Latest Review 
Jan 21 2019
The forgotten beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Fantasy Masterworks. Orion, 2017. ISBN: 9781616962777.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Winner of the inaugural World Fantasy
Award 1975. In my quest to read some of the award winning books that
I have missed over the years, I was very fortunate to pick up this
outstanding story by Patricia A. McKillop. First published in 1974,
the fact that it is still in print after so many years is a
testament to its lyrical writing and timeless story.
Sybel is a young wizard who needs only her magical animals, Gules
the Lyon, Gyld the dragon who yearns for gold, Cyrin the boar who is
a master of riddles, Ter the fierce falcon and Moriah, Lady of the
Night. When she is given a baby, Tamlorn, to care for, she becomes
embroiled in the politics of the kingdom and the world of revenge.
It was a joy to become immersed in Sybel's world which is vividly
imagined in a sparse 208 pages, unlike many of the fantasy books
written today which often are over long. Memories of McKillip's
dangerous world, her fantastic beasts and the love story between her
and Coren and the awful taint of captivity and revenge will stay
with the reader long after finishing this book.
Readers who enjoy stories by Juliet Marillier and Robin McKinley
will be thrilled to discover another author whose tales delve into
fantasy worlds. I will be pursuing other books written by McKillip,
who also won a World Fantasy award for Ombria in shadow,
which I have put on my to-read list.
Pat Pledger
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Jan 21 2019
The extremely weird thing that happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece
Ill. by Andrew Weldon. Huggabie Falls trilogy, book one.
Text Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 9781925603484.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Themes: Humour. Winner of the Text Prize for
Young Adult and Children's Writing, this tale about Kipp Kindle and
his friends Tobias Treachery and Cymphany... more
Jan 21 2019
Embassy of the Dead by Will Mabbitt
Ill. by Chris Mould. Orion Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781510104556.
(Age: 8-10 ) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Opening a strange box is
the starting point of this amazing adventure for Jake Green as it
contains a severed finger, summoning the Grim Reaper which takes him
into the... more
Jan 21 2019
Dolls of war by Shirley Parenteau
Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN: 9780763690694.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: World War Two, Japan, Dolls,
Prejudice, Museums. In 1941, eleven-year-old Macy James lives near
the Oregon coast with her father, the director of a small museum.
Miss Tokyo, one of fifty-eight exquisite... more
Jan 18 2019
Old friends, new friends by Andrew Daddo
Ill. by Jonathan Bentley. ABC Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780733338137.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: School, First day at school,
Friendship. Coming back to school for the new year, the young girl
finds that she is in a new class. Her old friends are in a different
class and she knows no one.... more
Jan 18 2019
Shadow of the centaurs: an Ancient Greek mystery by Saviour Pirotta
Ill. by Freya Hartas. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN: 9781472940254.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Ancient Greece, Mystery. Saviour
Pirotta's fourth book in the Ancient Greek Mysteries series is a
lively tale of mystery and celebration. In Shadow of the
Centaurs the citizens of Athens... more
Jan 18 2019
The Boy by Tami Hoag
Broussard and Fourcade book 2. Trapeze, 2018. ISBN:
9781409169635.
(Age: Adult - senior secondary) Recommended. Themes: Mystery and
suspense, Detectives, Death, Domestic violence, Children at risk,
Bullying. As a fan of Tami Hoag, I grabbed The boy as soon
as it arrived on... more
Jan 18 2019
The extraordinary life of Michelle Obama by Sheila Kanani
Ill. by Sarah Walsh. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN:
9780241372739.
(Age: 8+) Michelle La Vaughn Robinson, the descendant of a slave,
was raised in a small apartment in Chicago. At the age of forty-four
she became the First Lady of the United States. Sheila Kanani's
biography explains... more
Jan 18 2019
The first adventures of Princess Peony by Nette Hilton
Ill. by Lucinda Gifford. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781760650445.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Castles, Play, Princesses and
Princes, Imagination, Getting along. Peony (a princess) lives in a
castle with a courtyard guarded by her dragon (Totts, her dog). Her
brother, Prince... more
Jan 17 2019
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406386851.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Droughts. Survival.
