A couple of exciting new series for younger readers have arrived in my library recently.  I don’t read a lot of younger fiction but now and again a book or series will catch my attention.  You can read all about them below.

The Monster Hospital series by Gillian Johnson is about monsters of all shapes and sizes and the children who care for them.  It takes a monster to know a monster, so four naughty children get taken to work in the Monster Hospital to help sick monsters.  There are currently four books in the series and I’m sure there are more to come.  They’re perfect for 7-9 year olds, with lots of illustrations and sparce text.  With titles like The Big Fat Smelly Ogre, The Yucky Yodelling Yeti, The Disastrous Little Dragon, and The Awful Orphan Elf, kids are sure to gobble them up and be begging for more. Here’s the blurb for the first book, The Big Fat Smelly Ogre:

Frank the ogre has come to Monster Hospital with a tummy ache because he ate two nasty kids for breakfast. The four naughtiest children in the school are recruited by the mysterious Sister Winifred to be his doctors. Can these not-exactly friends help Frank without getting gobbled up or suffocating from the stupendous stink? It takes a monster to know a monster …

 

Young fans of adventure stories will love Justin D’Ath’s new series, Lost World Circus.  If you know children who love Justin’s other series, Mission Fox (Dolphin Rescue, Panda Chase and many more) and Extreme Adventures (Spider Bite, Shark Bait and many more), they’ll also love Lost World Circus. A circus, endangered animals, survival against the odds and adventure galore – what more could you ask for!  Justin even includes an endangered species quiz and animal facts in the back of each book.  The covers are pretty cool too.  The first two books, The Last Elephant and The Singing Ape are out now, with more coming in the series later this year.  Here’s the blurb for the first book, The Last Elephant:

Colt Lawless is on the run, suddenly famous, and more than a little superhuman. But can he save the last animals on earth?

Twelve years from now, rat flu has wiped out almost every animal and bird on the planet. The creatures in Captain Noah’s Lost World Circus are the last of their kind. But the Rat Cops are determined to shut down the circus, and Colt and his acrobat friend Birdy might be the only ones who can save it, starting with Lucy – the world’s last elephant.

Happy reading!