Latest Review 
Mar 22 2019
Kensy and Max Undercover by Jacqueline Harvey
Kensy and Max, book 3. Random House, 2019. ISBN:
9780143791904.
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Brothers and sisters, Spies,
Mysteries, Missing persons. After a week's intensive training in spy
craft, eleven-year-old twins Kensy and Max return to their London
home to begin the new school term. Kensy's unsettled and distracted
behaviour, thinking of her missing parents and grandparents, leads
to an unfortunate explosion in the school laboratory. When a second
blast destroys their grandmother's seven storey house, Kensy and Max
are packed off to Sydney to escape the espionage.
Granny Cordelia sends the twins to far away Sydney, Australia from
the danger; their new mission focuses on uncovering the troubles and
problems their grandmother's best friend's family are facing. They
are sent to infiltrate Van and Ellery Chalmers' posh private school
and watch the children. With Song the butler and Fitz as their
guardian and protector, Kensy and Max soon settle in to Sydney life.
Secret coded messages from their parents encourage the children to
keep on going. Fitz is disguised as the new PE teacher and the twins
placed in Year 5 and 6, Van and Ellery Chalmers' classes.
Counterpoint to this main story, we gain insight into the
whereabouts of the missing grandparents and their captivity. Kensy
and Max's spy skills come in to play, with the accompaniment of
their affable next-door neighbour Curtis whose knowledge of
transport and locations is very beneficial. Max's discovery of his
cricket skills also proves valuable. The reasons behind Mrs
Chalmers' secretive behaviour, hiding resources to help her escape
with her children also become apparent.
Jacqueline Harvey's 'Undercover' delivers another fast-paced story.
She is the master of creating exciting characters, set in the
backdrop of her familiar home-town Sydney. She is not afraid to deal
with bullying, industrial espionage, chemical warfare and domestic
abuse. The author continues to develop significant themes of
friendship, sibling loyalty, creative problem solving and personal
growth.
Undercover is another brilliant read, complete with spy craft
and code cracking, proving to be another winner for the preteen and
young teen audience.
Rhyllis Bignell
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Mar 22 2019
Ivanhoe Swift left home at six by Jane Godwin
Ill. by A.Yi. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760631864.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Growing up,
Independence. Ivanhoe is determined to see what lies over the hill,
to travel to places unseen, to explore the world beyond his home.
His parents are concerned as they... more
Mar 22 2019
The Curses by Laure Eve
Faber and Faber 2019. ISBN: 9780571328048.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. The Curses, sequel to The Graces,
follows The Grace children and their recently resurrected friend,
Wolf. Wolf is the first person who has ever been resurrected but
something's off with Wolf, is it just that... more
Mar 22 2019
The Runaway by Jane Smith
Tommy Bell Bushranger Boy book 7. Big Sky Publishing, 2018.
ISBN: 9781925675894. 111p.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Historical, Speculative. Francis is
'that' friend who has a knack of getting his mates into trouble. He
wasn't even supposed to go on holiday to Carly's place in... more
Mar 22 2019
Happy Camper! By Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. The Susie K Diaries. Allen and
Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760528287.
(Age: 7 - 10) Recommended. Themes: Camping, Life skills,
Problem-solving, Friendship. The idea of going on a school camping
trip is very stressful for the main character, Susie K., who is... more
Mar 21 2019
Love lie repeat by Catherine Greer
Penguin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780143791225.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. All Annie wants is to be loved. By
Trip. By Ash and Ruby. By her parents. Even by her dead aunt,
Margaretta, who ruined everything.
Following the friendship ins and outs of Annie, Ash, and Ruby, three
'it'... more
Mar 21 2019
Baz and Benz by Heidi McKinnon
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760523688.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship, Visual literacy,
Humour. A story promoting friendship despite the annoying behaviour
of one, will find a place in every classroom as friendships and
their resultant disharmonies take up a lot of... more
Mar 21 2019
Blabbermouth: Oops, I've done it again! by Chrissie Perry
Illus. by Pete Petrovic. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760660956.
(Ages: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Personality, Communication skills,
Reputation. What happens when you're nervous and you can't help
blurting things out, even other people's secrets? Chrissie Perry's Blabbermouth
is a... more
Mar 21 2019
Queen of air and darkness by Cassandra Clare
Dark Artifices book 3. Simon and Schuster; 2018. ISBN:
9781471116704. 880p; p/b.
