Latest Review 
Jun 18 2018
Mercy Point by Anna Snoekstra
Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN 9781460755754
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Mystery and suspense. Friendship.
Five teens are best friends online, all convinced that they are
adopted. When they finally meet they are shocked because at school
they all hate each other. Michael is the school bully who gives
Fabian a hard time. Emma is a know it all who can't stand Michael
while Tessie is strange and doesn't fit in. Then there is Sam the
mystery boy who has just appeared and seems determined to keep the
group together, despite their differences and dislike of each other.
But as they talk together they discover that the people who claim to
be their parents are keeping secrets and the group gradually pieces
together clues about what is going on.
This starts out as a traditional, suspenseful mystery, and the
reader is kept glued to the page as each of the five main characters
tell their stories about what is happening to them at school and why
they believe that their parents are lying about their origins. It is
easy to become very involved in the lives of these teens, their
problems and their desire for the truth.
The results of their quest to uncover the secrets that are being
hidden from them will shock and really surprise the reader. Without
giving away the plot I can state that I certainly didn't expect the
outcome, which left me reeling.
This is a riveting read and has many elements to recommend it. The
characters are skilfully and sympathetically drawn, the plot is
tense and the final chapters amazing. And the ending gives room for
a sequel, which will please fans.
Pat Pledger
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Jun 18 2018
The 13th Reality: Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
Scholastic, 2018 (First published by Simon and Schuster, 2008). ISBN
9781742994789
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Science Fiction,
Truth and Reality, Courage, Quantum Physics, Adventure, STEM.
Atticus Higginbottom (nicknamed 'Tick') is not a super-hero type. In
fact he... more
Jun 18 2018
Jane Seymour. The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir
Six Tudor Queens series. Headline, 2018. ISBN 9781472227683
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Jane Seymour is a
wonderful read with Alison Weir convincingly bringing the Tudor
Court of Henry VIII to real, exciting and tumultuous life both in
the Court and in Jane's... more
Jun 18 2018
William Wenton and the Secret Portal by Bobbie Peers
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406371710
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Science Fiction, Adventures, Codes and
ciphers, Secrecy. Norwegian film director Bobbie Peers' "William
Wenton and the Secret Portal", the second novel is darker and
slower-paced than... more
Jun 18 2018
Jabberwalking by Juan Felipe Herrera
Candlewick, 2018. ISBN 9781536201406
"Can you walk and talk at the same time? How about Jabberwalk? Can
you write and draw and walk and journal all at the same time? If
not, you're in luck: exuberant, blue-cheesy cilantro man Juan Felipe
Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States, is... more
Jun 18 2018
Alma and how she got her name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763693558
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Alma is a little girl who believes her name is far too
long, until the day her dad explains to her where her name came
from. She then realized that her name had meaning and that each bit
of it did fit her just... more
Jun 15 2018
Waves by Donna Rawlins
Ill. by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson. Black Dog Books, 2018. ISBN
9781925381641
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Migration, Australian history,
Refugees, Convicts, Boat people. A thought provoking overview of the
waves of immigration which make up this country, is told by an... more
Jun 15 2018
The Lighthouse at Pelican Rock by Stephen Hart
Christmas Press, 2018. ISBN 9780994528056
(Age: 11+) Recommended. "After 12-year-old Megan Evans almost dies,
she is packed off to the tiny, remote coastal village of Pelican
Rock to recover. Sure she is going to be bored in a place which
doesn't even have the internet, she discovers... more
Jun 15 2018
Genesis by Brendan Riechs
Project Nemesis 2. Pan Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781509869992
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Genesis is a whirlwind of a story full of
thrilling experiences and mind boggling scenarios that will have you
questioning your own existence. It's the sequel to Riechs' first
book Nemesis,... more
Jun 15 2018
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408869444
(Age: 13+) Recommended. "By turns thrilling, dramatic and touching,
this is the story of Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon's
divorce as you've never heard it before - from the eyes of their
daughter, Princess Mary.
More than anything Mary... more
Jun 15 2018
Miniwings - Firestorm's musical muck-up by Sally Sutton
Scholastic New Zealand Limited, 2018. ISBN 9781775434863
(Age: 7+) Imagine having six gorgeous little winged toy horses that
come to life when the adults aren't looking! Firestorm is the hero -
or chief troublemaker - in this fourth book in the series.
Clara and Sophia are preparing... more
Jun 15 2018
Best buds under frogs by Leslie Patricelli
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763651046
(Age: 10+)Recommended. "For Lily, it's the worst first day of school ever. Who
would want to be friends with the new girl, whose debut act is to
throw up on the playground (on somebody's shoes!)? Fortunately,
quirky Darby comes to the rescue.... more
Jun 15 2018
Count with little fish by Lucy Cousins
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406374193
(Age: 2+) Highly recommended. Board book. This is a colorful
counting book that has both the numerals and the number word and a
little rhyme to go with each number.
This is a fun counting book from 1 to 10.
