Grave Robbing and Other Curious Activities is a book I truly think more students should read. It offers a lot more than a strange mystery. The story is about Alexander Steeple, a boy who lives in his family’s mortuary. This unusual setting makes the book really stand out. The book has a spooky atmosphere that feels timeless. The story explores what happens when a body mysteriously disappears, which pushes Alex into an investigation that makes him face his fears. He discovers strengths he didn't know he had. McKerrow uses the mortuary and small-town setting to create tension, humour and curiosity. He shows readers that even strange places can teach us something. Through Alex’s journey we see how he solves the mystery. He trusts his instincts, pays attention to details and slowly builds his confidence. This makes him a relatable and inspiring character. The people around him and his mother and the strange townsfolk add depth and personality to the story. Key themes in the book are courage, belonging and embracing what makes you different, which are woven naturally into the plot. This makes the book not only fun but also meaningful. What I learned from this novel is that feeling different isn't something to hide - it can actually become your strength. That message alone makes this book worth recommending to anyone who enjoys mysteries with heart and originality.
Smyan A. (Student)
Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody
Electric Monkey, 2026. ISBN: 9780008794149.
Parker Darling is ready to step up as a team captain, now that his older brothers have moved on, but things don’t go as planned when he finds out his coach is someone that already dislikes him for a mistake he made in his past. A mistake that involves the coach’s daughter, Mackenzie Foster. Kenzie loves hockey as much as Parker, but she’s constantly being benched by her dad, and forced to sit on the sidelines, even though she’s more than capable of proving herself. When circumstances push them into working together, the tension is undeniable, and what starts as frustration quickly turns into something much harder to ignore.
Parker is competitive, confident, and always used to being in control, but underneath the façade, is someone trying to live up to expectations and prove that he can be someone without his brothers around. Kenzie, on the other hand, is strong, determined, and not afraid of a challenge, even if it means going against her father for her place in the team. Kenzie and Parker’s dynamic is full of tension, banter and that constant push and pull that makes you want to keep reading just to see who gives in first.
Wild Darling is a book about identity, pressure, and learning to trust others when you can’t even trust yourself. The characters feel real and relatable, especially in the way they deal with expectations, whether themselves or from family, and their struggle to prove their worth. Kenzie’s determination to prove she belongs on the team adds a strong layer of empowerment, while Parker is on his own journey to show that confidence doesn’t always mean you have everything figured out.
The book is set in a familiar, small, tight-knit community where reputations stick, where it feels like everyone is watching your every move, especially when it comes to hockey. The plot is more character-driven than action heavy, focusing on the balance between emotional tension and character development, than on big dramatic twists. It’s the kind of story that builds up slowly, with meaningful moments, small interactions, and just enough angst to keep you hooked. The kind that makes you pause, smile, and get frustrated when characters are this close to admitting how they feel.
Themes of vulnerability, pressure, gender expectations in sports, and emotional growth are woven throughout the novel. Even though it’s a clean romance, it still captures the intensity of first love, hesitation, and the fear of getting hurt. It’s soft but still full of feeling, and the slow-burn dynamic makes everything hit just a little harder.
For fans of books like Better Than the Movies or The Summer I Turned Pretty, Wild Darling is definitely worth the read. It’s sweet, emotional, and full of tension, with just the right amount of banter and heart to keep you completely invested.
Themes: Vulnerability, Identity, Pressure, Emotional Growth, Sports & Gender Roles, First Love
Hamsini C. (Student)
Serendipity by Gabbie Benda
Penguin Random House, 2026. ISBN: 9781761621352. (Age:8-12+)
Serendipity, Dippy to her friends, is a super confident middle schooler, a popular student representative, talented basketball player and she has a leading part in the school play, Macbecky. Her confidence comes with a belief that she is lucky and cannot fail while fortune smiles on her. When she wins tickets to the local carnival Dippy is oblivious to the fact that she is unprepared for her role in the school and selfish with the ball at basketball practice in her eagerness to rush off and have fun with best friend Basil at the carnival. They have a great time but an accidental toppling of Zam Zam, the mechanical fortune telling machine leaves Dippy believing she has been cursed. Just like that, her luck seems to have run out and she is fearful that people won’t like her if she is not lucky. Rather than take responsibility for her failures, for being overcommitted and disorganised, she sets out to find a way to lift the curse. In spite of misgivings, Basil sticks by her but Serendipity has to find out for herself that she is responsible for her own success and that being a team player and working with others is worth more than luck. The colourful cartoon style is packed with interesting detail and action and the red filter denoting a dramatic change of emotion works very well when Basil vents her frustration that Dippy blames bad luck rather than lack of effort for her failures. I was a bit disappointed to find out Basil was a girl as it worked quite well for the character to be genderless. My other reservation was the image on page 209 of a player holding on to the basketball hoop after a successful shot, which is dangerous and considered a foul in many codes. Otherwise this is a fun, and engaging read with an appealing set of characters and some worthwhile messages.
Themes Graphic novel, friendship, cartoon humour.
Sue Speck
A tiny little world by Joel Sorrensen
Little Steps, 2025. ISBN: 9781923306257. (Age:4-8 years)
A tiny little world has a somewhat jolting storyline partially because, to read it, the reader must follow text that swirls around, moves in waves and other patterns and has to be found in different places on different pages. The spread layout is quite a thing not always providing the reader with sufficient clues about how to progress through the story. Tracking between the complex pictures and the "mostly" matching text is a challenge that some children may enjoy. Other children may find it a challenge to hold the storyline whilst simultaneously being distracted by the vibrant art. It is definitely a book that calls for high energy interactive shared reading.
