Jack Higgins with Justin Richards
Sure fire
Adult action thriller author Jack Higgins has teamed up with childrens author Justin Richards to write a snappy, fast paced action novel that has the perfect balance of mystery and action to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Jade and Rich are smart, quick thinking, and are more than prepared to do what it takes to get their father back when he is kidnapped. Armed with that they know, and what they think they know, they are vulnerable to the people who have their father and want what he has. To stay alive they have to trust each other and figure out who else to trust in a world that has been turned upside down by secret agents and villains that hide in plain sight. More believable than Alex Rider and his high-tech gadgets, Jade and Rich are real world heroes doing what they can, and doing it well. Hopefully there will be a sequel to this fantastic book.
-- Erika, Central
Chris Wooding
Storm thief
Nothing like a book that drops you into a totally alien world, to discover along with its characters! Chris Wooding creates the entirely compelling world of Orokos, a city that is rumoured to be the only one on the planet. It is a faintly familiar, post apocalyptic place where its inhabitants live in fear of the huge storms that warp reality, and plague them with ghosts of the past.
One such inhabitant is Rail, a young thief who lost the ability to breath by himself in one such storm. On a routine job in which he and his companion Moa eke out a living in Orokos’ ghettos, they come across an artefact that dates back before the time of the Probability Storms, and Orokos itself. The question is, what do they do with something so valuable?
The city of Orokos, and its situation is central to the book, and it’s something I found kept me riveted until the end. What had happened that created such an unforgiving place? Both Rail and Moa, although total opposites, are a refreshing read in terms of personality, and their struggle to stay alive day to day really draws you into their world. Storm Thief is a brilliant book that stands alone as a complete story.
-- Tama, Central
Gabrielle Zevin
Elsewhere
In this story, Liz Hall is killed in a hit and run accident and wakes up on a ship bound for “Elsewhere”.. In Elsewhere, life carries on almost the same as it did on earth except for the fact that everybody gets younger instead of older. Liz finds it impossible to accept all that she will never do on earth, such as go to a prom or drive a car and she ends up obsessed with the past and unable to move forward at all. From the point of her death, Liz is on a journey towards self-discovery. She overcomes continual emotional and mental barriers to accept her new position in life (and death) finding peace before she is ultimately sent back to earth. This story is very original, incredibly intricate, and well written. It asks many poignant questions and poses interesting possibilities that may even challenge the way the reader thinks about life after death, and before it.
Four stars, for this dramatic and sad but ultimately happy and hopeful novel.
- Anita, St Heliers
Anna McKenzie
The Sea-wreck stranger 
The centre of this story is a Ness, a feisty young lady who charges on in the face of adversity. Ness, her younger brother and their cousin happen across a sea-wreck on the beach. The sea is out of bounds, so to be there at all is breaking all the rules. Families on the island suffered huge losses after a mysterious sickness struck the inhabitants. The fish from the sea made everyone ill, and although this was several years ago now, the council rules and no-one dares to challenge. The body of a stranger in the sea-wreck poses a problem. Will he live, how will they nurse him back to strength so that he can leave as silently as he arrived? Life is harsh enough without asking for more trouble.
-- Doreen, Central
Markus Zusak,
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
Zusak’s latest novel is about battling with the issues of adolescent, the passage into adulthood, and the struggle to find one’s sense of self. At once tough and gritty, the novel is also about the bond between two brothers, and the means by which they learn to draw strength from one another. The motif of fighting not only alludes to the underground boxing ring the Wolfe brothers join, but also the larger fight to transcend the daily struggles the family experience. This novel flows smoothly and effortlessly with characters that are both believable as well as endearingly human. Readers of the age 10 and above should thoroughly enjoy this novel.
-- Sue W, St Heliers
Meg Rosoff
How I Live Now 
This stunning debut novel is about a teenage girl sent to live with her cousins in England when the world is on the brink of another war. The meta narrative of the novel is about self identity, the nature of love and grief and hidden reserves of the human spirit. Rosoff uses the protagonist Daisy, to recount the unfolding of events and in doing so, keeps the novel with an intimate feel which also serves to create empathy for her cast of characters. This novel is magical in the sense that it draws the reader in immediately and holds you spellbound until the very end. Although this book is catalogued as a teen read (14+), an adult audience will also enjoy it.
