When Roxy meets new boy Jackson Axe

and is told the story of the White Warrior, the Tiger Scrolls and why samurai hate ninjas,

aspects of Roxy’s life suddenly make more sense. (The Source)

Young Bond 1: Silver Fin – Charlie Higson (series)

What’s your name, boy? Bond, James Bond.

And so the most famous spy of our time begins his schooling at Eton. It is an unhappy

beginning; he is mourning the death of his parents and the bullying ethos of the school

and the dreadful food and living conditions makes for an unpleasant life. In his first long

holiday he joins his aunt in Scotland who is looking after her brother, James’s Uncle Max,

who is dying of cancer. Max, it turns out, was a spy in WWI. The holiday is a turning point

for James. (The Source)

Camel Rider – Pru Mason

Two boys, Emir and Adam are thrown together due to a series of misadventures. Emir, a

young Bangladeshi, is almost a slave to the Old Goat and Breath of Dog, cruel masters of

the tiny boys bought to ride in traditional camel races. He bites Old Goat and is blamed

for crippling a racing camel and the men bind and dump him in the desert. Desperate to

stay with his friends and his dog in their Abudai (a fictional city located in the Arabian

Gulf) compound rather than return to Australia and boarding school, Adam hides his

passport in Dad’s flight bag. Result—passport in Australia, Adam stranded in Abudai—

home alone! (The Source)

The Truth about Verity Sparks – Susan Green

Verity Sparks has itchy fingers or teleagtivism, the power to find missing items by

thought.

Billionaire’s Curse – Richard Newsome (series)

Gerald is whisked off to London by his parents to attend the funeral of Great Aunt

Geraldine, a woman he has never met. Astonishingly Aunt Geraldine has left most of her

vast estate to Gerald. He is suddenly the richest thirteen-year-old in the world! He learns,

almost immediately, that wealth can be both a problem and a lifesaver, particularly

when an assassin is stalking you. (The Source)

Troubletwisters – Garth Nix (series)

Twelve year old twins Jaide and Jack live in a regular suburban house with their mother

who works as a paramedic and their father who is often away overseas on business. As

they wait anxiously for their father to come home (he is a whole day late) an odd

invitation arrives by post, their father arrives looking a bit singed and shortly after the

twins heave his battered Samsonite suitcase upstairs, their family house blows up! (The

Source)

The Last Thirteen – James Phelan (series)

Sam, Eva and Alex are snatched from their high school classrooms by armed military-like

people and then ‘rescued’ by another group. Eva knows what will happen because she

has dreamt the entire kidnapping event, and Sam has had very violent and troubling

dreams involving an otherworldly creature/man who has the ability to destroy the world.

The three teenagers learn they are part of, or associated with, a group of people with

‘true’ dreams who will eventually save the world. (The Source)

Holes – Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats given the choice of jail or Camp Green Lake as punishment for a crime he

did not commit, chooses Camp Green Lake because he has never been to camp. Once

there he is required to dig one hole exactly five feet by five feet each day. (The Source)

Tiger – Jeff Stone (series)

When the secret Cangzhen Temple falls to an invading force led by one of its own

disaffected fighting monks, five young acolytes escape. Each is an expert in his own

animal style of Kung-Fu and each will tell his own story in the five books of the series.

(The Source)

The Mapmaker Chronicles, Race to the End of the World – A.L. Tait (series)

Quinn is the youngest and least regarded in a poor farming family of six brothers, living in

a small village. Somehow the King’s representative finds him because word has reached

the capital that Quinn has a special ability, a mind that never forgets.

The King is gathering boys to compete to be cartographers, mapmakers that will

accompany three captains on three ships, all in turn competing to map the world ahead

of a rival country.(The Source)

Children of the king – Sonya Hartnett

Cecily, Jeremy and a young refugee, May, have been sent to live with Uncle Peregrine in

the country, safe from the war in London. But, when Cecily and May find two mysterious

boys hiding out in a nearby castle ruin, and Jeremy runs away to London to help in the

war effort, several destinies come together to make an extraordinary adventure.

