Book picks similar to
The Power of Positive Pranking by Nat Amoore


humour
realistic-fiction
middle-grade
grandparents

Everything I've Never Said


Samantha Wheeler - 2018
    But Ava has Rett syndrome - she can't talk, can't nod her head, can't even point at a communication card. She understands everything, but no one understands her.When tragedy strikes her family, Ava becomes even more determined to talk. But it's not until she meets occupational therapist Kieran and new friend Aimee that she is hopeful for change - and to find her voice at last.A powerful novel about a subject rarely tackled - young people with disabilities and the families who love and support them.

Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth


Frank Cottrell Boyce - 2016
    Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word.Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik.As Prez dithers on the doorstep, Sputnik strolls right past him and introduces himself to everyone in the household. Prez is amazed at the response. The family pat Sputnik on the head, call him a good boy and drop food into his mouth. It seems they all think Sputnik is a dog. It's only Prez who thinks otherwise.But Prez soon finds himself having to defend the family from the chaos and danger unleashed by Sputnik, as household items come to life - like a TV remote that fast-forwards people: 'Anyone can do it, it's just that people don't read the instructions properly'; and a toy lightsaber that entertains guests at a children's party, until one of them is nearly decapitated by it - and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself.It turns out that Sputnik is writing a guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, and he takes Prez on a journey to discover just those ten things. Each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by. But they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . .

Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase


Peter Helliar - 2017
    Grandad Fish is cranky, and yells a lot, and has a creepy hook for a hand – plus he NEVER lets Frankie go inside his shed. But after a teensy tiny prank goes wrong at school, Frankie is packed off to Old-People Jail for the whole holidays. What Frankie doesn’t know is that Grandad has been building a home-made TIME MACHINE in the Forbidden Shed, and the old man has big plans to get his missing hand back. But when Grandad goes back in time, he changes history and accidentally wipes out Frankie’s entire family – Nanna, Mum, Dad, even his annoying sister Saint Lou. Somehow, everyone is gone but Frankie and Grandad! And it’s only a matter of time until Frankie disappears too...

Lenny's Book of Everything


Karen Foxlee - 2018
    I knew when he talked too much about Timothy his imaginary pet eagle. He was scared.'Whatever you do,' I said to Davey on the walk to school, 'Do not tell people about your eagle. Do not tell Miss Schweitzer about your eagle.'He looked crestfallen. His shoulders slumped. He looked to make sure Timothy hadn't fallen off.Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won't stop growing - and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their single mother, who works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of worries, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else. The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world - beetles, birds, quasars, quartz - and dream about a life of freedom and adventure, visiting places like Saskatchewan and Yellowknife, and the gleaming lakes of the Northwest Territories. But as her brother's health deteriorates, Lenny comes to accept the inevitable truth; Davey will never make it to Great Bear Lake. An outstanding novel about heartbreak and healing by an award-winning author.

Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend


Steven Herrick - 2012
    There's Mick, school captain and sometime trouble-maker, who wants to make the school a better place, while his younger brother Jacob just wants to fly. There's shy and lonely Laura who hopes to finally fit in with a circle of friends, while Pete struggles to deal with his grandpa's sudden death. Popular Selina obsesses over class comedian Cameron, while Cameron obsesses over Anzac biscuits and Pookie Aleera--whoever that is! For new teacher Ms. Arthur, it's another world, but Mr. Korsky, the school groundskeeper, has seen it all before.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup


Sharon Creech - 2003
    Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don't always get along, that's true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her interesting stories and family recipes. It's easier to remember what's important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

Road Trip


Gary Paulsen - 2013
    But Ben is on to Dad's plan and invites Ben's thuggish buddy, Theo. The family dog, Atticus, comes along too and the story is told by Ben and Atticus. When their truck breaks down, they commandeer an old school bus, along with its mechanic, Gus. Next, they pick up Mia, a waitress escaping a tense situation. Only sharp-eyed Atticus realizes that Theo is on the run—and someone is following them.

