Summer Reading for Kids

Summer Reading Club

Reading is the best! Stories are everywhere, waiting to be
discovered. Use this booklet to find some excellent reads to keep
you amused this summer.
Download awesome eBooks and eAudiobooks anytime from our
eLibrary at rrl.nsw.gov.au/elibrary.

Watch and listen to great stories online with Story Box Library
(log in with your library card number) at
rrl.nsw.gov.au/elibrary-for-kids/

DVDs
The library has lots of DVDs to choose from. Television series, films
both old and new, documentaries, instructional and music DVDs.

How to choose great books:

Ask your library staff to help!
Fill in a What Will I read Next? form for personalised suggestions
rrl.nsw.gov.au/adults/what-will-i-read-next/ (not just for adults!)
There are lots of tips and links on our website -
rrl.nsw.gov.au/kids/read-watch-play/find-your-next-great-read/

Picture books

The Tiny Star by Mem Fox and Freya Blackwood.

Once upon a time, although this happens all
the time, a tiny star fell to earth… This
touching and timeless story combines, for the
first time, the talents of world-renowned
author Mem Fox with the heartwarming
illustrations of Freya Blackwood. These two
luminaries craft a truly unique and moving
story about the journey of life, to be cherished
and shared for generations to come.

Wilam: A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy

Wilam: A Birrarung Story is one day on
a vital, flourishing river. Yarra
Riverkeeper Andrew Kelly joins award-
winning picture book duo Aunty Joy
Murphy and Lisa Kennedy to tell the
Indigenous and geographical story of
Melbourne’s beautiful Yarra River,
from its source to its mouth; from its pre
-history to the present day.

Dear Grandpa by Kate Simpson

As Henry measures the distance
between his new apartment and
Grandpa's wooden house under the
mango tree, Grandpa works out how
close they really are. A moving story
that celebrates the bond between a
boy and his grandfather.

Picture books

Fashionista by Maxine Beneba Clarke
Put on your passion. Flaunt your heart on your
sleeve. You’re a fashionista. Work it. Wear it.
Believe. ‘Clothes can speak for us, when we cannot
… fashion can be defiant, revolutionary, wild,
compliant, challenging, or camouflaging.’ It’s a must
for any fashion-lover or creative mind.

Amazing Transport: Journey Through the History of
Transport by Tom Jackson
Fasten your seat belts and get ready to zoom
through the history of transport and discover
incredible facts about all kinds of vehicles along the
way. Every day, all over the world, people are busy
travelling – short hops or great, long voyages,
moving slowly and steadily or racing along at super
-fast speeds.

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl
Mabel lives with her parents in The Mermaid
Hotel, by the sea. Mabel likes to keep an eye on
the comings and goings of all the guests. Then
one day a particularly in-ter-est-ing old lady
comes to stay. There is something very suspicious
about her, with her growly voice and her heavy
trunks and her beady-eyed tortoise. And why
does no one know her REAL name? There can
only be one answer, Mabel decides …this guest is
a SUPERVILLAIN.

Picture books

Chalk Boy by Margaret Wild

A soulful and heart-warming story about
what happens when a pavement artist's
drawing comes to life. Barnaby is a pavement
artist. This morning he started drawing me. I
have a head that can think, eyes that can see,
ears that can hear and legs that can run. Best
of all, I have a heart that can feel. Thank you,
Barnaby.

Mr Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobbs

Australia is full of big things, and Mr Chicken
wants to see them all. Australia is big, but so
is Mr Chicken. He can't wait to go everywhere,
see everything and meet everyone. Luckily, a
helpful marsupial from Tourist Information
helps Mr Chicken organise his hectic itinerary.

Night Walk by Alison Binks

Night Walk is a captivating story about a
little boy’s adventurous night out while
camping. Full of wonder, this story not only
honours our natural and beautiful
landscape but also reminds us the
commonalities that bind us together
regardless of where we are .

Junior Fiction

Lily D V.A.P. series by Madeleine West
Fancy Nancy meets Stage School in this adorable
illustrated junior fiction series, starring Lily D! Lily does
ballet on Mondays, tap on Tuesdays, acrobatics on
Wednesdays, singing on Thursdays, and drama on
Fridays. Drama is her favourite! It’s Lily’s dream is to
become a performance artiste when she grows up.
Lily D thinks of herself as a VAP (a Very Amazing
Performer).

Real Pigeons series by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood
The Real Pigeons are a crime fighting squad of
city birds, each with a unique Pigeon Power.
Grandpouter is the patriarch in charge of super-
strong Frillback, extra-bendy Tumbler,
navigational expert Homey and the newest
recruit, Rock, a master of disguise.

Elizabella series by Zoë Norton Lodge
Elizabella – ten and a
quarter – is a Poet, Fixer of Fairytales and the
biggest prankster in the history of Bilby Creek
Primary. And when her plans involve making a
swimming pool in the playground without
consulting a single teacher, the students are
behind her every step of the way. But what
happens when Minnie, an even bigger prankster,
shows up? Can Bilby Creek handle them both?
And more importantly, can they handle each
other?

