WHP Libraries July 2011

The Percy Jackson Series by Rick O’Riordan

Percy—a modern American boy– discovers that he is in fact the son of Posei-

don and that the Greek gods still exist .In fact, Olympus is now located on

Floor 600 of the Empire State Building.

The Oracle has prophesied that the fate of the gods would be decided by a

certain demigod when he turns 16— but will Percy live that long with half the

monsters of the Greek underworld out to stop him?

(7 books in the series so far. Also filmed)

Varjak Paw by S F Said

With his family under threat Varjak has to escape from his family home in

search of help. What will this young cat make of the big, bad world of which

he understands nothing? Who is an enemy and who can he trust. Can Varjak

learn the ‗Way of the Paw‘ in time to save his family?

If you love cats you will love this book. Look out for the sequel too (The

Outlaw Varjak Paw) where you get to find out just what Sally Bones‘

punishment is.

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Described by the author as ―Die Hard with fairies‖, this series features a

super-intelligent 12 year-old master criminal ,Artemis. In the first book he

kidnaps Holly Short , member of the LEPRecon fairy police force in an effort

to ransom her for the legendary pot of fairy gold. But the fairies in this

series wear big boots and carry stun guns and they are not going to give up

without a fight. Has Artemis met his match at last?

(Ps: Watch out for Mulch Diggums and his technique of literally blowing the

opposition away!

(8 books in the series and a film on the way)

The Spooks Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney

Set in the past 13 year old Tom is apprenticed to the local Spook. Each county

had it‘s own ‗spook‘ who lived on the margins of society, something of an

outcast—until, that is, he‘s needed, for the spook is called in when people are

having trouble with witches, ghosts, boggarts and goblins.

Follow Tom through a series of adventures as he trains to be a spook. Can he

and the Spook out-wit the Malchin clan and what of his friendship with Alice?

(7 books in the series)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley receives a diary from his mother and uses it to record the ups

and downs of life in an American middle school. His only friend Rowley is more

of a loser than he is...or so Greg thinks. As Greg‘s schemes go hilariously wrong

he discovers that life is not easy for a wimpy kid !

A laugh out loud book, recently filmed

(5 books in the series—Number 6 due this autumn)

These titles have been popular

with our current Year 7‘s

WHP Libraries July 2011

Toilet of Doom by Michael Lawrence

Ever felt your life has just been flushed down the toilet? Well, that is exactly

what happens to Jiggy when he clicks on a computer game and finds , to his

horror, he has swapped bodies with Angie—a girl. He has to play netball and go

in the girls changing room. Can life get any worse?

Er...yes, later....when he ends up as a cat, who has an appointment with the vet

to be ―seen to‖. Gulp!

For all fans of ―toilet humour‖ and laugh-out-loud reading

Vampire Blog by Pete Johnson —winner of our local Brilliant Books Award

On his 13th birthday Marcus is faced with a bombshell. His parents are half-

vampires and , whether he likes it or not, Marcus is about to become one too!

But as he secretly blogs about his dreaded new fangs, his disgusting bad

breath and his inconvenient craving for blood, Marcus is totally unaware that

he is in very real danger.....

A lively page turner, written as a cheeky blog which will have you laughing as

you read.

Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy

Scarlett is furious as her Mum packs her off on holiday to Ireland to stay

with her Dad. Still angry with her father, Scarlett has been in loads of

trouble in school and her Mum just can‘t cope any more.

But Ireland turns out not to be such a disaster when she meets local boy Kian,

who helps Scarlett come to terms with her life.

One for readers who have enjoyed Jacqueline Wilson‘s books and are looking

for a new author.

Books by Chris Higgins

Despite the ―girly‖ book covers (her publisher‘s choice) Chris Higgins writes

books that can be enjoyed by both girls and boys. ―Pride and Penalties‖ is

about a family with a rugby-loving girl, ignored by her father who only has

eyes for her rugby-star brother...who would rather be on the stage.