The Great Greene Heist


Varian Johnson - 2014
    No, really he has. He became famous for the Shakedown at Shimmering Hills, and everyone still talks about the Blitz at the Fitz.... But after the disaster of the Mid-Day PDA, he swore off scheming and conning for good.Then Keith Sinclair -- loser of the Blitz -- announces he's running for school president, against Jackson's former best friend Gaby de la Cruz. Gaby hasn't talked to Jackson since the PDA, and he knows she won't welcome his involvement. But he also knows Keith has "connections" to the principal, which could win him the election whatever the vote count. So Jackson assembles a crack team to ensure the election is done right: Hashemi Larijani, tech genius. Victor Cho, bankroll. Megan Feldman, science goddess and cheerleader. Charlie de la Cruz, point man. Together they devise a plan that will bring Keith down once and for all. Yet as Jackson draws closer to Gaby again, he realizes the election isn't the only thing he wants to win.

Boy Overboard


Morris Gleitzman - 2002
    But first they must face landmines, pirates, storms and assassins.

Slacker


Gordon Korman - 2016
    It's not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him. Oops.It's time for some serious damage control--so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real--and Cameron is stuck being president.Soon Cameron is part of a mission to save a beaver named Elvis from certain extinction. Along the way, he makes some new friends--and some powerful new enemies. The guy who never cared about anything is now at the center of everything . . . and it's going to take all his slacker skills to win this round.

The Secret Library of Hummingbird House


Julianne Negri - 2020
    Ever since the Big Split, Hattie and her little sister Ivy, live a week with their mum and a week with their dad. They call it week-about. Now her beloved abandoned mansion, Hummingbird House, along with the best mulberry tree in the city, is going to be demolished to make way for apartments.And if that’s not enough, if the apartments go ahead, her mum might move to the country and her family will never be together again. And if that is not enough, there is her friend-not-friend Taylor Dellabella, the terror of Ivy’s imaginary Eagle and her friend Patrick thinks his parents are breaking up. And if that's not enough, the rule obsessed school principal, The Enforcer (yes-not-her-real-name),wants to ban the monkey bars. And to top it all off, she has lost her library book.When the moon is full, Hattie discovers a different Hummingbird House, where a strange orphan girl, Hypatia hides in a secret library. Could this be where she finds a way to save the house? Could saving the house get her parents back together? Can Hattie overcome her anxieties and save the house – and perhaps fix some other things in her life along the way?

Eliza Vanda's Button Box: Cbca's Notable Younger Reader's Book 2022


Emily Rodda - 2021
    Buttons three, attend to me!Take me where I want to be!No one saw Eliza Vanda arrive in Tidgy Bay that rainy winter afternoon. The sign advertising 'Cabins for Rent' was almost hidden by a pile of builder's rubble, but Eliza Vanda didn't seem at all put out by the mess.'This is a nice little pocket, ' she said. 'It should suit us very well.'Life hasn't been much fun for Milly Dynes lately. There seem to be problems everywhere she looks. She's always loved her home in Tidgy Bay, but at the moment she wishes she was somewhere -anywhere - else.Then Eliza Vanda turns up-and magic comes with her ...A sparkling new fantasy adventure from multi-award-winning author Emily Rodda.AWARDS FOR HIS NAME WAS WALTER: Winner - 2019 Prime Minister's Literary Awards (Children's Literature)Winner - 2019 Australian Book Design Awards (Children's Fiction Book)Winner - 2019 CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Younger Readers)Shortlisted - 2019 Davitt Awards (Children's)Shortlisted - 2019 QLD Literary Awards (Griffith University Children's Book Award)Shortlisted - 2018 Aurealis Awards (Best Young Adult Novel)PRAISE FOR HIS NAME WAS WALTER: 'Another magnificent book from Emily Rodda' - Readings'guaranteed to capture the imaginations of 8+ mystery lovers' - Better Reading

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates


Liz Pichon - 2011
    It's not easy when he's up against Delia, his weirdo big sister. All of his plans seem to get him into major trouble!

Girl Detective


R.A. Spratt - 2014
    But the biggest mystery yet is Ian Wainscott, the handsomest (and most arrogant) boy in school who inexplicably hates her. Will the homework be found? Can they ever track down the Yeti? And why is Ian out to ruin her?With black-and-white art throughout, this is the launch of an exciting new mystery series!

The Boy at the Back of the Class


Onjali Q. Raúf - 2018
    He never talks and never smiles and doesn't like sweets - not even lemon sherbets, which are my favorite!But the truth is, Ahmet really isn't very strange at all. He's a refugee who's run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to be his friend.That's where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we've come up with a plan.RUNNING TIME ⇒ 5hrs. and 37mins.©2018 Onjali Q. Raúf (P)2020 Tantor