The Spook, Tom and Alice return from Greece to find the County under siege - and the Spook's home burnt to the ground. With his precious library of knowledge destroyed, they seek refuge on the nearby island of Mona. But with Mona in the thrall of a twisted Shaman there is little respite from hostility or denizens of the dark. And as Alice dodges the ever-tightening net of the island's witch hunters, a more deadly enemy emerges... Bony Lizzie, freshly-escaped from the Spook's bonds, has grand ambitions: to take for herself the throne of isle. She has harnessed the services of a tunnel-dwelling buggane, an evil creature which thrives on stealing the animas, or life force, from its unsuspecting victims. With the buggane as her secret weapon can she become an all-powerful Witch Queen?

Ever wondered why we burp? What a wotsit is? Whether lemmings really jump off cliffs? Why vomit always contains carrots? And why DO farts smell like rotten eggs? Mitchell Symons has the answers, told in his brilliantly witty trademark style!

THE ARMOURON - Elite warriors who banded together centuries ago to fight for justice and for freedom.PLANET EARTH - Under the control of a huge corporation, led by the power-mad Chairman.THE CADETS - Trainee gladiators at the Nu-Topian Academy - where something is very, very wrong.SALT - The grizzled old master of the armour workshop, with a secret in his past.THE STORY - The book opens with an old knight on a distant planet, fighting to keep 5 medallions from the Armouronaut, a robot built from the armour of ancient knights and powered by the mysterious thirteenth medallion. It was created by the chairman to defeat the Amouron and destroy all it came into contact with. 10 years later, the 4 orphan apprentices are taken under Salt's wing at the Academy. As this happens, they realise they have all been harbouring suspicions that the Gladiator Games are fixed. As they set about investigating the games, Salt enlists them into the Amouron. When they start operating as knights for the first time the Chairman is so alarmed at what seems to be the re-emergence of his old enemies that he awakens the Amouronaut and sends it against them.

My dad can wrestle with giants, eat like a horse, swim like a fish . . . Can yours? A brilliant, humorous look at fatherhood from a child's point of view, from this multi-award-winning author/illustrator.

The Alien Hunter is playing with fire. but who will get burned?Daniel X's hunt to eliminate each and every intergalactic criminal on Earth is always relentless, but this time, it's getting personal. Number Three on the List of Alien Outlaws takes the form of raging, soul-possessing fire. And fire transports Daniel back to the most traumatic event of his life - the horrifying murder of his parents.In the face of his 'kryptonite', Daniel struggles with his extraordinary powers like never before, and more than ever is at stake: his best friends are in grave peril. The only way to save them is to travel back - through a hole in time ­- to the demon's arrival during the Dark Ages. There Daniel embarks on an ancient Arthurian crusade that takes him one terrifying step closer to the 'Holy Grail' of aliens: number one on the List, his parents' killer.

What's life on the police beat like, really? Retired cop Bill O'Brien takes the readers into the daily work lives of members of the New Zealand Police Force, with gripping tales of being on duty in the various branches of the police. Blue Adrenalin goes behind the scenes: we hear directly from the recruits - what it's like to attend the NZ Police College when you're a young mum or a 22 year old guy. We're taken to the communication centre - 111 - and work through an emergency call from whoa to go, we go out with the dog handlers in pursuit of an offender, we go out with the divers, helicopter pilots, the I-cars. It's very much 'adrenalin' rush material. At the end of several chapters the author has a 'The decision is yours' section: a scenario involving the police is presented and the author asks the reader - what would you do in this situation - his premise being that often young cops have to make split-second decisions. There are no right or wrong answers but quick action is required. It's a real eye-opener about the force and the variety of positions and departments: everything from forensics to guarding the Prime Minister. It shows the human side of the police, mostly the author allows the police to speak for themselves. Aimed at a younger audience who may have an interest in a career in the force but also of huge interest to all New Zealanders, this highly illustrated book is a unique insight and also a tribute to the men and women who protect us.