A Ghost in My Suitcase by Gabrielle Wang
Fantastic short story based around Chinese culture, family and ghost hunting. (Selina Ryan)
The flute music stops, and my breath catches in my throat. Silence falls like a veil. Then I hear something – no, I feel it in my chest. ‘Steady yourself,’ Por whispers. ‘It’s here…’
When Celeste travels to China to visit her grandmother, she uncovers an incredible family secret. And with this secret comes danger and adventure. GOODREADS
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Fast paced adventure of a brother and sister duo battling Egyptian gods in an effort to release their parents. (Selina Ryan)
‘I guess it started the night our Dad blew up the British Museum…’
Carter and Sadie Kane’s dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta Stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos.
Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin, and Carter and Sadie are forced to run for their lives. To save their dad, they embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo and Paris to the American South-west….
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
The list was my idea. I didn’t mean for anyone to die. Will you ever forgive me?
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman’s boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Val was as shocked as everyone else – but, despite her own serious injury, she’s implicated in the crime because of the list. The list she and Nick made of people they hated.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
A thought-provoking, powerful story about choices, and the effects these decisions have on the person who made them and those involved. (Selina Ryan)
This novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognises that his daughter has Down’s syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own.
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
What would you do, if the person who murdered your family offered to save your young child? (Selina Ryan)
One day June Nealon was happily anticipating a lifetime of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart.
For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens one day that changes everything for him. Now he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June’s twelve-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. BLURB
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Quirky characters produce an entertaining and funny story about finding the perfect wife. ( Selina Ryan)
Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner.
And then he meets Rosie Jarman… GOODREADS
The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross
This series is one of my favorites because of the fantastic descriptions of the steampunk costumes and steam machinery. Set in the 1900s this
# 1 The Girl with the Steel Corset
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one… except the “thing” inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch…
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she’s special, says she’s one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gas lit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret. GOODREADS
# 2 The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her ‘straynge band of mysfits” have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade – the dangerous device Jasper stole from him… for the life of the girl Jasper loves.
# 3 The Girl with the Iron Touch
When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What’s left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of this automatons – or forfeit her friends’ lives.
# 4 The Girl with the Windup Heart
In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.
London’s underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End’s most dazzling circus.
Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, the Machinist.
Northwood by Brian Falkner and Donovan Bixley
Cecilia Undergarment likes a challenge. So when she discovers a sad and neglected dog, she is determined to rescue him. No matter what. But her daring dog rescue lands her in deep trouble. Trouble in the form of being lost in the dark forest of Northwood. A forest where ferocious black lions roam. A forest that hides a secret castle, an unlikely king and many a mystery. GOODREADS
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott
I loved these books, simply because it is a fictional tale about real people such as Nicholas Flamel, Dr John Dee and William Shakespeare. The series also describes famous places around the globe, including Nicholas Flamel’s home in Paris, which is still standing and is home to a famous restaurant in Paris. Check out the restaurant below. (Lynette Skeers)
# 1 The Alchemyst
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is staid that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty.
The legend; Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the powerful book he protects – the Book of Abraham the Mage. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world.
That’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. BLURB
# 2 The Magician
In the hands of Dr. John Dee and the Dark Elders, the book of Abraham the Mage could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. The most powerful book of all time, it holds the secret of eternal life—a secret more dangerous than any one man should ever possess. And Dee is two pages away from the knowledge that would bring the Dark Elders into ultimate power.
His only obstacle? Josh and Sophie Newman—who are eight thousand miles away. GOODREADS
# 3 The Sorceress
Nicholas Flamel’s heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders. GOODREADS
# 4 The Necromancer
Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And they’re both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they’ll need to protect themselves, they’ve lost Scatty, and they’re still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel?
# 5 The Warlock
The twins of prophecy have been divided—the end has begun.
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will lose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the human race. GOODREADS
# 6 The Enchantress
The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it.