Other books by Chris Higgins include 32c That‘s Me, It‘s a 50/50 Thing and

Would you rather? Pride and Penalties was shortlisted for our local Brilliant Books Award

Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy

Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant, a wise-cracking , magic-wielding,

walking, talking....skeleton. The coolest dead detective you could ever hope to

meet

Meet Stephanie, his 12 year –old sidekick. She‘s no pushover either.

Together they are out to fight evil, wherever they might find it. That‘s if

they can stop arguing for long enough.

Scary at times, but very funny—6 books in the series so far.

WHP Libraries July 2011

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

It‘s the summer holidays, you‘ve moved to a new home, your parents are

ignoring you so what do you do? If you‘re Coraline you decide to explore!

Coraline gets more than she bargained for when she steals the key and goes

through the locked door in her apartment. Her ‗other‘ Mother is very

attentive and would love Coraline to stay. Things however, are not quite as

they seem.

This is the book that the film was based on and it‘s even better.

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

Stormbreaker introduces Alex Rider, a 14 year old boy, who is recruited to

spy for MI6 after his uncle (another spy) is assassinated. The stories have

lots of action-adventure of the James Bond/Mission Impossible variety, but

the violence is not too graphic. The shortage of strong female characters

initially, may make this series more appealing to boys.

If you like this , try also Charlie Higson‘s Young Bond series

9 books in the series plus 3 graphic novels

These books will ask a little more of you as a reader

Cosmic by Frank Cotterell Boyce—author of “Millions” and “Framed”

Liam, despite being only 12 years old, is so tall that people frequently mistake

him for an adult. Which is why he manages to end up in a space programme to

the Moon while telling his parents he is in the Lake District on a school trip!

Sounds crazy? Yes, but beneath all the fun, this is a book about fathers and

their children and the way they relate to each other. A father and son buddy-

read, perhaps?

(PS: The scene where Liam gets to test drive a Porsche is hilarious ! )

Bang, Bang, You’re Dead by Narinder Dhami — our Brilliant Book reading

group favourite that year

A chilling account of a girl hiding in a school, where a mysterious gunman has

taken a class of children hostage. Mia fears that she knows exactly who the

gunman is and that his identity is uncomfortably close to home....

A scary, on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of book, with a shocking twist at the

end.

Read it if you dare!

WHP Libraries July 2011

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Ted and Kat watch their young cousin Salim step onto the London Eye.

Half an hour later, it lands. Everyone gets off... but where is Salim?

Has he been kidnapped? Did he really get on in the first place? How has he

vanished so completely?

As the police have no luck finding him, Ted and Kat turn detective and the

story becomes a nail-biting mystery

Ted, the narrator, has Aperger Syndrome and tells the story from his own

unique perspective, which makes the story even more unusual.

Breathe by Cliff McNish

One of the best ghost stories I have ever read. The children at the cottage

are really excited when Jack and his mother moved into the isolated cottage.

But why are they excited? Jack has always been sensitive to spirits and his

mother doesn‘t realise the danger he is in. Who is the Ghost Mother and why

does she want Jack?

This book will send a real chill down your spine.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Set in the year 2410, people have conquered death by using special drugs,

putting a serious strain on the planet‘s resources. Waste is a terrible crime

and the worst crime of all is having a child. Anna is one of these ―surplus‖ chil-

dren, sent to an orphanage, where she can only expect a harsh future as a

servant to pay for her dead parents‘ crime

But one night, Peter joins the orphans and challenges everything she thought

was true. He tells her that her parents are still alive and that they want her

back....Maybe Anna and her parents are not the criminals here after all.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo—the play has won many awards, the film

will be out soon...now find out why everyone is raving about this story.

In 1914, a young horse called Joey is sold to the army and experiences the

horrors of the front line during the First World War.

Although written nearly 30 years ago, this book has deservedly become a

classic and appeals to both adults and children.

A book about the futility of war and the suffering of the men and horses who

were a reluctant part of it.

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

―My name is Sam. I am 11 years old. I collect stories and fantastic facts. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead‖ ........... Sam has leukaemia. This is the story of his final months as he works his way through his own

personal bucket-list and Questions No-One Will Answer.