-- Sue W, St Heliers
Fleur Beale
The transformation of Minna Hargreaves 
Minna's family falls apart on national TV as they live for a year on an isolated island. Minna leaves behind her first, serious, boyfriend; her brother's a stoner; and her parents' relationship is going downhill - fast. Minna has to grow quickly to cope with the problems - and to get to help when she needs it, even if it means going against her father's wishes.
-- Annie
Gail Giles
Playing in traffic
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Matt has the perfect strategy for staying safe for the four years of high school, he is the invisible one that no one sees or notices. He is so good at it that even teachers have trouble remembering who he is. But then Skye notices him and chooses him - but what for? Skye is the girl that everyone notices, with her goth clothes and her in your face attitude. She is unstable, aggressive, and is not afraid of letting everyone know how she is feeling. As Matt and Skye get more involved he finds his world is no longer safe and secure, and there are problems at home that make things worse. When Skye asks for his help he is more than willing to do what she wants - or is he? A fast paced novel that pulls no punches and leaves you on the edge of your seat with each twist in the tale.
-- Erika, Central
David Levanthen
Boy meets boy
 This book is a complete and utter fantasy, which I think is great to find amongst the morass of gloomy, angst-ridden gay teen fiction. It’s set in the perfect town to grow up gay in – most everyone’s completely accepting, your elementary school teacher can write that you’re “definitely gay” on your report card, the star quarterback is also the homecoming queen (a drag queen named ‘Infinite Darlene”) and the local PFLAG chapter is as powerful a force as the PTA. This book follows a gay boy called Paul through his relationships with his parents, his colourful assortment of friends, his ex, who claims to be into girls now, and the new kid in school, Noah – boy meets boy! While this might sound kind of cheery and annoying, it’s not – not everything runs perfectly, but it’s the way this author handles the problems of gay teens without making them the main focus, that makes this book a total winner.
-- Elisabeth, Central
Ann Brashares
Forever in blue: the fourth summer of the sisterhood
 The fourth summer is the best one and a great finale to the journey of the ‘Septembers’. The book probably wont stand alone, so if you haven’t read the first three (Sisterhood of the travelling pants) you might not get this. The girls have really grown during their first year at university. They are experiencing life with all of the ups and downs that it entails. This final instalment brings closure to the characters and the power that the infamous pair of jeans held over them. I like the way that Brashares draws the story to a close and turns her girls into women.
I couldn’t put it down and I know that fans of the series will be the same. It’s a tad dramatic and unrealistic in places but it really just didn’t seem to matter. 9 out of 10 from me.
-- Anita, St Heliers
Ally Kennen
Beast
 Stephen is the perfect example of one of those kids in foster - his parents were never around, his father has been in prison, and he has a juvenile record. His latest foster family is nice enough, but they never really trust him and Stephen lvies his life under a microscope. His foster sister Carol is a nasty piece of work and goes out of her way to make sure that Stephen gets in trouble. But deep down Stephen knows that they shouldn't trust him. For the past four years he has been keeping a monster as a pet, a monster that has grown so large that it can nearly break out of its cage. When he feeds it, Stephen always feels like he is facing his death, and when the cage starts to fall apart Stephen starts to worry about how to kill the beast. Who can Stephen turn to, his foster parents, his family?
A gripping story that is not what you expect, and that was impossible to put down. This book has recently won a readers choice award, and I hope that the author writes more because this was a very good book.
-- Erika, Central
Naomi Nash
You are so cursed!
 Vick has the perfect, don’t-mess-with-me persona – she is the school witch. Anyone who messes with Vick and her friends has to deal with the sometimes humiliating results of one of Vick’s very public curses. But then Gio comes along and figures out that there is more to Vick than meets the eye, and suddenly Vick realises that she may be about to be outed for being a fake! A sometimes hilarious and sometimes suspenseful book, that will keep you guessing and enthralled to the end.
-- Erika, Central
Aiden Chambers
This is all: the pillow book of Cordelia Kenn
Chambers himself describes this as an adult novel for teenagers and a teenage novel for adults. It is a challenging read (560 pages which us double the length of many teen and adult novels), but well worth the effort. The format of her book is a pillow book after the style of the tenth-century Japanese Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, and includes poetry, ideas, lists and general musings about life. The content encompasses a love story, parent, child and adult relationships, spiritual development, grief and healing. Cordelia is writing while pregnant, telling the story of her teenage years from 15 to 20, to give to her unborn daughter when she turns 16 and although the outcome of the book may seem obvious this does not detract from the tensions and dramas of these years.