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel have one day left to live, and one job left to do. They must defend San Francisco. The monsters gathered on Alcatraz Island have been released and are heading toward the city. If they are not stopped, they will destroy everyone and everything in their path. GOODREADS
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
This books adapts the fantastical spookiness of the ‘Legends of Sleepy Hollow’ story, with a modern-day story about seeking the truth, friendship, love and ghosts. (Ruth Van Der List)
When Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead… and rumours fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral and keeps reappearing in Abbey’s life.
Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he’s the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again… but also special. BLURB
(Note): This book has two sequels, but they are not on our library catalogue).
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Part of the Quirky Classics series which introduced Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to the world, this “quirky interpretation” mixes mysteries of the deep ocean with a classic story of strength, sense, truth and love. A surprising book that twists and melds the classic story in a fantastical way. (Ruth Van Der List)
The family of Dashwood has been settled in Sussex since before the Alteration, when the waters of the world grew cold and hateful to the sons of man, and darkness moved on the face of the deep.
From the publisher of ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’, ‘Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters’ expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities.
As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon.
Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage
# 1 Magyk
The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby’s father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? GOODREADS
# 2 Flyte
It’s been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to Extra Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle. GOODREADS
# 4 Queste
There’s trouble at the Castle, and it’s all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans – they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets… GOODREADS
# 5 Syren
Septimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He’s stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle. There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus—can he escape the persistent call?
# 6 Darke
Alther Mella has been Banished, a Darke Domaine engulfs the Castle, and a Darke dragon is on the loose. Septimus Heap must use all of his skills to save the Castle and the Wizard Tower from destruction: He must enter the Darke. But he cannot do this alone.
# 7 Fyre
Favourite characters return in this stunning seventh and final book in Angie Sage’s New York Times bestselling magykal series…
Jenna will soon be Queen and Beetle is now Chief Hermetic Scribe. Septimus, however, must rid the Castle of the Darke Domaine by destroying the Two-Faced Ring. His skills in both Magyk and Physik will be tested, as will his loyalties. GOODREADS
The Comfort of Figs by Simon Cleary
Wonderful storytelling giving a vivid insight into the birth of the city of Brisbane, and a new appreciation of the city’s landmarks, both natural structural, that we walk past every day. (Kate Carey)
In 1939. A bridge is built, and a country town becomes a city. Three young men forge a close friendship as they labour precariously high above the river, but one slip transforms their lives. A generation later, Robbie, a young landscaper, is grappling with those who should be closest to him – his father, whose past is linked with the iconic bridge, and his girlfriend, Freya, who is left shattered after a vicious assault. GOODREADS
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Absolutely stunning imagery and storytelling – a captivating story of courage and survival, and against all odds, human goodness. (Kate Carey)
Marie-Laure LeBlanc is blind and lives with her father, the Master of Locks at the Museum of Natural History in Pars. When the Nazis invade, they flee to the coast, carrying a dangerous secret.
Werner Pfennig is an orphan who wins a place at a brutal military academy. But on joining the army, he grows ever more aware that his way out of obscurity is built on suffering.
In a walled city by the sea an old man with a radio set creates new worlds without ever setting foot outside. And yet, impending danger will not allow him to remain shut in for ever.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A good classic to have read. (Maria Galati)
Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this enchanting classic – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl.
Told through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Clare, a beautiful, strong-minded art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: his genetic clock randomly resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. GOODREADS
Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly
Edge of your seat reading, fast paced, hard to put down. (Maria Galati)
Four and a half thousand years ago, a magnificent golden capstone sat at the peak of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was a source of immense power, and reputedly capable of bestowing upon its holder absolute global power. But then it was divided into seven pieces and hidden, each piece separately, within the seven greatest structures of the age. GOODREADS / BLURB
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
This book weaves the traditional fairy tale of Snow White into the political intrigue of the Borgia Family, one of the major city state powers of the Italian Renaissance. The perspective of the seven dwarves provides an interesting counterpoint to the human drama in this historical-fantasy, and a poignant insight into the nature of humanity. (Corinne Fiechter)
The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vicente.
But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm – and the world comes to Montefiore. In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia – decadent children of a wicked pope – no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a years-long quest to reclaim a relic of the original Tree of Knowledge, he leaves Bianca under the care – so to speak – of Lucrezia.
She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest there can be found salvation as well … GOODREADS