Stephen Hogtun, the author/illustrator of Leaves (2023) and Deep (2023), has written another beautiful and poignant story called Herd. This book follows the journey of an elephant herd as they travel through the African landscape with baby elephant always wondering if he will “ever find a place that felt like home.”
The herd travels through the forest, to the river, across the grassy plains and each time they stop, the baby elephant asks the question but it never quite feels right. While the other elephants sleep, baby elephant searches for a place to call home but he loses his way and finally begins to realise that home is not necessarily a place.
This gentle story will resonate with young readers and evoke feelings of their own homes and families, and how they can feel safe there. The glorious illustrations are striking and showcase a range of colours to represent the landscapes the elephants are travelling through. A wonderful read.
Kathryn Beilby
The isles of the gods by Amie Kaufman
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761180064. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
What a roller-coaster ride The isles of the Gods is! I can’t imagine why I left it unread on my shelf for so long, but luckily for me, I have the sequel The heart of the world, to pick up immediately. Selly is determined to sail the north seas to meet her father but her plans are dashed when she discovers that her Captain has agreed on a secret mission, taking a handsome young stranger, Prince Leander, to the sacred Isles of the Gods where he is to perform a ritual to his god, Barrica. On board too is Keegan who desperately wants to reach the Bibliotek to start his dream of being a scholar. Meanwhile, Laskia, a young woman who worships the sleeping God Macean, is desperate to gain the approval of her sister and is willing to do anything to achieve that. Jude once Leander’s friend, must protect his sick mother and Laskia manipulates him to help her destroy Leander. What follow is mayhem on the high seas, murder, gods and magic, with two countries on the brink of war.
Told in alternate chapters by Selly, Leander, Keegan, Laskia and Jude, it is easy to follow the story and relate to each of the characters. Selly is a determined and clever sailor, whose skill and growth is crucial as much of the action takes place on a small sailboat in a dangerous sea. Leander has always been carefree and frivolous but must face his responsibilities and draw on hidden strengths. Keegan is a hero, willing to give up his plans for peace in the world. Laskia is the villain of the story; her desire to impress her sister Ruby and the nuns overtakes any moral qualms she has, while Jude is one that I felt sorry for – trapped looking after a sick mother.
The pace ramps up in the second half of the book and Kaufman is not afraid to describe the deadly actions that Laskia is prepared to commit in her quest to kill the prince. There is a frightening chase across perilous waters and magic swirls through the air. The under current of fear that Leander will not reach the Isles of the Gods in time to sacrifice to Barrica and that Macean will wake and bring war is very suspenseful and the cliffhanger ending will have fans desperate for the next in the series.
The Isles Of The Gods is a riveting fantasy with a slow burning romance, well deserving of its awards: Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Nominee for Book of the Year for Older Children (2024), CYBILS Award Nominee for Young Adult Speculative Fiction (2023), and Older Readers Book of the Year Award Notable Books 2024. Readers who enjoyed the fantasy and the sailing aspects of the book might like Fable by Adrienne Young and Devil’s ballast by Meg Caddy.
Themes Princes, Magic, Gods and goddesses, Sailing.
Two young boys, Max and Milo, are next-door neighbours and best friends. They are inseparable, and enjoy their time spent together playing, building, racing and stargazing on Sunday nights. They love all things space-related and are even preparing an old abandoned car to use as a rocket to travel into space.
After a time, Milo does not come over to do all the things the boys used to do together. Max finds out that Milo is leaving and feels a sense of loneliness and emptiness. Milo, though, has left something for Max in their rocket ship. It is a page of space facts about distances and Max realises that he can still keep in touch with Milo. That he is not so far away compared to distances in space.
The Space Between is a beautifully told story that shares a delightful friendship filled with joy and imagination between two young children. The bold and colourful illustrations, set in rural Australia, are visually stunning. They showcase the big wide landscapes of both the land and the night sky in gorgeous hues. The endpapers share some clever fun facts and are the perfect accompaniment to this wonderful story.