-- Helen, Central
Paul Corbet-Singleton
Fire in my soul
Running is what James Salisbury is known for in the small town where he lives – running, and choking when it comes to the state finals. James tries to ignore the whispers, but it makes it hard to concentrate on his running. The sleepy routine of running races is violently disrupted when Gavin Jellis and his father join the club. Gavin is loud, rude, and not above cheating. His father is a bads sportsman and yells and screams from the sidelines. When Gavin pushes things too far the community is divided, and with a fire bug loose in the dangerously dry bush around the town, they all need to pull together. A thought provoking novel for teens from an Australian author.
-- Erika, Central
1-800-WHERE-R-YOU (series)
Jenny Carrol
Jessica is a feisty sixteen-year-old girl who despite her tiny frame spends a whole semester in detention because she can’t stop beating up football players. She is the archetypal geek with attitude that this author really excels at writing. This story begins with Jessica being hit by lightening and surviving. The only problem is that the lightening gives her the psychic ability to find lost children. It isn’t long before she is on the FBI radar and her boring life becomes a lot more stressful.
Now, I am far too old to be reading these books, but I have to say that I loved them. The stories are gripping and despite the danger, you always know that Jess will be able so save the day. This author has written prolifically under the name Meg Cabot and is most famous for the Princess diaries series. 1-800-were are you is perhaps for a slightly older crowd than the princess diaries. Awesome stories that I would recommend to anybody over 13.
-- Anita, Remuera
Todd and Esther Peal Watson ;with contributions by more than 20 creators of Indie-comics and magazines.
Whatcha mean, what's a zine?
 This book is the perfect companion for anyone who has ever had the urge to make a self published magazine of any kind. Every step of making a zine is explained pretty thouroughly in this book - from the most technical aspects like what staplers work best, or how to use a photocopier; through to aesthetic questions like 'why zine at all?'.
All of this is done in a great, fun style that really captures the messy charm and sweet goofiness of zines at their best. Plus there are a lot of beautiful little comic strip essays by some of the greatest young cartoonists around, which alone make it worth reading.
-- Tim, Central
Sam Enthoven
The black tattoo
Jack and his best friend Charlie are in the wrong place at what appears to be the right time. Taken to a secret meeting where they are put through a strange test, Charlie soon finds himself gifted with amazing powers and the responsibility for the leadership of the Brotherhood of sleep. Now Charlie bears a great weight on his shoulders, along with a mysterious black tattoo that seems to have a mind of its own as it moves around his body forming strange patterns and markings.
An intense and well written novel that flows with twists and turns as the fate of the world rests in the hands of one of the most dangerous things in the world – an angry teenage boys with supernatural powers, and the need for revenge against his parents. A highly recommended read for readers of fantasy.
-- Erika, Central
Melina Marchetta
Saving Francesca
 Francesca is sixteen and has just started at a new High School that only recently started accepting girls. It sounds like a sweet deal, 25 girls and 2000 guys, but for Francesca and her female classmates there are many new and obnoxious challenges awaiting them throughout the year. However, the worst experience of her life is soon to come. Through dealing with the breakdown of her formally vibrant mother, who had always been her rock, Francesca learns about herself and her role within her family. She begins to accept herself and acknowledge the parts of herself she had hidden in the search for popularity at her old school.
Marchetta doesn’t offer any neat or simple answers to the issue of mental illness. This is a sensitive portrayal of how it affects those around the person suffering and reassures them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All in all this is a great follow up to the fantastic Looking for Alibrandi. The cast of imperfect families and cute, if not weird and annoying teenage boys is also bound to impress.
-- Anita, Remuera
Brent Hartinger
The geography club
Russell is an average high school boy, trying to keep a secret – he’s gay and has a super secret crush on baseball star Kevin Land. You can imagine his surprise when he meets a gay teen from his school in a chat room and finds it’s Kevin Land himself! Russell, Kevin and three other gay students start up a club so they can discuss their lives and problems, naming it “the Geography Club” – so no other student will ever try to join.
While largely dealing with issues relating to gay teens, the Geography Club is also concerned with other kinds of difference in a high school, as Russell joins the baseball team and becomes one of the jocks – will he start teasing the school loser, just because the others do? The characters in this book are likeable, but flawed and realistic and it’s an enjoyable, thought-provoking book for gay kids and straight kids alike. There’s also a sequel, The order of the poison oak.
