October reads

Harriet the spy [written and] illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh

First published by HarperCollinsUS in 1964, this classic children's novel has sold over 4 million copies and was awarded the New York Times Outstanding Book Award. Sixth-grader Harriet attends school on the New York's Upper East Side along with her two best pals, Sport, the jock, and Janie, the mad scientist. After school every day, she takes her notebook and proceeds through her spy route. Climbing on milk crates and hoisting herself up dumbwaiters, Harriet observes the rich lady who never gets out of bed; the man with twenty-five cats and the Italian family who runs a grocery store. She writes brutally warts-and-all notes on them all. Harriet's downfall is that she also writes down her thoughts about people she actually knows. After a game in the park when her notebook is knocked out of her hands and read by her classmates, Harriet's deepest thoughts are revealed and she is quickly ostracised by all her classmates - even the boy with the Purple Socks - who form the Spycatcher's Club to punish her. After her parents find out what's happened, Harriet receives a final, crushing blow.

The boy with two lives by Abbas Kazerooni

 When ten-year-old Abbas arrives in England to start a new life - having just fled conscription into the Iranian army and survived almost three months alone in Istanbul, Turkey, waiting for a visa - little does he know that his troubles have only just begun. Abbas's cousin packs him off to boarding school, and infrequent phone calls are his only contact with his beloved mother in Iran. Things get worse when Abbas is threatened with deportation and forced to work through the nights during his school holidays to repay his 'debt', and worse still when, at the age of thirteen, he finds himself homeless.

The wife drought by Annabel Crabb

'I need a wife' 

It's a common joke among women juggling work and family. But it's not actually a joke. Having a spouse who takes care of things at home is a Godsend on the domestic front. It's a potent economic asset on the work front. And it's an advantage enjoyed – even in our modern society – by vastly more men than women. 

Working women are in an advanced, sustained, and chronically under-reported state of wife drought, and there is no sign of rain.

But why is the work-and-family debate always about women? Why don't men get the same flexibility that women do? In our fixation on the barriers that face women on the way into the workplace, do we forget about the barriers that – for men – still block the exits? 

The Wife Drought is about women, men, family and work. Written in Annabel Crabb's inimitable style, it's full of candid and funny stories from the author's work in and around politics and the media, historical nuggets about the role of ‘The Wife' in Australia, and intriguing research about the attitudes that pulse beneath the surface of egalitarian Australia.

Crabb's call is for a ceasefire in the gender wars. Rather than a shout of rage, The Wife Drought is the thoughtful, engaging catalyst for a conversation that's long overdue.

At the crossing-places by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Arthur de Caldicot arrives at Holt to be squire to Lord Stephen and accompany him on crusade. It is an exciting and bewildering time for him as he finds a warhorse, is fitted with armour, and improves his fighting skills. He dreads a confrontation with his blood-father, the violent Sir William, and dreams of finding his true mother; he discovers girls ¿ including the vivacious Winnie de Verdon whom he rescues from burning to death; he has to deal with the aftermath of a murder; he sees the sea for the first time, sails to France and finally takes the Cross.

Starling by Fiona Paul

Cass and Luca are fugitives, on the run from the law and the deadly Order of the Eternal Rose. As they separate to pursue the only evidence that could save them, their worlds - and their romance - are torn apart by spiteful friends and murderous enemies. When Cass finds herself ensnared in the Order's twisted plot, Falco emerges once again as her only hope for freedom. But it turns out Luca has a shocking scheme of his own. No one can be trusted. Cass must confront the Order and once and for all decide her destiny.

Station eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

 One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time - from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains - this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.

Under the flame tree by Karen Wood

When Kirra leaves school to begin her first job on the station where she grew up, she is unimpressed to find herself partnered with a new employee who will barely speak to her. Daniel is undeniably cute, but he has a serious attitude problem and a mysterious past - there are whispers that he's fresh out of juvenile detention, but no one will tell her why. Daniel gradually thaws and reveals his secrets and Kirra starts to see beyond the moodiness to a boy she can believe in. But others remain wary of him, and her best friend warns her to stay clear.