California. Climate change. What would happen if suddenly there was
no water in your house - nothing to drink, nothing to wash with or
cook with, let alone use on the garden? This is what... more
Jan 17 2019
Hodge Podge Lodge by Priscilla Lamont
New Frontier Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925594287
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Rubbish. Recycling. Subtitled A
rubbish story, Lamont tells her tale of recycling and the
impact rubbish has on our environment through the use of a squad of
animals and the unthinking owners of Hodge... more
Jan 17 2019
Lottie Perkins: Fashion designer by Katrina Nannestad
Ill. by Makoto Koji. ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733339080.
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship. Fashion.
Creativity. Seven year old Lottie Perkins demonstrates her awesome
creativity and flair by becoming a fashion designer, utilising items
from her family wardrobe. The... more
Jan 17 2019
Lottie Perkins: Pop singer by Katrina Nannestad
Ill. by Makoto Koji. ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733339073.
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Music. Friendship. Lottie
Perkins is an 'exceptional' child - self-proclaimed! She is quirky
and feisty and manages to demonstrate her awesome singing talents in
a local talent competition... more
Jan 17 2019
A stormy night by Mark Carthew
Ill. by Simon Prescott. Marvin and Marigold. New Frontier
Press, 2019. ISBN 9781925594225
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Fear. Darkness. Families. Mice.
Friendship. The third in the series concerning the two mice, Marvin
and Marigold will bring delighted sighs of recognition from... more
Jan 16 2019
The assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763698225.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Power, Politics,
War, Propaganda. What a treat to read a unique tale told by two
outstanding people, National Book award winner M.T.Anderson and
Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin. The historian elf... more
Jan 16 2019
Flat cat by Hiawyn Oram
Ill. by Gwen Millward. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN 9781406371543
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Cats, Friendship. Jimi-My-Jim lives
in an apartment in a big city with his owner, Sophie. She loves him
dearly and spoils him woefully with only the best of treats and
toys. He responds by doing... more
Jan 16 2019
Ellie Engineer - The next level by Jackson Pearce
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN: 9781547601097
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Engineering, Friends. Ellie is an enthusiastic
engineer; she wears her tool belt all the time and loves to solve
problems and come up with creative solutions. She draws up the
plans, finds innovative resources to use and enjoys... more
Jan 15 2019
A good night for shooting zombies by Jaco Jacobs
One World, 2018. ISBN 9781786074508
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure. Martin aka 'Clucky', is a
quirky 13 year old mathematician and heir to his father's egg business.
Vusi owns a dog who likes to bite chickens. Confronting your
neighbour about his murderous dog is not a great... more
Jan 15 2019
Ten terrible dinosaurs by Paul Stickland
Macmillan Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781509835522
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs. Prediction. Rhyme.
Counting. Humour. From ten down to one, the text of this wonderfully
inviting romp with a whole lot of dinosaurs will enthral readers as
they count the number of animals on... more
Jan 15 2019
Treasure of the golden skull by Chris Priestley
Maudlin Towers Book 2. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408873106
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Boarding school. Pirates. Treasure. Monsters.
Chris Priestley's Treasure of the golden skull is a dark
tale, set in a very gloomy English boarding school, Maudlin Towers,
which is threatened... more
Jan 15 2019
Sage Cookson's snow day by Sally Murphy
New Frontier Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925594423
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure. Cooking. Sage
Cookson is the child of TV cooking stars and their celebrity life
takes her to places a little out of the ordinary for a normal school
child. Fortunately, she has a very... more
Jan 14 2019
What monster? by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates book 15. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN: 9781407179865
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: School life, Families, Music
festivals. Tom and Derek stop in at the newsagents on the way to
school attracted by the headline 'Angry Squirrel Throws Nuts'.
Whilst trying to read the newspaper... more
Jan 14 2019
Learn with Ruby Red Shoes series by Kate Knapp
Harper Collins Publishers, 2018.