--Elisabeth, Central
Mel Peet
Tamar
A compelling read which won this year’s Carnegie Medal. Tamar is both the code name for a young Dutch special agent, parachuted into the occupied Netherlands towards the end of World War II, and the name of a teenage girl who is bequeathed a box of mementoes by her grandfather. This box leads her to uncover the truth about her grandfather and her father who has abandoned her. The story moves between the grim realities of World War II in a Nazi occupied country and Tamar’s journey of discovery in the present day. An excellent book, which will be enjoyed by teens and adults.
--Helen
DM Cornish
Monster blood tattoo: foundling
Never trust a novel without a map in the front! However, not only does this book have two maps in the front, it also has an extensive Explicarium in the back, a collection of further maps, illustrations and information of the world that is the Half Continent.
The first book of this new trilogy, follows the life of Rossamund, a boy with a girls name, as he takes his first steps out of Madam Opera's Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls. As he makes his way into his new life, he comes across a variety of characters, most of whom reinforce the book's rather grey strata of morals. One can never tell whether people or things are truly good or bad. Perhaps the only regrettable thing about this book is that by its end, you’re left with countless questions, desperately thirsting for more.
Easily one of the most imaginative and unique settings I have read in years, a world that you can discover along with the same wonder and curiosity as the main character.
--Tama
Vince Ford
Boyznbikes
Callum doesn’t think sometimes and gets into trouble. His last escapade has left him suspended and his mother doesn’t want him at home for the weekend. That means he has to go on the Big Ride with his dad and his dad’s mates, Skid and Baz. He’ll learn what they do that weekend, and why. And secrets long kept from him will be shared.
A departure from his usual work, it seems as though this New Zealand author is finding a deeper and more mature voice.
-- Annie
Ken Catran
Red leader down
New Zealand author Ken Catran has written many books focussing on war recently and this is one of the best. On the night his grandfather dies, Matt dreams of a dogfight. Almost every time he sleeps, his grandfather is there – talking about his war experiences. When Matt is left in his grandfather’s home, the dreams become more vivid and frequent. Once he finds his grandfather’s diary it all becomes more real. Matt becomes determined to find out the truth and explain his grandfather’s comrades’ attitudes. A haunting book about the emotional damage caused by war.
- Annie
Ned Viccini
It's kind of a funny story
Craig Gilner is a suicidally depressed teenager who is overwhelmed by the pressures of his life - he is failing at school, is into drugs and the girl he likes is in a relationship with his best friend. He sets off in the middle of the night to throw himself off a bridge but instead he checks himself into the psychiatric ward of the local hospital. This may not sound like the basis for a funny story but the quirky characters inhabiting Ward Six North, the relationships Craig develops with them and his honest account of his own thoughts and feelings all contribute to an upbeat and humorous story. Clinical depression is a condition which is widely misunderstood and Viccini, who has ‘been there’ gives an insight into what it is like in the mind of a depressed person and does it with humour.
-- Helen
Elizabeth Goudge
The little white horse
Thank you J. K. Rowling for reminding people about this book! The 1946 Carnegie Award winning title languished almost unloved for years until Rowling said it was her favourite books as a child, and an influence on Harry Potter. Since then, it has been released in a new jacket and is being made into a movie – with a worldwide search for the perfect Maria.
It is 1842 and newly orphaned Maria Merryweather journeys to Moonacre Manor to live with her father’s cousin, along with her governess and dog. There she finds her cousin to be amiable, his dog Wrolf intimidating, and the house rather strange and lacking any other females. Maria learns it is her task to try and reconcile the valley folk with the Black Men who live in the pine forest. Every generation a Merryweather Moon Maiden is set this task and, for generations, they have failed.
This is a gentle tale of magic and hope. It is very much a book of its age – the writing style is heavily descriptive and the characters act appropriately to the Victorian age. Let yourself enjoy the rich language, the humanism and hope.
-- Annie
M.E. Kerr
The books of Fell
In this absorbing suspense story/love story, John Fell, a working class teen, is offered a place at an elite boarding school by his girlfriend’s neighbour. He accepts the opportunity, even though he must pretend to be his benefactor’s son and lie to his friends and family. After arriving at the school he is quickly inducted into the school’s secret (and ultimately sinister) fraternity, the Sevens, which appears from the outside to select members at random, who enjoy all sorts of enormous privileges. Things seem to be going well, until Fell discovers more about his benefactor, the school/pupil’s secrets and the mysteries that surround his circumstances. The books of Fell (containing three books in one), is very well written, exciting and effectively creepy - the kind of mystery you will be consumed by until its last pages.
-- Elisabeth
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