Kid's Picks
Yasmin The Librarian by Saadia Faruqi
For Readers 5-7 years
Meet Yasmin: a curious explorer and a great thinker. She is bold, imaginative and loves to learn! It is Library Day at school and Yasmin is the helper.
At the back of the book there are some fun facts, you can learn some Urdu words and there is a craft activity to do. Check out the other titles in the series, you will find them in the CFI’s – there are many!
In or Out: A tale of cat versus dog by Stacy Gregg
Illustrated by Sarah Jennings
A fun, bright picture book for animal lovers. A mischievous cat and an impatient dog. In out! In out! In out! Dog is incredibly good at finding things to do: painting, reading, and doing puzzles. Cat is particularly good at finding windows and doors to enter and exit. How frustrating! Will they still be friends at the end of the day? A great tale about friendship and patience. Nice, bright illustrations by Sarah Jennings.
Reviewed by Michelle Platts.
The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond by Amy Sparkes
For Readers 8+
Set in a magical, adventurous world full of unusual characters, Nine an orphan and the other residence of the House at the Edge of Magic set out on an quest to find Professor Dish, Spoon’s best friend who is missing. They travel to the Back of Beyond where they think Dish could be, and discover wonderful shops selling all sorts of powerful potions and books full of adventure, enchantment and secrets. But with no time to explore, they must uncover what has happened to Professor Dish before it’s too late. This is the third book in the series.
Reviewed by Olga Hemmingsen.
Campfire Stories by Andres Miedoso
For Readers 5-9 years
Andres' parents have decided that a weekend camping trip to Kersville forest is a great idea. They obviously don't realise that this is a haunted forest. Andres is allowed to invite his best friend Desmond along and he also secretly takes his ghost buddy, Zax. On arrival at the campsite the boys are left to entertain themselves and what better way to pass the time than to sit around the fire and tell ghost stories. But are the stories getting too scary and too real? This is a fun, easy to read story for newer readers but maybe not at bedtime.
Reviewed by Amanda Lord.
The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy
For Readers 10+
If you loved ‘Stranger Things’ this horror story will be a great read. Archie arrives home and finds a coin on the front door mat. He throws it in the garden when his brother teases him, but when he looks back it has reappeared on the doorstep. His dad is working on the spooky Langdon property and shuts down the exacavation as it’s unsafe. People are angry, but when Archie and his mates go to investigate, they realise that there is something bad down in the hole and the digging has to stop. Then men in brown suits turn up and the adults start changing... strange things are happening!
Below by David Hill
For Readers 8+
There is a reason parents tell you not to do something. It can go really wrong! Liam finds this out the hard way when he dares his annoying classmate/enemy Imogen, to go into the tunnel his father is helping dig in a mountainside. When they are trapped after a massive rockfall the two adversaries have to get over their dislike of each other and work out how to survive trapped kilometers below the ground. Nail-biting in some places, this is a great read for young people who like adventure, great characters and realistic stories.
Reviewed by Lynn Vare.