Michael Bond
Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant
Midwives

Having delivered a particularly stirring speech at his recently deceased colleague’s funeral, Monsieur Pamplemousse is more than a little disturbed when the coffi n explodes during the ceremony. Luckily, his faithful hound Pommes Frites gave out a warning cry just in time, so there were no casualties. But who exactly is behind this explosion? And was the same person responsible for his late co-worker’s demise? This latest in their wild romps find the entertaining duo causing chaos at a prestigious hotel, where the dish of the day is red herrings. Delectable wit, sharp dialogue and a marvellous sense of timing.

Meg Cabot
Size 14 is Not Fat Either

It’s the first day of the winter semester at New York College, and assistant dorm director Heather Wells has a lot more to worry about than room-mate conflicts. One of the college cheerleaders has lost her head – literally – in the cafeteria, and no one can find the rest of her. With the whole dorm under suspicion for murder, it doesn’t look like anyone on campus is going to have a good semester. Heather’s got a decapitated cheerleader to deal with, as well as her ex insisting she attend his wedding, her incompetent new boss freaking out, her ex-con father showing up on her doorstep, and the love of her life still no closer to realizing she’s the girl of his dreams. It’s no wonder Heather prefers questioning suspects to dealing with her personal life.

Tim Cahill
Pass the Butterworms

In Pass the Butterworms, Tim Cahill takes us to the steppes of Mongolia, where he spends weeks on horseback alongside the descendants of Genghis Khan and masters the ‘Mongolian death trot’; to the North Pole, where he goes for a pleasure dip in near freezing water; and to Irian Jaya New Guinea, where he spends a companionable evening with members of one of the last head-hunting tribes. Whether observing family values among the Stone Age Dani people, or sampling delicacies like sautéed sago beetle and premasticated tree-root beer, Cahill is a fount of arcane information and a master of self-deprecating humour.