Runelight by Joanne Harris

All hail the return of the squabbling Norse gods and goddesses! And welcome to a feisty new heroine: Maggie, twin sister to Maddy but brought up a world apart - literally, in World's End, the focus of the Order in which Maddy was raised. Now the Order is destroyed, Chaos is filling the vacuum left behind. and is breaching the everyday world.A chilling prophecy from the Oracle. A conflict between two sisters. And what's this? Just nine days to stave off the Apocalypse? Unleash the carnage.

A night divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen

When the Berlin Wall went up, Gerta, her mother, and her brother Fritz are trapped on the eastern side where they were living, while her father, and her other brother Dominic are in the West--four years later, now twelve, Gerta sees her father on a viewing platform on the western side and realizes he wants her to risk her life trying to tunnel to freedom.

The vigilante poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

When a sleazy reality television show takes over Ethan's arts academy, he and his friends concoct an artsy plan to take it down

A god in ruins by Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson's Life After Life explored the possibility of infinite chances, as Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy - would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father - as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.

Secrets by Christina Benjamin

Geneva finally knows the truth about her identity. The Book of Secrets gave her a name, a sister and a destiny to fulfill, but it also revealed many more secrets she must uncover. Some are dark and mysterious and beyond her wildest dreams. Now she has to decide who she can trust with her secrets and which of them she must keep to herself.

My wolf 's bane by Veronica Blade

Autumn Rossi thought she was a normal teenager. Suddenly, she can outrun every critter in the forest, making her wonder if she's even human. When the new guy at school, Zack de Luca, witnesses a questionable scene, he unfairly pins her as stuck-up. He acts like he hates her, yet he keeps bailing her out of trouble.

The battle for Princess Madeline by Kirstin Pulioff

Princess Madeline rejected Prince Paulsen's advances, but he's not about to take it lying down. In the middle of Soron's festival preparations, his obsession jeopardizes the kingdom. When mysterious figures from the kingdom's past arrive offering assistance, Madeline will have to decide if she can accept it, or will their information about a family secret be too much for her to handle? Can Madeline trust anyone or will saving the kingdom come down to her own bravery?

The escape of Princess Madeline by Kirstin Pulioff

Madeline, princess of Soron, awakens on her sixteenth birthday to find that her father has already made preparations for her betrothal. When she disappears unexpectedly, her suitors and knight champion rush to the rescue. But all is not as it seems, and the errant princess's flight has put the kingdom at stake. Can Madeline find freedom or does it come with too high a price?

Second chances by Brenda Chapman

 It's the summer of 1971, and fifteen-year-old Darlene travels with her mother to cottage country. This year her wild cousin, Elizabeth, is staying with them in the hopes that time away from Toronto will straighten her out - but Elizabeth has other plans. It's her summer mission to torment Darlene by manipulating her friends and seducing every eligible male in her path. Meanwhile, Darlene is captivated by the mysterious strangers who rent the cottage down the road, particularly free-spirited Candy, who tells stories of traipsing across the United States with rock stars. Darlene is also friends with a reclusive journalist who will stop at nothing to pen the ultimate anti-war story.

Learning to swim by Annie Cosby

When Cora's mother whisks the family away for the summer, Cora must decide between forging her future in the glimmering world of second homes where her parents belong, or getting lost in the bewitching world of the locals and the mystery surrounding a lonely old woman who claims to be a selkie creature - and who probably needs Cora more than anyone else. Through the fantastical tales and anguished stories of the batty Mrs. O'Leary, as well as the company of a particularly gorgeous local boy called Ronan, Cora finds an escape from the reality of planning her life after high school. But will it come at the cost of alienating Cora's mother, who struggles with her own tragic memories?

Witch born by by Amber Argyle

Brusenna thought it was finished. She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. She was wrong. A new threat merges with the old as the witches' dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything. Including her life.

Who is Audrey Wickersham? by Sara Shrieves

I know everything that's happened is my fault. I try to tell myself that it's okay, I never wanted a normal life to begin with. But then I think about who's been hurt, and I wish that I could go back to the beginning. Back to when I was just a nobody wandering the halls of my high school, alone and unnoticed. Back to when I was completely oblivious to what killing somebody felt like. You have to understand though, I had no choice.

