Young readers

The city is divided by war. On Southside, people live in squatter camps; on the north, life seems normal with only the occasional burst of gunfire to remind youngsters at Cityside's Tornmoor Academy what is happening. At Tornmoor, agents from Internal Security and Intelligence Services (Isis) come around each year to recruit the brightest seniors.

Now 17, orphaned Nikolai Stais is a top scholarship pupil but Isis passes him over and he doesn't know why. That is the relatively quiet beginning to Jane Higgins' young adult novel, The Bridge.

Then Nik's personal disaster ceases to become an issue when the school is bombed, staff and pupils killed, and Nik's friend Fyffe realises her younger brother, Sol, has been kidnapped by "hostiles" from Southside.

Nik and Fyffe set off to find Sol, venturing into scary Southside territory across the river. What Nik learns is even more frightening, as he comes to terms with his heritage.

There are some strong messages about war and its effects on individuals, how some groups lack the will to reconcile and want victory so they can rule. Above all, The Bridge is an excellent adventure story, which won the Text Prize for young adult and children's writing for its Christchurch-based author.

• Some of the best fiction for children and young adults is home-grown and although Brian Falkner now lives in Queensland, he was born and educated in Auckland, so we can still call him ours.

Northwood is a delightful tale for 8 to 10-year-olds, especially girls, as the heroine is Cecilia Undergarment, a feisty 10-year-old who loves to make plans and is brave enough to carry them through.

Cecilia plans the rescue of Rocky, a neglected dog that lives next door. Her scheme works but her daring rescue lands the pair in the middle of the scary forest of Northwood. Of course they eventually get out, after facing black lions, being imprisoned in a castle with a nasty king and making friends with twins Avery and Evan.

The plot may sound a bit old-fashioned but it works - and that's what matters.

• Robert Muchamore's successful Cherub series started with a story for his nephew, as the writer was unable to find adventure books for boys in the 11 to 13 age group. The 13th in the series, People's Republic, introduces three new characters: Ryan, who is 12; Ethan, a spoilt rich boy living in California, also 12; and a Chinese runaway, Ning. It is Ryan's first Cherub mission and he wants to be a success. As everyone ignores children, Ryan's task is to find out, through Ethan, exactly what the latter's mother is involved in but he finds that it is not as easy as it sounds.

Meanwhile, Ning is making her way out of China and although her path and Ryan's intersect, that happens near the end of the book, promising another exciting adventure for the Cherub kids in the not-too-distant future. Great stuff for boys and adventurous girls.