Cirrus@Austlit

'Black Baron, Jake's champion racing cockroach, hasn't lost a race and Jake is on top of the world. But then his mum decides to clean up his bedroom and discovers Black Baron in a shoebox under Jake's bed. Mum is aghast – how could Jake keep such a filthy pest? But Black Baron escapes and Jake's Mum calls the pest exterminator and a humorous slapstick tale ensues.

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A magical story of friendship and fate in the exciting new Lightning Strikes series.

Shy Stacey Bunn and outgoing Twyla Popovic are exact opposites but also the best of friends. On the day of Twyla s birthday, Stacey and Twyla are set go to the Royal Show. But their horoscopes tell them that their best friend is going to betray them! The events of the day prove the prediction to be spot on but with the help of a mysterious fortune teller, the girls manage to put things right.

• Lightning Strikes is a fun new series of fast-paced and fun stories, with eye-catching cover effects, by Australian and NZ authors.
• Other Lightning Strikes titles include: "The Great Shave", "Black Baron", "Going for Broke", "Jinxed", "Queasy Rider", "Oddball" and "Sucked in".
• Featuring a sample chapter of Lightning Strikes book "Jinxed".' (Publication summary)

'In a moment of temporary insanity, Sol Tranter challenges school bully, Aggo, to a game of handball – and what's worse he blurts out that he is going to beat Aggo using hypnotism. Sol is miserable and desperate in equal measures, and with no plan forthcoming, he hopes for a miracle. Things begin to look up after a chance encounter with his old next door neighbour, but in the end, it's Sol's wit that sees him through.' (Publication summary)

'When their teacher sets a class experiment to look after an egg for a whole week as though it were a baby the class is excited but it's going to be a l-o-n-g week. Soon, there are several casualties and Paddy is devastated when, at the end of the week, the school bully smashes his egg all over his head. He is further humiliated when footage of the incident turns up on YouTube! But disaster is soon turned into triumph with an unexpected ending.

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A wild and colourful adventure in the exciting new Lightning Strikes series.

'Stix reckons he's the Screaming Greenie Meanies biggest fan, so when the band holds a concert in his town, Stix and his mates just have to go. And to get into the spirit of the event, they decide to dye their hair green. Stix s mates use green hair mousse – but there's not enough for Stix. In desperation he uses green food colouring, and the consequences are devastating. But Stix is able to use his misfortune to his advantage and becomes a legend instead of a joke!

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A story about a boy staying with his prickly cactus-devotee relatives, who discovers one of their plants is not only rare – it's totally freaky!

'When Jayden's parents go off on their second honeymoon, he's forced to stay with his eccentric and prickly cactus-devotee relatives. But Jayden's boredom turns to distress when his aunt and uncle bring home an unusual cactus. There's just something spooky about it. And when it starts shaking and increasing in size, he knows his instincts are right. Jayden soon discovers that it's an extremely rare and dangerous cactus that houses a nest of tarantula eggs!

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Can Zainey and Dan capture the creature in the school heating system?

'When there's a creature on the loose in the school heating system, Zainey and Dan need to capture it before it finds a new home, or a new host!

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Camp Trib is legendary. Daks is finally there after years of waiting. But so are two wildlife smugglers. Who should Daks and his mates be more afraid of? The smugglers? Or the wildlife?

• Action-packed adventure full of humour
• Well-crafted story which truly reflects kids and their desire to go to school camp
• Aiming at 9-14 year old age group especially those who haven t yet been struck by the reading bug. Similar readership to Penguin s Aussie Chomp series, but with a more graphic and funky approach to try to appeal to a wider audience.'(Publication summary)

'A sci-fi adventure packed with robots, rockets, sledge-racing and fascinating inventions.

'Centuria a planet full of new technology and fascinating inventions. A great place for Jesse to spend his two hundred and fifty space credits he's brought with him from Earth. But when he rescues human-like robot boy, Michael, Jesse must go deep into the Farlands around the city. Will he be able to help Michael find his family? And will he be able to get back to Earth?

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'How far would you go for a dare?

Ben is set to start at his new school and he knows he s going to hate it. His bike, Marley, has been confiscated. His little brother embarrasses him at every step. And his mum s just started a new job so she has no time for him. Life couldn t be worse until Ben gets forced to do a series of high-risk dares by the school bully.

• Deals with themes of brotherly love, coping with change, acceptance and having the strength to stand up for yourself.' (Publication summary)

'The afro-wigged, eye make-up wearing alpacas have escaped! Charlie and Helen need to get them back into their pen before anyone notices. If they can t, there ll be trouble. But how do you catch an animal that is out to get you?' (Publication summary)

'A hilarious new Lightning Strikes story featuring characters from Going for Broke and The Big Dig.

$500 prize money! Yes! This Christmas decorating comp is too easy. Decorations? No sweat. Strategy? Who needs it? What on earth could go wrong?

• A new title by Meg McKinlay which continues the adventures of characters from her previous Lightning Strikes titles, Going for Broke and The Big Dig
• Meg s illustrated fiction title Duck for a Day was a notable book in the Younger Readers category, Children s Book Council of Australia Awards, 2011; and was short-listed in the Lower Primary Category, Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, 2011' (Publication summary)

Alex really wants a pet to take to the school Pet Parade, so when he finds Pepper, he thinks all his wishes have come true. But when weird things start to happen, Alex begins to suspect that there is more to this pup than meets the eye. [Libraries Australia]

'Daks and his mates are back. When the boys go camping in Poo s backyard - the national forest - they stumble across a crazy woman living up the mountain. She raves about aliens and people not being real. But the boys begin to suspect that she is just faking. Is Jungle Jill what she seems to be?

• An action-packed adventure that is full of humour.

• Lightning Strikes are short, fast-paced novels, laced with a good dose of humour and which make few demands on the reader.
• Scattered throughout each story are a variety of informal text types such as emails, web pages, posters, ads, notes, articles, diagrams etc to help break up the text and to add to the contemporary design.' (Publication summary)

'Ollie and Julian are identical twins, but they couldn't be more different: Ollie love sports and is the local footy champ, while Julian is a quiet achiever who spends most of his time in the kitchen, cooking. Much to Ollie's surprise, Julian enters the Junior Maestro Chef competition and is going to be on national television. Ollie's used to being the centre of attention is their household so he's not happy when his parents spend all their time quizzing Julian on ingredients for recipes rather than watching Ollie play footy. But when Julian falls ill before the taping of the show's finale, it's up to Ollie to pretend to be his brother and cook up a storm

• Mischief, mayhem and cooking - currently a very popular recipe!
• Ideal for reluctant intermediate readers looking for a fun relatable read.
• Teachers' resources available.' (Publication summary)