City of fallen angels - Cassandra Clare

The 4th in the series which picks up the story of Simon, Jace and Clary as the fight between good and evil continues!

Simon struggle to comes to term with his newly acquired vampire status takes up the main part of the story. Jace and Clary's relationship is under threat - the secret of Jace's return from the dead has terrible consequences.

If you have been an avid reader of the series then this won't disappoint!

The lost tohunga - David Hair

This is the third book in this series by David Hair - not sure why I haven't posted in the first two - because they were FAB stories.

Set in modern day NZ and a parallel mythical world of Aotearoa, the main character 16 year Matiu (Mat) can cross the path between the two worlds. In this volume Mat is coming trying to come to terms with NCEA and the fact that he has special powers that need to be developed by his mystical guide Aethlyn Jones. In the previous story, The taniwha's tear, the power balance that had existed for generations had been destroyed with the death of the warlock, Purata. However now his allies are willing to do anything to gain control of Purata's power base, Te Iho.

Hair's novels have been branded with a new genre 'Maori gothic'. He has created a world where fantasy and history, technology and the spirit world co exist. This instalment little 'dark' in places and more suited to mature junior readers.

Read more about David Hair's work here

Trash - Andy Mulligan

Raphael , Gardo and Rat live in a community of rubbish dump dwellers. They and their families survive by sifting through the rubbish that others dispose of without a thought. They carry on in the hope that they will some day find something that will change their lives. And one day they do.

A great story of social justice and hope set in a community that seems devoid of hope. Engaging characters and multiple narrative viewpoints help to develop a plot that reveals itself slowly.

The social, political and historical events that underpin the story may be 'fictional' but they will sound very familiar to many of us. Junior readers will not need prior background knowledge to enjoy the adventures of the trio of characters.

Kaitangata Twitch - Margaret Mahy

Very topical after the recent events in Christchurch!

Meredith's family live on a lifestyle block across the bay from Kaitangata - an island which 'punches' itself into the sky. The beauty of the landscape is about to be over run by developers who see a profit in picturesque beauty of the area.

Meredith seems to feel a deep and spiritual connection to the island - she hears voices and dreams of events that have been and that are yet to come. A series of small quakes (or twitches) seem to begin on the island - perhaps signalling the islands disapproval of its' planned future. can Meredith intervene?

An engaging story - desribed as a supernatural thriller - but also a tale of cultural misunderstandings over the value and sacredness of the land.

Suitable for good junior readers.

Lost riders - Elizabeth Laird

A work of fiction based on the collected stories of young (as young as 3) Pakistani boys who are 'saved' from lives of poverty and deprivation. Instead of a life of education and prosperity in their new homes, they were forced in harsh, dangerous and often violent conditions, to train as camel riders who took part in the notoriously wealthy races in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Over 4000 of these young boys were thought to have been 'given' into slavery. Only 1000 were returned home after the practice was 'banned' in recent years.

The story is very readable and I'm sure 'tamed down' for a young audience. Mature junior readers.

The dead - Charlie Higson

The sequel to Higson's The Enemy is actually a prequel! But it does go a long way into explain how the London (and presumably the rest of England) has been infected by a mystery virus.

Ed and Jack lead a band of boys who have survived the initial infection, in an attempt to escape the chaos of the adults who have succumbed to the virus.

They come under the 'protection' of Greg, a bus driver, who has collected a number of survivors on his tour bus.

Fast paced and action packed - the boys fight there way through to London - in the hope of finding other survivors, more food and a safe refuge. Pretty gruesome in places - mature teen reader material.

If you enjoyed The Enemy then this is a must. Book number three is due out this year - check out Higson's website here

Virals - Kathy Reichs

Kathry Reichs unleashes her forensic sleuthing style on a teen audience with the start of a new series, featuring teen sleuth Tory Brennan. Tory has a famous Aunt, the forensic scientist Temperance Brennan - and she models herself on her style. Virals is a mixture of sci-fi adventure and crime fiction. Not 100% sure that this works. A slow start, but action becomes more fast paced in the second half of the book. The characters are likeable, if not overly believable. Good junior readers will cope with the content and the scientific 'jargon'.