Reading well below my age

So lately, I have been given quite a few Scholastic Children's books to review by KiwiReviews and I am discovering that some children's authors are certainly better than others. It is difficult to judge what a child would actually think of these books, but I suspect, judging by the success of books like Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter, that kids aren't as simple as some authors assume. Anyway, my brief review of the books is as follows:

Stick Dudes - Felice Arena
A very cute and thin book for Primary School boys who can read 'chapter books' and like having pictures to accompany the text. This installment of the series is entitled 'The Secret Four-ce' and follows the adventures of four friends trying to work out who is stealing all their stuff at school. I enjoyed this one with its simple story, small twist and good feeling - if you know any little guys (maybe 7 to 10) who like to read, this one will probably make them smile.

The Shearwater Bell - Margaret Beams
A bit bigger than Stick Dudes and definitely for upper primary to early intermediate age children, this book is set in the North Island of New Zealand and follows a young girl, Rona, who has been sent to stay with her grandmother while her father is in a coma in hospital. I really loved the detail, ease of reading and yet depth that this story managed to achieve. Margaret Beams proves herself, with this book at least, to be an excellent children's writer with the ability to make sophisticate, fun stories accessible both to children and to the adults reading to them. I read this book almost non-stop, wanting to know what the secret behind the bell really was, whether they would find the treasure, and just enjoying the opportunity for an early 1800's insight into Pakeha/Maori relations through the diary of Rona's five times great grandfather. An excellent NZ based book!

39 Clues - Varied Authors
Truely a brilliant series that I highly recommend to everyone - seriously ignore the 'children's book' exterior, this is a fun, engaging adventure circling the entire globe with fascinating puzzles, snippets of history and -would you believe- character development!! I am totally hooked and can't wait for the final three books in the series so that I can discover what all this fuss and clue hunting has been leading towards. What is the great answer beyond the 39 clues?

Conspiracy 365 - Gabrielle Lord
Not quite as fun as 39 Clues nor as gritty as Cherub, Conspiracy 365 is a series that spans a year in the life of young australian, Callum Ormond. Every day is a struggle for survival and all he has to do is get to the end of the year alive, but that is turning out to be a lot harder than he anticipated. This series is quite readable, but I feel like each book makes a lot less progress than the 39 Clues books. At the end of 'February' I didn't feel like I knew much more than I did in 'January'. Also, each book ends in a life threatening, 'He's definitely going to die' cliffhanger, only to be rescued inevitably at the beginning of the following book. We know this, because the author has been contracted to do all twelve books, so callum can't die in June, can he?

EJ12 - Susannah McFarlane
Finally, a light and fluffy 'girly' spy series which, although being incredibly forumlaic, may appeal to girls between say 7 and 10. There is not much more to say about this one. If you know a adventurous young girl who is into animals, she'll probably love it. In fact, most girls in middle primary will likely enjoy the simplicity and reliable feel-good 'girl power' of the plot. No scrapes or bruises here, just believe in yourself and you can do anything!

I'm not sure why I felt that you guys needed an update on the Children's Literary scene... Maybe the answer is as simple as I miss you :)
*hugs*
- Ani