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Thea Stilton & the Legend of the Fire Flowers

9780545481885By: Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton series bk 15

Hawaii is a great spot for a holiday and a hula competition. The Thea Sisters are there for the latter, they are one of two teams representing Mouseford Academy and they are so excited. They are staying at a hotel really close to a volcano and although they have been reassured that there is no chance it will erupt their friend and scientist back home is calling them to warn them otherwise. The Thea Sisters use the time between competition to try and get to the bottom of what is really going on and along the way they save some rivals and make some new friends.

A wonderfully fun and colourful adventure from those favourites from the Stilton canon. These books continue to be great. The stories are fun, with educational snippets. Things move along at a cracking pace which is what you need when you are trying to encourage beginning readers to continue on the booky adventure with you. A strong reading scheme series that continues to delight.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 28th May 2013

Format: Paperback 176 pages

Categories: Adventure, Reading Schemes, Crime

ISBN 13: 9780545481885 

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton & the Mystery on the Orient Express

I received my copy from the publisher

9780545341059

By: Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton cannot make her trip on the Orient Express, so she sends the Thea Sisters in her place. It isn’t just any journey, this time the train is being used to transport a precious wedding dress that is on it’s way back to Istanbul. Things are not so simple though as the dress has a history, it was stolen many years ago and now The Acrobat Thief has threatened to steal it on this trip. The Thea sisters are determined that this will not happen while they are around. Keeping their eyes open they follow clues and find out some surprising things along the way.

As always the Thea Sisters adventures are great fun. The added bonus as always are the snippets of factual information, that give these books an educational function, it’s okay don’t tell the kids. It’s nice to see such varied female characters as the sisters who are so good at being proactive. There is something in here for all types of girls and there really should be no reason why boys cannot get enjoyment out of these mysteries. The way it is written the glamour of the Orient Express comes through the whole story.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 01 December 2012

Format: Paperback 157 pages

Categories: Reading schemes, Action, Adventure, Crime

ISBN 13: 9780545341059

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page.

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Top Titles 2011

As I’m going to not be posting between now and the new year I thought I would put my top picks of this year down now.

These aren’t the only ones I loved and there is no order to them, they are simply some of the ones released this year as far as I know that stand out in my mind.

Picture Books

The Flying Orchestra – Clare McFadden

The Last Viking – Norman Jorgensen/James Foley

The Jewelfish of Karnak – Graeme Base

Fiction 4-9

Violet Mackeral’s Natural Habitat – Anna Branford

Mystery in Paris – Thea Stilton (As with the rest of the series)

The Amazing Voyage – Geronimo Stilton (really I love the whole series)

Fiction 8 – 12

Eight Keys – Suzanne LaFleur

The Medusa Plot – Gordon Korman

Wonderstruck – Brain Selznick

Young Adult Fiction

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

The Extraordinaires – Michael Pryor

Mastiff – Tamora Pierce

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Topics and Recommendations

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Thea Stilton & the Star Castaways

By: Thea Stilton

The Thea sisters have been invited on a mission to the moon. They are the guests of billionaire business mouse, Napoleon Smith, who is trialling out his space travel agency to a small number of select guests. After going through some training and being in awe of the company they are in, the sisters soon realise there are things going on under the surface. Then a shuttle crashes and the robots in the moon resort start acting terribly. It looks as though Napoleon Smith’s dream of a hotel on the moon may not happen. It’s a good thing the Thea sisters are there, they have a knack for sorting out mysteries like this.

Another entertaining installment of the Thea Stilton series. The fun style of these stories is not the only reason they are so popular. Yes they are visually appealing but the stories are also engrossing and fun. As an added bonus there are little factoids thrown in along the way, to encourage learning as well as entertainment. These books are a good introduction to chapter books, though some readers may find the volume of text a little daunting, something I found to be balanced out by the shortness of the chapters and the very visual presentation.

Recommended.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 01 September 2011

Format: Paperback 156 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Mystery

ISBN 13: 9780545227742

Purchase: here or use Booktopia logo on side of page

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Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton & the Mystery in Paris

By: Thea Stilton

The Thea sisters are on their way to Paris for a holiday. No adventure, no mystery, just good old fashioned rest and relaxation, though with Colette as their guide you can be assured of plenty of shopping. They even plan to attend a fashion show where Colette’s cousin Julie will be showing her designs.

After they arrive strange things start to happen. Julie’s designs are stolen and someone breaks into her flat and steals her computer. None of it makes any sense and the Thea sisters are once again thrust into a mystery, can they solve this one and help Julie get her show back on?

Fun and fashion in Paris, where else? These books are written in a way that younger readers will find engaging – visually interesting, filled with interesting little facts and five distinctive personalities. I have no trouble recommending these books. This one in particular will appeal to girls who, like Colette, likes clothes. It’s easy to enjoy to enjoy these books on the surface but they have a deeper theme of friendship and difference. Friends don’t needs to be the same or look the same, they also don’t always have to agree, they are always there for each other and this is a good thing for our children to be exposed to.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 01 March 2011

Format: Paperback 157 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Reading Schemes

ISBN 13: 9780545227735

Purchase: here or use Booktopia logo on side of page

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton & the Secret City

By: Thea Stilton

The Thea sisters are in place waiting for a scoop when Paulina gets a phone call from home. A friend is missing and Paulina plans to leave straight away. The others won’t let her leave alone, so the Thea sisters set off on another adventure. Once in Peru they head up into the Andes Mountains to find Paulina’s friend – a missing archeologist. It soon becomes clear that it isn’t just about finding Paulina’s friend but following clues to an ancient hidden city.

