Dianne Wolfer (Light Horse Boy) has written an engaging, heartwarming novel that touches on some big topics, including the death of a parent and dangerous bushfires (the terrible 2019/2020 summer bushfires are used as background context). While it is confronting in parts and doesn't shy away from honestly discussing these issues it carries a lightness courtesy of Scout and her father's loving relationship, a lovely smattering of dad jokes, Aussie slang and cultural references to summer cricket, Christmas traditions and road trip sights and sounds. There are some great normalising of online safety: asking dad if she can add a friend to her contact list and him setting screen time limits for her. It also touches on the difficulties faced by truck drivers as well as their amazing community spirit and how they look out for each other.
It's the end of the school year and Scout is getting out of Arcadia Boarding School for Young Ladies. We quickly learn that her mum died of cancer recently, that her dad is a truck driver and that she doesn't feel like she fits in at her fancy boarding school at all. Scout is thoughtful, clever and scientifically curious. She and her dad are setting off on a road trip, delivering pallets of dog food donated by a philanthropist to animal shelters in time for Christmas. In addition, her teacher has set a summer friendship task that turns into a regular penpal communication and an authentic friendship. Along their trip Scout encounters problems, both with bushfires and dog shelters and does her best to help out, both by herself and by reaching out to friends and communities to assist. Her leaps to action and implementation are realistic and inspirational. At one point, Scout meets a boy who she really likes and she describes how her skin tingles and how she feels embarassed because she says something silly. This is such an honest story with so many small details that work together to paint a completely authentic picture. All the elements of the story are given due diligence: bushfires, developing friendships, grief over the loss of her mother, their new dog, Scout's dog adoption website and her worries about boarding school and there's a beautiful hopeful ending rather than a picture perfect one.
Themes Dog Shelters, Bushfires, Australian Stories, Community, Philanthropy, Truck Driving.
Nicole Nelson
Ten little yoga frogs by Hilary Robinson and Mandy Stanley
Catch a Star, 2023. ISBN: 9781922326904. (Age:2-5) Recommended.
Yoga is gaining increasing traction with the under five crowd so little movers will love this story that counts up from one to ten as one little frog is joined by nine friends in some kid-friendly yoga. This is similar to Mike Brownlow's Ten Little... series, except that this counts up rather than down. Bright, vibrant illustrations will capture and hold the attention of young listeners, who may even like to try out the poses themselves. The names of the poses and a silhouette of each are helpfully included on the corner of each page. Some pose inclusions are tree, lotus, garland and cow face. The last page also shows and names each pose. The text itself is simple and rhythmic: "Three yoga frogs stretching out for more, Noor joined in and then there were . . ." As with all classic counting books like this, children will enjoy shouting out the next number and large, colourful numerals in the top corner will aid with visual recognition. No doubt, they will also love perusing the fun illustrations which show the frogs in various peaceful places in the great outdoors: on lilypads, on yoga mats on the beach and in the vegetable garden, as well as being able to replicate the moves themselves. This will be a perfect introduction to yoga for beginners or a fun interactive book for those who already have a few poses in their arsenal.
Editor's note: This review was first written for the 2021 paperback version of the book.
Ideal for fans who enjoy a light mystery combined with a little science fiction The spare man is an enjoyable story from the award winning author of The calculating Stars (Hugo Award 2019, Nebula Award 2019, Locus Award 2019). Tesla Crane is on her honeymoon on a space liner. An heiress and clever inventor, she is travelling anonymously with her new husband and tiny service dog. When her husband is accused of murder, she is determined to solve the case and return to enjoying the trip.
This is a very light-hearted murder mystery with enough red herrings and twists to keep the reader engrossed. Tesla is a very likeable main character, as is her husband, but Gimlet her little dog steals the limelight and is so loveable. The setting aboard the space cruiser lifts the story out of the ordinary and the cocktail recipes at the beginning of chapters further emphasise the fun of the novel.
A Hugo Award for Best Novel shortlist (2023), and Locus Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2023), the novel’s suspense and humour make it a very enjoyable read, especially for readers who enjoy cosy mysteries.
11 year old Skye Starling loves her hometown, Seagulls Nest, so much so that she wrote a book about it - a mystery novel with the star fictional detective she created, 'Red Fox' but just as she's finishing it, it gets stolen! And then the crimes she wrote in the novel start coming true all over town! With the crimes happening in real life, everyone in town acting suspiciously and knowing what comes next, it's up to Skye to uncover the culprit! Lucky for her, she has her cat, Admiral Mittens, whose a clever kitten; her new friend, who will believes in her sleuthing abilities; and egg sandwiches - available aplenty in the town known for chooks, eggs and egg sandwiches.