This is a boy-friendly sci-fi fantasy involving boys who battle beasts from other realms. It is deliberate in being simple in language and sentence construction, so would automatically appeal to readers who are not yet adept at tackling complicated plots and details, but want action and are switched on by fantasy battles against ‘dinosaur-like’ beasts. It is an easy read chapter book with few chapters. With technology to assist, and a robotic dog, there are lots of features that add twists to the action ‘fight scenes’. A section of the plot is told via graphic novel illustration in one chapter. I can’t say I loved it … but it does have a place in meeting the reading demands of some young readers.
This is definitely a book for readers who are at risk of switching off to reading, appealing to those aged 5-7. (Beyond this age it would suit those who are struggling with their reading.) It will not meet the needs of capable readers, the simplicity in sentence construction will feel very clumsy for able readers. There is the occasional hint of humour, but the impossible scenarios are inherently bizarre rather than funny. Those readers that love graphic novel style may be enticed to read this simple story. (A brief introductory section details the premise of Boys vs Beasts series, and introduces characters.)
Themes Fantasy battles, Beasts, Graphic novel.
Carolyn Hull
Swiftle: the ultimate Taylor Swift puzzle book by Lucy Doncaster
Puffin, 2024. ISBN: 9780241723807. (Age:7+)
Young Taylor Swift fans will enjoy completing the many different types of puzzles in this new unofficial release to celebrate the popularity of this well-known singer and entertainer. This will test young diehard fan’s knowledge and also provide new facts about this world-wide singing sensation.
Throughout the book are word searches, word tracers, crosswords, hidden letter hunts, words within words, number pyramids, all sorts of coded activities, jumbled letters and clever wordokus.
This book is a great introduction to the kinds of puzzles children may see their parents, grandparents or other adults completing. It contains the solutions in the final pages as well as attribution pages that list all of Taylor Swifts albums, songs and films.
Swiftle would make a wonderful gift for a Taylor Swift fan.
The last word sees the return of Natalka, Benedict and Edwin, who first appeared in The postscript murders. Natalka and Edwina are now running a detective agency in Shoreham, Sussex and when they are approached by two sisters who are convinced that their mother, Melody Chambers, a local author, has been murdered, they are thrilled to take on the case. Edwin who peruses the obituary pages, notices that Melody’s obit has been written by someone who is already deceased and finds links to other authors who have also died. Benedict and Edwin decide to attend a writer’s retreat which the authors have all attended, hoping to find clues to what has happened. And then another murder is committed and the amateur investigators seek the help of Detective Harbinder Kaur.
Readers wanting to read more of Harbinger Kaur’s investigations, starting with The Stranger Diaries, winner of the 2020 Edgar Award for Best Novel, will be disappointed as she plays a minor role in The last word, but those who enjoyed the quirky natures of Natalka, Benedict and Edwin from The postscript murders will be pleased to see them return. As always Griffiths’ characterisation is brilliant and it is easy to visualise the people she portrays in her story. The plot is very twisty and there are many suspects. I didn’t guess the outcome – which is always a plus in a mystery story. Why would going to a writer’s retreat or belonging to a book club lead to murder?
Although The last word can be read as a stand-alone, better understanding of the characters would come from reading The postscript murders. This was an enjoyable and very clever cosy mystery with snatches of humour to lighten the way.
Mia Megastar: The Juggling Act written by Ada Nicodemou, is the second book of a new series for primary-school aged readers. In this latest book, Mia is fully involved in a play that she and her friends, known as the Summerdale Stage Stars, will perform for family, friends and the community. Mia’s involvement as director, producer, co-writer, actor, acting coach, advisor to the set designer, costume finder as well organising the venue may well begin to take its toll.
Meanwhile the drama teacher Mr J has organised a hugely popular television and stage star to visit the Stage Stars and Mia is dumbstruck! Aston Kingsley gives some great tips to the stars including projecting your voice, stand where the director tells you, not to have your back to the audience and if you forget your lines try not to panic.