Sudden Death– Nick Hale (Striker series)

The first in a thrilling new action series combining international football and international

espionage. Jake Bastin—talented teenage footballer, son of England's top coach. Jake's

dad has been posted to Russia to train Igor Popov's all-star team. No expense has been

spared to lure the best talent in the world to St. Petersburg, including American goal

scoring sensation Devon Taylor. But people are being killed—a football scout, a

journalist, and an eco-scientist are all murdered within days of one another, and Jake's

dad is always at the scene of the crime. (The Source)

Foul Play – Tom Palmer series)

The Foul Play books are about a fourteen-year-old boy called Danny Harte who wants to

solve football crimes. In the first book Foul Play, Danny stumbles across the kidnap of

his favourite player and it all starts there. (Good Reads)

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer – John Grisham

Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk in his town —and a lot about the law. He

dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in

court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is

suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is

about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. (Good Reads)

For EALD students (Reading age: 6-9)

Horrendo’s Curse - Anna Fienberg

The cleverest child is Horrendo, an outcast since Gretel the Wise Woman evoked a charm

(or curse) that he be always polite and kind. His parents see his good nature as a burden

in a world of cruel circumstance where once a year pirates come and take all the twelve-

year-old boys to sea, only returning those who are tough and nasty enough to survive a

year of slavery. Anger and insults are regarded as survival skills but Horrendo breaks the

cycle through generosity, good cooking and positive thinking. (The Source)

Deep Waters (Zac Power) - H I Larry (series)

Zac Power is an ordinary schoolboy hero with a secret spying career and in every

adventure he has only 24 hours to save the world, get home for dinner, finish his

homework and tidy his room. In this mission Zac has to retrieve top secret information

from the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world, rescue a special agent, and stop

petrol tankers being attacked at the Icy Pole... (Good Reads)

Football Academy – Tom Palmer (series)

The Football Academy books are about a Premier League under-twelve side – about

what it’s like to play the game at the top.

Shark Bait - Justin D'Ath (adventure series)

No matter how desperate the situation, Sam Fox is good at outlining and assessing

alternatives. Readers can be assured he will ALWAYS take the most adventurous path!

Sam's survival skills are well-honed. And just as well they are when he is washed off a

coral reef with Michi, a young Japanese tourist. Sam might have saved himself but elects

to strike out to help Michi. Soon they are menaced by a huge shark, and swimming in a

tangle of sea snakes. (The Source)

Speculative fiction (incl. fantasy, science fiction, horror…)

I am number four – Pittacus Lore (series)

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are

not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having.

We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes

you worship in movies and comic books--but we are real. Our plan was to grow, and

train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and

started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. (Good Reads)

Maximum Ride: Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Six unforgettable kids — with no families, no homes — are running for their lives. Max

Ride and her best friends have the ability to fly. And that's just the beginning of their

amazing powers. But they don't know where they come from, who's hunting them, why

they are different from all other humans... and if they're meant to save mankind — or

destroy it. (Good Reads)

Last Spirit Warrior: Jamie Reign by P.J. Tierney (series)

While diving on an uncharted reef, Jamie discovers a terrible force that exposes his

connection to ancient warriors and to the warlord intent on destroying them all. He must

quickly learn kung fu and the secret skills of the Warriors of the Way, guided by Jade,

who seems intent on making him fail, and Wing, who is even worse than Jamie is at kung

fu. Jamie’s past and the future of these ancient warriors are inexplicably linked. And as

the two collide, Jamie and his new friends set off on a desperate mission to save them

all. (Good Reads)

Ruins of Gorlan – John Flanagan (series)

Will is very nervous about Choosing Day, his chance in life to go from life as an orphan

under the care of Baron Arald to be apprenticed to a Craftmaster. He longs to join

Battleschool but unlike fellow orphan Horace who is tall and strong, Will is small.

