Polly's picks for kidz

With no mother, Moon, aged ten, is left to fend for himself. Living in the shelter home in the forest he is tested when his father dies, leaving him alone. Captured and sent to an institiution for children, Moon learns about friendship, trust, and what the world is really all about. An excellent and thrilling read for children that enjoy survival adventure stories. Suitable for 9-13 year old readers.

Billy Webb was just an ordinary boy. But in one way Billy was exceptional - he had a passion for swapping things. He would swap anything, from tropical fish to false moustaches. Privately, he thought he might be the best swapper in the world - until he met Alfonso Bonzo, the Italian exchange student.

The year Mum died and Dad went mad, a young man is sent to live on a farm with Aunt Lorna, Uncle Frank, and five cousins who belong to the Jerusalem League, a William Blake cult. Feeling lonely and depressed, he makes friends with Pimpernickle, the resident pig. While on a school camp a flood hits and everyone is forced to head to higher ground. How will they cross the river and reach safe ground? Just what happens when they're rescued?

A collection of stories about the friendship between Snake and Lizard. Snake and Lizard run a helping business, Helper and Helper. The daily… Suitable for 7-10 year olds

To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.

A summer job becomes a slapstick lesson in business as one boy turns a mountain of grass into a mountain of cash.

Catspeaker Charlie Ashanti finds himself on a boat to the Caribbean where he will be sold to the Corporacy, but his parents and lion friends are in pursuit, and he is determined to outwit his captors.

Stuart and his twin sister Sandra are coming home to Wellington on the ferry. Stuart knows he'll enjoy the trip, he's a good sailor. But it's April 1968 and the ship is Wahine. As the tragic events unwind Stuart and Sandra battle to stay alive. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

During a raid on her island home of Santa Lucia, 12-year-old Lily learns that her father, who she thought was dead, was taken by pirates, when she is taken at gunpoint by the tyrannical El Capitan de Diablo, and forced to work as a galley slave on his ship, Gisella. Set in the Napoleonic Wars, when the French navy occupied the Mediterranean in the final days of the golden age of piracy. Book 1 of the trilogy

A gentle but vivid story of Milada, an 11-year old girl from Czechoslavakia, taken from her family by Nazi soldiers and placed in a German 'training school'. Milada is renamed "Eva" and, after her training is completed, she is adopted into a new German family. "Eva" tries her best to obey but cannot forget where she came from. I loved this book even though it deals with some very heavy issues. We cannot help but feel for Milada and her families, both her own family and then her adopted one. While atrocities are only mildly hinted at throughout the story (making this readable for ages 9-up) there is an historical account at the back of the book for those wanting to know the full and true account of Milada's village.

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community…

Charlie Applejack's career as a superhero might be over before it's even begun. His mother wants him to choose a safe job as a TV game show host and the Super School has rejected him because his super powers aren't super enough. However, when the evil villain and wannabe rock star General Pandemonium captures all of the world's superheroes, and threatens to vaporise every pair of pants on the planet, it's up to Charlie to save the day. Will he be a superhero, or will he be a superzero.

What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in human history? What if you were told that the source of the family's power was hidden around the world in the form of 39 clues? What if you were given a choice take a million dollars and walk away. .or get the first clue and begin the search? At the reading of their grandmother's will, Dan and Amy are given this choice and they take the clue. Immediately, they are caught in a dangerous race against their own family members. The hunt is on... Book 1

Once a pirate slave, Lily Swann is navigator on the Mermaid, running the French blockade of Malta, when she learns her long-lost father may still be alive. Before she can discover if this is true Lily is forced to show Captain Diablo the way to the Golden Grotto. But when he is unable to locate the grotto's fabled wealth, Diablo abandons her to die in darkness. Lily escapes and again confronts Diablo only to be cast adrift in a tiny boat without oars, sails, food or water - the pirate's revenge.

Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.

Tim Thomas is searching for dinosaur fossils in the hills above Pounamu, his grandparent's sheep station. His mum drowned when he was four, leaving Tim with only a vague memory of her, and of a large tooth embedded in a rock. But time is against him as he races to find the exact spot where he remembers the tooth, before the river gully is dammed and the rising waters cover the site. this is an excellent story to read aloud to children aged 8-13 years old.

It's nearly midnight on Greg Jones' twelfth birthday and he's cold, wet, hungry and in trouble. It seems everything has gone wrong with his family lately, and there's plenty that is all his fault. FInd out more by reading this fantastic story. Boys you are sure to love this one. Reading level: primary, intermediate.

A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion… This is a thrilling adventure story about the companionship and love between a boy and his dogs.We find out the extent the trio are bonded .This delightful story is well worth the read.