Anything could happen by Will Walton

Tretch lives in a very small town where everybody's in everybody else's business. Which makes it hard for him to be in love with his best friend, Matt Gooby. Matt has two gay dads, but isn't all that gay himself - which doesn't stop Tretch from loving him anyway. Things get even more complicated when a girl falls for Tretch, and Tretch doesn't know how to put her off without revealing everything to everyone. Meanwhile, his family is facing some challenges of its own, and it's going to take Tretch coming out and coming to peace with his situation for his life to move forward.

Edna in the desert by Maddy Lederman

Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna naturally finds this arrangement unacceptable. She's determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?

Black diamond by by Jennifer LoiskeAfter her mom's sudden death twelve-year old Shannon McLean has to move from the US to the England's countryside to live with her mysterious father, Connor, whom she hasn't seen since she was a baby. Weird things start to happen. Everyday is worse than the day before and she wants badly to run away but finds out it's impossible. If she wants to stay alive she has to do exactly as her dad says or else she not only jeopardizes her own life but also the lives of the people around her. While Shannon stumbles to find the magic inside her, Connor is slowly turning into a demon.

Once upon a road trip by Angela N. Blount

Eighteen-year-old Angeli doesn't fit in. She's never been on a single date, and she lives vicariously through an online world of storytelling. With the pressures of choosing a practical future path bearing down, she needs a drastic change. Too old to run away from home, she opts instead to embark on a solo 2-month road trip. Names and identifying details have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Block buster! : Fergus Hume & the Mystery of a hansom cab by Lucy Sussex

ensational block buster! Fergus Hume & the mystery of a hansom cab : the story of the crime novel that became a global publishing phenomenon.Summary: Before there was Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, there was Fergus Hume's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab - the biggest and fastest-selling detective novel of the 1800s, and Australia's first literary blockbuster. Fergus Hume was an aspiring playwright when he moved from Dunedin to Melbourne in 1885. He wrote The Mystery of a Hansom Cab with the humble hope of bringing his name to the attention of theatre managers. The book sold out its first run almost instantly and it became a runaway word-of-mouth phenomenon, but its author sold the copyright for a mere fifty pounds, missing out on a potential fortune.

Tara Nikkel and the dream mage by by R.A. Sapp

Meet a teenager with some serious issues. Tara Nikkel is a girl with a ton of problems: cerebral palsy, asthma, and a severe peanut allergy (just to name a few). And if all that weren't enough, Tara's also an orphan with two clueless foster parents who live like professional couch potatoes. But everything changes for Tara when she ventures out on a stormy night to find her beloved beagle, Pudgy. Through an unexpected series of events, Tara finds herself in a magical realm known only as the "really real world", a place where literally anything is possible. Come join Tara on an adventure filled with magic, goblins, zombies, dragons - and more!

Circle of five by Jan Raymond

After a sudden lightning storm, Sam, Cassie, Ryan, Maya and Seb find that they've acquired strange and amazing powers. Confused and scared, they turn to Mr. Harris, a teacher in their school, who offers to help them learn to control their powers. But is there more to Mr. Harris than meets the eye?

Sonora and the scroll of Alexandria by Travis Hall

At the end of the Rebel Wars, a sleeper agent, code named Hades, wreaked havoc among the rebellion. The information he passed on to the King of Sonora led to the death of many high ranking agents in a secret organization called the Order. With his assassins dead, the King decides to activate Hades. The only way that Allora, and her friends, can expose the traitor is to find the one item that he covets most. Hades is after an ancient scroll from the lost city of Alexandria, which carries a key piece.

Sonora, and the eye of the Titans by Travis Hall

Allora is unaware of her alien and royal heritage until she becomes the victim of a malicious prank. Embarrassed in front of her peers, her emotions become overwhelming, causing her hands to burst into flames. The sudden and public outburst projects an energy signature that attracts assassins to the small town. Allora and her friends Tanner, Dax, and Katie must learn the ways of combat, master the art of the sword, and harness the ability to focus energized molecules, called hadrons, in order to meet their destiny and become true Sonorian warriors. Their only hope for survival is an ancient artifact, known as the Eye of the Titans. To find it, Allora, Katie, Dax, and Tanner must solve complex riddles, fight mythical creatures, and navigate a magical cavern maze, all the while enduring advanced calculus, jealous cheerleading girlfriends, and the much anticipated prom.

