Girl Zone Book Club

Term Three is such a busy term with sports and other school activities (including Book Week!) and it’s often the time of year when many book club attendees are unable to make it along to meetings. But onwards we press with our reading and discussing of books and hopefully the September holidays will be a time to catch up on any missed reads.

This term we have been reading ‘Sick Bay’ by Nova Weetman and several of the students are now following up with Nova’s other middle grade novels which you can seen and purchased here.

We have not yet read a mystery/crime this year so our next read is ‘Murder Most Unladylike’ by Robin Stevens. Jessica Townsend (of ‘Nevermoor’ fame) reminded me about them when I interviewed her last week at Brisbane Writers Festival – they are favourites of hers.

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t.) Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She assumes it was a terrible accident – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove one happened in the first place. 

I’m encouraging book club members to read any (or all!) in the series as they don’t necessarily need to be read in order. They remind me of the ABC television show ‘Midsomer Murders’ –  but for a younger audience. Like Midsomer, there is a dash of murder (how is there anyone left alive in Midsomer?!), a large serving of mystery and a lot of old worldly charm – it’s all very jolly hockey sticks! Perfect for readers from 10+, author Robin Steven’s has a great website here with lots of information and the Penguin website has a most excellent downloadable ‘Host Your Own Murder Most Unladylike Party Kit’ here.

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If you are after further books for this age group, I have listed all the books we have read in Year Six Girl Zone Book Club over the last few years here, here and here. For inter-generational reading I do find that historical fiction tends to be enjoyed by all ages, as is realistic fiction.