New Releases by Ruth Starke

In this sequel to the bestselling NIPS XI, the cricket team, together with coach Spinner McGinty, are in Melbourne to compete for the Harmony Cup, and Lan has a lot on his mind: a new star batsman with something to hide, a mystery from Spinner’s past, conflict with his best mate, Izzy, and his fast bowler laid low just before their biggest match ever. Will Lan resolve his problems? Will the Nips get it together in time? Is the Pop Catholic?

If white boys can't jump, can Asian kids play cricket? Lan's fed up with being called a nip. He wants to be a true-blue Aussie. What better way than by playing the greatest Anglo game of all? Lan gathers a team together and defiantly gives it a name: NIPS XI. Now all they have to do is get some equipment, find a coach, get themselves a sponsor and learn the rules of the game. Then it's time to challenge the best cricket team in the district. A funny, empowering story of cricket and curry, spinners and leggies, that is about overcoming cultural barriers, in sport and in life. Also by Ruth Starke, NIPS GO NATIONAL is the sequel to the bestselling NIPS XI.

Dear old Mrs Tuck has run the school canteen for years. But after a chain of nasty culinary upsets, she gets the chop and a slick new commercial caterer is appointed. Angelo Martinelli, junior private eye, smells a rat – and not just the dead one in the canteen. Is it sabotage, or is it a red herring? Can The Angel get to the bottom of the mystery that has the whole school on the run? Dead Red is a saucy detective story from bestselling author Ruth Starke, full of humour and the kind of explosive jokes that children love.

It's hard being a good pet owner. And when your pet is a Comet fish, and should be swimming around, very fast, but is floating upside down, what can you do? What's wrong with Thorpey? Is he unhappy? Is it tummy trouble? Only little sister Annie knows for sure.

Rose gets tangled in the life of a mysterious neighbor and discovers the secret of Catland. But when her step-mom threatens to destroy Catland, it's up to Rose to pounce to the rescue! Our popular series offers a reading buffet for every appetite and skill level. When you dish up just the books kids are ready for, they'll bite, and grow into voracious readers. The three drool-worthy selections on our menu start with Nibbles, appetizer-sized portions for new readers. Bites give a larger helping of more advanced reading to the kids who are ready for more. Finally, they graduate to full-sized middle grade novels we call Chomps. Dessert, anyone? Each book has a bite taken out of it, indicating its reading level to parents while tipping off kids that they're in for a real treat. Written by a host of top-notch, award-winning children's authors!

While researching aging for a class project, Jenna becomes obsessed with staying young and, after reading part of an Aldous Huxley book about a man on a similar quest, tries an experiment on her parents without knowing the possible side effects.

Rose thinks she's in for a very boring and lonely summer staying with her dad and his new family. That is, until she meets a mysterious neighbour and discovers the secret of Catland . . .

Hilly writes to the new Queen about her brother Gregory (Egg) and the cruelty in her orphanage but is convinced that the stern Mother Joseph has confiscated the Queen?s answer to her letter, so Hilly concocts a daring plan to meet her when she visits Australia.

Humorous crime novel for children aged 10-14 years. The final day of year 12 at Paradise Park High - also known as 'Muck-Up Day' - is traditionally one of mischief and misbehaviour. So when a burglary occurs, it is difficult to know who to blame. That is, until student Angelo Martinelli and his team get on the case. Author is a teacher at Flinders University whose other titles include 'Dead Red' and 'NIPS XI', winner of the Honour Book title at the 2001 CBCA Awards.

Novel for younger readers. Struggling in the shadow of her genius siblings, Flora is determined to find something to shine at. So, she enters the Junior Popstars Quest and comes face-to-face with deadly backstabbing. Author has previously written 'Dead Red' and the 2001 CBC Honour Book 'NIPS XI'.

Novel for primary school-aged children in the Takeaway series. After 113 years Saddler Street School is going to be closed down. Over the decades it has taught hundreds of migrant children including Sam Papamanos in 1937 and Sim Van Le in 1996. Sim has a plan to save the school, enlisting the help of fellow students. Author teaches English at Flinders University in Adelaide and is deputy chair of the South Australian Writers' Centre. Previous novels include the awarded 'NIPS X1'and 'The Twist in the Tale'.

A history of the festival known as Adelaide Writer's Week and the people who have taken part in it over the last forty years.

A school project on ageing has Gemma seriously worried about how old her parents are looking, until she discovers a recipe for eternal youth. But when her experiments start to go wrong, she learns tht the secret of living forever comes at a terrible price

A debutante ball: old-fashioned and sexist, or a memorable way to celebrate the final year of school? The students of Freemont College discover that coming out means different things to different people.

A teenage girl becomes involved with a boy with a troubled past and his obsession drives him to dangerous actions.