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Ark Angel
Anthony Horowitz
From Cornwall to Cuba, Venice to France, Alex Rider has
travelled far and wide as a spy for MI6, facing danger and death at
every turn. But in his last mission, fighting the criminal
organization, Scorpia, Alex appeared to have finally met his match. In
the thrilling sequel to "Scorpia", find out the answer to the question
on everyone's lips - "Will Alex Rider live to fight another day?"
Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J.R.R.
Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings
 In this parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, we get to follow the
preposterous antics of an unbelievable group of misfits out to unmake
a ring, and destroy an evil power. Goodgulf the wizard leads Frito,
Spam, Moxie, Pepsi, Stomper the Ranger (he has many names), Bromosel,
Gimlet the dwarf and Legolam the elf across Lower Middle Earth, as
they dodge the evil pig-riding Nozdrul, foul Narcs and other baddies,
on their way to dark Fordor.
Groosham Grange
Anthony Horowitz
"There's
something nasty going on at Groosham Grange..." Sent to Groosham
Grange as a last resort by his parents, David Eliot quickly discovers
that his new school is a very weird place indeed. New pupils are made
to sign their names in blood; the French teacher disappears every full
moon; the assistant headmaster keeps something very chilling in his
room... What's the meaning of the black rings everyone wears? Where do
the other pupils vanish to at night? Most important of all, how on
earth can David get away - alive? This Lancashire Children's Book of
the Year will have you gripped and grinning to the last page.
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Return to
Groosham Grange
Someone
is trying to destroy David Eliot's school. A year ago, he'd have been
happy to see the end of Groosham Grange and its ghoulish teachers.
Now, he's on course to win the Unholy Grail, a cup of magical power
presented to the star pupil. But a series of suspicious mishaps sees
the gap between David and new boy Vincent King narrow alarmingly.
Someone, it seems, is trying to stop David winning - and, worse,
threatening Groosham Grange itself!
The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis
Peter, Susan,
Edmund, and Lucy have been sent to live with a professor
in the country during the
London air-raids. While exploring the large house, Lucy finds that the
wardrobe in the spare room transports her to the magical land of
Narnia.
The country is under the spell of a terrible witch who has made it
always winter but never Christmas. At first, her siblings don't
believe her, but soon they, too, find themselves in this new country.
With danger around every turn, they must survive treachery to join
Aslan the lion in the fight to free Narnia and break the spell.
The Magician’s Nephew
C.S. Lewis
Digory and
Polly are exploring a passageway between their houses one summer
morning when they stumble into Digory's uncle's study. Uncle Andrew
dabbles in magic, and tricks Polly into taking one of his magic rings.
Digory goes after her, and they find themselves in a magic wood, a
passageway to different worlds. Exploring further, they find evil as
well as a land about to be created.
This is a
different story in the Narnia tales. First, we don't arrive at Narnia
until after half way through the book. Second, this is the only book
where actions in the fantasy worlds have direct impact on events in
our world. For these reasons, it's a fun change in the series. The
story in Narnia is simpler then the others, but it makes watching a
new world take shape no less thrilling.
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Harry Potter
J.K. Rowlings
Say you've
spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a
family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you
find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a
phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor,
including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but
you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what
happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny
debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic
human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like
dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his
parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of
wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who
tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his
forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious
powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from
his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.
Beyond the Deepwoods
Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
 Here
is a tale of fantastic lands at the edge of the world, where certain
rocks float in the air and the feared Deepwoods are crowded with
extraordinary trees and creatures. Paul Stewart tells the story with
considerable input from Chris Riddell's copious and wonderfully
detailed line drawings of fabulous creatures, often reminiscent of
Tenniel's or Mervyn Peake's grotesques. Overall the narrative has a
familiar shape, as the young lad Twig who's been raised by woodtrolls
learns that his destiny lies elsewhere, and blunders off through the
Deepwoods to find teeming horrors, unexpected friends, comic menaces,
enslavement as a pet, his true parentage, and the nature of his feared
nemesis the Gloamglozer. It's all told with joyously inventive relish,
and the cavalcade of life never slows: sky pirates, smelly halitoads,
hover worms, slaughterers, hammelhorns, caterbirds, skullpelts,
bloodoaks, gyle goblins and their Grossmother, spindlebugs, milchgrubs,
banderbears, wig-wigs resembling carnivorous tribbles, the very
disgusting rotsucker, and more--each illustrated in loving detail.