However his ability to climb and to move quickly has attracted the notice of Halt, one of

the mysterious Rangers. Meanwhile war is brewing as evil Morgarath stirs in his

mountain isolation seeking revenge on the Kingdom of Araluen which had once come

close to being under his rule. Will is to play a central role in defeating the first of the evil

lord's sallies. (The Source)

Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl, twelve-year-old arch fiend, captures and holds to ransom the fairy, Holly

Short. His mistake is that Holly is not any old fairy – she is the first woman recruit to the

Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit (LEPrecon for short) – and she is intent on

escaping. LEPrecon mounts a rescue mission as Artemis follows his carefully researched

plan with precision and daring. (The Source)

Word Hunters: Curious Dictionary – Nick Earls

Far in the past a man speaks a language for the last time and puts these silenced words

into a book, along with other knowledge he has gathered, for the future. The book is

passed to a hunter, a word hunter, and down the centuries these special people keep the

book passing on, and recording things that because of fire, war or foolishness might

otherwise be lost forever. (The Source)

The Golden Door – Emily Rodda (series)

Rye, together with Sonia, sets forth to rescue his brothers and save his city. The citizens

of Weld find their great wall is no protection from skimmers, ferocious bat-like creatures

that come in the night to hunt—goats, chickens, humans—their hunger seems

unquenchable. The Warden of Weld asks for volunteers to seek out the land of the

skimmers and somehow stop their visits. To the despair of his gentle mother, both of

Rye’s brothers go with many other young ‘Weldians’. Time passes and none return. (The

Source)

The Tunnels of Ferdinand - James Moloney (series)

A city is controlled by Malig Tumora who uses the hypnotic scent of certain flowers to

subdue the population and has created monsters, the Gadges and the Dfx to help him

achieve domination. Children are kept in huge dormitories knowing nothing of family life

but when Berrin escapes he is taken in by the Rats, child rebels who live in the city

drains. (The Source)

Silvermay – James Moloney

Silvermay is living quietly in her village when a handsome young man, Tamlyn, and a

young woman Nerigold with a newborn baby Lucien, arrive at her home seeking aid. The

wizard Wyrdborn, Coyle Strongbow, is determined to find the child and use him to gain

power and Silvermay must help protect him.

Key to Rondo – Emily Rodda (series)

There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only.

Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music

stops. Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi

listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life

and a powerful witch is released. Now it’s up to Leo and Mimi to stop the witch, if only

they can find the key to the music box -- and the magical world it controls. (Good Reads)

The Cloud chasers – Steven Hunt

Alice watches out the schoolroom window, daydreaming but seeing only monsters, but

imagination is not allowed in Bankertown.

Dragon keeper – Carole Wilkinson (series)

Ignorant, ill-nourished slave girl Ping is cajoled, duped, encouraged, and given friendship

by the last imperial dragon as he makes his slow painful way across China to the ocean.

He needs Ping to help him look after the strange stone he insists on taking with him as

they escape from the remote palace of Huangling and certain death for both of them;

with them travels Ping’s only friend, Hua the rat. (The Source)

Percy Jackson and the battle of the labyrinth – Rick Riordan (series)

After battling some cheerleaders, Percy needs to defend camp against his arch-enemy

and bloodthirsty monsters. To battle this army, Percy needs to navigate his way through

the Labyrinth.

The Whisperer – Fiona McIntosh

A boy, Griff, has a talent for hearing the thoughts of others, and a young prince, Lute, in

mortal danger from his ambitious uncle, Janko. Griff and Lute have not met, but can

communicate even when far apart, and they resemble each other... (The Source)

The Vampire’s Assistant – Darren Shan (series)

Darren Shan was just an ordinary schoolboy - until his visit to the Cirque Du Freak. Now,

as he struggles with his new life as a Vampire's Assistant, he tries desperately to resist

the one temptation that sickens him, the one thing that can keep him alive. But destiny is

calling... the Wolf Man is waiting. (Good Reads)

Dangerous days of Daniel X – James Patterson (series)

Daniel is a 15 year old alien, sent to Earth with his parents to hunt out and destroy a

long list of evil aliens.

Steelheart – Brandon Sanderson (series)

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and

women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are

no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must

crush his will. Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of

ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and

then assassinating them. (Good reads)

Skulduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy (series)

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant. Sure, he may lose his head now and again (in fact, he won

his current skull in a poker match), but he is much more than he appears to be—which is

good, considering that he is, basically, a skeleton. Skulduggery may be long dead, but he

is also a mage who dodged the grave so that he could save the world from an ancient

evil. (Good reads)

Tomorrow Code – Brian Falkner

Teenagers Tane and Rebecca receive a coded message from the future, warning them

about catastrophic devastation. Together with Fatboy, they must decipher the clues and

try and save the world.

