There are some true gems in our list of the top ten chapter books for kids for 2017!
You’ll see some fantastical breakout authors like Jessica Townsend, whose debut Nevermoor blew us all away, as well as standouts from some old favourites like Aaron Blabey and David Walliams.
The books in this list are so smart, witty, and mischievous that they’ll send your kids’ imaginations wild - in short, these are the books which make us want to be kids again!
Talking dogs. Mischievous wizards. An evil stepstepfather. Loads and loads of toads. Such is the life of a Frogkisser.
Princess Anya needs to see a wizard about a frog. It's not her frog, it's her sister's. And it's not a frog, it's actually a prince. A prince who was once in love with Anya's sister, but has now been turned into a frog by their evil stepstepfather. And Anya has made a 'sister promise' that she will find a way to return Prince Denholm to human form...
So begins an exciting, hilarious, irreverent quest through the Kingdom of Trallonia and out the other side, in a fantastical tale for all ages, full of laughs and danger, surprises and delights, and an immense population of frogs.
'[A] beautifully told romp of a fairy tale ... Wise and wondrous.' - Holly Black
Ages: 13-16
Celebrate 20 years of Harry Potter magic! An extraordinary creative achievement by an extraordinary talent, Jim Kay's inspired reimagining of J.K. Rowling's classic series has captured a devoted following worldwide.
This stunning new fully illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brings more breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters - including Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Professor Trelawney.
With paint, pencil and pixels, Kay conjures the wizarding world as we have never seen it before.
Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this full-colour edition will captivate fans and new readers alike as Harry, now in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, faces Dementors, death omens and - of course - danger.
Taken by a creature with way too many teeth and far too many bottoms.
Is this the end? Maybe. But will it be funny?
You bet your butts it will!
Dads come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
There are fat ones and thin ones, tall ones and short ones.
There are young ones and old ones, clever ones and stupid ones.
There are silly ones and serious ones, loud ones and quiet ones.
Of course, there are good dads, and bad dads . . .
A high-speed cops and robbers adventure with heart and soul about a father and son taking on the villainous Mr Big and winning!
This riches-to-rags story will have you on the edge of your seat and howling with laughter!
Bad Dad is a fast and furious, heart-warming story of a father and son on an adventure – and a thrilling mission to break an innocent man into prison!
Dads may be bad but this book is anything but! David Walliams has already proven himself to be a most worthy successor to the legacy of brilliant children’s authors such as Lewis Carroll, J.K. Rowling and of course, Roald Dahl, and now he continues his stellar winning streak with Bad Dad.
Packed with plenty of mischief and hilarity, this is a cops and robbers adventure with a beating heart that will see kids and parents alike rolling around with laughter. Like Roald Dahl before him, David Walliams taps into the inherent mischievousness that bubbles out of children and creates certified children’s book magic with it - a little rude and a lot of fun, this is the book you want your kids reading this summer!
Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen.
He's the class clown, the punch line and he's even volunteered his bottom to be the butt of the joke.
Max is the funny kid...and he's running for class president.
Poop scandals, stalker ducks, surprise debates, psycho sports teachers, tell-all interviews and the great library vomit-a-geddon are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends at Redhill Middle School this election season.
For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates and Big Nate, Funny Kid is the hilarious new series from bestselling children's author Matt Stanton.
Written and illustrated by the Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin, comes Polly and Buster – a junior fiction series about the magic of friendship.
Who ever heard of a witch and a monster being friends?
Everyone knows that witches don’t mix with monsters. Witches are educated, clever, sophisticated. But monsters? Monsters are just uncouth. Some are even dangerous.
But Polly the witch and Buster the feelings monster have been best friends forever.
It’s the sort of friendship that makes your heart squeeze with happiness.
Somehow, they've managed to keep their friendship a secret.
Until one day, when everything changes ...
Shortlisted for the 2020 YABBA Awards, 2018 ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children, 2018 Indie Book Awards: Children's, 2018 Reading and Enjoying Australian Literature Awards: Fiction for Younger Readers, 2018 ABA Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award, 2018 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year
A 2018 CBCA Notable Book of the Year for Younger Readers
The Polly and Buster trilogy includes:
The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster
The Mystery of the Magic Stones
The Seach for the Silver Witch
For more wonderful series by Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin, check out the Billie B Brown, Hey Jack! and School of Monsters series.
Greg Heffley and his family are getting out of town. With the cold weather and the stress of the approaching holiday season, the Heffleys decide to escape to a tropical island resort for some much needed rest and relaxation. A few days in paradise should do wonders for Greg and his frazzled family.
But the Heffleys soon discover that paradise isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Sun stroke, stomach troubles, and venomous critters all threaten to ruin the family's vacation.
Can their trip be saved, or will this island getaway end in disaster?
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Born on an unlucky day, she is blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on Eventide.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It's there that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organisation: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart. Except for Morrigan, who doesn't seem to have any special talent at all.
To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests - or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Winner, Book of the Year 2018 at the Indie Book Awards.
Winner, Children's Book Category at the Indie Book Awards.
Winner, Best Children's Fiction at the Aurealis Awards.
Winner, Younger Fiction at the Waterstones Children's Book Prize (UK).
'Unexpected, exciting and funny. Like Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and Doctor Who swirled up together. I loved Morrigan Crow, and I want to check in at the Hotel Deucalion.' - Judith Rossell, ABIA Award-winning author of Withering-by-Sea
'Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is more than just a spectacular debut. Exciting, charming, and wonderfully imagined, it's the sort of delightful, grand adventure destined to be many a reader's favourite book.' - Trenton Lee Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Benedict Society series and The Secret Keepers
Go for a spin in the world's most powerful whirlpool, take a ride in a submarine sandwich, get marooned on a desert island, hang out in a giant spider web, visit the fortune teller's tent to get your fortune told by Madame Know-it-all and decide whether or not to push the mysterious big red button.
Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!
I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates. This did not bother me as much as you might think - I hardly knew my parents.
Bronte Mettlestone's parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. She's had a perfectly pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons - and no adventures, thank you very much.
But Bronte's parents have left extremely detailed (and bossy) instructions for Bronte in their will. The instructions must be followed to the letter, or disaster will befall Bronte's home. She is to travel the kingdoms and empires, perfectly alone, delivering special gifts to her ten other aunts. There is a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard and a veterinarian aunt who specialises in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship together and a former rockstar aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom.
Now, armed with only her parents' instructions, a chest full of strange gifts and her own strong will, Bronte must journey forth to face dragons, Chief Detectives and pirates - and the gathering suspicion that there might be something more to her extremely inconvenient quest than meets the eye...
From the award-winning Jaclyn Moriarty comes a fantastic tale of high intrigue, grand adventure and an abundance of aunts.
'An absolute sparkling delight of a story! Whisperers, water sprites, spellbinders and faery-cross stitch; this book is brimming with bright new magic...just perfect.' Karen Foxlee, author of A Most Magical Girl and Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy
'Jaclyn Moriarty charms, thrills and delights in this delightfully unpredictable, unique and modern novel, while also brilliantly evoking echoes of classic children's authors like Diana Wynne Jones and Joan Aiken.' Garth Nix, author of Frogkisser and The Keys to the Kingdom series