Though generally reviewed as a novel for children (like Stewart's
previous books), Beyond the Deepwoods is more grown-up than many a
routine "adult" fantasy series, and has the kind of compulsive
readability that makes Harry Potter a treat for older readers too.
Twig's saga, "The Edge Chronicles", continues in Stormchaser.
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Midnight over
Sanctaphrax Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
 In
this book a young sky pirate, Captain Twig travels far beyond the edge
in to the great mother storm. There he is reunited with his father but
it is too late. His father has been in the mother storm for far too
long so he starts to vanish. But before he vanishes he gives Twig some
vital information that could make all of the edge die out. Unless Twig
thinks clearly to find his crew after he is blown out of the mother
storm, he will not remember what his father told him.
Northern Lights
Philip Pullman
 Lyra's
life is already sufficiently interesting for a novel before she
eavesdrops on a presentation by her uncle Lord Asriel to his
colleagues in the Jordan
College faculty,
Oxford. The college, famed for its
leadership in experimental theology, is funding Lord Asriel's research
into the heretical possibility of the existence of worlds unlike
Lyra's own, where everyone is born with a familiar animal companion,
magic of a kind works, the Tartars are threatening to overrun Muscovy,
and the Pope is a puritanical Protestant. Set in an England familiar
and strange, Philip Pullman's lively, taut story is a must-read and
re-read for fantasy lovers of all ages.
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Cirque du Freak
 Darren
Shan seems like your average boy--he likes playing football with his
mates, passing notes in class and loves spiders. Then, one day, his
best mate Steve gets tickets for a banned freak show and Darren starts
experiencing things that no average boy would dream of. At the Freak
show he sees a limb-chewing wolf man, a woman who can grow a beard in
front of your very eyes, a snake boy and a goat-eating tarantula
called Madame Octa. But what about the mysterious people in
blue-hooded robes whose faces you never see? And is Mr Crepsley really
a vampire?
Artemis Fowl: The
Eternity Code Eoin Colfer
 Thirteen-year-old
criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has constructed a supercomputer from
stolen fairy technology. In the wrong hands it could be fatal for
humans and fairies alike. But no need to worry, Artemis has a
brilliant plan. He's not going to use the computer; he's just going to
show it to a ruthless American businessman with Mafia connections. His
bodyguard, Butler, will be with him. What could possibly go wrong...?
Eagle Strike
Anthony Horowitz
 Alex
Rider has ninety minutes to save the world. Relaxing in the south of
France with his friend Sabina Pleasure and her family, reluctant MI6
agent Alex Rider is finally able to be like any ordinary 14-year-old.
Until a sudden, ruthless attack on his hosts plunges him back into a
world of violence and mystery - and this time, MI6 don't want to know.
Especially when Alex tells them that Damian Cray - celebrity, human
rights campaigner and the man behind Gameslayer, a state-of-the-art
new games console - could be involved. Alex is determined to track
down his friends' attackers, even if he must do it alone. But it's a
path that leads to a long-buried secret - and a discovery more
terrible than anything he could have imagined.
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Point Blanc
Anthony Horowitz
 Fourteen-year-old
Alex Rider, reluctant M16 spy, is back at school trying to adapt to
his new double life... and to double homework. But M16 have other
plans for him. Investigations into the "accidental" deaths of two of
the world's most powerful men have revealed just one link. Both had a
son attending Point Blanc
Academy - an exclusive school for rebellious rich kids, run by the
sinister Dr Grief and set high on an isolated mountain peak in the
French Alps. Armed only with a false ID and a new collection of
brilliantly disguised gadgets, Alex must infiltrate the academy as a
pupil and establish the truth about what is really happening there.
Can he alert the world to what he discovers before it is too late?
Three of Diamonds Anthony Horowitz
It's a
dangerous life being the younger brother of the world's worst private
detective - but Nick Diamond has survived... so far. But these three
mysteries are set to test his survival instincts to the full!
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Journey to Jo’burg
Beverley Naidoo
"The sun rose higher. On they walked. The heat
sank into them and they felt the sweat on their bodies. On they
walked. Alone again..."
 Another
baby has died in the village and Naledi knows that her little sister
Dineo might die too. But what can she do? Their grandmother has no
money and there are no doctors in their village. So Naledi makes up
her mind. She will have to get Mma who works more than 300 kilometres
away in Johannesburg. The only way to let her know was to get to the
big road and walk. So Naledi and her brother Tiro did just that...