ABC Alphabet Book. ISBN: 9781460756904
123 Counting Book. ISBN: 9781460756911
(Ages: 1-5) Recommended. Rhyming Books, Counting, Alphabet. 'Ruby
Red Shoes is a white hare who loves to learn. Hop along with Ruby
and her chickens as... more
Jan 14 2019
Hedgehog Howdedo by Lynley Dodd
Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143773023
(Ages: 1-4) Board book, Hedgehogs, Hibernation, Counting Book,
Rhyming book. This is a previously published title (2000) from the
creator of Hairy Maclary. It is winter and the garden is
full of hibernating hedgehogs. 'There's one beneath the... more
Jan 14 2019
Comet's cross-country crime by Sally Sutton
Ill. by Kirsten Richards. Miniwings book 5. Scholastic, 2018,
ISBN: 9781775434870.
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Horses, Running, Theft. Six magical mini-horses
bring fun, excitement and a little bit of naughtiness into their
owners' lives. Told from Sophia's point of view, she describes... more
Jan 11 2019
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
Lady Helen book 3. Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN
9780732296117.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. After devouring the first two books
in the series (Lady
Helen and the Dark Days Club and... more
Jan 11 2019
Something rotten - a fresh look at roadkill by Heather L. Montgomery
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781681199009
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Biology. Non-fiction [591.7] In this
easy-to-read memoir, Heather Montgomery investigates the impact of
roadkill, for the most part in the USA but also high profile
international cases such as... more
Jan 11 2019
Wakestone Hall by Judith Rossell
A Stella Montgomery Intrigue Book book 3. ABC Books, 2018,
ISBN: 9780733338205
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended.Themes: Family, School Life, Mystery,
Belonging. Judith Rossell's marvellous magical Victorian series
comes to a conclusion with Wakestone Hall. She has captured... more
Jan 11 2019
A dog's way home by W. Bruce Cameron
PanMacmillan, 2018. ISBN PanMacmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781529002690
(Age: 12- adult) Recommended. Themes: Dogs, Dog Owners, Movie
tie-in, Animal Rescue. A Dog's Way Home is an emotionally
honest story of love, loss and the journey of hope told from Bella,
a pit-bull cross's point of... more
Jan 10 2019
Mamie by Tania McCartney
ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9781460755860
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: May Gibbs. Art, Drawing.
Imagination. Australian bush. Fairies. Celebrating one hundred years
since the publication of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, this
charming, warm-hearted look at May Gibbs and how she... more
Jan 10 2019
The girl, the dog and the writer in Provence by Katrina Nannestad
ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733338182
(Ages: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Family life. Criminal
activity. Provence (France) - Social life and customs. The girl,
the dog and the writer in Provence is a delightful
continuation of young Freja Peachtree's story, moving to... more
Jan 10 2019
The amazingly disorganised help dictionary by Georgia Productions
Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143793250
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Internet. Persistence. Creativity.
Author and YouTube star, 19 yr old Georgia, has amassed half a
million followers from her bedroom in New South Wales. Although we
have seen vlogs and blogs become books before, this... more
Jan 10 2019
The chaos of now by Erin Lange
Faber and Faber Limited, 2018. ISBN 9780571317479
(Age: Teens+) Recommended. Themes: Cyberbullying. Suicide. Computer
hacking. A group of hackers emerge with a new website that can avoid
the cyber snoop's radar, a place for people to voice their own
opinions for once without getting... more
Jan 09 2019
Liberty by Nikki McWatters
University of Queensland Press, 2018. ISBN 9780702260292
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Historical fiction. Liberty
intertwines three stories: in 1472 France, Jeanne, a peasant girl
learns that Charles the Bold and his army is preparing to attack her
hometown of Beauvais; in 1797... more
Jan 09 2019
The Restless Girls by Jessie Burton
Ill. by Angela Barrett. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408886915
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy; Princesses. Twelve
excellent Princesses, all with talents unique and exceptional, are
plunged into a virtual prison by their father, the King, after the
unfortunate death of their... more
Jan 09 2019
Geronimo by David Walliams
Ill. by Tony Ross. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008279752
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Penguins, Difference,
Endeavour, Striving, Perception. When hatched, Geronimo the Emperor
Penguin, just thinks about flying. That's all he wants to do and
spends his waking hours attempting... more
Jan 08 2019
The caged queen by Kristen Ciccarelli
Gollancz, 2018. ISBN 9781473218161
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Love. Loyalty. Roa
and her sister, Essie, share a bond that goes beyond understanding
and even death. Essie's spirit is trapped in the body of a hawk,
living in the limbo between life and freedom. Roa's... more
Jan 08 2019
Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
Ill. by Paola Escobar. Pages and Co. Book 1. HarperCollins,
2018. ISBN 9780008229863
(Ages 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Literary characters. Booksellers.
