Hot Money by Bill Nagelkerke (general fiction)

If you have read and enjoyed Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce then you might also enjoy this NZ take on a theme which gets us all asking the question "what would you do?"Miles and August are mucking about after school when they witness a police chase. As the getaway car speeds past, a bag is thrown from the window, landing at the boys' feet. Miles looks inside and finds $20,000. He knows what he SHOULD do with the money, but his family are struggling for cash and so he is tormented. August tries to persuade him to do the right thing, but it is just so tempting...What would you do?

The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

This was one of those books that has never really appealed to me, but was recommended and so I felt I should give it a go.

And yay for recommendations... what a fantastic read, and a brilliant start to a series. When Will is apprenticed to the mysterious (and slightly feared) ranger, Holt, he is not happy. All his friends have been apprenticed to the job of their choice, and so he can't understand why he has to go and live away from his home castle with Holt.

But when there is a threatened attack by the vengeful Morgorath, Will has to forget his misgivings and behave like a true apprentice.

With plenty of fighting action, this is a cracking read for young boys from about Year 4 and up. Highly recommended!!

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond

I read this book in one sitting - partly because I had no children to interrupt me, but mostly because it is a cracking great read.

The story can be read on two levels... it is essentially about a young lad (Stan) who runs away with the circus and ends up swimming with piranhas as a main attraction.  And that is quite entertaining enough in itself.  But older readers will see much of what happens as a metaphor for life: for example, when Stan stands above the piranha pool, plucking up the courage to dive in, we can ask ourselves if we have the courage to make a change in our own life?

As with any good story, there is a baddy (or 5) to contend with.  The baddies in this story are almost Shakespearian in the way they provide comic relief, as they are just so ridiculous.  (They remind me of Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing.) They are part of an organisation called DAFT (Department for the Abolishun of Fishy Things) and they have a very poor grasp of the English language, which is rather entertaining, although some of the puns may go over younger readers' heads.

I also love the way that David Almond uses his own voice in parts to narrate the story, creating a kind of movie-like effect of zooming in and out of scenes.  My favourite quote from one of these moments is "we could go anywhere with words and our imaginations."  Fabulous.

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne

John Boyne is becoming one of my favourite writers.  Not only is he is the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but he also penned the fairy-tale like Noah Barleywater Runs Away and the fabulous The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket.

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is a story set during World War 1 and deals with a young boy coping with his father signing up to go and fight in the trenches.  As with Noah Barleywater and Barnaby Brocket there is a hint of the fairy tale about the way the story is written, despite the fact that it is firmly set in a real place and time.

Alfie, the young lad in the story, is desperate to deliver the milk on the milk float with his father, but at 5 years of age he is considered to young.  On Alfie's 5th birthday, his dad signs up to go and fight in the war... much to his mother's horror and Alfie's confusion.  The story flits about a little at the start, moving between flash-backs to when Alfie was 5 and then back to when he is 9... and his dad still hasn't reappeared.  A chance encounter at King's Cross station leads Alfie on a secret mission to find his missing dad - and in doing so he comes across some horrific and disturbing sights of returned soldiers who are suffering from shell shock.

This is not always an easy read as it touches on some difficult issues, not least that of the effects of shell shock on the young soldiers who fought in the Great War.  However, John Boyne seems to be able to pen a tale with ease and his characters are well-developed and interesting.

This book would appeal to those who are interested in World War 1 and its effects on the lives of the people at the time.  It is NOT a war story, rather a human interest story.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke has been hailed as the German J.K. Rowling - high praise indeed!  I have read some of her other stories, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this one looked a bit darker and more complex...

Prosper and Bo are orphaned brothers and they have run away from their rather unpleasant aunt and uncle, to Venice, a place which their late mother used to tell them all about.

They are befriended by a small gang of street children, led by their enigmatic leader, The Thief Lord.  All is well, until the aunt employs a private detective to hunt the children down.  From this point on, the story twists and turns all over the place, rather like the canals and streets of Venice themselves.  The plot throws up surprises and plot twists all over the place... culminating in a thrilling journey into the complete and utterly fantastical!

I loved this book and would recommend it to Year 5 and up.

Some kiwi titles...