This middle grade detective novel is full of animals, humour, relationships, and all the aspects of a small country Australian town (strangely obsessed with chickens and egg sandwiches). All the characters are well developed, with the right amount of humour and mystery for a middle grade novel. Evenly paced, the story moves well, with excerpts from the main characters novel, showing what crime is about to be discovered. The novel has numerous relationships that are explored through the novel, along with delightful animal companions that add depth to the story. Fans of R.A. Spratt's Friday Barnes detective series would enjoy this book, as well as the Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens series. It is unknown if there will be another 'Copycat' book, making it into a series, or if it will remain a stand alone novel.
Themes Mystery, Crime, Detectives, Humour, Country Town, Animals, Writer.
Melanie Pages
Billy and the giant adventure by Jamie Oliver
Penguin, 2023. ISBN: 9780241637807. (Age:8-10)
Well-known celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, has produced with Billy and the giant adventure, a novel that he has long planned. It reads with the enthusiasm of a fond Dad who is narrating a story that includes every amazing and wonderful idea that he can cram within the pages of a children's novel. This book is also available with "immersive music and sound effects" as an audiobook. The whole marketing package is available.
Jamie Oliver struggled at school with dyslexia, so he writes about something he knows by having the main character Billy also struggling with dyslexia. Jamie's hope in writing the book is that it will help children with dyslexia realise that they can find other wonderful skills just like Billy does. The printing and binding was done by Australian Griffin Press with attention to dyslexia friendly font 11.76/18.52pt times New Roman and 10.86/18.52pt Atkinson Hyperlegible. This and the text design by Janene Spencer, accompanied by the illustrations of the Spanish illustrator Monica Armino, are sensitive modifications for the dyslexic reader. Throughout the story, when Billy is faced with having to read difficult text, ways around are found and in the process, Billy finds that he has other skills to offer. Currently, in the world of children's books, there is an interest in presenting neurodiverse characters so that children can read about how others cope with the same problems that they have and that they are not alone.
Billy and the giant adventure follows the well trod pattern of children finding portals into magical forests and saving someone who is suffering through feats of skill, bravery and teamwork. Very much like Enid Blyton's The enchanted wood, a magic tree figures prominently. Oliver adds magical sprites (named after different spices) and other bad creatures like the stinky Boonas to the mixture. Billy and the giant adventure is a very busy book with perhaps too many underdeveloped characters and so much constant, frenetic action that the buildup towards a climax and resolution does not really happen. Perhaps it is oversauced and may result in confusion for the young reader.
Throughout the book, there are references and descriptions of delicious food. This is a plus and to be expected from Jamie Oliver. At the back there are some recipes for young people to try.
Overall, Jamie has worked hard on this book. It contains many ingredients, worthwhile messages and a lovely, warm tone. On the plot level it falls short because of the busyness and haphazard action which interferes with the normal expected flow towards a resolution. Characterisation suffers at the expense of action which means that the reader may find it hard to engage on the emotional level.
The recipes are well worth a try!
Themes Friendship, Dyslexia, Magic, Finding personal strengths, Environmental issues.
Wendy Jeffrey
The most delicious soup and other stories by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. Translated by Rosalind Harvey
The Most Delicious Soup and other stories is a collection of 5 short stories all surrounding a small community called Villa Verde. This community is filled with lots of different animals going about their daily lives and routines.
The stories share insights into their lives such as a new pet that causes lots of trouble, a grandma and grandchild who visit a library on a rainy day, a child who wants everything on a shopping trip, friends who have to move their rained out camp inside and finally the story where the whole community come together and pitch in to make and clean up a huge delicious soup.
The book is set out in a comic style, with each story only taking a few pages to tell. The illustrations are clear and enjoyable to look at, whilst telling the stories of friendship and the community happenings. I really liked the cartoon style of animals with dark outlines making them easy to view.
After doing some reading about the book it was interesting to learn that is has been translated from Spanish to English via The Sidney Myer Fund, a philanthropic foundation.
On top of children being able to read this book for pure enjoyment, there are definitely some sections where conversations about people, attitudes and community could be had. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.
Themes Community, Friendship, Animals.
