I currently have more than a dozen books on my to read pile so I thought it was time for another of these posts where I share some titles with you.
Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for these new books some of which will be published later this year.
Advanced Reader Copies
The Travelling Bookshop by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Cheryl Orsini Publisher Harper Collins (Due August 2021)
I have read The Travelling Bookshop and I loved it. Such a warm-hearted and imaginative story with beautifully crafted relationships.
Publisher blurb: Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, with her dad and brother and a horse called Flossy. Flossy leads them where she will, to the place where they're needed most ... the place where the perfect book will find its way home. Now Mim has arrived in a pretty Dutch village where she meets Willemina, a kind and gentle child, who is being bullied by a girl named Gerda. Mim knows they're here to help Willemina. To change her life. To make her strong and brave and happy. If only Dad would find her the right book. If only he would stop giving everyone else the wrong book!
Pax: Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker Publisher Harper Collins (September 2021)
I am so excited to read the sequel to Pax. I said "I am in awe of an author like Sara Pennypacker. One of the most wonderful things about reading is when you know you are in the safe hands of a master storyteller especially when realise this right from the start of the story. You know the characters might experience hardship, difficulties, pain and trauma but you also know the author will bring everyone safely home - not in a sentimental or trite way - but in a way that leaves you gasping at the sheer brilliance of their writing."
Publisher blurb for this sequel: It’s been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives. Pax and his mate, Bristle, have welcomed a litter of kits they must protect in a dangerous world. Meanwhile Peter—newly orphaned after the war, racked with guilt and loneliness—leaves his adopted home with Vola to join the Water Warriors, a group of people determined to heal the land from the scars of the war. When one of Pax's kits falls desperately ill, he turns to the one human he knows he can trust. And no matter how hard Peter tries to harden his broken heart, love keeps finding a way in. Now both boy and fox find themselves on journeys toward home, healing—and each other, once again.
Kate on the Case by Hannah Peck Publisher Piccadilly (May 2021)
Publisher blurb: Young reporter-in-training Kate and her mouse-accomplice Rupert are on board a train, to visit Kate's mum in the Arctic. But as soon as the train departs, mysterious things start happening.
A packet of ginger nuts goes missing . . .
A collection of gymnastics trophies are stolen . . .
And some ancient scrolls disappear . . . Fellow passenger Madame Maude seems the most likely culprit, until a surprising - and delicious - twist turns the whole investigation on its head. First in a witty two-colour chapter-book series about a bold young detective and a colourful cast of suspects, in a setting worthy of Agatha Christie.
Wandi by Favel Parrett Publisher Lothian Books (October 2021)
Wandi is a real dog. I found this BTN segment. I have already read this slim 120 page novella. I will talk about this one closer to the release date. There were quite a few aspects of this true story that I would like to research further.
Publisher blurb: A dingo cub is snatched from his family and home by a giant eagle, then dropped, injured and alone, in a suburban backyard. This is the beautifully woven story of Wandi, the most famous dingo in the world. ... A young cub is snatched from his family and home by a giant eagle, then dropped, injured and alone, in a suburban garden. This is where he meets his first Human, and begins his long journey to becoming the most famous dingo in the world. He will never see his mountain home again, or his family. But it is his destiny to save alpine dingoes from extinction, and he dreams of a time when all cubs like him can live in the wild in safety, instead of facing poison and bullets and hatred.
Are you there Buddah? by Pip Harry Publisher Lothian (Due July 2021)
This book is a verse novel and you may already know I am a huge fan of this book form. I have already finished Are you there Buddah? so I will talk about it fairly soon but first I have a plan to re-read Are you there God? It's me Margaret by Judy Blume which is the book Pip Harry refers to in this newest book. Read my review of The Little Wave also by Pip Harry.
Publisher blurb: Bridget 'Bee' Ballentine is 12 and starting her first year of high school in the beach suburb Crescent Bay. Still reeling from the departure of her mother for an ashram in India, Bee talks to Buddha and begs for her first period not to arrive. She's not ready to become a woman yet, whatever that means. Although Bee's yet to find her tribe at school, her best friend forever is surfer Leon McKay, also known as the hottest boy in Year Eight. As long as Leon has her back, Bee can survive the mean girls, her meddling step-mum, Kath, and her swimming nemesis, The Piranha. Over one blistering summer, set against the backdrop of bushfires, smoke haze and water restrictions, Bee will grow up, show up, and make a name for herself.
