365. Romance Diaries Book 2: Ruby by Jenna Austen

Romance Diaries Book 2: Ruby by Jenna Austen
Published January 2013 Harper Collins

From the publisher:
Ruby's worried that her friends keep making the same mistakes when it comes to romance. Then she develops a theory: most girls go for either a Jane Austen guy (funny, sweet, caring) or a Jane Eyre guy (dark, brooding, serious) -- when really they should be dating the exact opposite! But when Ruby puts her theory into practice, the results don't exactly go to plan ... And if shes so smart about love, how come she can't figure out who's been sending her all the flirty emails and flowers?

Being the book nerd that I am, my first thought when I saw this book, was Who Is Jenna Austen?  I was fairly confident that this was a pseudonym, and after a bit of Googling, I came up trumps.  Jenna Austen is non other than the well know Australian writer Sophie Masson!

350. Stories for 5 Year Olds Edited by Linsay Knight

Stories for 5 Year Olds compiled by Linsay Knight

Published December 2012 Random House

From the publisher:

Top stories specially chosen for 5 year olds! Authors include Janeen Brian, Ursula Dubosarsky, Victor Kelleher and lots more! Two toy gorillas, twelve princesses with a secret, a problem with bubblegum, a very hungry boy, a girl who likes exploring, a very popular dog, a class visiting ducklings, a postman with a problem, mysterious bush creatures and a gorilla adventure ...you'll find all these in Stories for 5 Year Olds. And you'll find some of your favourite Australian authors too. Once you start reading, you won't want to stop!

When I first saw these books for 5, 6, 7, and 8 year olds I was really excited as it’s good to have short stories that will appeal to specific ages groups.  When I had a quick look at the contents page I was momentarily disappointed as I realised that many of these stories aren’t new.  It’s when I saw one story in particular that I was extremely happy that they had chosen stories that have been out of print, and are up there with my favourites stories of all time.

342. Matilda Saga Book 3 : Girl From Snowy River by Jackie French

Matilda Saga Book 3 : Girl From Snowy River by Jackie French

Published December 2012 Harper Collins

From the publisher:

The year is 1919. Thirty years have passed since the man from Snowy River made his famous ride. But World War I still casts its shadow across a valley in the heart of Australia, particularly for orphaned sixteen-year-old Flinty McAlpine, who lost a brother when the Snowy River men marched away to war.

Why has the man Flinty loves returned from the war so changed and distant? Why has her brother Andy 'gone with cattle', leaving Flinty in charge of their younger brother and sister and with the threat of eviction from the farm she loves so dearly?

A brumby muster held under the watchful eye of the legendary Clancy of the Overflow offers hope. Now Flinty must ride to save her farm, her family and the valley she loves.

Set among the landscapes of the great poems of Australia, this book is a love song to the Snowy Mountains and a tribute to Australia's poets who immortalised so much of our land. The Girl from Snowy River combines passion, heartbreak, history and an enduring love and rich understanding of our land. It continues the grand saga that began with A Waltz for Matilda.

It's funny, if I was asked the question "Do you like to read historical fiction?"  My immediate answer would be no, but put a Jackie French historical novel in may hands and I just can't put it down.  I am mostly preaching to the converted I am sure, when I say that Jackie French has a real way with making history readable.  

331. I Made Lattes for a Love God by Wendy Harmer

I Made Lattes for a Love God by Wendy Harmer
Published November 2012 Allen & Unwin

From the publisher:
Elly Pickering has a juicy secret. A secret her PR mum won't let her tell anyone because if the kids at Oldcastle High knew that mega-star Jake Blake (yes, THE Jake Blake, teen sensation and all round heart-throb) was coming to Oldcastle to film his latest movie, they might just explode with excitement.
Elly is determined to get on set and to get more than a glimpse of her Hollywood crush. But now thanks to an unfortunate incident involving a car, a red handbag and the paparazzi, it looks like Elly's lost a lot more than her opportunity to be close to Hollywood royalty. She's lost her dignity, her job and her best friend. How can she get everything back to normal?


For those of you that loved Harmer’s first foray into teenage fiction I Lost My Mobile at the Mall, you will be very happy to know that this new book continues the adventures and sagas of the one and only Elly Pickering.  This book will appeal to teenage girls everywhere, because who hasn’t wished that the teenage screen idol of the day would one day be filming in their town, which will of course lead to meeting him and then him falling in love with you!?

327. Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp

Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp
Published November 2012 Harper Collins

From the publisher:

Ruby Red Shoes lives in a colourful caravan with her grandmother. Ruby is gentle and kind and cares for all living things, including plants and trees, animals and people.

Ruby is also particularly fond of strawberry jam and peppermint tea.

This book would be the perfect choice for little girls who think they are too old for picture books (although we know you are NEVER too old for picture books).  It’s half way between the size of a novel and a picture book,  but it feels more like a novel as it is longer than a picture book, with, 48 pages but it still has coloured pictures on every page.

325. Eric Vale, Epic Fail by Michael Gerard Bauer illustrated by Joe Bauer

Eric Vale, Epic Fail by Michael Gerard Bauer illustrated by Joe Bauer

Published November 2012 Scholastic

From the publisher:

Ever had a STUPID nickname? A ROTTEN run of bad luck? A BEST friend who just looks on the BRIGHT side-even when the bright side looks BLACK? Well, Eric Vale's got all three, and they're pushing him towards the EPIC-EST of all EPIC FAILS!

We have been blessed with Greg Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Big Nate, Tom Gates and most recently Duane (My Totally Awesome Story), characters who grace the pages of books that have a huge appeal to boys ( and plenty of girls), books with a mix of text and illustration, all sharing the common theme of humour, usually at the expense of the main character!  Now we have another book to keep these boys reading, meet Eric Vale, who has managed to score himself the worst nickname of all time, Eric Vale, Epic Fail.

322. And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst 
Published October 2012 Andrea K. Höst (self published)

From the publisher:
Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

This is another book that I read based on a review from Book Smugglers, it's not out here (in Australia), so I read this one as an eBook.  The author was born in Sweden but grew up, and still lives in Australia.  

319. Truly Tan by Jen Storer illustrated by Claire Robertson

Truly Tan by Jen Storer illustrated by Claire Robertson
Published November 2012 ABC Books

From the publisher:

Meet Tan. She′s funny. She′s lively. She has the mind of a Great Detective ...

Dear Diary

It′s official. Our whole family has moved to the country. The pets are disturbed and restless. My sisters are disturbed and restless -- although that′s normal. What is not normal is a cursed fox and a haunted clubhouse. That is definitely unnormal.

At least the country people now have an expert in their midst. Someone with a cool head and a sharp eye. Someone who can solve intriguing mysteries and knows how to keep detailed Secret Spy Files.

Really, it′s lucky I came along when I did.

Truly

Tan

Tan is the youngest of four girls in her family.  Her sisters are referred to as the traffic lights, or lollipops, due to the colourful nature of their names, Ruby , Emerald and Amber.  Their father is a vet and their mother a foodie journalist, and they are moving to the country with their menagerie of animals.

304. The Convent by Maureen McCarthy

The Convent by Maureen McCarthy
Publisher October 2012 Allen & Unwin

From the publisher:
In the early 1900s, Sadie is forced to relinquish her young daughter. This single act has consequences that ripples through the generations. Her daughter, Edna, is raised in a Melbourne convent, by an enclosed order of nuns. In a replay of history, her only daughter Cecilia decides to take on the veil ...
But in the present day, Peach, is simply working in the cafe at the refurbished convent, unaware of the layers of family history surrounding her there.
Their separate stories traverse the hundred-year history of the Abbotsford Convent and explosively intersect as the past comes to claim its dues.

This is a book that I have had sitting on my reading pile for a while, but I wanted to wait and read it when I had no other distractions, so that I could just enjoy it.  Maureen McCarthy has a great way with relationships, both within families and friendships.  Her characters are often flawed, and that ‘s what makes them believable.

299. Today We Have No Plans by Jane Godwin illustrated by Anna Walker

Today We Have No Plans by Jane Godwin illustrated by Anna Walker
Published September 2012 Penguin Viking

From the publisher:

A busy week, a slower day Brings time to dream and time to play.

From the creators of the much-loved All Through the Year comes a journey through a week in the life of an Australian family, celebrating those precious days that have no plans.

The title of this book captures my very favourite kind of day.  I am, at heart, a homebody and any day where I can be at home pottering about with nowhere to be and nothing that I HAVE to do are my favourite king of days.

