Nhật Ký Của Nhóc Alvin Siêu Quậy (Diary of Naughty Alvin), a novel by 13-year-old writer Nguyễn Khang Thịnh of Hà Nội, is expected to gain the attention of young Vietnamese  readers. Photo courtesy of Thái Hà Books

HCM CITY New novels and books on environmental studies for children from Vietnamese and international authors have been released to entertain young audiences during the summer.

Nhật Ký Của Nhóc Alvin Siêu Quậy (Diary of Naughty Alvin) is a novel by 13-year-old writer Nguyễn Khang Thịnh of Hà Nội.

The novel is about Alvin, a boy born in the US, and his funny stories of daily life in his family and school.

Interesting illustrations are included.

Translator Nguyễn Bích Lan commented that Thịnh’s Alvin represents most boys his age. Boys will love Thịnh’s hilarious and rustic witty style.

Lan also added that parents should read the book to understand their children’s thoughts.

The 256-page book is co-published by Thái Hà Books and Hà Nội Publishing House.

Thái Hà and the publishing house have plans to release Vietnamese version of Greta's Story - The Schoolgirl Who Went On Strike To Save The Planet by Italian author Valentina Camerini.

The book features Swedish teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who decided to suspend schooling to bring attention to the issue of climate change. Her story is about hope, courage and determination.

The 136-page book will be available at offline and online book stores on June 17.

The Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House has presented novel Nửa Vòng Trái Đất, a Vietnamese version of Half a World Away by Japanese American children's writer Cynthia Kadohata, who won the National Book Award in Young People's Literature in 2013 for The Thing About Luck.

The book is about family love, and children’s hopes for a bright and happy life.

It is the third work of Kadohata published by Trẻ Publishing House. The others are The Thing About Luck and Kira-Kira, which brought her the Newbery Medal in 2005.

The Kim Đồng Publshing House has introduced two works on environmental issues for children to mark World Environment Day and World Oceans Day.

Hiệp Sĩ Nước is a Vietnamese translation of Water Works, written and illustrated by American 10-year-old girl Sawyer Anderson.

The book is about her journey of raising money to help families in African countries gain access to clean water.

Anderson has raised over $100,000, which would pay for 35 new wells, according to the Water Works website.

The publishing house has printed Công Dân Nhí Bảo Vệ Tự Nhiên, a set of five books titled Wapiti Mission Nature by a group of French authors, illustrators and biologists such as Laurent Audouin, Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, and Marie de Monti.

The books are about biodiversity, water, energy, air and pollution, and waste.

“We have released quality books on environmental issues for children and teenagers to encourage them to act to protect our earth and nature,” said a representative of Kim Đồng Publishing House. VNS