Iron Trial – Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (series)

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All

his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the

Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for

him. So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits

him. (Good Reads)

For EALD students (Reading Age 5-9)

The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton

Jo, Bessie and Fanny (yes, that’s right) are delighted when their cousin Dick comes to stay

and joins them in adventures at the top of the Faraway Tree. There, together with their

three friends Moon-Face, the Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy, the children enter a

series of other worlds that provide a different adventure each visit. (Good Reads)

The magic finger – Roald Dahl

The protagonist of the story has a magic finger that causes strange things to happen

when she is really, really angry. And she is really, really angry with Mr Gregg and his two

boys who insist on blasting away at anything that moves. The next morning all four

Greggs (Including the mother) find they have been changed into ducks and four real

ducks have grown in size and taken over their house.

Tashi books – Anna Feinberg

In the first book of the much-adored Tashi series, children are introduced to Jack’s

extraordinary imaginary friend Tashi, a gnome-like character from a place far away.

(Good reads)

Case of the really, really, scary things – Michael Gerard Bauer

Wild animals are turning to a life of crime and it's all the work of evil Doctor Evil Mac

Evilness. Can Secret Agent Derek 'Danger' Dale outwit a criminal mastermind, escape the

clutches of the four most deadly creatures on the planet and save the world's biggest

diamond? Extreeeeeeeemely unlikely! (ReadPlus)

Realistic/Adolescent

Wonder – R.J. Palacio

Auggie was born with severe facial disfiguration and a succession of operations from the

age of 4 months has still left him looking like the names he is called – Rat Boy, Freak.

Monster. Freddy Krueger. E.T. Gross-out. Lizard Face. Mutant.

Auggie is a sweet child, loved and protected by his parents and sister, and the

introduction to the school environment is brutal and devastating. His headmaster and

form teacher are models of understanding but are unaware of the whispering and

ostracism to which Auggie is daily subjected. (Good Reads)

Geek Girl – Holly Smale

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a

"jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What

she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So

when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself.

(Good Reads)

The Naming of Tishkin Silk – Glenda Millard

Griffin Silk is the only boy in a large family of girls. His parents are loving and creative—

and compared to their neighbours a bit eccentric—but the family is experiencing

troubled times now that Mama has gone away. Griffin has to go to school for the first

time after being home-schooled by his mother and of course his difference makes him a

target. However his courage seems to keep off the bullies and draws a girl, Layla, to him

who proves to be a wonderful friend. (The Source)

Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children – Jen Storer

When Albie Gribble collects a basketful of linen from the front of the hospital, he finds

instead an abandoned baby, and his life takes a dramatic turn. Albie is instantly besotted

by the seemingly abandoned child and names her ‘Tensy Farlow’ after his mother,

Hortense, and his lorry, a ‘Farlow’. Hortense Gribble is not at all besotted and plots to be

rid of the child, but when Tensy is taken off to the Home for Mislaid Children at Fretful

Heads by ghastly Matron Pluckrose, leaving Albie grief-stricken, even she acknowledges,

‘Babies, they always get under your skin’. (The Source)

Once – Morris Gleitzman

Felix Stanislaus, the son of Jewish booksellers, has been living in a Polish Catholic

orphanage for over three years. His parents have hidden him there but Felix is convinced

they are on a book buying trip and will collect him soon. Of course they don't and Felix

leaves the sanctuary of the orphanage to go down into the city to find them. What he

discovers on the way are horrors beyond any imagining together with acts of courage

and selflessness. (The Source)

Mahtab’s Story – Libby Gleeson

The story of the journey of an Afghan family, fleeing their home in Herat and persecution

by the Taliban, told by the eldest daughter, Mahtab, who with her only partial

knowledge of the situation conveys the tension, confusion and frustrations of refugees.

