Squire Terence and the Maiden’s Knight by Gerald Morris

The first of the Squire Tales series. It was hilarious! Young Terence has spent his years living in the woods with this strange old man who can see the future more clearly than the past. In come a strapping young lad, Gawain and Terence becomes his squire. They head towards King Arthur’s court where Gawain is knighted. So Terence and he head out to have an adventure or two and along the way, Terence gets to meet his dad also.

Ages 9 and above

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

If you thought Mount Olympus was only in ancient Greece and the gods had stopped throwing lightning bolts or shooting love arrows at unsuspecting mortals, you are in for a surprise! It’s just shifted to New York city and the gods…well, they have shed their robes and wear more trendy clothes these days. And Percy Jackson? He thought he was just a kid having problems at school until he found out who he could be!

The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

Ostia, a port town in Rome. 79 AD. Flavia Gemina, barely 10 years old and amateur detective. She has had much practice searching for all the things that her ship’s captain father misplaces! And now with her friends, Nubia (slave set free by Flavia), Jonathan (neighbour) and Lupus (boy from the streets who is a fantastic artist) Flavia Gemina embarks on solving many many mysteries.

Ages 9 and above

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen

How do you resist a book that begins with “It’s not like I was trying to get into trouble.” That’s Sammy Keyes, who lives with her grandmother and can’t keep herself from getting mixed up with strange goings-on. This is the first book in the series and is great fun. So’s The Runaway Elf and The Sisters of Mercy and The Skeleton Man and The Hollywood Mummy. I’m now impatiently waiting for the 10th book, Sammy Keyes and The Dead Giveaway.

Ages 9 and above