Dwellers of Ahwahnee

New graphic series

Monte Cassino :ten armies in hell by Peter Caddick-Adams

Cassino remains one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War. The destruction of its Benedictine monastery was one of its most controversial acts and was turned into a propaganda triumph by the Germans. It was a coalition campaign of nine Allied armies - Italy, France, the United States, Great Britain, India, New Zealand, Poland, Canada and South Africa - ranged against one, Germany.

Don't stop now by Julie Halpern

What road trip would be complete without a little friendship, adventure, and a kidnapping?Summary: Recent high school graduates Lil and Josh leave Illinois for Oregon seeking Lil's sort-of friend Penny, who faked her own kidnapping to escape problems at home and an abusive boyfriend. Lil also wants to find out if she and Josh are meant to be more than friends.

Dorothy must die by Danielle Page

 I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado taking you with it you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gummand I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission.

The iron empire by James Dashner

They've sailed on the Santa Maria, defended famous cities from Vikings and Mongols, and come face to face with some of the greatest figures in history. Now, at long last, Dak, Sera, and Riq travel back in time to the moment it all began. Their mission: to save the life of young Alexander the Great. But they are not the only time travelers in ancient Greece. An epic battle against their most dangerous foe awaits them, and history will be written by the victors. Fix the past. Save the future. It's now or never!

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the "wastelands" of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland. So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travellers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Side effects may vary by Julie Murphy

 When Alice is diagnosed with leukaemia she convinces her friend Harvey to help her with a crazy bucket list. It's as much about revenge as redemption and warped or not, it gives Alice the focus she needs when everything else seems pointless. Then she goes into remission. Now faced with the consequences of her actions, can Alice repair the damage she's caused to those around her? And maybe show the one who loves her most how much she loves him in return

The rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

Theophilus Grey and the demon thief by Catherine Jinks

Twelve-year-old Theophilus Grey, Philo to his friends, is a linkboy in eighteenth-century London, guiding people home through the dark, dangerous alleys by the light of his torch. But in secret, he's also a spy gathering information for his master, the mysterious Garnet Hooke. When thieves and rogues start dropping without a scratch, rumours spread of a dangerous faery demon on the loose, and Philo begins to fear the worst. Could the rumours really be true?

Newt's emerald by Garth Nix

After Lady Truthful's magical Newington Emerald is stolen from her she devises a simple plan: go to London to recover the missing jewel. She quickly learns, however, that a woman cannot wander the city streets alone without damaging her reputation, and she disguises herself as a man. During Truthful's dangerous journey she discovers a crook, an unsuspecting ally, and an evil sorceress - but will she find the Emerald?

The pirate code by by Heidi Schulz with illustrations by John Hendrix

Fresh off her victory over the Neverland crocodile, Jocelyn Hook and her pirate crew hunt for Captain Hook's hidden treasure.

Maus : a survivor's tale / Art SpiegelmanAcclaimed as 'the most affective and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust ' (Wall Street Journal) and 'the first masterpiece in comic book history' (New Yorker), Mausis the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist, coming to terms with his father's story. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. An astonishing retelling of the twentieth-century's grisliest news, Mausstudies the bloody paw-prints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.

The religions book

This clearly explains the key concepts behind the earliest religious beliefs right up to the world's newest faiths, getting to the heart of what it means to believe. Principles of the five main world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - as well as ancient and primal belief systems are explored in this informative tone. All the big ideas are simply explained with jargon-free descriptions, step-by-step diagrams, and witty illustrations that encapsulate every aspect of religious thinking.

The psychology book

Philosophical roots : psychology in the making Behaviourism : responding to our environment Psychotherapy : the unconscious determines behaviour Cognitive psychology : the calculating brain Social psychology : being in a world of others Developmental philosophy : from infant to adult Psychology of difference : personality and intelligence.