(The Source)

Boy Overboard – Morris Gleitzman

Jamal, his younger sister Bibi, and his parents have to flee Afghanistan when their small

homebased school for boys and girls is discovered. Their home is blown up and all they

have left is what they can carry and money made from selling their taxi. This is what they

use to buy a way out of the country to a refugee camp and from there to what might be

Indonesia (although this is not stated). (The Source)

Girl Underground – Morris Gleitzman

Bridget has been sent to an exclusive boarding school by her parents who want her to

have chances beyond the family business of a bit of semi-criminal importing and

exporting—especially now that her beloved brother Gavin is serving time. However

keeping her background a secret is impossible, particularly when she befriends a fellow

student, Menzies, and helps him storm parliament to protest the incarceration of

refugee children.(The Source)

There is a boy in the girls’ bathroom – Louis Sachar

We are never too sure why Bradley Chalkers is like he is: as likely to spit at you as speak,

he tells lies, refuses to work and he is feared throughout the school. He sits at the back

of the class alone and shunned – that is until Jeff Fishkin joins the class and the only seat

left is the one next to Bradley. (Good Reads)

Just a dog – Michael Gerard Bauer

Mr Mosely is the loyal dog that Corey and his family love. When the family goes through

troubles, it is Mr Mosely who helps to keep them together. (The Source)

Parvana – Deborah Ellis

Parvana and her family are inventions of the author but they could be any one of many

families who lived in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban. In twenty years of bombing

Parvana’s family lost their home and most of their possessions. Her father was badly

injured, losing a leg. With the coming of the Taliban to power schools were closed, girls

forbidden education, women jobs. Women could only go outside covered in a burka and

accompanied by a man of the family. Against this background Parvana helps her father

daily to the market. When the Taliban invade their one-room home and take her father

to prison, Parvana, disguised as a boy, becomes the sole support and the only outside

contact for the family. (The Source)

Cherry Crush – Cathy Cassidy (Chocolate Box series)

Cherry Costello is facing new challenges when she and her father move from Scotland to

Somerset, to blend families with Charlotte and her four girls. The twins make Cherry feel

welcome but Honey, the eldest, warns Cherry to keep away from her boyfriend and tells

her that she is not wanted at Tanberry House. (Good Reads)

Henry Hoey Hobson – Christine Bongers

Henry starts at a new school—again—only this time the first day is worse than usual

because he is the only boy in Year Seven. The only positive aspect is that perhaps he can

impress the Year Six boys in his composite class but one handball game shows how

wrong he is about that! Once again a laughing stock Henry retires to his own company,

waiting for brief moments with his whirlwind mother who thinks success is just around

the corner, and swimming in his daggy speedos at the local pool.(The Source)

Turning Pointes – Emma Freedman

April Franklin is 13 years of age and has just started high school. April has also been

dancing half her life and while she loves ballet, she's not sure if classical is right for her,

particularly since she doesn't have the perfect ballet body. (Good Reads)

My Life as an Alphabet – Barry Jonsberg

Jen Marshall calls Candice Phee ‘Essen’ as in ‘S’ ‘N’ or Special Needs. It is a twist then to

read how Candice, a clear-thinking, scarily honest and forgiving child brings healing and

happiness to her grieving family. Candice even sets Jen on a path to self-confidence! The

eccentricity can be over-whelming (not to mention the vomit) but Candice is a special

child indeed who brings about miracles. (Good Reads)

Barrumbi Kids – Leonie Norrington

Life for all at Long Hole Community in the Northern Territory is shaken up after a new

'boss man', Mr Armstrong, is installed. He wants to smarten the place up and in the

process steps on many toes. Most bitter of all is Dale who until the coming of the

Armstrongs thought his dad was the boss. An undeclared war breaks out. (The Source)

A Ghost in My Suitcase – Gabrielle Wang

Celeste, Little Cloud in Chinese, is visiting her grandmother in China; together they will

scatter her mother’s ashes where she grew up on the Isle of Clouds. Before that sad

event Celeste discovers a special gift: like her grandmother she is a talented ghost fighter

which is just as well as her gift will be tested in a most dramatic way. The bonds between

Grandmother and grandchild grow stronger as Celeste learns more about her Chinese

heritage and family history. (Good reads)

A bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Patterson

A friendship blooms between ten-year-old Jess Aarons and the newcomer to the school,

Leslie Burke. Together they develop a secret world, based on Narnia and other fantasy

worlds of literature, in which they are King and Queen of Terabithia. To reach their land,

hidden in the woods, they must swing over a creek on a rope. (Good Reads)