South America is the location of this adventure and as always along the way great snippets of information are seeded into it. This is a great way to take younger readers out of a narrow view and throw a bit of the world at them. This story moves at a brisk pace and the visual presentation of these books make them a great choice for readers either learning to read (so with help) or for more confident readers looking for something more challenging than the short, large print beginning chapter books.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 01 September 2010

Format: Paperback 161 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Animal Stories Reading Schemes

ISBN 13: 9780545150613

Purchase: here or use Booktopia logo on side of the page

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton & the Ghost of the Shipwreck

By: Thea Stilton

It all starts when the Thea sisters’ biology professor disappears. The girls are unwilling to wait so set out to see if they can find him. They get to his lab they hear an alarm, so they investigate. Fortunately they are able to decipher a message the professor is sending and they venture out underwater to rescue him. In the process they find out about a shipwreck and a priceless jewel and of course some mice who want to keep it all for themselves.

Just when it seems this adventure is over they are invited to China to help a friend of Violet’s find another treasure – the Jade of Truth from an old Chinese tale. Will they be able to uncover the clues that have been hidden for so long and keep such a precious treasure out of the paws of Madame Hu?

In this installment the sister’s take us on not one but two adventures. The pace remains brisk and the stories are fun, not too scary even when the girls get trapped or kidnapped. The journey through China comes with snippets of facts from both modern and ancient times. These girls have adventures all over the world and are capable of doing so many things, it is wonderful to see characters like this. Silly as it may sound it shows girls don’t need to be limited in what they want to do. These are a fun addition to any shelf.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 01 June 2010

Format: Paperback 157 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Reading Schemes

ISBN 13: 9780545150590

Purchase: here or use logo on side of page to link to Booktopia

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton & the Dragon’s Code

By: Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton is invited to teach a class on adventure journalism at her old school – Mouseford Academy. She is very excited. As soon as she arrives she is introduced to five amazing students; Nicky, Colette, Pamela, Paulina and Violet. Not long after getting reacquainted with her old school another student disappears. He is not the thing missing either. With such strange things going on someone has to step in and solve the mystery. It’s a good thing the Thea sisters have a nose for finding clues and quick minds to help them put the puzzle pieces together.

This is the first of the Thea Stilton books. The format is the same as the Geronimo Stilton books – wonderful illustrations and colourful formatting, though it is slightly longer than the books in the original series. This series is about five students from various corners of the globe who become close friends. They have very distinctive personalities and bounce nicely off each other. If you are looking for something for an avid younger reader – or a way to keep a learning reader visually interested (though they are rather text heavy so probably best to read with the child), then these books are a good choice. It is an added bonus that they are fun little mystery stories.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 01 April 2009

Format: Hardback 158 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime

ISBN 13: 9780606002318

Purchase: here or use link on side of page to Booktopia

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Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton and the Ghost of the Shipwreck

By: Thea Stilton

Thea Sisters series bk 3

Years ago the Queen Mousy sank off the Whale Islands, taking with it a treasure that included an enormous diamond called Jasmine’s Heart. Move forward in time to when the Thea Sisters are worried because their biology professor has disappeared. In the process of finding him they discover he has found the wreck and now someone else is trying to steal the treasure he was trying to preserve. This is only the first of the precious stone mysteries the Sisters have to help with. When they travel to China they end up searching for a missing treasure that once belonged to the Jade Princess. Will they be able to stay out of evil Madame Hu’s paws long enough to find the treasure?

Another fantastic Thea Sisters story. Full of danger, adventure and mystery. The story itself is intriguing enough to keep young readers engaged, the colour illustrations and presentation keep it visually interesting but not overwhelming. You’ve got to love a book where five strong, independent females make up the core ensemble of characters. Or at least I do. As an added bonus you find lots of little educational tidbits scattered throughout the book which lends a little reality to the fantasy. These books are incredibly popular and I believe for a very good reason. Highly recommended.

Publisher: Scholastic

Published: 01 June 2010

Format: Paperback 157 pages

Categories: Adventure Crime Humour

ISBN 13: 9780545150590

Purchase: here

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Thea Stilton and the Mountain of Fire

By: Unknown

There is an emergency back home on Nicky’s family ranch in Australia. The sheep are losing all their wool and no-one knows why. Nicky has to return home to find out what is going on and her friends won’t let her do it alone. So the Thea sisters set out on another adventure.

This journey takes them from the ranch to the secret place of Nicky’s ancestors, where they hope to find the cure to what is making the sheep sick. The trip involves a plane, a train, a car and a boat. Along the way they get invited to an Outback Ball.

The Thea Stilton books, like the Geronimo Stilton books, are a lot of fun. Set in the same format with coloured illustrations and coloured text these books are slightly longer than the Geronimo ones, which makes them a little more of a challenging read.

The characters in these books are five girlfriends from all around the world, who are smart and love solving mysteries. With plenty of text and five wonderfully different characters these books are a popular read with female fans of the original series. Any girls is bound to identify with at least one the the sisters. Highly recommended if you want something with mystery, adventure and no fairies.

Publisher: Scholastic US

Published: 01 December 2009

Format: Paperback 176 pages

Categories: Fiction, Crime, Adventure, English Language:Reading Schemes

ISBN 13: 9780545150606

Purchase: here

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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