Honest, uplifting and extremely funny this book had me laughing out loud on

the bus one minute and trying not to cry the next. It sounds as if it should be

a depressing story but it is truly quite the opposite. You‘ll never forget this

book.

WHP Libraries July 2011

Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix

This series travels through the days of the week, each day holding a new

adventure. Arthur must collect all the keys to the days of the week or the

world will be in danger.

A epic fantasy series by a popular Australian author

(7 books in the series)

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The first book in the Inheritance Cycle, which the author began writing when

he was only 15 years old. A classic quest fantasy, the story begins when

Eragon finds a polished blue stone, a poor reward for a day‘s hunting. But the

stone turns out to be a dragon‘s egg and so Eragon becomes the first new

Dragon Rider for many a year. The rest have been killed by the evil King

Galbatroix who now wants to make sure both Eragon and his dragon will be the

very last of the Dragon Riders. One for fans of BIG books!

(4 books in the series. All of them BIG)

Time Riders series by Alex Scarrow

Liam, Maddy and Sal are snatched from the jaws of death by the mysterious

Mr Foster and land in New York in 2001. Time travel has become possible and

with it has come the possibility of changing the course of history. Liam,

Maddy and Sal are to become Time Riders— a talented team who wait for

ripples in the course of time and are charged with investigating the change

and going back in to the past to put things right.

(4 books in the series so far)

My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

―When he fell for the fifth time, when his face plunged into the deep snow, when his hands burnt from the cold...Radu the wood-cutter knew he was going to die‖ This creepy adventure is set during the early 17th century, in an isolated

Eastern European village surrounded by woods ,where newcomers Peter and

his father realise all is not as it seems. A series of unnatural deaths take

place , but the dead do not lie quietly in their graves.

Based on the true beginnings of the vampire myths, this book could give you

nightmares....Don‘t read it alone, late at night!

Abomination by Robert Swindells

Martha is bullied and taunted at school because she seems to be different.

Her parents belong to a strict religious group and Martha is not allowed to

wear the usual teenage clothes or go to anyone else‘s house. Her elder sister

has been expelled from the family for daring to rebel and Martha feels very

much alone.

She finally finds a friend in new boy, Scott. But can she ever tell him the

dark secret buried at the heart of her family? A secret she must never be

allowed to reveal. A chilling story.

WHP Libraries July 2011

Child X by Lee Weatherly

How would you feel if you came home from school one day and your Dad had

left and wanted nothing more to do with you, but nobody would tell you why?

You carry on trying to live as normal a life as possible but you‘re not allowed to

answer the phone or the door and photographers are hiding in bushes.

This book will have you hooked right from the start. You‘ll feel for Jules and

her terribly modern dilemma.

Malice by Chris Wooding

Malice is a comic book that only children know about. After you read it, the

words fade away. But if you say the right words, Tall Jake will come and get

you and drag you into the terrifying world of Malice.

Written as part-text and part-comic book, Malice is a highly original story.

Seth is horrifies to see his friend Luke disappear and turn up inside the

comic, being attacked by monsters. With another friend Kady, he enters a

dark world of grotesque mechanical beings in a desperate attempt to save

Luke from a terrible fate. The follow-up, Havoc, is also available

Keep up with the latest in children‘s books

Check out the following websites

http://www.cool-reads.co.uk/

Books for 10-15 year old readers, recommended and reviewed by 10-15year olds.

http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/

300+ children‘s books reviewed. Checkout the interactive Bookchooser

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/

An online children‘s independent bookstore. Here you can sign up for emails to alert you to new books

and download free extracts.

http://bookzone4boys.blogspot.com/

Books for boys

http://girlsheartbooks.com/

A blog run by authors who specifically write for girls. Includes Cathy Cassidy, Karen Mc Combie and

Cathy Hopkins

How about keeping your own BookBlog? — like this one

http://www.childrensbookreviews.co.uk/2008/12/

A longer list will be posted on Fronter in the Autumn term.

Librarians: Ms Crawford (BHC/AW)& Ms Welch (BP)