Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French

Mark, Anna, Ben and Little Tracey have a game they play each morning as they wait for the school bus; they make up stories. This time it's Anna's turn and she has an enthralling one to tell about Hitler's daughter, a daughter only a few select people in the Third Reich know about. Mark is particularly captivated with the story and Germany's dark history. But what is reality and what is imagination? It's difficult to tell until Anna reveals some startling news at the end of her two week narration. This book skips between the two stories, the one about the lives of the bus stop friends, and the one about Heidi, the unacknowledged daughter of Adolf Hitler, story set back in World War 11 Germany. It throws up many questions, like what it would be like to be a child of someone evil?  How can someone love someone who commits terrible crimes? This novel was first published in 1999 and has sold over 100, 000 copies in Australia alone. It has also received a lot of critical acclaim in many countries and it would be great if every upper primary student had the opportunity to read this book.

Fast Food and No Play Make Jack a Fat Boy by Andy Griffiths, Jim Thompson and Sophie Blackmore

This book is a team effort by Andy Griffiths (humorous Australian Author), Jim Thompson (a former athlete and fitness instructor), and Sophie Blackmore (a dietician). Whilst having an entertaining storyline, it is also filled with practical information and advice on being healthy. Jack is an ordinary Australian boy who shares his life with us; he is overweight, always tired and addicted to computer games and television. Suddenly this lifestyle is causing him real issues, especially when his father, on whom many of his habits are modelled, has a major health scare. It is clear that things around the house are going to have to change.. Each chapter in Jack's life is complemented with a discussion of real-life facts as well as easy-to-follow strategies for making the necessary changes. This book is as much for adults as it is for children, and it would also make an excellent read-aloud novel for the whole class. Meet one of the authors, Andy Griffiths, by clicking on the link below:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3305754.htm

Stories to Eat With Watermelon by Jackie French

This the sequel to Stories to eat with a Banana but can be read without having read its predecessor. Phredde and Pru go off to save Sleeping Beauty from the handsome Prince, and meet a frog named Bruce who is no help whatsoever. Also there is the girl who likes eating rose bushes, pirate ships, a giant Thingummie, piranas in the moat and a werewolf brother who will keep lifting his leg on the geraniums. There are five stories in all and I must say I thought they were all a lot of fun and a good book when your brain wants something light to munch on.