My side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George

Sam Gribley runs away from his New York apartment home, mother, father, four sisters,

four brothers. He has spent time in the New York Public Library reading up about survival

on the land and plans to live on the long deserted land his great-grandfather farmed in

the Catskill Mountains before leaving for a life at sea. What follows is a fascinating first-

person account interspersed with entries in a running series of notes, full of details of

survival and descriptions of the mountains, seasons and animals as Sam makes a shelter,

learns to live off, and with, the land.(Good Reads)

Mao's Last Dancer young readers' edition – Cunxin Li

A condensed version of the 2003 bestselling autobiography by ballet dancer Li Cunxin

who was born the sixth of seven sons in a Chinese peasant family in Qingdao, Shandong

Province. His future as a hardworking, often hungry, poorly educated peasant was

changed by a seeming miracle—he was chosen to train as a dancer in Madame Mao's

ballet school in Beijing. (Good Reads)

For EALD students (Reading Age 5-9)

Eric Vale, Epic Fail – Michael Bauer

Poor Eric Vale, his life at school is being ruined because he has a fabulous imagination!

Inattention in class while he is enthralled by the creation of an adventurous tale about

Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale leads to a series of accidents and to a hated nickname,

‘Epic Fail’. (The Source)

The Tuck Shop Kid – Pat Flynn

Matthew is seriously fat, a target of bullies but a wonder at working out the most food

you can buy at the school tuckshop. His services are much in demand at lunchtime.

However, when he faints at sport the doctor is worried that his obesity may have already

caused him to develop class 2 diabetes. Mum really takes notice and cuts back on her

work hours in order to spend time with her son, cooking healthy food and exercising

with him. And it turns out quite a few of the kids at school are on his side as well in his

battle to lose weight. (The Source)

The Toilet Kid – Pat Flynn

Matt, The Tuckshop Kid, is still an expert on tuckshop food, but now it is the healthy

choices. He exercises and has lost weight but his girlfriend Kayla seems to be getting very

thin indeed. What is going on? Is it just worry about Kayla’s overweight father’s heart

attack? Friends Nina and Jasmine ask Matt to find out what is wrong with Kayla but is it

disloyalty to spy on Kayla, and then try to find help for her? (The Source)

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend – Steven Herrick

The identity of Pookie Aleera is a running joke in this warm-hearted depiction of children

in a small country school. Class 6A think Pookie could be newly arrived Ms Arthur’s

boyfriend but there are many other things to occupy their minds. Each child reveals their

inner thoughts through verses that directly address the reader. (The Source)

Boy – Tales of a Childhood - Roald Dahl

In Boy, Roald Dahl recounts his days as a child growing up in England. From his years as a

prankster at boarding school to his envious position as a chocolate tester for Cadbury's,

Roald Dahl's boyhood was as full of excitement and the unexpected as are his world-

famous, best-selling books. Packed with anecdotes -- some funny, some painful, all

interesting -- this is a book that's sure to please (Good Reads)

Humour (suitable for EALD students too)

Thai-riffic! – Oliver Phommavanh

Having spent his primary school years being taunted about his heritage and the fact that

his parents own the Thai-Riffic! Restaurant, Albert Lengviriyakul begins high school.

My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up – Tristan Bancks

Nine stories about the crowded life of Tom Weekly, a boy whose adventures invariably

involve vomit (cat and human), dog slobber or other unspeakable body liquids.

Bancks takes out the yucky crown; even Paul Jennings and Andy Griffiths stop short of an

explosive colostomy bag or amputating a sibling’s toe! (The Source)

Eric Vale Epic Fail – Michael Gerard Bauer

Poor Eric Vale, his life at school is being ruined because he has a fabulous imagination!

Inattention in class while he is enthralled by the creation of an adventurous tale about

Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale leads to a series of accidents and to a hated nickname,

‘Epic Fail’. (The Source)

WeirDo – Anh Do (WeirDo series)

A new school could mean a fresh start but there is no escaping a name like Weir Do, or a

family whose grotty or annoying habits can (and do) fill a book! (The Source)

The 78-Storey Treehouse – Andy Griffith ( Treehouse series)

The treehouse has another thirteen storeys including, significantly, an outdoor movie

theatre with a super-giant screen. Yes, there is going to be a movie, The 78-Storey

Treehouse, directed by Mr Big Shot, a perpetually angry Hollywood director who sacks

Andy and replaces him with Mel Gibbon, a gibbon who becomes Terry’s best friend. Could

the strange world of movie-making be the end of Andy and Terry’s friendship, and their

creativity?

