Jezza Sez by Libby Hathorn

Jezza (Jeremy Smith) is a popular kid and he want to make money to buy a rubber dinghy. His close friends Arnold, Florence and Costa readily agree to help him in his money making adventures. However, the baby sitting doesn't work, the paper run doesn't work out too well either, but despite some setbacks the money sock is steadily filling up. Then, suddenly his mum urgently needs the money for something else and Jezza has to make some decisions. This little novel is now out of print. It is an easy read and each chapter has a detailed ink drawing by Donna Rawlings. Have a look at Lauthor Libby Hathorn's colourful website:

http://www.libbyhathorn.com/

Selby Speaks by Duncan Ball

Selby is a dog, a very unusual one. You see, he can speak. Yes, he has the gift of the gab and but he has to keep it a secret just in case his owners, the Trifles, ask him to do chores like answering the telephone or doing the shopping. But worst of all they might even hand him over to some well-meaning scientists and then he’d have to spend the rest of his life being studied and subjected to stupid questions. But when he is caught in a cage with Two-Tooth Tina and is about to be dumped over a cliff he has no choice but to talk. This is an easy enjoyable read with humorous cartoon pictures by Allan Stomann scattered throughout. Duncan Ball has a well-develped website where you can read more about his books and also find out more about Selby the talking dog:

http://www.duncanball.com.au/index.htm

The Haunted Mask II by R.L.Stine

Steve Boswell is not happy about having to coach the grade one soccer team as punishment for releasing a squirrel in the girls' locker room. He says they are nothing but animals! His best friend, Chuck, hasn't exactly been helpful either. Anyway, Halloween is fast approaching and Steve wants to have the scariest outfit in town. He wants a mask like the one Carly Beth had last year which had everyone running for their lives. So he decides to purchase one from the store where she bought hers. The only trouble is that the store is no longer open for business so he steals one from the basement; a creepy old man mask with stringy hair and spiders bursting from the ears. However, this evil mask start to suffocate him and take over his body. Check out the video clip below to find out a bit about the horrors that await Steve:

An Uncommon Friend by Lisa Shnookal

So far there are no reviews of this book on the web. This is Australian author Lisa Shnookal's first book. Lisa, who has a teaching background, has worked mainly with disadvantaged teenagers and this book reflects these experiences. The story is set in Melbourne and spans the years 1970-1976, and the action is seen through the eyes of thirteen year old Lucy Runelli who lives with her younger brother Andy and her older sister, Gina. When, as a 13 year old she first meets Scott Allen (Scotchie), she is not impressed; he may well be the son of a judge but he has far too many bad habits for her liking. The fact that her dad is an Italian party boy certainly doesn't help matters. This book is definitely for a mature high school reader and deals with many issue which face students in their mid-teen years.

Pizza Features by John Larkin

This novel continues the story of loser and westie Eric Underwood, a grade 9 student, whom we first met in Spaghetti Legs. It is followed by Lasagna Brain which can be found in our Little Library of Rescued Books. Eric believes he didn’t get the looks and he has been battling with acne. He is unlucky in love and has just been abandoned by Veronica, whom he’d thought was the love of his life. He has to move out into the shed after his younger brother nearly decapitates him. To top off all his woes he has been told he has to accompany his grandmother to England, just what all teenage boys love to do! To find out more about John Larkin, the author, visit his webpage: http://larkinabout.com.au/

Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left by Robin Klein

Another good read from Australian author Robin Klein. If you like Science Fiction you might like this book. It is all about a a family who have been exiled from planet Zyrgon after Father deviously won the government lottery 27 times in a row. They come to live on Earth and are finding the adaption difficult despite their extraterrestrial powers. The customs on Earth cause all sorts of problems for them, especially Father's compulsive gambling habits, Qwrk's amazing intellectualism at age five, and Dovis' absentminded levitation of things. Then, to top it off, Aunt Hecla arrives unexpectedly with her home-made space raft and things get even trickier. The book was turned into a television series with 28 episodes. They were all filmed in Melbourne. Below you can view part one of the series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks0BhuuY7KM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu7dlE9IqaY

Wavelength by Daryl McCann & Debbie Forbes

This short novel is written by husband and wife team Daryl McCann and Debbie Forbes. It's all about Jude Hollit who thinks he will be famous one day. The school prefect, David Warbridge, who he likens to a "huge, blonde surf Nazi," gives him a hard time at school and his middle-aged parents act like teenages. Yet, he firmly believes that when he's playing NBA basketball at St Andrews College that he will finally get the respect he deserves declaring, "I'll be a zillion times more famous than my father, that old has-been." However, things don't really go to plan and Jude has to find another way to make it to the top. This book is fairly dialogue-driven and is a relaxing and enjoyable read.