298. Princess Betony and the Unicorn by Pamela Freeman and illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

Princess Betony and the Unicorn by Pamela Freeman and illustratedby Tamsin AinsliePublished October 2012 Walker Books

From the publisher:

Princess Betony’s mother is a dryad and misses the Wild Magic of the Dark Forest. When the princess sees her mother running into the Dark Forest, Betony is worried she will never return. Humans are forbidden to enter the Forest. Betony doesn’t care. She has to find her mother, no matter what. But first she must catch a unicorn!

This book makes quite the change form Oblivion which I read earlier this week, while that book was huge, this one is quite small, it’s dimensions are, 149mm x w96mm.  For this reason alone, it may get overlooked by school libraries because it will disappear on their shelves.  While libraries may decide against this tiny treat, I think most girls would love it, because of it’s size. It has the added bonus of having on of those ribbon book marks attached to the book, which seem to be favoured by many younger readers.

297. The Colours of Madeline Book 1: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Colours of Madeline Book 1: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Published October 2012 Pan Macmillan

From the publisher:

She knew this.
That philematology is the science of kissing.
That Samuel Langhorne Clemens is better known as Mark Twain.
That, originally, gold comes from the stars.

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie's Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

Elliot begins to write to Madeleine, the Girl-in-the-World – a most dangerous thing to do for suspected cracks must be reported and closed.

But Elliot's father has disappeared and Madeleine's mother is sick.

Can a stranger from another world help to unravel the mysteries in your own? Can Madeleine and Elliot find the missing pieces of themselves before it is too late?

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

I must confess before I begin to talk about how much I love this book that I am a big fan of Jaclyn Moriarty and her sister Liane Moriarty.  In fact if I could wish for who I would have at my ultimate children’s literature conference, these two would be right up there.  Liane has written more for adults, but they both have such unique, quirky and humourous voices in their writing, that I would like to hear them both speak about the how’s and whys of their writing.

292. Little Elephants by Graeme Base

Little Elephants by Graeme Base
Published September 2012 Penguin

From the publisher:
The wheat is ripe, but the harvester is broken and a plague of locusts is on the way. It looks as if Jim and his mother may lose the farm. But when Jim show kindness to a stranger, their fortunes are set to change in the most surprising way imaginable!

I found this book to be quite different from Graeme Base’s other books.  His books tend to be either completely based in reality or completely fantastical.  This story has elements of both.

287. Secret Girls' Business by Maggie Hamilton

Secret Girls’ Business by Maggie Hamilton

Published September 2012 Viking

From the publisher:

Secret Girls' Business will put the individuality and creative spark back into your life. Craft, stories, fashion tips, recipes and helpful advice will inspire you to develop your artistry, discover different cultures, experiment with style and revel in the joys of friends and family. 

I have said more than once this year, that I wasn't the intended audience for the book I was reading.  This is another such book.  What I will say is that I wish I had read something like this when I was a teenage girl.  In fact, even as an adult, there are things in this book that I found interesting and inspiring.

282. Chook Chook: Mei's Secret Pets by Wai Chim

Chook Chook: Mei's Secret Pets by Wai Chim

Published August 2012 UQP

From the publisher:

Since the death of Mei’s father, her ma has refused to keep animals on the family farm. So when Mei finds two baby chickens, she shares her delightful discovery with no one but her older brother Guo.

Mei does her best to keep her new found friends a secret, but all does not go as planned. When Ma sells the chooks to the fearsome one-eyed butcher, their fates seem sealed.

Is there anything Mei can do to save her beloved chooks from the butcher’s knife?

A new book by first time author that fits in wonderfully with the ever popular theme of animals and pets.  In the case of this book, there are no wild animals like alligators or tigers, but at the same time the pets in this book are not the run of the mill cat or dog either.  The title alone gives it away, and if not that, then the illustration of the cover.  This book is about ‘chooks’ or chickens to my non Australian readers.

281. Word Hunters Book 1: The Curious Dictionary by Nick Earls and illustrated by Terry Whidborne

Word Hunters Book 1: The Curious Dictionary by Nick Earls and Terry Whidborne

Published August 2012 UQP

From the publisher:

Lexi and Al Hunter are twins with almost nothing in common – except their parents and their birthday! At school Lexi hangs with her friends in the cool crowd, while Al hides in the library reading about history, battles and faraway places.

When the twins stumble upon an old dictionary their world as they know it changes. They are blasted into history to hunt down the words that threaten to vanish from our past and our present. Their lives and the future of the world are at stake. Can they find a way back home? Or will they be trapped in the past forever? Now more than ever, they need to depend on each other if they want to survive.