I have really started to enjoy New Zealand authors, and have read these books over the holidays... all great in their own different ways.

Mona Minim and the Smell of the Sun by Janet Frame

A beautiful, rather whimsical tale of a young house ant who gets lost and ends up in a colony of garden ants.  This story is over 40 years old and was written by Frame for her niece.  It is witty, clever, and is full of lots of clever ant-related puns.  Something a little different!

The Dark Blue 100 Ride Bus Ticket by Margaret Mahy

Carlo and his mother are down on their luck, so when a strange old lady gives them a mysterious bus ticket, they take it.  Then when a mysterious matching bus turns up, almost on a whim, they get on - and find themselves at the supermarket at the end of the world, a place stocked full of everything you can imagine.  Of course, such a supermarket attracts some unsavoury characters and Carlo has to make sure that these characters don't ruin the magic of the place.

No Safe Harbour by David Hill

For anyone interested in New Zealand history, this is a must.  In 1968 a monstrous storm hit the Cook Strait - and the Wahine, which was heading to Wellington from Christchurch.  David Hill has crafted this emotional fictional account of the tragedy based on historical facts.  On board the ferry are twins Stuart and Sandra.  They do NOT get on, but when they have to look after each other as the storm worsens, their relationship is  really tested.

Project Huia by Des Hunt

Another must for those who are interested in New Zealand history and for those who also like a bit of a mystery.   Des Hunt is renowned for his books which strongly feature the New Zealand landscape. Project Huia is no exception.  It is set in and around the Manawatu Gorge and for those who know the area, it is very evocative. 

Logan’s grandfather has a story to tell.  As a child, while he lived near Ashhurst at the western end of the Manawatu Gorge, and while he and his sister were out exploring one day, they thought they caught sight of the thought-to-be-extinct huia bird. So follows a terrifying adventure as the two children try and photograph the bird, whilst dodging trains coming through the tunnels of the Gorge, and whilst also having to fend off the rather unpleasant members of the Carson family. 

Seventy years later, 11 year old Logan has come to the Gorge with his grandfather and a research scientist to see if they can track down the lost huia – and in doing so, history starts to repeat itself. 

This is a fabulous story, which weaves together New Zealand scenery, history, natural history and adventure into an exciting package.  

Summer reading... part 2!

Here are a few more books I have enjoyed over the summer...

A Lion in the Meadow by Margaret Mahy (Early Reader)

This is a clever idea... taking a classic picture book and reformatting it as an early reader... great for those emergent readers.

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

I am starting to really enjoy Cornelia Funke - she seems to be able to write a variety of genre, and the stories translate well from her native German.  Igraine is a medieval chick with some serious attitude.  Her family are all magicians, but she isn't having any of THAT... she wants to be a knight!  And when one of her parents' magic spells goes a bit haywire, she finds that she needs some of her knightly skills to restore order to the kingdom...

The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

This is the first of the Young Samurai series, and to be honest, it has never appealed to me... although I have seen it issued often enough!  However, when a Year 8 boy told me I 'had' to read it, I thought I would give it a go.  And I am sooo pleased I did!  It is a fabulous story (set in 1600s Japan) which sort of put me in mind of Harry Potter meets Jackie Chan (which is a terrible analogy, but it DOES feature three friends (2 male, 1 female), a nasty arch-enemy... and they all learn martial arts!)  Definitely worth a look...

The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Meeting Cezanne both by Michael Morpurgo

My love affair with Michael Morpurgo has continued with these two beautiful stories.
The Wreck of the Zanzibar is set in the captivating Scilly Isles off Cornwall, and sees the population caught in the middle of a debilitating famine.  The only way out is to hope for a shipwreck - which will mean business for the islanders as the boat needs to be rebuilt.
Meeting Cezanne is a lovely, simple story, which features Cezanne's beautiful impressionism... and the work of another classic European artist.

Little Darlings and Four Children and It both by Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson is a favourite of my daughter's and she recommended both these books to me.
Jacqueline Wilson is a master of social realism and dealing with tricky family issues... both these books feature split families, and all the problems and joys that these families experience.  No wonder her books are so popular!
I particularly enjoyed Four Children and It as it was inspired by E. Nesbit's Five Children and It.  What a great way to introduce young readers to an old classic!