EASY

Sleep Like a Tiger By Mary Logue

Does everything in the world go to sleep? A not-so-sleepy child asks her parents. Tiny snails curled up like cinnamon buns in their shells? Colossal whales swimming slowly in circles in the ocean? Luminous and enchanting, this bedtime book inspires a gentle fellowship with the natural world – and good dreams to last all through the night.

Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band By Kwame Alexander

When a jazz-loving rooster sets his sights on winning a barnyard talent show, he realizes he can't do it as a solo act. He's up against the talents of Mules Davis's cool duo and Ella Finchgerald's singing group. So he forms a jazz band with Duck Ellington, Bee Holliday, and Pepe Ernesto Cruz to compete.

FUN FACTS

Pig-Boy: a Trickster Tale From Hawaii By Gerald McDermott

Pig-boy can change shape from a handsome warrior human to a pig form, as a trickster who provokes the powerful. Illustrated in tropical colours, this classic Hawaiian tale is brought to life with mischief, mayhem and a dash of magic.

Leopard and Silkie: One Boy’s Quest to Save the Seal Pups By Brenda Peterson

Seal Sitters is a group of volunteers who help to watch over baby seals on shore, keeping them safe from curious people and other animals, while the mother is away looking for food. This is the story of a young boy named Miles and his efforts to watch over seal pups in Puget Sound.

JUNIOR

About Average By Andrew Clements

Jordan Johnston is average. Even her shoe size is average. But everyone else? They're remarkable. Tremendously talented. Wildly gifted. And some of them are practically her age! Jordan feels doomed to a life of wallowing in the vast, soggy middle. So she makes a goal: By the end of the year, she will discover her great talent. By the end of the year, she will no longer be average!

One Dog and His Boy By Eva Ibbotson

All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. His mom always says no, but on the morning of Hal's 10th birthday, the unbelievable happens. He's allowed to choose a dog at Easy Pets, a rent-a-pet agency. The moment he sees the odd-looking terrier, he knows he's found a friend for life. But no one tells Hal that Fleck must be returned at the end of the day, and when Hal wakes up on Monday morning, Fleck is gone. If dog and boy are to stay together they'll have to run away …

YOUNG ADULT

Monstrous Beauty By Elizabeth Fama

A seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific consequences. One hundred forty years later, Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly drawn to him. But she can’t fall in love. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family.

Breathe By Sarah Crossan

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air. Three teens will take the plunge into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

ADULT

My Year in Meals By Rachael Ray

Start 2013 with delicious culinary inspirations for the whole year. See into Rachael’s kitchen diary: from the meals she whips up at a moment’s notice to family feasts and dishes inspired by her world travels. Rachel’s husband, John Cusimano, contributes a selection of cocktails.

Paris, My Sweet: a Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) By Amy Thomas

Amy Thomas landed a gig as rich as the purest dark chocolate: writing for Louis Vuitton. Paris, My Sweet explores how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a souffle's rise and how the life you're meant to live doesn't always taste like the one you envisioned.