The bright colors engage the... more
Jun 14 2018
The outcast by Taran Matharu
Summoner series: the prequel. Hachette, 2018. ISBN
9781444939095
Recommended. The outcast instantly had me hooked, taking me
through parallels between Fletcher and Arcturus virtually from the
beginning. It explained and fleshed out most of what fans of the... more
Jun 14 2018
Goat's coat by Tom Percival
Ill. by Christine Pym. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408881019
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Goats. Coats. Helpfulness. 'Let me tell you the
tale of Alfonzo the goat, who was terribly proud of his lovely new
coat.'
Tom Percival's charming rhyming story begins with a rather proud
goat Alfonzo,... more
Jun 14 2018
The Goose Road by Rowena House
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406371673
(Age: 12 and up) Highly recommended. "France 1916. Angelique Lacroix
is haymaking when the postman delivers the news: her father is dead,
killed on a distant battlefield. She makes herself a promise: the
farm will remain exactly the same until her... more
Jun 14 2018
What's at the end of this piece of rope? by Tania Cox
Ill. by Jedda Robaard. Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780734418012
(Age: 2-6) Themes: Problem solving. Collaboration. Co-operation. In
What's at the end of this piece of rope? Tania Cox uses this
simple repeated refrain in her enjoyable and engaging picture book.
She explores the concepts... more
Jun 14 2018
My (almost) perfect puppy by Meredith Costain and Danielle McDonald
Olivia's secret scribbles. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781760277079
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Pets. Friendship. Therapy pets.
Diaries. Olivia likes to record important things in her Big Book of
Private Secrets. But they are not so secret... because we get to
read them! In this... more
Jun 13 2018
The love that I have by James Moloney
Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN 9781460754634
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: World War II, Germany;
Concentration Camps; Love and Romance; Historical Fiction; Bravery;
Survival. Is it possible for a love story to be set within the
shadow of a German concentration camp? Do love... more
Jun 13 2018
The Adventures of Jellybean by Bill Condon and Dianne Bates
University of Queensland Press, 2018, ISBN 9780702260001
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Themes: Goats, Friendship, Pet ownership.
"The Adventures of Jellybean" is a fun story, filled with
friendship, family life and the highs and lows of owning a pet goat.
Author Di Bates has drawn on her... more
Jun 13 2018
Not if I save you first by Ally Carter
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742765945
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Thriller. Kidnapping. Conspiracies.
Alaska. Survival. Maddie and Logan were inseparable until a
kidnapping attempt was made on Logan's mother and Maddie's father
foiled the attempt. He was the bodyguard of Logan's... more
Jun 13 2018
Dude by Aaron Reynolds
Ill. by Dan Santat. Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780734418784
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Sharks, Friendship, Surfing,
Humour, Cautionary tale. To all those intending to read this
hilarious book out loud, you will need to practice saying 'dude' in
a variety of different ways with... more
Jun 13 2018
Julian is a mermaid by Jessica Love
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406380637
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mermaids, Grandmothers,
Imagination, Diversity, Individuality. Julian is mesmerised as he
returns home on the tube with his grandmother. Several women are
dressed in the most spectacular of costumes, brightly... more
Jun 13 2018
Be Cool Be Nice
Templar Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781787410961
(Age: Teenager/Young Adult) Recommended. I have to be honest when I
first saw this book, I thought it was just another activity book but
how wrong was I! After doing some googling, I was amazed with the
background of this book and the meaning... more
Jun 13 2018
Kit meets Covington: Ride by Bobbi JG Weiss
Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763698355
(Age: 10-14) "When American teen Kit Bridges moves to England to
attend an elite equestrian boarding school, neither she nor her new
home will ever be quite the same.
Trying to move on from her mother's death and afraid of riding after
a... more
Jun 12 2018
My girragundji by Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760297107
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Aboriginal themes. Bullying.
Talisman. Growing up. This wonderful little book burst onto the
scene in 1998, and a reprint for its twentieth anniversary is most
welcome. Semi-autobiographical, it tells the... more
Jun 12 2018
The wonder of us by Kim Culbertson
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377170
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended . Friendship on the brink, after
spending a school year in different countries? Struggling with your
parent's divorce in a little country town while your best friend
since kindergarten is swanning around Europe? How do... more
Jun 12 2018
Norton took something by John Dickson
Berbay Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780994384140
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Theme: Honesty. This is a first chapter
book for independent readers with large text and black and white
illustrations on most pages. The story starts with Norton secretly
taking something special from his sister (we are... more
Jun 12 2018
Crash! Boom! a maths tale by Robie H. Harris
Ill. by Chris Chatterton. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406380514
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Maths. Building.
Experimentation. Perseverance. STEM. Resilience. Elephant wants to
build something as tall as he. He experiments, calculates, builds
and when his efforts fall to the... more
Jun 12 2018
Honor code by Kiersi Burkhart
Lerner Publishing Group, 2018. ISBN 9781512429961
(Age: 14+) Sam is excited to be enrolled into Edwards Academy, a
prestigious boarding school, as she believes it will be a positive
move towards achieving her dream of getting into Harvard Law School.