As the play progresses, Mia’s friends and fellow Stage Stars, Ted and Petra have other commitments and are struggling to keep their focus on the play. Added to this, some of her friends in the club are annoyed that Mia is taking over everything and expecting too much from them. The play is only a few weeks away. What will Mia do? Will the play go ahead?
Mia is a larger than life character with big dreams and big ideas. She often leaves others in her wake but her heart is in the right place. This book is full of fast-paced busy scenes with illustrations and highlighted key words to maintain the dramatic flow. Also include are recipes for a delicious village salad and haloumi and zucchini mini frittata. Plus, some welcome acting tips. Book 3 is due in October 2024.
Themes Drama/Acting, Friendship, Family, School, Drama Club, Greek culture, Teamwork.
Kathryn Beilby
PD McPem's Agency for Mysterious Mysteries: The baffling beach bandit by Anna Battese. Illus. by Ruth-Mary Smith
This is the third book in an early chapter book series about PD McPem and her detective abilities. Today PD is unable take her beloved puppy Scooter on a beach excursion with her class as all pets are banned from her school after an unexpected event in a previous PD McPem book called The Puzzling Pet Parade.
Arriving at the beach, the class find that the boats are all sunk so they need to find something to do. PD, her friends and Grandpa discover that something has ruined a picnic for some beach goers and Mr Li’s ice creams have had a bite taken out of them and his bike bell is missing. Lots of mysteries for Detective PD Pem and her crew to solve. After some careful gathering of clues, the mysterious culprit is uncovered, and with some help from the adults the children are able to enjoy their beach excursion.
The generous spacing of text and the use of short sentences and paragraphs as well as intermittent illustrations throughout, make this an ideal read for those children who are learning to independently read early chapter books. These gentle and engaging stories are full of friendship, problem solving and fun.
It's time for bed but Sleepy Sheepy isn't sleepy - and there are 101 things he wants to do apart from snuggling down under the blankets. Like building blocks or knitting socks - anything but go to bed. "He was WIRED and absolutely NOT TIRED!"
With its quirky rhyming text and hilarious illustrations, this is a story that will resonate with anyone who has tried to put a toddler to bed when that toddler has other ideas. So who wins the battle?
The perfect bedtime read but be aware, Sleepy Sheepy is a thoroughly modern sheep preferring to skateboard or play with the karaoke machine so other toddlers might get new ideas to delay the inevitable.
One to give the new parents or grandparents - or perhaps not!
Themes Sheep, Sleep, Bedtime.
Barbara Braxton
Deep is the fen by Lili Wilkinson
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761066863. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
What a thrill to read another book set in the world of the award winning A hunger of thorns. Deep is the Fen is a book dedicated ‘For every girl who refused to be a damsel in distress.’ This time our indomitable, although at times annoyingly stubborn heroine, is Merriwether Morgan. She is looking forward to enjoying the holidays at the end of school with her best friends Teddy and Sol, while avoiding snobbish Caraway Boswell, her arch enemy and joint dux of the school. She has vowed to avoid magic at any cost, because a witch killed her mother, and she is devastated to learn that Teddy, a very talented blacksmith, is determined to join the Toadmen, a strange secret society only for men. It is rumoured to use magic deep in its headquarters in Deeping Fen and Merry is determined to rescue him from its clutches. But the Toadmen have been hiding dangerous secrets and when she decides to travel to the Deeping Fen with Caraway to find Teddy, she faces incredible danger.
Wilkinson has created a unique frightening world of evil toadmen, witches and dark water and gradually builds up the suspense in the book leaving the reader wondering whether Merry will manage to overcome her fear of magic and use it for good or whether she will become the latest victim of the Toadmen. She gradually overcomes her dislike of Caraway and the slow simmering enemy to lovers trope will engage lovers of romance as she gets to know him. Although Merry refuses to listen to advice and blindly goes her own way she finally makes some spectacular decisions leading to a very satisfying outcome.