Mystery. Missing persons. Anna James introduces a truly wonderful
world where you can step into your favourite books and interact... more
Jan 08 2019
Island born by Junot Diaz
Ill. by Leo Espinosa. Oneworld, 2018. ISBN 9781786074775
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Themes: Culture. Identity. Lola lives in an
ethnically diverse community and the teacher's instruction to draw a
picture of her 'first home' causes problems for her because she
cannot remember! Interviewing... more
Jan 08 2019
Mary Lee: The life and times of a 'turbulent anarchist' and her battle for women's rights by Denise George
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743055960
Highly recommended. Themes: Biography. Mary Lee. South Australian
history. Women's rights. Politics. Denise George has written a
wonderful biography of one of the under-recognised pioneers in South
Australian history - Mary Lee. Mary Lee was born... more
Jan 07 2019
Between us by Clare Atkins
Black Inc, 2018. ISBN 9781760640217
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. KIN016 - this is Ana's number. She is
an Iranian asylum-seeker brought from Nauru with her mother and 3
year old brother Arash to temporary detention in Darwin, because her
mother is expecting a baby and is suffering from... more
Jan 04 2019
Liars: The truth app by Jack Heath
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781743817766
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Cybersecurity; Adventure;
Crime; Conspiracy. Jarli is a coding Whiz-kid who has just developed
a 'Truth-detecting' app and released the code for assessment by
others and it instantly created waves around the... more
Jan 04 2019
Marvel Fearless and Fantastic! Female Super Heroes Save the World by Sam Maggs, Emma Grange and Ruth Amos
DK, 2018. ISBN 9780241357491
(Age: 8+) Themes: Superheroes; Women. Characters from the Marvel
world encourage people to be determined, daring, compassionate and
curious. Under each of these headings are described superheroes who
embody these qualities. So under the heading 'Determined'... more
Jan 04 2019
Let's go strolling by Katrina Germein
Ill. by Danny Snell. Little Book Press, 2018. ISBN 9780648115687
Taking a toddler for a walk in a stroller on a sunny day is one of
life's more pleasant and relaxing experiences, especially if it's a
welcome break in a hectic daily routine. Enjoying the
activity, taking notice of... more
Jan 03 2019
Stories for boys who dare to be different by Ben Brooks
Ill. by Quinton Winter. Quercus, 2018. ISBN 9781787471986
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Men - Biographies. Boys -
Biographies. Masculinity. Inspirational author Ben Brooks continues
his motivating series with Stories for boys who dare to be
different. The subtitle captures his... more
Jan 03 2019
Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
The Salvation Sequence Vol 1. Macmillan, 2018. ISBN
9781447281320
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended for mature Sci-fi
lovers. Themes: Science Fiction. Space travel. Future survival.
Technology. Aliens. Genetic modification. Peter F. Hamilton is a
master of the Sci-Fi... more
Jan 03 2019
Vanishing by Mike Lucas
Ill. by Jennifer Harrison. Midnight Sun, 2018. ISBN 9781925227444
Once, creatures of all shapes and sizes wandered this empty land.
They had horns and wings, scales and feathers. They lived in vibrant
forests, desert plains and icy tundras. But where are they now?
This is an... more
Jan 02 2019
The Boneless Mercies by April Tucholke
Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781471170003
(Age: Mature 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: High Fantasy, Death.
Certain to appeal to young adult fans of medieval epics, this
macabre group of heroines will attract an even wider audience. In
the male dominated Vorseland, orphaned girls who... more
Jan 02 2019
Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781509876495
(Age: 12+) Despite having read the previous books in the series, Three
dark crowns and One
dark throne I personally... more