In this third instalment in the Dark Artifices series of
Shadowhunter novels, Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn must deal
with the loss of Julian's sister and the Inquisitor, as well as... more
Mar 21 2019
Pearl the proper unicorn by Sally Odgers
Illus. by Adele K. Thomas. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760661854.
(Age: 6+) Themes: Magic, Unicorns. Sally Odgers continues her
delightful magical series in Pearl the proper unicorn.
Colourful pages, borders, and magical words, make this an
easy-to-read and share story, just right... more
Mar 20 2019
Gorski's Bitemare by Robert Favretto
Illus. by Danny Willis. Gorski's Bitemare. Ford Street
Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925804164.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Family, Vampires, Adventure,
School, Consequences. Gorski, his sister Drusella, and their parents
turn into vampires when night comes. Both Gorski's... more
Mar 20 2019
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
Macmillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781509895977.
(Age: Young adult) Recommended. 8.5/10. Themes: Young Adult -
Fantasy, Romance, France and Paris 1789. An exciting fantasy tale
where the illustriously rich King Louis XVI, Marie Antoniette and
the image conscious aristocrats living in their palaces... more
Mar 20 2019
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
The Witchlands book 3. Tor, 2019. ISBN: 9781447288855.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Witches and warlocks,
Battles. Fans of the first two books in the Witchlands series,... more
Mar 20 2019
Hop little bunnies by Martha Mumford
Illus. by Laura Hughes. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408892930.
(Ages: 0-3) Recommended. Themes; Bunnies, Lift the Flaps, Rhyming
Story. This comes after the similar title We're Going on an Egg
Hunt and is based on the popular Hop Little Bunnies
song. UK illustrator Laura... more
Mar 20 2019
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
Fantasy Masterworks series. Gollanz, 2014. ISBN:
9781473205741.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Sorcerers, Princes
and princesses.
World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (2003), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
for Adult Literature (2003). This award winning novel is a feast... more
Mar 20 2019
Show Stopper! by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. The Susie K Diaries. Allen and
Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760523701.
(Ages: 7-10) Recommended. Themes: Performances, Friendship, Life
skills, Schools stories. A talent show is always a source of stress
for most ordinary children, but for Susie K. it means... more
Mar 19 2019
Let me sleep, sheep! by Meg McKinlay
Ill. by Leila Rudge. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925381887.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Sheep, Sleep, Humour. Young
Amos is trying to get to sleep. He begins by counting sheep, but
when he hears a thud in his bedroom, he is shocked to find two sheep
on his floor, complaining... more
Mar 19 2019
Brindabella by Ursula Dubosarky
Illus. by Andrew Joyner. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN: 9781760112042
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Single parent family,
Friendship, Australian bush, Farm life, Australian animals, Hunters,
Adventure. Pender and his father live in an old farm house hidden in
the Australian bush.... more
Mar 19 2019
The Dyasters by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Pan Macmillian, 2019. ISBN: 9781760554163. paperback, 308 pg.
(Age: 11 - Young adults) Teenagers who can control the elements
(air, water, fire and earth) are being hunted down by a mad
scientist that genetically engineered them to do this while in their
mother's womb. What is there not... more
Mar 19 2019
Grace on the court by Maddy Proud
Piccolo Nero, 2018. ISBN 9781760640330. 228 pages, paperback.
(Age: 9-14) Grace on the court is a story about Grace
Parker, a netball nerd transitioning from primary school into high
school. She is very passionate about netball and her aim is to make
it onto her high school team.... more
Mar 19 2019
Bright young dead by Jessica Fellowes
Mitford murders series. Hachette, 2018. ISBN: 9780751567205.
(Age: Older adolescent - Adult) This is undoubtedly a book set
firmly in the era of The Wealthy and The Rest of the World. The
children of The Wealthy are educated, erudite and spoiled, yet they
also expect that they... more
Mar 18 2019
Queen Celine by Matt Shanks
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650346.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Beach, Power, Environment.
Celine loves coming to the beach. Here she can be the queen of all
that she surveys, wanting to build a rock wall to protect and keep
safe all the animals that she sees in the rock... more
Mar 18 2019
52 Mondays by Anna Ciddor
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760523480.