Danny Chung does not do maths by Maisie Chan Publisher Piccadilly (Due June 2021)
Publisher blurb: Eleven-year-old Danny Chung loves drawing more than anything - certainly more than maths, which, according to his dad and everyone else, is what he is 'supposed' to be good at. He also loves having his own room where he can draw in peace, so his life is turned upside down when a surprise that he's been promised turns out to be his little, wrinkly, ex-maths-champion grandmother from China. What's worse, Nai Nai has to share his room, AND she takes the top bunk! Nai Nai can't speak a word of English, which doesn't make things easy for Danny when he is charged with looking after her during his school holidays. Babysitting Nai Nai is NOT what he wants to be doing! Before long though it becomes clear to Danny that there is more to Nai Nai than meets the eye, and that they have more in common that he thought possible ...
Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Publisher Orion (September 2021)
Do you recognise this author - Kiran Millwood Hargrave is the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars. This new book has illustrations by Kiran's husband.
Publisher blurb: Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...
The School for talking Pets by Kelli Anne Hawkins Publisher Harper Collins (September 2021)
Publisher blurb: Pets? Tick! TALKING pets? Double tick! Silly spies, secret plots and one shy kid who might just save the day? Tick, tick, tick!
Anything's possible at the School for Talking Pets ... When Rusty Mulligan and his pet blue-tongued lizard win a week on a secret island, at Miss Alice Einstein's School for Talking Pets, the shy twelve-year-old is thrilled. His best friend will learn to talk! But once on the island, things don't go to plan ... And Rusty must work with the other competition winners, a terrifyingly tattooed gardener, and a multitude of clever animals to save the school from the clutches of the two secret agents who have come to shut it down -- by any means necessary ...
Books I have purchased to read:
Twitch by M.G. Leonard Publisher Walker Books
Why did I purchase this book? I have read other books by MG Leonard such as Beetle Boy and Beetle Queen. The team from Walker books are showcasing new books each term and when they mentioned Twitch I immediately added it to my shopping list.
Publisher blurb: The internationally bestselling author of Beetle Boy writes a thrilling mystery adventure about friendship, bravery and the wonderful world of birds, starring a birdwatching detective called Twitch. Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict? Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?
The Lost Boys Gift by Kimberley Willis Holt Publisher Square Fish
Why did I purchase this book? Begin with my post about the book When Zachary Beaver came to Town.
Publisher blurb: The story opens as ten-year-old Daniel moves across the country in the wake of his parents’ divorce. He’s leaving behind his dad and his friends, but taking his anger with him. Little does Daniel know what awaits on While-a-Way Lane, his quirky new neighborhood. There he meets Tilda Butter who is gifted with the ability to communicate with animals. Though Daniel’s reluctant to let Tilda in at first, he ultimately opens up to a special friendship and the hope of a new start. Kimberly Willis Holt infuses a classic coming of age tale with a magical twist, all while thoughtfully exploring themes of divorce, acceptance, intergenerational friendship, and the power that comes with listening deeply.
Featherlight by Peter Bunzl Published by Barringon Stoke
Why did I purchase this book? There are three reasons. I love lighthouses. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by Peter Bunzl and I have also read some terrific titles published by Barrington Stoke.
Publisher blurb: Deryn’s father is the lighthouse keeper on Featherstone Island, keeping the lantern lit to protect passing boats from the treacherous rocky coastline. But when an emergency arises and Deryn is left alone to keep watch over the lighthouse, she finds herself in a terrible situation when the lamp runs out of oil during a wild storm. With a fishing boat in peril on the sea, Deryn has to seek help from an unusual source. Will she be able to keep the lantern lit through the dark, dangerous night?
See inside Featherlight here.
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender Publisher Scholastic
Blurb: Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and twelve-year-old Caroline has had her share of bad luck lately. She's hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, a spirit only she can see won't stop following her, and — worst of all — Caroline's mother left home one day and never came back. But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline's luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline's first and only friend, and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush. Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother, before Caroline loses her forever.
Read an extract here. Kirkus Star review.
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri Published by Levin Querido
Publisher blurb: At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls “Daniel”) stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much. But Khosrou’s stories, stretching back years, and decades, and centuries, are beautiful, and terrifying, from the moment his family fled Iran in the middle of the night with the secret police moments behind them, back to the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy…and further back to the fields near the river Aras, where rain-soaked flowers bled red like the yolk of sunset burst over everything, and further back still to the jasmine-scented city of Isfahan. We bounce between a school bus of kids armed with paper clip missiles and spitballs to the heroines and heroes of Khosrou’s family’s past, who ate pastries that made people weep and cry “Akh, Tamar!” and touched carpets woven with precious gems. Like Scheherazade in a hostile classroom, Daniel weaves a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth. And it is (a true story).
Kirkus Star review
