148. More Meerkat Madness by Ian Whybrow

More Meerkat Madness by Ian Whybrow
Published April 2012 Harper Collins


From the publisher:


The Really Mad Mob of meerkats is on the move again in another animal antics adventure! Mimi, Skeema and Little Dream are unhappy when Uncle invites a fluffy, stranger to join the Really Mad mob. So when Little Dream dreams that their missing mama is calling him, the kits set off to search for her. But a lost lion cub has other plans for them! Join the meerkat kits on a crazy adventure across the Kalahari desert.


This book is so sweet.  Meet the Meerkats, Mimi Skeema and Little Dream, living their life in the Kalahari desert in their home Far Burrow.  Their mother has left the (presumed dead) and they are under the care of their Uncle Fearless.  This cosy picture of domestic bliss is disturbed when Uncle Fearless brings his lady friend, the lovely Radiant into the mix.  These kits don;t want this new interloper, they want their mum, so they decide to cross the Kalahari and find her.

147. Drive By by Jim Carrington

Drive By by Jim Carrington
Published May 2012 Allen & Unwin

From the publisher:
Johnny and his friends have finished school for the summer. One sweltering day, on their way back from a water fight at the park, they spot an old lady who has wound them up by bursting their football. They make a bad decision.  An incredibly dramatic, pacy novel about getting in over your head, guilt and facing up to your decisions.

The question to consider when reading this book is... What is murder?

Johnny and his mates are teenage boys who are beginning to get bored during their summer holidays. Apart from an average part time job and football training there's not too much to do. When they a see an opportunity to seek revenge on their annoying elderly neighbor nicknamed the Poisoned Dwarf, they shoot her with a water pistol while she sits in a parked car. To Johnny's horror, they find that the seemingly innocent attack resulted in the old woman having a heart attack.

146. Agent 21: Reloaded by Chris Ryan

Agent 21: Reloaded by Chris Ryan
Published May 2012 Random House


From the publisher:


In the year since Zak Darke was approached by a shadowy government agency to become Agent 21, his world has changed completely. But there is no time to reflect on this - the undercover operations go on. Zak is sent to a port in west Africa, a known terrorist stronghold, under the guise of working on a charity volunteer project. But charity work could not be further from Zak's real mission - he must sneak on board an enemy ship, gather information - and then destroy it. Never has Zak's training been more useful: Trust nobody.

18 months ago Zak Darke 'died', he is now living as Agent 21. Zak has been undergoing his gruelling training at St Peter's Crag and he is about to be sent on his first solo mission.  Zak is sent to Africa on a mission to destroy a ship that carries as it;s passengers the terrorist group Black Wolf.  His cover is to work as a volunteer, building a school, but the school building is on hold on account of gun toting thugs. So not only do we have a mission to destroy a terrorist group, Zak takes it upon himself to help the community by dealing with the thugs.  While his escapades on land seem successful. the action really heats up out at sea, when things do not go quite to plan.

145. The Baby That Roared by Simon Puttock illustrated by Nadia Shireen

The Baby That Roared by Simon Puttock illustrated by Nadia Shireen
Published April 2012 Noisy Crow

From the publisher:
Mr and Mrs Deer would love to have a baby, and one day their wish comes true: they find a little antlered bundle on their doorstep. But the baby keeps roaring, so they ask for advice from family and friends, who sent them off to fetch what they think the baby needs. But it's very peculiar, because each time Mr and Mrs Deer come back from their errands, someone has gone missing. 

Today we have another of my favourite kind of picture book.  Very funny and a tiny bit wicked.

When a 'Dear little baby' gets left on their doorstep, Mrs Deer is thrilled...Mr Deer on the other hand thinks that the baby looks peculiar.  It does indeed look peculiar, it is as big as a laundry basket, has blue fur, and quite a lot of teeth!  This baby is also a very fussy eater, it won't eat toast, cabbage, cheese,  cucumbers or cauliflower, so Mr and Mrs Deer seek the help of their friends.

144. Our Australian Girl: Nellie and the Secret Letter (Book 2) by Penny Matthews

Our Australian Girl: Nellie and the Secret Letter (Book 2) by Penny Matthews
Published May 2012 Penguin

From the publisher:

It's 1849 . . . and Nellie is starting her new life as a kitchen maid in a grand Adelaide house with her best friend, Mary. But Nellie's desire to live out her dreams soon leads to a battle with the spiteful cook Bessie Rudge… Can Nellie keep her temper and avoid being thrown out to beg on the streets? And why is Mary acting so strangely?

Follow Nellie on her adventure in the second of four exciting stories about an Irish girl with a big heart, in search of the freedom to be herself.

At the end of Book 1 Nellie had lost her job with Mrs Thompson, when the boarding house burned down and Mrs Thompson and her family moved to Burra Burra.  Nellie is about to embark on her latest adventure when she seeks work in a grand Adelaide home.  Her friend Mary works at the same house as a nursery maid, and Nellie is looking forward to being with her friend once again.

143. Tales of the Blue Jade Book 2: The Mapmaker's Apprentice by Peter Cooper

Tales of the Blue Jade Book 2: The Mapmaker's Apprentice by Peter Cooper
Published May 2012 Scholastic


From the publisher:


Dillen, Koto and Tajni are free of their cruel masters and ready for their next adventure. Dillen is drawn to a respected mapmaker's appeal for an apprentice and hopes to be chosen. But many others want the job, and the test for them all is to undertake a journey to a mountain pass haunted by a fearsome creature said to be the size of a barn and able to move like a hunting snake. Dillen and his friends soon discover they have an even more perilous mission on their hands, one that could be the end for all of them ...


Dillen is ready to start his new life.  Koto is tending stables at a local inn, where Tajni cooks and Dillen is currently serving drinks.  His dream however is to become a mapmaker, so when there is word that the mapmaker Master Liao is looking for an apprentice Dillen believes his luck has changed.  His dream is somewhat crushed when he reaches Master Liao's only to find he is not the only boy with dreams of becoming a mapmaker.  To chose his apprentice, Master Liao sends the eager boys on a quest to the border of the empire where an abandon watchtower sits, there the boys must climb to the top of the tower to see what is written on the wall. The first boy to come back and tell Master Liao what is written on the wall will become his apprentice.  This journey may seem simple enough, but the roads leading to the tower are closed because there is a monster killing travellers who dare pass.

142. My First Classic Story: The Frog Prince retold by Eric Blair illustrated by Todd Ouren

My First Classic Story: The Frog Prince retold by Eric Blair illustrated by Todd Ouren
Published April 2012 Raintree

From the publisher:

A retelling of the classic tale of a beautiful princess who makes a promise to a frog which she does not intend to keep.

This book is one of many on a new series.  There is a preface in this title and in each of the others that says there have been many versions of this story, and the following tale is a retelling of the original version.  The story has been cut for length and level, the basic elements of the classic tale remain.