Captivating Reads: Keep little book lovers happy this November

At this time of year there are so many wonderful new books to choose from that it can be a bit daunting. With that in mind we’ve chosen a few highlights that will help you navigate through the large November book haul.

Restless Girls by Jessie Burton

For her twelve daughters, Queen Laurelia’s death in a motor car accident is a disaster beyond losing a mother. Their father, King Alberto, cannot bear the idea of the princesses ever being in danger and decides his daughters must be kept safe at all costs. Those costs include their lessons, their possessions and, most importantly, their freedom. But the eldest, Princess Frida, will not bend to his will without a fight and she still has one possession her father can’t take: the power of her imagination.

And so, with little but wits and ingenuity to rely on, Frida and her sisters begin their fight to be allowed to live.

The First Adventures of Princess Peony by Nette Hilton and Lucinda Gifford

A gifty, funny illustrated series for imaginative girls, written by Nette Hilton, the author of A Proper Little Lady.

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl called Peony. That’s P.E.O.N.Y. And it’s me. I live in a Castle with my Dragon whose name is Totts. That’s T.O.T.T.S And that makes me a Princess if you really want to know.

Princess Peony is not really a princess, but she does have a pet dragon, which means she’s kind of like a princess. In her first adventure, she must keep an evil troll (her brother) from trying to steal her dragon (dog)–and avoid being eaten by a bear, which is really hard work.

The Girl, The Dog and The Writer in Provence by Katrina Nannestad

When Freja and Tobias arrive in Claviers, Provence, it feels like home. The hilltop village is surrounded by olive groves, lavender fields and drifts of red poppies. The market square hides a world-famous pâtisserie and an antique merry-go-round. Pippin, their precocious young neighbour, and Vivi, the beautiful chef, fill their lives with chatter and laughter and love.

For a moment, the girl, the dog and the writer are happy.

But a spate of criminal activity casts a cloud over the village. Freja is determined to solve the mystery and uncover the villain, but the closer she gets, the more impossible things seem to become …

Award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad is back with the much-anticipated sequel to the bestselling novel The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #13: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney

When snow shuts down Greg Heffley?s middle school, his neighborhood transforms into a wintry battlefield. Rival groups fight over territory, build massive snow forts, and stage epic snowball fights. And in the crosshairs are Greg and his trusty best friend, Rowley Jefferson.It?s a fight for survival as Greg and Rowley navigate alliances, betrayals, and warring gangs in a neighborhood meltdown. When the snow clears, will Greg and Rowley emerge as heroes? Or will they even survive to see another day?

Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies: The Giant Moth Mummy by Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts

The second book in the hilarious Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies series.

A dark river under the world. An Ibis Mummy with an upside-down head. And the whole of Mumphis in peril … from six talking shoes.

Boy Pharaoh Bab Sharkey returns to the magic city of the Animal Mummies. Only this time, he faces the grossest weapon ever devised – a giant mummified moth possessed by the spirit of the Unpharaoh herself! Can Bab and his smelly friends defeat this ancient evil?

The Amazingly Disorganised Help Dictionary by Georgia Productions

The Amazingly Disorganised Help Dictionary is a scrapbook of my brain; how I use my lack of concentration and hyperactivity to be creative, to come up with ideas and to NEVER GIVE UP (except for when you’re trying to catch a fish with your bare hands!). Maybe it will help you in some way too.

Inside you’ll find loads of random and relatable ideas and lists, helpful and not-so-helpful how tos, hot tips and advice from wise ol’ Georgia, hopefully a couple of LOLs and, I dunno, just more stuff that’s great and you should really buy this book and maybe a copy for your friend and your grandpa and that crazy cat lady down the road. You get my drift 😉

See ya later, potata! Georgia

DISCLAIMER- This book is NOT actually a dictionary but it’s most definitely amazingly disorganised.

Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend

Return to the magical world of Nevermoor! Morrigan Crow’s perilous adventures continue in the most anticipated sequel of the year, a treat for all fans of magic and Wunder. 

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She’s hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery – but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan’s unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion…

Funny Kid Get Licked by Mat Stanton

Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen.

And it’s about time he used his talents for a good cause!

Max is the funny kid … and there are endangered animals to save!

Putting the fun in fundraising, launching a puppy-smuggling operation, fighting the great Redhill canteen war and planning a secret theme park are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure!

For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates and WeirDo, FUNNY KID is the mega-bestseller from author-illustrator Matt Stanton.