New Releases by Odo Hirsch

When a sharp decline in the honeybee population on the Bell estate threatens local gardens and businesses, Darius Bell and his friends strike a bargain with their dragonish school principal to overcome a dastardly mayor''s agenda. By the author of Hazel Green. Original.

That last split-second was the most intense of Will''s life. He felt as if everything about it was familiar, the deafening noise, the pain, the darkness of the tunnel, the terror on the Professor''s face as it hurtled towards him. As if he had always known this moment would come, as if he had lived it before. They were only metres apart now. Nothing could stop what was about to happen. Will closed his eyes. For over a year, Will Buster has known that he carries the last remaining design for Professor Gelmet''s helmet within his brain. Supposedly he''s safe, with two agents to protect him and the Professor locked away in prison. But Will knows the Professor will never give up. If he escaped, it would all begin again – and this time the fight would be to the end. The conclusion to the Will Buster trilogy takes readers on an action-packed ride with a twist around every corner.

When she overhears one of the tenants in her apartment building verbally abusing the hard-working caretaker, Mr. Egozian, Hazel Green is determined to find a way to teach the unpleasant tenant a lesson.

A curious girl gains confidence as a writer as she uncovers the mysterious origins of a beautifully decorated lamp in her home.

''Come closer, leaders. Come closer and see.''The children gathered around. The Professor was holding something that looked like a helmet. But it wasn''t shaped like any helmet they had ever seen before . . . One Monday, Will Buster is sitting through another dull history lesson about the Wizard Wars of the 21st century, when he discovers that he has been selected for the opportunity of a lifetime. Or that''s what his parents seem to think.A high-speed HoverPod whisks Will away to Professor Alphonse Gelmet''s Academy of Leadership Excellence. Here, special helmets effortlessly deliver information into the students'' brains. Without doing any work at all, they''ll become encyclopaedias of knowledge!But what is it exactly that Will and his classmates are learning? And who''s to say the Helmet isn''t doing other things to their minds?

Every year Mr. Petrusca-the best fishmonger in town-finds the biggest lobsters for one of his very best customers, Mr. Trimble. But when a thief steals the two splendid lobsters, Mr. Petrusca is more upset than anyone can understand. Hazel Green knows there''s something fishy going on, but what could it be? Through clever sleuthing, guesswork, and observation, Hazel discovers that Mr. Petrusca can''t read. Hazel promises not to tell anyone, and she finally solves the mystery without giving away Mr. Pertrusca''s secret. But will catching the thief solve all of the problems that this fishy mystery has created?

''Will?'' asked Davina. ''What''s going on?'' Will knew it was going to sound crazy. ''Okay,'' he said at last. ''I''m going to tell you something that might sound a little strange. But believe me, it''s true.'' A year has passed since Will Buster came back from the Gelmet Academy, where he uncovered Professor Gelmet''s secret experiment in mind control. Each day he takes his old, battered HoverPod to school, loses interest in the lessons in the LearningHall and plays games of Pointy Wibblers with his friend Myron Dort. Life''s back to normal. Almost boringly normal. . . Except for the tricks Will''s eyes have started playing with him. Sudden flashes, shimmering lines. Then Myron vanishes, and Will finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery of his disappearance. Or is it a trap? Perhaps Professor Gelmet''s experiment isn''t over after all. But is it the Professor, or somebody else, who wants to catch him in their web?

Enterprising Hazel Green tries to convince the city to allow children to march in the annual Frogg Day parade.

A darkly compelling historical fantasy, for teenagers and adults, about an orphan boy''s life of scavenging, conniving and survival against the odds in the villainous world of a medieval city.

A magical adventure, in the tradition of Lewis Carroll, full of eccentric characters, dreamlike events, poems, puzzles and conundrums; a virtuoso flight of fun and nonsense, from one of Australia''s most original writers for children.

The third book in the Bartlett series follows our regular cast of characters-Bartlett, Jacques le Grand, and their young apprentice Gozo-on what may be their strangest adventure yet. Plunging into a wild, unexplored jungle, they discover a forgotten city, a long-lost explorer, a ball game played in a walled court, and an underground dungeon. This gripping, funny and clever adventure is written with Odo Hirsch''s customary flair.

When an impatient queen longs to taste the delicious but fragile melidrop fruit, two explorers use "Inventiveness, Desperation, and Perseverance" to try to bring it to her.

When the Pasha of the City of Sun becomes convinced that Gozo is his kidnapped son, Bartlett and Jacques le Grand try to rescue their young friend by using "Ingenuity, Perseverance, and Desperation" to get the Pasha''s real son back from the underground Ci

A funny, heart-warming, beautifully shaped story in which Hazel Green and her logical friend, the Yak, set out on another mission for justice, this time trying to find a way for Mr Volio the baker to stay when the new owner of his shop won t renew his lease.

Another surprise from Odo Hirsch - part fantasy, part comic detective story spiced with political intrigue and psychological drama, it combines the mystery, inventiveness and charm of a classic children''s book with more sophisticated qualities that will appeal to many adults

Yoss, Odo Hirsch''s first novel for adults of all ages, tells the dramatic, haunting tale of an innocent village boy''s encounter with the corrupt life of a mediaeval town.

This is the story of a boy who explores a secret passage and arrives in a place where the only limit is his own imagination. Written with vigour and humour.

Antonio, living in part of a very large house with his magician father and doctor mother, knows all sorts of unusual things but it is not until he meets his mysterious neighbor, Theodore Guzman, that he is introduced to the magical world of theatre.