Lauren Fountain
Butterfly Girl by Ashling Kwok and Arielle Li
EK Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781922539564. (Age:4+)
When she lived in the country, Olivia had plenty of space for her Butterfly Garden and each day she was surrounded by all sorts of butterflies, content in her own company and theirs. But when they move from the country cottage to an apartment in the grey city, there are no butterflies to be seen. Even though she waited and waited, sang to them and danced and whirled and twirled as she had done to attract them in her old home, none came.
So she decided to plant a little garden on her balcony so she could offer the butterflies the things they liked, but still none came. Despite the little bright spot in her corner, the buildings around remained grey and bleak, seemingly only being populated by pigeons. And she still had no friends. She sang louder, danced faster and coloured her world... Then, one day she saw something amazing - and it wasn't a butterfly. Before long, she not only had butterflies but more friends than she could ever had wished for.
Moving house, whether it is across town or state, or from country to city, can be daunting for little ones, and the fear of having no friends is common. So much so that it is theme in many books for young readers. So this new story, well timed for those for whom a move to a new town or new school is on the horizon as year's end nears, is one not only of reassurance but also suggests a pathway forward. Olivia's need for her butterfly friends and her creating of her balcony garden to attract them leads to the building of a community that crosses age and cultural borders and creates the connections that we all need. Even if you live in a crowded apartment building you can still be isolated and lonely. There are instructions for building a butterfly garden in a small space, but even if that's not a practical answer, it is the message of how reaching out to those with similar interests can bring untold rewards.
This is a story within a story, about authors and where they get their narrative ideas. Woven together in The Fiction Writer is the story of a fiction writer whose second book, a retelling of Du Maurier’s Rebecca, gets her noticed by very few readers. However, she does get noticed by a very wealthy and desirable man and is given the chance to become a ‘ghost-writer’. He seeks her skills to uncover and write about a family secret involving the theft and plagiarism of the story-line of Rebecca from his own grandmother’s work. The author at the centre of this book, Olivia Fitzgerald, becomes embroiled in a gothic-style intrigue that drags her from her mundane ‘unsuccessful’ life into a life of wealth on the Malibu Beach. At every turn she seems unable to separate truth from fiction and wonders if she too has become a target in a macabre re-telling of the du Maurier classic novel.
This book is an absolute joy to read, especially for those who have loved the darkly intense du Maurier classic - Rebecca. At every stage devotees of the original book will be delighted with parallels, but will also be enchanted with the deft way Cantor has created her own gothic-style modern-day mystery. With excerpts from another text woven through the pages, it is clear that something unusual is happening and there are sinister undercurrents through the story. Who can be believed? Surprisingly, there is also a romantic possibility wrapped within the more gothic and intense storyline. But at the heart of the story is the fiction writer and their journey to discover a story that is new, and yet always there is the idea that there are no new stories. This is a book for 16+ /Adult readers, a mature tale and a compelling, atmospheric and anxiety-charged storyline.
Ghost and Lu are on Patina’s running team and they support one another even when things go wrong, like when Ghost makes a false start in the 100 metres. Patina reflects that it is actually a real start at the wrong time. Ghost goes on to win his race but Patina has to deal with second place in the 800 metres, a false finish, not the first place she had expected. The certainty of running success is important to Patina as so many other parts of the 12-year old’s life has been out of her control. After her father’s sudden death six years ago, her birth mother (Ma) was unable to care for them as her legs were amputated due to severe diabetes. Patina and little sister Maddy have had to go and live with their uncle and aunt. Staying strong is what Patina does, she looks after Maddy, making sure her hair is done in cornrows before their weekly visit to Ma, she tries to do her best at her new school, a girls’ school with mostly white rich kids, the ‘hair flippers’ who have no idea what she has been through, and she tries to fit in to the routines of her adoptive family. Running success is important to her, strong legs that carry her beyond a day-to-day life that can be challenging, with teamates who understand her need to win. When the coach tells them they are to train for a relay Patina has to adjust to teamwork where winning or losing is not under her control. This follow up to the very popular Ghost is dedicated 'For those who’ve been passed the baton too young' and Patina’s everyday life is certainly burdened with responsibilities thrust upon her. However, she has a strong support network determined to make things work even if they are not ideal and they help her to face challenges, grow as an individual, and keep learning. This is book 2 in the 4 volume Track series about a running team with kids from very different backgrounds and will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Fun in the sun: Jack and Mia at the beach by Dr. Annika Smith. Illus. by Lara Porter
Little Steps, 2023. ISBN: 9781922678980. (Age:3-8) Recommended.