No
Turning Back Beverley Naidoo
 Escaping
from his violent stepfather, twelve-year-old Sipho heads for
Johannesburg where he has heard that gangs of children live on the
streets. Surviving hunger and the bitter-cold winter nights is hard
enough but Sipho also has to learn, in the 'new' South Africa, whom to
trust. What kind of friendships can he have with the other homeless
streetchildren? Or with Judy, a white girl who pressurises her father
to offer Sipho help? Set on the eve of South Africa's first democratic
elections, against a background of political upheaval, what hopes can
Sipho carry for his personal future?
Shadow of the Minotaur
Alan Gibbons
This book
grabs your attention right from the start. It is about a boy who is
fascinated by the computer game his dad is working on, but he and his
dad realise too late that the game has a mind of its own, and it is
evil! The boy, Pheonix, and his friend Laura get trapped in the world
of the Greek myths and must battle against the snake-haired Medusa and
the rampaging Minotaur to beat the game and return to their own world.
There are many twists and turns in the plot, some quite gruesome, and
each chapter leaves you in suspense and wanting more. It is a great
book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes an exciting read.
Caught in the Crossfire Alan
Gibbons
Set in a
Northern town, six teenagers' lives are woven together by a series of
shocking and tragic events. A British Muslim brother and sister, two
Irish brothers who take different sides, and two lads out looking for
trouble: all of them get caught in the crossfire.
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The Dark is Rising
Susan Cooper
 On
his 11th birthday, Will Stanton finds out that he has special powers;
he is a Sign-Seeker. As the seventh son of a seventh son, he learns
that he is the last of the Old Ones and is responsible for fighting
the evil of the Dark. His greatest mission is to find and then protect
the six Signs of the Light. Find out if he succeeds in this thrilling
book, the first in a five-book series.
Secret Heart
David Almond
 Joe
Maloney is utterly alone. His peers don't like him, his mother doesn't
understand him and his best friend keeps pushing him to be something
he is not. Joe is lost in the world until a mysterious tiger shows him
a world filled with more magic and wonder than he ever thought
possible.
Skellig David
Almond
 Michael's
family has just moved into a house that is not in very good condition.
The garage, or shed, out back is even worse. In the dilapidated
garage, Michael hears movement, and digging through the dirt and junk,
he finds a creature that seems to be part man and part bird or angel.
He and his new friend Mina, who loves anything with wings, visit
Skellig and bring him food (Chinese take-out_, drink (brown ale), and
medicine (cod liver oil capsules). Michael's baby sister is ill and
may be dying, but an operation might help her. As the children get to
know and help Skellig, they have some magical moments together. And
somehow Skellig is able to help the baby, too.
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Holes
Louis Sachar
 "I'm
not going to run away," Stanley said. "Good thinking, " said Mr Sir.
"Nobody runs away from here. We don't need a fence. Know why?
Because we've got the only water for a hundred miles. You want to
run away? You'll be buzzard food in three days." Stanley could see
some kids dressed in orange and carrying shovels dragging themselves
towards the tents. "You thirsty?" asked Mr Sir. "Yes, Mr Sir,"
Stanley said gratefully. "Well, you better get used to it. You're
going to be thirsty for the next eighteen months."
If you
are looking for a truly remarkable novel, something to get your teeth
into, something to make you think, and something to make you feel that
you have just touched real class, then look no further than Louis
Sachar's extraordinary, award-winning novel Holes.
The Demon Headmaster
Gillian Cross
"I hope you are not going to be a person who won't
co-operate with me . . . "
 From
the very first day at her new school, Dinah can see that something is
horribly wrong. The children are strangely neat and well-behaved and
they even work during break. What's going on? Dinah tries to ask her
foster-brothers, Lloyd and Harvey, but they are reluctant to trust
her. And the Headmaster treats them like trouble-makers and warns
Dinah against them.
How can
she find out the truth? And what is the secret of the Headmaster's
control?
Only You Can Save Mankind
Terry
Pratchett
The
mighty alien fleet from the very latest computer game thunders across
the compute r
screen...
Hands poised on the joystick, Johnny prepares to blow them into the
usual million pieces...
And they send him a message: WE SURRENDER.
They're not supposed to do that! Where does it say in the manual that
they're supposed to do that?
But they've done it. This time they don't want to die. They just want
to go home.
Johnny is the only human who knows. So he has to learn how to wage
all-out Peace, and they don't make joysticks with a 'Don't Fire'
button...
It's hard, trying to Save Mankind from the Galactic Hordes. It's even
harder trying to save the Galactic Hordes from Mankind. But it's only
a game, isn't it.
ISN'T IT?
Terry Deary
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