A-Z Recommendation Z: Zeroes

Our book recommendation for the letter Z for YA is... Zeroes

By Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti 

YA Fiction - Available in book and eBook format 

Meet a different breed of Superheroes!  Six Californian teenagers are gifted with unusual superpowers. Sometimes their powers aren’t that great, sometimes they’re pretty unpredictable and don’t quite work how or when they are needed. Sometimes they’re not really ‘gifts’ at all. They really just need to learn how to control them. 

Follow Bellwether, Scam, Flicker, Mob, Crash and Anonymous as they go on the run from the police and from the gangsters whose money Scam has accidentally taken.  

  

Did you ever want to have superpowers when you were a kid?  What would your superpower have been?  Read this to see how you would feel in these situations if you were one of these kids who have extraordinary powers! 

Read - Book #2 Swarm and Book #3 Nexus 

A-Z Recommendation Z: Curious George Discovers Germs

Our book recommendation for the letter Z is... Curious George Discover Germs

by  H.A. Rey       Children’s Non-Fiction – Available as ebook 

(You will say ‘That doesn’t start with ‘Z’ – we can’t have that!’)  When the Curious George books were first written in the 1940’s, it was felt that he shouldn’t be called George, because that was the name of the current king (King George VI) and that would be a bit rude, so he was called Zozo! Of course he has 

This is part of a new ebook series about discovery (like The Magic Schoolbus books).  Poor George catches a cold and when he goes to sleep he dreams that he is inside a (human) body, learning all about what happens inside you when you have a cold. 

Various other titles are available in Picture book and ebook formats. 

A-Z Recommendation Y: The ghost of Young Nick's Head

Our book recommendation for the letter Y for YA is... The ghost of Young Nick's Head

YA – Available as book 

A great ghostly adventure set in New Zealand at Young Nick’s Head in Poverty Bay.. 

Joe and Eddie are staying in a very old house sitting on a remote headland. One night they hear noises and sneak into a creepy unused bedroom in the house and see a ghost!  

There are multiple ghosts in this story, friendly ones and not-so-friendly ones, and Joe and Eddie set off to find out the terrible things that happened there in the past and why the spirits of the people lost at that time have not left for the next world.  Their search leads them down some terrifying paths and they discover some incredible things that happened in history. 

Can Joe and Eddie find out what happened in the area over a hundred years ago?  Who are the ghosts and why are they still there?  Is it possible to set things right after all these years? 

Read at night if you dare!!! 

See also :- The ghosts of Tarawera 

A-Z Recommendation Y: Young Houdini

Our book recommendation for the letter Y is... Young Houdini : The Magicians Fire

# 1 of Young Houdini Series - By Simon Nicholson     Snr Fiction – Available in book format only 

Harry Houdini is a young shoeshine boy living on the streets of New York in 1886.  He entertains people with his amazing escapes – at the start of the story he chains himself to the train tracks and has to get loose before a train comes along!   

Harry has two good friends Billie, a young orphaned girl, and Artie, a very rich boy who is ignored by his father, and they perform tricks and stunts on the streets.  Harry’s friends help him to collect up the money that is thrown to him for his daring acts. 

One day their good friend Herbie, who is an old magician who is a regular performer at the neighbourhood theatre, disappears in a puff of purple smoke after his performance and they set out to find out what has happened! 

This series is loosely based on the life of the famous escapologist Harry Houdini, who lived in the USA from 1874-1926.  If you research the life of Harry Houdini you will find that he made his living doing extremely dangerous stunts/illusions.  If you would like to find out more about the life and times of Houdini, you could check out a Children’s Non-Fiction title ‘Escape : the story of the great Houdini’ CNF 793.8 HOU. 

A-Z Recommendation X: Xander's Panda Party

Our book recommendation for the letter X is... Xander's Panda Party

Linda Sue Park - Picture Book – available in book format only 

It’s pretty tricky when you get down to this end of the alphabet and you’re looking for a book for the letter ‘X’– I’ve had to go for a picture book this time! 

Xander lives at the zoo.  He decides to have a party, a panda party!  Of course, pandas are pretty rare so he would be the only one at the party.  What can he do?  He’s a bear, so he could invite all the bears! Perfect, except that of course Koala isn’t actually a bear!   

What is Xander going to do, who can he invite?  At last Xander works out who can come, but what is inside that big crate that’s just arrived?  Is it from China? 

A-Z Recommendation X: Daniel X

Our book recommendation for the letter X for YA is... Daniel X

 The Dangerous days of Daniel X – # 1 Daniel X series - By James Patterson and others 

Various titles available as YA Fiction, Audiobooks, eBooks, Manga 

Daniel X is not an ordinary boy.  He was born on Alpar Nok and his parents were alien-hunters.  When Daniel was just three, his parents were killed by an alien called The Prayer.  Daniel is sent to earth, where he begins his quest to hunt down the worst aliens in the galaxy.  In his role as an Alien Hunter, Daniel uses his special powers to help him defeat the aliens on The List. 

Follow the series to see if Daniel succeeds in his quest. 

A-Z Recommendation W: The Warrior Heir

Our book recommendation for the letter W for YA is... The Warrior Heir

Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles #1   Available in Book format 

Jack Swift is 16 years old.  He is just like the other kids, only he has had heart surgery and has a scar above his heart.  Every day he must take medicine to keep him well.  One day he forgets to take his heart medicine and finds that he feels really well and has suddenly become very strong and powerful.  Why does he need the medicine?  What is it? 

Jack discovers that, far from being like any other kid, he is a Weirlind, a member of an ancient magical society.  The scar remains from the implantation of a special stone …  

Read on to find out how Jack tries to fulfill his destiny. Does he belong in the Red Rose House or the White Rose House? 

Read Book #2 The Wizard Heir – Book #3 The Dragon Heir