This book was written by a dermatoligist Dr Annika Smith and is aimed at providing information to young kids about sun safety. The story follows two siblings Jack and Mia, who are going for an outing at the beach. We watch them get ready to go, taking all the necessary steps to be sun safe including hats, sunglasses, long sleeves and of course sunscreen. The story also has a warning for sun burn when they see their poor friends all red and upset on the beach.
I like the rhyme of the story, which I feel will entice and engage very young children, along with the happy and bright illustrations by Lara Porter.
Fun in the sun is also a good resource for parents as at the beginning there is a page with melanoma information and statistics (all written quite clearly and without to much heaviness) and at the back there is a simple 5 point list that can be used as a conversation starter with kids or as a tick off style list when going out in the sun.
This would also be a great book for children who do not like applying sunscreen, as the text is easy to understand and children from about 7 to 8 years of age would be able to read it themselves, hopefully taking in the importance of sun safety.
Themes Beach, Siblings, Sun safety.
Lauren Fountain
Riz Chester: The Fingerprint Code by R. A. Stephens. Illus. by Em Hammond
Riz Chester has highly tuned senses and notices things that most people don't, such as the brand of cheese being changed in the tuckshop lunches, the 10 gram change in the size of the packets of chips, and the differences between identical twins Sabrina and Jenny. She keeps a note of the differences in her Weird Stuff Log because when she mentions them, people look at her funny.
But, by using her observation skills and logical thinking, she was able to detect counterfeit $10 notes in The counterfeit bust, the first in this series for newly independent readers, and in this episode once again she demonstrates the value of planning, thinking logically and recording what you discover in an organised way as she tries to determine who could have stolen a baby grand piano from the school's music room.
This time the forensic focus is fingerprints and there is more information about this at the end of the book, enabling students to understand why they leave unique markers all the time that science is beginning to unravel with greater depth and accuracy every day.
There are lots of series published for this age group, but this one particularly appeals to me because of its emphasis on the need to approach a problem in a clear, methodical way thus bringing into play all those skills of the information literacy process. What has happened? What do we know? What do we need to find out? How can we find that out? What would be the best tools to use? How do we use them? Do I need help using them?
Themes Detectives, Stealing, Fingerprints.
Barbara Braxton
What do scientists do? by Tom Mumbray. Illus by Can Tugrul & Geraldine Sky
Within the series of books called Jobs People Do, and promoting STEM, What do scientists do?, this brightly coloured and information filled book will satisfy those young inquisitive minds found in primary schools.
Nine chapters offer jobs looking at life on earth, life in space, investigating the universe, combatting illnesses, protecting our universe, developing new technologies, and two chapters showing what scientists do and how to become part of that world.
Each chapter is full of information in the form of small paragraphs of text, diagrams, lists, graphs maps and illustrations. The illustrations show people in the science jobs talked about, giving a hands on image to the reader.
The chapter about working in diseases starts with a startling question, 'Can you imagine finding a cure for cancer?' A list of the scientists involved in this area of research is listed with a little of what they do. Over the page is found information about stopping the spread of COVID and from there the work being done in virus research and the development of vaccines. Clinical trials are done again with specialist scientific jobs and on to being sold by a pharmacist. It is a timeline of fascination, showing all the scientific jobs so important in this one area. Similarly every area spoken of is dealt with in the same way, extolling the range of expertise needed by scientists. Quicklinks are available from the publisher.
Ford Street Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781922696373. (Age:10+) Recommended.
Blair Moon - How to be cooler than the moon (Blair Moon) is Australian poetry, film and fiction writer Ashleigh Mounser's first children's book. It is a recent publication of the Ford Street Publishing Company of Abbotsford which is a small, discerning company that publishes only fifteen to twenty titles/year for children and young adults. Ford Street Publishing focuses on books that allow children to read literary works that explore significant social issues of our time in a fresh, multi-layered and entertaining manner. Thus any book published by Ford Street merits some attention. Available on the publisher's site are teacher's notes for BlairMoon, clearly linked to the year 5 and 6 ACARA Literacy strand, consisting of comprehension and discussion questions for each chapter.
The reader sees the world from the first person narrative perspective of the titular chararacter Blair Moon. Blair marches to her own tune. Young readers may be bemused by her and may even find her arrogance and inability to read social cues and the emotions of others annoying. She may be dismissed, as she is by most of the children at school, as a know all, weirdo. At some point, children may pick that she is "on the spectrum" although that is not clearly spelt out in the book. Delicate classroom discussions about difference and social inclusion may be necessary at teachers' discretion or it may be best left alone for children to enjoy Blair alone - with no interpretation or intervention. Blair Moon is like another Pippi Longstocking - bold, adventurous, single-minded and impervious to adult discipline.