Corporate greed and monopoly are strong themes, with Wilkinson’s emphasis on young women taking control adding depth to the story. Readers who love fantasy set in a frightening world with an engaging romance are sure to enjoy Deep is the fen and will eagerly wait for more set in this world. Meanwhile they may like to read Mask of mirrors by M. A. Carrick.
Themes Magic, Feminism, Romance, Fantasy.
Pat Pledger
Hi from Outer Space by Fiona Katauskas
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761069260. (Age:7-12) Recommended.
Alex knows she is good at cartooning and wants to win the National Young Cartoonist competition’s junior division category 'Truth is stranger than fiction' and entries close soon. When an inspired experiment involving a banana peel and a cactus lands her dad in hospital with a prickly bum, he is very understanding. Banana peels really are slippery in real life and the video goes viral but Alex still needs inspiration for the competition comic so takes the dog for a walk. She is stunned when a spaceship lands nearby and an alien emerges saying 'Take me to your leader'. It turns out the alien, Hi, whose real name 'sounds like someone bashing a toy piano with a large inflatable hammer then accidentally stepping backwards onto a cat’s tail' has been dropped off by his parents to complete a school assignment on leadership for his human studies class. Hi, (he chose the name Hieronymus Bosch from the list of Earth’s 673 coolest names) wants to interview an earthling leader to get an A++ for his assignment. Seeing mutual opportunities Alex takes Hi home for the night where she starts to suspect Hi is more interested in shoes than completing his assignment. The pace is fast and the subplots well handled. The opportunities for fun takes on everyday activities, like making pancakes, viewed through alien eyes, are beautifully realized both in prose and the energetic cartoons full of detail and affection. The wordplay is great with lots of puns and alliteration like Discombobulation Denial Disorder and there are fart and poo jokes thrown in. Ultimately the pair learn a lot about what makes a good leader and gather plenty of inspiration along the way. The author’s background in political cartooning makes the cartoons exceptionally engaging.
Themes Aliens, Humour, Friendship, Leadership.
Sue Speck
18,000 holes in the universe by Adam Wallace and Lisa Foley. Illus. by James Hart
Friends Jordie, Noah (twins), Mags and Marko are concerned that the twins' inventor grandfather, Golf’s empty house is in danger of being demolished. The twins’ mother has fond memories of the house and they decide to go in and find something for her to keep to remember her father, who disappeared 20 years ago. His nasty brother, Goof, wants to demolish it as soon as Golf is declared legally dead without a will. The friends encounter bully Felicity in the house smashing things up, then a glowing golf ball flies from under a floorboard wrapped in a message from Golf. The friends follow the clues to a mini golf green in the overgrown garden, a gateway to another dimension. There is plenty of action, and it turns out Felicity knows a lot about golf and helps them work out the clues, and to help the reader there is a glossary of golf terms at the end of the book. The friends battle dragons, trying not to take their eyes off the ball and there is plenty of gross humour with poo, snot and fart jokes throughout. Cartoon illustrations take up about half of most pages with lots of bold words to break up the text. I didn’t like the name calling or the fact that it was the short fat kid who farted all the time and was constantly apologizing to his friends but this does come from the creators of Fartboy, (Fartboy:The first sniff). Particularly irritating was the character wearing headphones for no apparent reason but this too may relate to a previous series. This is number 1 in the golfing series so maybe the characters will evolve and there will be many more rounds of golf to come.
This book is one of the most enjoyable middle grade novels I've come across. It is entertaining while managing to deliver a lovely message around celebrating differences. For reluctant or struggling readers there are multiple devices employed to grab interest immediately, and to keep pages turning. It is the newest release from Tom Fletcher, author of The Christmasaurus, The Danger Gang, and The Creakers.
