June books

We're a wee bit late with our June books post this month. The old bus runs a little slower and takes longer to warm up in the cold weather. We have to supplement our biofuel with liquid chocolate to keep us all running smoothly.

So, this month we have some old favourites popping up. The Best Beak in Boonaroo Bay is a CBCA Award short-listed book by the amazingly talented Narelle Oliver. It's lovely to see this classic back in paperback. Also out in paperback is Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees, the classic Australian song illustrated by the young and talented Ben Wood. This is a favourite at my house where sometimes singing the bedtime story is actually easier than reading it.

And as mentioned in our previous post, the first two books in Michael Gerard-Bauer's trilogy have been re-jacketed to be all matchy and beautiful next to the third and final book, Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel, due out in July -- stay tuned!

It's all about finales this month because next off the bus is the much-anticipated Calamitous Queen, the last in the awesome Grim and Grimmer series by Ian Irvine. Delivering on everything that has been promised, and much more, this is a worthy end to an epic journey for poor old awkward Ike and his prickly side-kick Melly. And don't forget to pop in on Ian Irvine's Facebook page regularly, he's just a crazy competition and give-away machine!

We're always excited to see a new manuscript thump on our desks* from the mysterious L.S. Lawrence, historical fiction author extraordinaire. Out this month is Horses for Arthur, set in the Arthurian period (7th century England). You need to be sitting up straight and paying attention to fully appreciate the historical context, but Alexa, the heroine of this story, demands no such effort. She is a feisty and independently minded woman who refuses an arranged marriage and instead follows her own passion. If you'd like to read more about the rich history and culture of this period, please follow this link to our Teachers' notes.

And if you love this kind of historical fiction, definitely hunt down the previous two L.S. Lawrence novels, Eagle of the East and Escape by Sea. And watch out for an interview with Mr Lawrence, coming soon!

* In actual fact, arrive with a polite 'ping!' in our inboxes, but that doesn't sound very romantic, does it?