UFO unavoidable family outing – Dave Hackett (UFO series)

Anybody who likes order will become very anxious reading this book. Is it possible for one

family to have so many horrible experiences on a car journey from Sydney (not to) Cape

York? (The Source)

A bad beginning – Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

The Baudelaire children are suddenly orphaned when their house burns down with their

parents inside. Wealthy, and in the trusteeship of their father's banker the children find

themselves in the care of their villainous uncle, Count Olaf. He has his eye on their fortune

and this novel sets the stage for the various ways in which he is going to try to get his

hands on it. (Good Reads)

Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children – Jen Storer

When Albie Gribble collects a basketful of linen from the front of the hospital, he finds

instead an abandoned baby, and his life takes a dramatic turn.

The Floods: Neighbours – Colin Thompson (The Floods series)

The Floods are a family of witches and wizards—Nerlin, Mordonna and their seven

children—with six of the children made in the cellar. They live in a regular suburb next

door to the ghastly Dent family who they gradually murder or turn into kitchen appliances,

leaving the Floods free to buy the Dent house for a few dollars and expand their empire.

(Good Reads)

Big Nate: In a class of his own – Lincoln Pierce (Big Nate series)

Nate knows he's meant for big things. REALLY big things. But life doesn't always go your

way just because you're awesome. Trouble always seems to find him, but Nate keeps his

cool no matter what. He knows he's great. A fortune cookie told him so. (Good Reads)

Strange case of Origami Yoda – Tom Angleberger (series)

Origami Yoda is a finger puppet that gives wise advice. Tommy decides to investigate.

(Good Reads)

Diary of a wimpy kid : hard luck - Jeff Kinney (series)

Greg Hefley feels his luck is all bad. His best friend Rowley has found a girlfriend Abigail

and to Greg's dismay has no time for him anymore. (Good Reads)

Tom Gates best book day ever (so far) – Liz Pichon (series)

Tom Gates, the main character, is getting ready for the Book Week parade and really

wants to go as Iron Man. His mum steps in to help with the costume but it looks like he

will go as a biscuit tin. How embarrassing! (Good Reads)

Very bad book – Andy Griffiths

In the very bad house on a very bad shelf, in a very bad box is the very bad book. (Good

Reads)

Middle school : the worst years of my life – James Patterson (series)

Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of

middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he

can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to

break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class-5,000

points! Running in the hallway-10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm-50,000 points! But

when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that

matters. (Good Reads)

Demon Dentist – David Walliams

Darkness had come to the town. Strange things were happening in the dead of night.

Children would put a tooth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, but in the morning they

would wake up to find - a dead slug; a live spider; hundreds of earwigs creeping and

crawling beneath their pillow. Evil was at work. But who or what was behind it? (Good

Reads)

NERDS : National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society – Michael Buckley (series)

Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of

elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy

network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science,

their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities(Good Reads)

Unbearable more bizarre stories – Paul Jennings (series)

Extraordinary stories, mostly with some awfully grotty aspect likely to appeal to young

readers!

Awful End – Phillip Ardagh (series)

Eddie Dickens is sent off to stay with his aunt and uncle and a riotously funny comedy of

errors ensues. When both Eddie Dickens's parents catch a disease that makes them turn

yellow, go a bit crinkly around the edges, and smell of hot water bottles, it's agreed he

should go and stay with relatives at their house, Awful End. Unfortunately for Eddie, those

relatives are Mad Uncle Jack and Even-Madder Aunt Maud. (Good reads)

Do not this book – Pat Moon

Warning! Snoopers watch out!

Fierce guard-bunny on patrol! So paws off this book! That includes my friend, Cassie. And

especially MUM. Who's FAR too busy drooling over creepy-crawly Action Man to care

about what I think anyway. (Good Reads)