The book is the first-person account of 10-year-old George Racket. He is lead singer and bass player of ‘The Earthlings’, described as 'the worst band in the world'. George narrates daily life and jots down his song-writing as he goes. The clever thing here is that each song he writes has a QR code with a direct link to Spotify/Apple music to hear it played by UK boy-band McFly. This allows children to read along with the lyrics as they are sung, and encourages deeper connection with the text as well as providing a huge incentive to keep reading to get to the next song! The songs are mostly short and silly and so much fun.
The story itself centres on George and his bandmates - Bash (drums) is a complete space fanatic, and Neila (lead guitar) suffers from stage fright. They are preparing to play at their school's Battle of the Bands when suddenly they are beamed up into space and find themselves centre stage at an intergalactic music contest.
Children who love space science will enjoy the facts throughout this book, while those who love music and performing will relish the concert scenes, and those who prefer laughs will delight in the gross alien descriptions and general silliness throughout.
As well as the songs/QR codes, Fletcher also includes three space-comic double-page spreads which add to the story and keep interest high. Mix in a variety of font styles, bold type, heaps of black and white line illustrations, and a mystery to solve, and this book really has it all to hook readers of all ages and abilities.
Kat has no recollection of her mother's brief, 48 hour marriage to a man with a son of his own, as she was four at the time - her stepbrother of 48 hours, Liam, was five. In the whirlwind, things were so outrageous in Vegas, that Liam took years to get over it. Kat, no such problem. The two families haven't spoken for the twelve years since, and it's just been Kat and her mother - they are a team. Always a team. Made more interesting by the fact that her mum is a jewel thief now trying to go straight, with one last job - a grand necklace at a billionaire's eightieth birthday party weekend, but she won't take Kat. At least, that's what her mum thinks. Other surprise guests include Liam and his father, who happens to be dating the daughter of the billionaire, with an agenda of his own. They all decide to act like they don't know each other, and go about their own business, until someone is shot and killed on the compound, and Kat and Liam appear to be next in line.
A little different from Karen M McManus' usual books, this is still an amazing story full of twists and turns, and believable, relatable characters. Fans of McManus will be rushing for this latest release, as will fans of mystery and suspense. The story flows really well, with an even pace, moving between characters as the story is told by the two main characters, Kat and Liam, so dual perspective. Readers are barely given time to guess or wonder who might be behind things, as the novel reads quickly, and events occur rapidly, shifting targets often. Karen M McManus really knows how to write a clever mystery, perfect for fans of classic mystery like Agatha Christie or modern YA mystery like Holly Jackson or Maureen Johnson.
Themes YA, Mystery, Suspense, Heist, LGBTQIA+, Relationships, Murder, Lies.
We often read war genre where the reader is transported to the horrors of the battlefield, or the dangers of the Resistance, or we experience the lives of those escaping precarious situations. In this new release we meet Peggy, a seemingly plain and naive young woman from a loving extended family who finds herself working for The Ministry of Information in the Publications Department as a proof-reader. Enticed from her job in her local library, with the promise of doing something to help those fighting overseas, which includes her twin brother Joe, Peggy is thrown in the deep end in an occupation which she has no training for. She comes up against ‘the establishment’ but holds her own and with the support from her loving mother Alice and her feisty beloved grandmother, Emily, she is quietly able to make a difference.
Meeting fellow co-worker Lady Marigold Cecily, who is always late after nights out on the town, does not go well initially and yet through tragedy and drama they gradually learn to accept each other for who they are. Marigold longs for love and acceptance and finds it with Peggy and her family and their friendship grows. In a time when women were still thought incapable of doing anything worthwhile, Peggy and Marigold set out to prove through various printed publications that women are the silent driving force behind the men on the Front and those families who are at home in England.
Being a story set over a number of years, the main characters experience death, grief, loss, danger as well as great joy. Peggy learns that while she did not set the world on fire, she contributed to the mental well-being and safety of many men fighting overseas and those left behind trying to survive.
Themes World War Two, Friends, Family, Ministry of Information, Books.
