When a cat’s gotta do what a cat’s gotta do …
Cats know about ghosts, right? But how does one cat deal with a whole army of them?
Sassycat has moved into a new neighbourhood and the local animals are acting weird. No welcome here for a fun-loving cat! And why is the local cemetery off-limits?
Sassycat’s humans are no help at all – even young mistress Rebecca is suffering from strange nightmares. It’s going to be up to Sassycat to protect her and the rest of the family.
It’s lucky that Sassycat is such a very sassy cat. After all, it’s hard not to be confident when you’ve got four white socks, a perfect tail and whiskers to die for!
But it’s going to take all her street-smarts and courage to confront this ghostly army that’s starting to invade the world of the living …
Animal story meets supernatural story in Richard Harland’s Sassycat. Join Lorenzo, the sleazy lizard with an eye for the ladies, Thaddeus the cantankerous old possum, Darlene the loud screechy cockatoo, Witzer the yappy terrier, Bernie the big softie labrador, and four rats who claim the right to be cuddlesome pets. All seen through the eyes of Sassycat herself …
(Question: Why are cats so superior? Answer: it’s because they have such highly successful dreams!)
Suitable for readers age 10 to 14 – AND cat-lovers of any age!
In the universe of Wolf Kingdom, an army of wolves has overrun the world. Now the Wolf-King, Grince I, rules from his Iron Castle in the city of Grinceburg. Grince is a tyrant and his soldiers are bullies, who treat all humans as slaves.
But there’s a secret behind Grince’s power, a reason why these wolves can talk and think and walk on their hind legs like no other animal.
The only humans outside the wolves’ control are the Free Folk. They’re an outlaw band under the leadership of Hooley Dan. Their hideout lies in the middle of Eld Forest and looks like a sheer-side lump of rock from the outside. Inside, it’s hollow and honeycombed with caves.
There are four books in the Wolf Kingdom series, published by Scholastic. Laura Peterson did the fabulous illustrations, and the covers too.
Book 1 is ESCAPE
Tam and Nina return to find that wolf-soldiers have taken over their home and kidnapped their parents by wolf-soldiers. They flee into the forest with the wolves in pursuit.
Only one thing keeps them going – the legend of a band of outlaws living free in the forest …
Here’s a review from the Brisbane Courier-Mail:-“Escape! is a fast-paced 83-page book with interesting characters and a satisfying story which is written in short chapters and illustrated by Laura Peterson to encourage young readers, especially boys. Even though this book is aimed at early readers from nine years of age, I have to confess that it is so well written that on more than one occasion I sneaked a peek at the remaining pages because I wanted to know what would happen next.” (Courier-Mail)
Book 2 is UNDER SIEGE
Now the Free Folk learn that the wolves are bringing up a huge secret weapon to use against their hideout. Tam and Nina, who are full members of the outlaw band, go out as spies to the nearest town, where the secret weapon is hidden under canvas. What is Wolf-Roarer?
They fall in with a sneak-thief, Chiz, and get thrown into gaol along with him.
No chance of escape—unless the bag that Chiz has stolen can do something magical …
Here’s a review from Reading Time that covers both Escape and Under Siege: –
“What a magical treat for young readers. Here are the first two books of adventure fantasy that are Robin Hood styles of tale. The wicked ones are an army of wolves led by the evil General Krang while the goodies are the Free Folk who live in the forest. The young heroes are Tam and Nina, who are assisted by a magical belt that camouflages anyone who wears it and a magical bag that loves to eat metal. These stories are fast paced and immediately appealing. Just like the metal-eating bag I sat and gobbled up each one at a sitting and wanted more. Richard Harland is on a winner with these tales. Age: especially for primary schoolers. Don’t miss out.”
Book 3 is RACE TO THE RUINS
Tam, Nina and Chiz learn that an elite company of wolf-soldiers are on a mission to recover a special magical dagger. They can only overtake them by boat on the river – but the river passes through the terrible Black Gorge, then a stretch of water infested ny electric eels, then the haunted clay fields outside the ruined Palace of Idris.
Even then, they can’t find the dagger before the wolf-soldiers. But perhaps Agger Dagger has a mind of his own …
If Agger Dagger comes to the Free Folk, they’ll have a magical invisibility belt, a metal-eating bag and a dagger that can fly through the air like a missile. The Empire of Grince I won’t be so invulnerable after all.
Book 4 is THE HEAVY CROWN
Finally, Hooley Dan has agreed to search the dungeons of the Iron Castle for Tam and Nina’s parents. They smuggle themselves into the great tower, but get separated. Hooley Dan and his second-in-command go down to the dungeons …
Tam, Nina and Chiz climb to the upper floors, where they see Grince I performing a very special ceremony. At last they understand the secret of his power!
The climax involves a near-beheading, a surprise reappearance, a descent by rope, a rescue and a fight against the odds.
In the end, Grince’s rule is finished forever. and even the wolves aren’t sorry it’s over …
Although Walter Grimm belongs to an old and distinguished family of werewolves, he’s always been different.
While the rest of his family change into their wolfish form every time there’s a full moon, Walter’s skin only develops smooth grey-brown patches. What is he turning into?
The family are worried, Walter’s worried, and so is his doctor Dr Van Fang …
Walter Wants To Be A Werewolf is an Aussie Chomp, published by Penguin Australia.