The blurb on this book says it’s for word nerds, so it should be the perfect book for me.  It also has an element that seems to be cropping up in every second book I am reading…time travel.

279. Found: The Art of Recycling by Lisa Hölzl

Found: The Art of Recycling by Lisa Hölzl

Published October 2012 Walker

From the publisher:

In the early 1900s the way art was created changed. Pablo Picasso used cardboard instead of paint. Marcel Duchamp called a bicycle wheel art and Raoul Hausemann made a sculpture out of an old shopkeepers dummy. Instead of using traditional materials such as paint, more and more artists started using found materials like newspapers, old photographs and bits of furniture. And they are still doing it today. Find out how these artists, using found materials, changed the art world. Be inspired to create your own masterpieces!

I thought that this book fits in really well with the book from Wednesday, The World According to Alice B Lovely.  In that book there was a lot of alternative art, art made with recycled objects and very unusual items, and that's what this book is all about.

269. Miss Understood by James Roy

Miss Understood by James Roy
Published September 2012 Random House (Woolshed Press)

From the publisher:
Lizzie doesn't mean to do the wrong thing . . . she's just misunderstood. When ten-year-old Lizzie accidentally sets fire to a cardboard effigy of her school principal, she's asked to leave Our Lady of the Sacred Wimple College. It wasn't her fault, honest! But no one will listen to the truth, so from now on Lizzie will be home-schooled by her mother in her family's dining room. No friends, no playground, and nothing but homework. Lizzie has to prove that she's matured enough to be allowed back into Sacred Wimple. She tries. She volunteers at a charity shop. She writes an essay about an inspirational person. She attempts to cheer up her dad, who's being sued after writing a mean restaurant review. And when she finds a man living in the empty display home next door, she vows to help him . . .

At the beginning of the book Lizzie is in trouble.  She is in the principle’s office, because of the bad thing that she did.  The bad thing involved stamping out a burning effigy of the principle.  Yes that sounds bad…but Lizzie is simply misunderstood, because it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.  Unfortunately for Lizzie, there have been a number of misunderstandings, like the time she ‘rescued’ the Preps from drowning at a swimming carnival or the time she was locked in the control room at the local power station.  This time, the good people at Our Lady of the Sacred Wimple College have no choice but to expel Lizzie.  Leaving your school and your friends is bad enough, but Lizzie isn’t going to another school, her mother is going to home school her!

266. My Totally Awesome Story by Pat Flynn and illustrated by Peter Carnavas

My Totally Awesome Story by Pat Flynn and illustrated by Peter Carnavas

Published August 2012 UQp

From the publisher:

My Totally Awesome Story is a school-based comedy about a fearless boy named Duane. As he fills in his writing workbook with his wicked stories and cartoons, Duane hilariously details his run-ins with the deputy principal, his misadventures with his best mate Meatball, his crush on hot chick Jackie, as well as his dreams to jump over 100 cars on his motorbike. A self-confessed legend, Duane will have kids laughing out loud to the very last page!

I am always a little wary of books that look like they are trying to be something else.  What do I mean by that?  Well, when I first looked at this book, I thought OK, it’s written in diary form, there are illustrations on every page, it’s set in a school, it’s funny…Diary of a Wimpy Kid sprang to mind.  That’s not a bad thing.  I think I have sold more Diary of a Wimpy Kid books than any other book…EVER, and yes that includes Harry Potter, and if kids are reading it, I am all for it (FYI: there’s a new Wimpy Kid due in November!). Once I started reading this one though, I realised that it’s not actually a diary, but a journal/workbook for English class.

264. Same, But Little Bit Diff'rent by Kylie Dunstan

Same, But Little Bit Diff'rent by Kylie Dunstan
Published August 2012 Windy Hollow Books

'Right up the very top of Australia there is a special place. My friend Normie comes from there, and he says, 'Things are different to what you might see in the city. Same, but little bit diffrent ' Told in the stunning collage artwork for which Kylie Dunstan is acclaimed, the story is related by a child living in a southern city and her friend Normie, who lives in the top end. As they compare notes about their lives, activities and interests, they discover how very much they have in common, despite their contrasting environments. 

For a long time now in schools there has been a focus on how 'we're all the same'. In many ways that is of course true, but with our schools bursting with multicultural uniqueness , there are also a lot of differences.