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.

286. Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan

Published September 2012 Text Publishing

From the publisher:

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.  And then A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.  Can you love someone who is destined to change each day? YA superstar author David Levithan brings all his trademark insight to a novel that is edgy, romantic and page-turning. Every Day has a touch of the paranormal and a grounding in the real world. 

OK, this is a 'Wow' book.  An amazing concept, told as an amazing love story.  It's one of two books I have on my list this month that makes you think about what makes us, 'us'. This story also makes you think about what it is about a person that we actually fall in love with.

285. This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Published October 2012 Candlewick Press

From the publisher:
When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it s a good thing that enormous fish won t wake up. And even if he does, it s not like he ll ever know what happened. . . . Visual humor swims to the fore as the best-selling Jon Klassen follows his breakout debut with another deadpan-funny tale.

My absolute favourite book last year was I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen.  The book was laugh out loud funny, and clever to boot.  It was an exciting day when I heard there was a new Jon Klassen book coming out this year, and joy of joys it's here!

The last book followed a bear looking for his lost hat.  This book is also about a stolen hat, albeit a different one.  This book is told from the point of view of the hat thief, and his genius plan to get away with his thievery!



The cleverness of this story is that the humour is portrayed entirely in the illustrations.  The story is a running commentary from the hat thief explaining how he stole the hat and fool proof plan to get away with it.

The illustrations show that clearly the owner of the hat is on to him, and not far behind.  Without giving too much away, I will say that the hat isn't the only theme that is carried over from the first book.

Who will like this book: Boys and girls age 5+
Read it if you like: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

284. Leopard Adventure by Anthony McGowan

Leopard Adventure (Willard Price) by Anthony McGowan

Published September 2012 Puffin

From the publisher:

The first authorized Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan.

Deep in the remote forests of Siberia, a mother Amur leopard, one of the rarest big cats in the world, senses danger. Something faster than any human and deadlier than any tiger.

Meanwhile Amazon Hunt, aged twelve, is recruited from England by Tracks in America, ready to take off at a moment's notice to rescue wild animals under threat - no matter how great the danger.  Now Amazon and her thirteen-year-old cousin Frazer must brave the Russian wilderness to save the Amur leopard, before a blazing forest fire wipes out the race - for good . . .

On the front cover of this book it says, Inspired by the Willard Price Adventures, and the blurb says that this is the first authorized Willard Price book.  As I started reading I realised that there is quite a big link between this and the Willard Price books.  The two main characters in this book are Amazon and her cousin Frazer, and guess what? Amazon’s Dad is Roger Hunter, and Frazer’s Dad is Hal Hunter, the two boys that featured in the Willard Price books, now adults and working in their fathers footsteps.

283. Parvana's Promise by Deborah Ellis

Parvana's Promise by Deborah Ellis
Published October 2012 Allen & Unwin

From the publisher:
Parvana, now fifteen, is found in a bombed-out school and held as a suspected terrorist by American troops in Afghanistan. A stunning sequel to Parvana and Parvana's Journey.

As I started reading this, I realised that I had forgotten most of the details of the first 3 books about Parvana.  When I looked back, I can see that there is a good reason for this, as the last story about Parvana (Shauzia) was published 9 years ago, 10 years since Parvana's Journey.  What that means is, while fans of the previous books will be looking forward to reading about an old favourite, this book works as a stand alone novel that may encourage readers to go back and read the earlier novels.

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.