The Academy is everything Sam has not... more
Jun 11 2018
Is it the way you giggle? by Nicola Connelly
Ill. by Anna White. New Frontier Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925594102
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Diversity, Play, Humour, Difference,
Family, Inclusivity. Enthusiastic and energetic, a young child leaps
across the front cover begging younger readers to open the book.
Once inside, the... more
Jun 11 2018
In the dark spaces by Cally Black
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2018. ISBN 9781760128647(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Survival, Space travel, Aliens. Ampersand Prize winner. Aurealis Award for young adults winner 2017. CBCA Book of the Year for older readers shortlist. Also shortlisted for many other...
moreJun 11 2018
Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire
Wayward Children book 2. Tor, 2017. ISBN 9780765392039
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Alex Awards for the 10
best adult books 2018. Themes: Horror, Fantasy, Fairy tales,
Diversity, Gender stereotypes. Fans of Seanan Mcguire's books will
have encountered twin sisters... more
Jun 11 2018
MunMun by Jesse Andrews
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523596
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. From the opening chapter, in its
enigmatically entitled 'LifeandDeathWorld, Prayer', Jesse Andrews
plunges the reader into a strangely dystopian world. Andrews plunges
into a reality that is actually full of... more
Jun 11 2018
The Price Guide To The Occult by Leslye Walton
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763791103
(Age: 15+) Themes: Supernatural, Fantasy, Rivalry, Black Magic, Dark
arts, Self harm. Seventeen year old Nor is the eighth generation of
Blackburn women on Anathema Island off north west Canada. The first
Blackburn woman, Rona, an extraordinary... more
Jun 11 2018
The things that I love about trees by Chris Butterworth
Ill. by Charlotte Voake. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406349405
(Age: 5+) Recommended. This book looks at the seasons of the year
and how trees change with the different seasons.
This book is a combination of story and some facts, which are
written in the book in a way that makes... more
Jun 08 2018
Finding Kerra by Rosanne Hawke
Rhiza Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925563474
(Age: Teenager/Young Adult) Recommended. While this novel is aimed
at an adolescent audience, it is also appropriate for adults in that
it is a significant story showcasing both the advantages and
disadvantages of living on a remote station in the... more
Jun 08 2018
The King of Birds by Alexander Utkin
Translated by Lada Morozova. Gamayun Tales 1. Nobrow, 2018.
ISBN 9781910620380
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: War, Loyalty, Magic, Folk tales, Russia. Based on
Russian folk tales and vividly illustrated in a graphic novel form
this beautifully designed book is engaging on many... more
Jun 08 2018
Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780718184131
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction. Eve is the last girl on earth, she is humanity's only
hope, and she has a mind of her own.
Imagine Rapunzel crossed with The Handmaid's Tale
and something more farfetched than pigs... more
Jun 08 2018
Sam and Ilsa's last hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293857
(Age: Senior secondary) Themes: Anxiety, friendships, Relationships,
twins, change, sexuality. It is a time of change for twins, Sam and
Ilsa, not only are they about to leave school but their grandmother,
who they call Czarina, and whose New... more
Jun 08 2018
Square by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406378658
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Perception, Shapes, Building,
Perfection, Genius. The two large eyes which stare out of the cover,
a brown square within the square shape of the book, replete with two
small brown legs to stand on, will... more
Jun 08 2018
Rescue and Jessica: A life-changing friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes
Ill. by Scott Magoon. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN
9780763696047
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Service dogs, Disability. This
book is the story of Rescue a pup who was learning to help people
and Jessica who was an amputee. They were both worried about what
life would be like... more
Jun 07 2018
The incredible freedom machines by Kirli Saunders
Ill. by Matt Ottley. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781760275228
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Imagination. Invention.
Freedom. Freedom wrought through her imagination gives this young
girl a chance to see the world and all of its wonders, escaping from
the camp where she lives. Her... more
Jun 07 2018
A case to answer by David Bevan
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781862543232
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. Re-released for
the 25th anniversary of the trial, A case to answer is a
thorough and objective account of the first European war crimes
prosecution held in Australia - where a quiet... more
Jun 07 2018
Grandmas from Mars by Michelle Robinson
Ill. by Fred Blunt. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781408888766
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Martians. Grandparents. Fred and Nell's mother
and father leave for an evening meeting with Grandma in charge.
'Homework, a bath and in bed before eight,' are the simple
instructions. All across... more
Jun 07 2018
My best friend is a goldfish by Mark Lee
Ill. by Chris Jevons. Carolrhoda Books, 2018. ISBN
9781512426014
(Age: 4+) Theme: Friendship. The boy and his friend argue, and in
trying to find another best friend, he rejects them all, realising
that his former best friend is the one for him, but he must be more
patient and celebrate... more
Jun 07 2018
We come apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan
David Fickling Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408878866
(Age: 14+) Themes: Families. Adolescents. Love. Survival. Prejudice.
Racism. Domestic violence. Jess and Nico meet during community
service. Jess has to deal with her dysfunctional and fractured
family and Nico feels trapped in a life he... more