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Family life, Jewish peoples, Dolls.
Anne Ciddor's 52 Mondays is a gentle evocative middle-grade
novel set in the 1960s. She reminisces about her childhood, her
family's Jewish heritage and celebrations... more
Mar 18 2019
Liars: No survivors by Jack Heath
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN: 9781742761930. Paperback, 235 pg.
(Age: 8-14) Highly recommended. Wow! What an action packed book
right from the opening page where a plane crashes into a house in
the little known town of Kelton. The accident is a mystery and there
are no passengers aboard the... more
Mar 18 2019
Fish Kid and the Lizard Ninja by Kylie Howarth
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650810.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Marine Biology, Environmental
Issues, Ocean Life, Adventures, Friendship, Problem Solving, Fish
facts. Young Bodhi lives an enviable life on a boat with his
parents, a marine biologist and an ocean... more
Mar 18 2019
The great Shelby Holmes and the coldest case by Elizabeth Eulberg
Illus. by Matt Robertson. The Great Shelby Holmes series,
Book 3. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781408871515.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship, New York, Family
Issues, Separated parents, Mystery, Detectives, Problem Solving,
Figure Skating Champions,... more
Mar 18 2019
The house on the mountain by Ella Holcombe and David Cox
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760636968.
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. The House on the Mountain is a
deeply atmospheric story that follows a family's journey as they
rebuild their lives after the devastation of the Black Saturday
bushfires. Ella Holcombe draws on her most... more
Mar 15 2019
A great escape by Felice Arena
Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780143794042.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Berlin Wall; Freedom; Escape.
Felice Arena has created a story about life for a young person at
the time of the separation of West Germany from East Germany during
the Cold War era. With the creation... more
Mar 15 2019
TC and the stinkiest story ever (in the history of the Universe) by Dave Hartley
Illus. by Peter Baldwin. Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781742991870.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Aboriginal culture,
Family, Bullies, Mystery, Humour. Set in a country town in
Australia, this light-hearted story covers the mystery of a missing
dog, daily issues... more
Mar 15 2019
Superman : Dawnbreaker by Matt De La Pena
Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780141386867.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Superheroes, Good
and evil. Having grown up with superman movies and comics set in the
50s, I found this version very refreshing as it is set in current
times. Mobile phones and laptops are common... more
Mar 15 2019
The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Max Einstein book 1. Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781784759827.
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Orphans, Gifted children,
Inventions, Heroes and villains, Problem solving, Albert Einstein.
James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein's The genius Experiment
introduces... more
Mar 15 2019
Muhammad Ali by Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Ill. by Brosmind. Little People, Big Dreams series. Frances
Lincoln Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781786037336.
(Ages: 5-9) Recommended. Themes: Determination, Persistence. This is
just one title in a huge collection of the Little People, Big
Dreams series (including... more
Mar 14 2019
You must be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143788515.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Identity, Diversity,
Resilience, Moral values, Bullying, Humour. Layla is a very loveable
character, full of fun and enthusiasm, highly intelligent, but a
person who sometimes lets her spoken words run faster than... more
Mar 14 2019
Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Shapes trilogy, book 3. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781406384222.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: STEM, Circles, Friendship,
Humour. Inventors of the quirky books, Square and Triangle,
this Californian duo have collaborated on another book, Circle.
As... more
Mar 14 2019
The secret of the youngest rebel by Jackie French
The Secret Histories series book 5. Angus and Robertson,
2019. ISBN: 9781460754801.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: New South Wales (1804),
Australian history, Convicts, New South Wales Corp, Irish convicts,
Castle Hill Rebellion. Young orphan, Frog, is barely surviving... more
Mar 14 2019
Four dead queens by Astrid Scholte
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760524418. 418p; p/b.
In a divided world where citizens of each quadrant must conform to
strict societal expectations, outcast pickpocket Keralie
accidentally uncovers a plot to assassinate the queens of the realms
and must try to stop it. Scholte does an... more
Mar 14 2019
The Skylarks' war by Hilary McKay
Macmillan Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781509894949. 305 pages.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Costa Book Award 2018. This book brings to
mind the stories from earlier times. With shades of Jane Gardam's
wonderful evocations of childhood, Sonya Harnett's The children
of the king and... more