Brought up in a nursing home and home schooled, Blair Moon, when she hits school, speaks like a ninety year old. Her vocabulary is amazing! A glossary is included at the end. She has a single ambition and that is to be school president (followed by more lofty ambitions later...) Blair gets into trouble and exasperates her teachers as she attempts to socialise and impress others into voting her in as school president. She learns, amongst other things, not to start rumours and not to take credit for things others do. She learns what it is to be a friend and how it feels to lose a friend. She tries to be cool - which is definitely not her. She becomes more self reflective..."I am thinking about everything I have learned and how I am growing as a person, and becoming a more complete version of myself..."
Some initial whole class sharing and guidance may be needed for students to settle to identifying and taking the ride with Blair Moon but when they do, they will find her quirky adventures by turn amusing and unsettling. She is a "special" girl.
Blair Moon - How to be cooler than the moon is a thought and discussion-provoking book that will help children understand, enjoy, include and embrace others who think and act differently in the general, mainstream school and classroom and in life.
Themes Friendship (inter-generational and peer), Autism spectrum disorder, Fitting in, Belonging.
Wendy Jeffrey
How to find a missing girl by Victoria Wlosok
Hachette, 2023. ISBN: 9781510202726. (Age:13+)
A year ago, Stella Blackthorn vanished. Iris, her younger sister, started her own investigation, but before she could make any progress, she got in trouble with the police, earning herself a stern warning that if she meddles in police business again, once she turns 18, meddling will mean jail time. But now Heather, Iris's ex-girlfriend, has gone missing, just after releasing a shocking last episode of her true crime podcast about Stella's disappearance. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from pursing the truth. But with the original detective keeping a close eye on her, her ex-best-friend back in the picture (and maybe possibly more than friends now?), and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, the pressure is on and it's a race against the clock.
This novel is told from the perspective of Iris, with mix-ins of podcast transcripts throughout the novel, and the occasional text message thread. The language is inclusive with one character going by they/them pronouns, which is smoothly integrated through the whole book. Numerous characters are suspects, allowing the author to explore different relationships and develop different characters. Lots of action helps the book to move quickly and the whole novel is well paced. Readers will find themselves immersed in the mystery, and it is good for fans of the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson and the movie A Simple Favour on Netflix.
Albert Street Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781761180637. (Age:5+) Highly recommended.
This story of the celebration of New Year within the Chinese community around the world, focusses on family and togetherness, and is framed with marvellous vivacious illustrations. Award winning author, Rebecca Lim has teamed with Sydney based artist Cai Tse. Their Chinese heritage is reflected in the celebration of the New Year.
This delightful tale is told from the perspective of the young boy in the family. This time of the year is his favourite and he questions his parents about some of the customs they observe. He cannot wait for the dragon to appear, and works with the family in cleaning the house, getting rid of the bad luck. He watches as the family makes their favourite food for New Year including dumplings, Eight Treasure Rice and ting yuan, spring rolls and dried oysters.
Steamed chicken and sweet sticky rice is left through the house to welcome the dragon and remember those who are no longer there. The family sits around telling stories and singing until New Year’s day comes around. They visit relatives and older people as part of honouring the elderly in the community.
They wear their parade clothes to Chinatown to be part of the celebration as the dragon weaves its way around them all. He hopes that soon he will be one of the dragon team and help weave the dragon through the streets.
Back home he rushes to the door hearing a knock. It is his sister, Jie Jie and she greets him as ‘gold rabbit’, while he in turn greets her as ‘gold dragon’.
Last year was the Year of the Rabbit and this year is the Year of the Dragon, so he wishes his sister a very happy Year of the Dragon, the Zodiac sign of her birth. The dragon has arrived.
This lovely tale full of family and celebrations, is beautifully illustrated with bold images of the family and the dragon.
Dragons fill the pages, reds and yellows splash in front of our eyes. The endpapers with their deep reds show the animals that are celebrated in the Chinese New Year, from rabbit to dragons as shown in this book, to the pigs, monkeys and snakes to name a few that form the Chinese Zodiac. I love the touches of Australian culture with the dragon leaping over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the landscape of the house in which they live, along with the clothes hoist in the backyard.
Themes Chinese Zodiac, Chinese New Year, Family, Chinatown.