Junior Fiction

Funny Kid series by Matt Stanton

Every kid wants to laugh, but Max Walburt is the
boy who can make it happen. He’s the class clown,
the punch line and he’s even volunteered his bottom
to be the butt of the joke. Max is the funny kid …
and he’s running for class president. Poop-scandals,
stalker-ducks, surprise-debates, psycho-sports-
teachers, tell-all-interviews and the great-library-
vomit-a-geddon are just some of the things in store
for Max and his friends at Redhill Middle School this
election season.

Wolf Girl series by Ahn Do

When disaster separates Gwen from her family, she
must fend for herself, all alone in the wilderness.
Luckily, she's not alone for long… When a wolf
puppy, a Labrador, a Chihuahua, and a greyhound
want to make friends, Gwen discovers talents she
didn't know she possessed. It will take all her new
skills and strength just to survive. Does Gwen have
what it takes to be leader of the pack?

The Huggabie Falls series by Adam Cece

Kipp Kindle and his friends Tobias Treachery and
Cymphany Chan live in Huggabie Falls, the weirdest
town on Earth. Weird things happen all the time—
that’s normal. But when an extremely weird thing
happens Kipp and his friends know that something is
wrong. They embark on a fast-paced, action-
packed, hilarious adventure to find out what is
making everything turn normal, and to return the
weirdness to Huggabie Falls.

Junior Fiction

Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire by Nat Amoore

Finding a million dollars in your backyard - every
kid's dream, right? That's what me and my best
friend Toby thought too.
Jumping castles at school. Lollipops for our adoring
fans. Wearing sunglasses indoors ('cos that's what all
the millionaires do).
There's a lot you can get with a million dollars . . ..
including a whole lot of trouble.

The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams

Think your teachers are bad? Wait till you meet
this lot. These ten tales of the world’s most
splendidly sinister teachers will have you running
for the school gates. Dr Dread teaches science and
is half man, half monster… Watch out for the
ghastly Miss Seethe. She is ALWAYS furious – and
she’s on a detention rampage. And as for Mr
Phobe, he’s a teacher with a real difference. He is
bone-shakingly terrified of… children!

The Bad Guys series by Aaron Blabey

They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the
Bad Guys . . . and they even smell like the Bad
Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr
Shark are about to change all of that! Mr Wolf
has a daring plan for the Bad Guys first good
mission. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly?
Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And
will Mr Snake please spit out Mr Piranha?

Middle Grade Fiction

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker
Bradley

Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room
apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s
twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little
brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the
war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to
join him. So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for
Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the
two kids in.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

In this darkly humorous, offbeat series, the
misfortunes of the three Baudelaire orphans are
relayed by an unseen narrator who interjects his
thoughts and vocabulary lessons into the proceedings.
In each book, the orphans encounter a litany of
quirky characters and terrible circumstances as they
search for a safe home. Start with The Bad
Beginning.

The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan

Hal, who does not fit into Skandian society, ends up
in a brotherband, a group of boys learning the skills
that they need to become warriors, with other
outcasts, and they compete with other brotherbands
in a series of challenges. Start with The Outcasts.
There are 8 books in the series so far.

Middle Grade Fiction

Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend

Born on the unluckiest day of the year and
blamed for all misfortunes that occur in her
community, a girl doomed to die at midnight on
her 11th birthday is unexpectedly whisked away by
a stranger on horseback who brings her to a
magical city, where she learns she has been chosen
to compete for a position with an organization
comprised of highly talented individuals. For fans
of Harry Potter. The third book in the series will be
out in February 2020.

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother
Davey who won't stop growing - and at seven is as
tall as a man. Raised by their single mother, who
works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of
worries, they have food and a roof over their
heads, but not much else.
The bright spot every week is the arrival of the
latest issue of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home
Encyclopaedia.

Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome
The Walker children set sail on the Swallow
and head for Wild Cat Island. There they
camp under open skies, swim in clear water
and go fishing for their dinner. But their
days are disturbed by the Blackett sisters,
the fierce Amazon pirates. The Swallows
and Amazons decide to battle it out, and so
begins a summer of unforgettable
discoveries and incredible adventures.

Middle Grade Fiction

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Lost Day by Dominique
Valente

Willow Moss, the youngest and least powerful sister
in a family of witches, has a magical ability for
finding lost things like keys, or socks, or wooden
teeth. Her magic might be useful, but it's not exactly
exciting. Until, that is, the most powerful witch in the
whole of Starfell turns up at her door needing
Willow's help. A whole day has gone missing. Can
Willow find the day to save the day?

How to Make a Movie in 12 Days by Fiona Hardy
Hayley Whelan has spent her whole life dreaming of
making a horror movie. When her grandma passes
away, she inherits the money for a proper, grown-up
camera. But before Hayley even calls ‘Action!’,
strange things start happening…Someone is
sabotaging Hayley’s movie - but who? Why? And can
Hayley finish her movie in time for the premiere?

The Little Wave by Pip Harry
When a Manly school sets out to bring a country
class to the city for a beach visit, three very
different kids find each other and themselves. It's
an exuberant, tender novel in verse, and balances
the sadness and difficulties Noah, Jack and Lottie
face with positive and satisfying resolutions.

Summer Reading Club brought
to you by the Riverina Regional

Library

rrl.nsw.gov.au