The strength of A tiny little world is in its artistic layout with the author/artist Joel Sorrensen focussing more on the visual/artistic impact leaving the story line playing a subordinate role. Some effort from the reader is required to follow the text and match it to the pictures to make sense of the plot.
The cover art is bold, bright and cartoonish. Throughout the book the double page spreads cover edge to edge with very little white space. Busyness, complexity, detail, brilliant colour and energy fill the entire pages with text (like a puzzle) having to be found. The typography, like the art, is a feature of A tiny little world. Font style, sizing and placement contribute to the artistic impact of the book. Bursts of colour help with emphasis when reading. These aspects of design encourage an active and energetic interaction with the text and accompanying artwork.
The young reader is cast as a space explorer in the front matter with a box to write their name in under the text... 'This book belongs to space explorer_' Like the cover, the front and back end pages give an idea of the exotic, crazy, bright world packed with weird sights that are found in the book. The end papers at the back include a colouring page and a blank page with a request to draw your own planet or creature. Set in deep space, the pictures are populated with strange and exotic alien creatures and backdrops and the eye is drawn to action in different locations on the pages.
The central character is an endearing little lizard named Rexy. Something new burns through the atmosphere and lands in his world and the adventure begins leading to a changed life for Rexy. Sorrensen uses exclamatory language "Watch out...!", strings of adjectives..." tall ,lanky, keen, lean, glowing, green grass grazer.", alliteration... "Suddenly, some slimy, slippery sliders surrounded them.", rhyme and rythm and other forms of word play for the enjoyment of young readers.
While some readers (adults) may find A tiny little world a little contrived and the message of small consequence, others may see it as a lot of energetic fun and a very good book for children who need a lot of high energy interaction in a book in order to capture attention.
A tiny little world could lend itself well to graphic novel format. This reader can see it being used as a stimulus in the art classroom and being useful for primary aged children who enjoy drawing. By and large, the standout aspect of A tiny little world is Sorrensen's encouragement of the creative, artistic side of the child. That has to be a very good thing.
Themes Finding a friend, Space, Aliens, Helping, Searching.
On each page an illustration reflects the united humanity of us all. We are all of one race, the human race, and Gregg Dreise’s stunning images reflect the techniques he has used in previous books, Silly birds and Cunning crow being two of my favourites.
Back and white hands join together ont the cover, both part of the greater race to which we all belong. And this is repeated throughout the book. In rhyming pairs of lines, Dreise propels his ideas, using words such as humanity, unity, kindness, compassion, empathy and equality, and phrases like, walking side by side, and racism will not exist with equality.
On each page, readers will see a wonderfully panorama inviting children to look closely at the details on each page and read the succinct words accompanying the illustration. On one page the dove of peace moves over the blue background with the words humanity written across its body. Several pages reveal an image of the world, showing that we are all one race, the human race. Another page shows a staircase leads upwards but only one group of people are on the staircase, others are behind the bars of the prison beneath. The image of Uluru is enclosed by the arms a black and white, going their hands together over the sunrise.
Most pages are full of positive words, using words such as compassion and equality. But some pages show the results of the ugliness of racism, people in prison, a family being vilified, people kowtowing to a leader. Each of these will promote deeper thought and discussion amongst children about the lack of opportunity afforded to some, in a country which promotes more.
Themes Aboriginal themes, Racism, Humanity.
Fran Knight
Seed by Bri Lee
Simon & Schuster, 2025. ISBN: 9781761633881. (Age:Adult) Highly recommended.
In Antarctica there is a seed vault hidden in the Transantarctic Mountains, a replacement for the bombed Svalbard seed vault in the Artic. It is where all the world sends their seeds to be categorised and stored for a future time when man has destroyed everything. The seeds will be used to bring the Earth back to life.
Mitchell and Frances are two colleagues returning to the Anarctos Project in Antarctica. For Mitch returning to the stark white landscape, a place without people, it is like returning to the home he loves. For Frances, there is hopeful anticipation that her kelp application will mean the future inclusion of the marine plants she cares about. They are the committed ones returning to an environment they are very familiar with; they both know all the routines, how to get the chores done, and how to co-exist in the cold and isolation.
But strange things start to happen. Firstly there is a surprise ‘contaminant’, a cat found inside the top-secret building, and then gradually an accumulation of malfunctions, which means that the two of them are cut off, alone at the ends of the Earth. With unknown danger threatening them Mitch and Frances finding themselves confiding secrets that they wouldn’t normally share. They are both desperate to survive.
Bri Lee depicts a dystopian world visibly suffering from the effects of climate change. The Anarctos team is driven to save the planet. Mitch is vegetarian, a commited anti-natalist, refusing parenthood on moral and ethical grounds. However, his ex-wife Kate, the search and rescue helicopter operator, finds elation in rescuing people from the most dangerous situations. They both want to save the planet, but the essential conflict is between saving the planet from people or saving the planet for people.
The tension ratchets up as Mitch and Frances are forced to make drastic decisions in order to survive. Seed becomes a nail-biting suspense, where the reader is impelled to turn each page faster and faster to find out what happens next. It is an extraordinary novel which moves from a dystopian scenario to an intense examination of the human qualities of love, friendship, forgiveness, and acceptance.
The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney, the third instalment in the hugely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series featuring a special movie themed cover, proves once again why readers can’t get enough of Greg Heffley’s chaotic life. Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, awkward situations and brilliant cartoon illustrations, this book continues the series’ winning formula while celebrating its ongoing popularity.
At the centre of the story is Greg, who once again finds himself dealing with the everyday disasters of growing up. From dodging responsibility to trying to impress people who barely notice him, Greg’s schemes are both ridiculous and oddly believable. One of the funniest subplots in the book begins when Greg receives a Christmas present from his uncle: a basketball hoop laundry basket. To Greg, this is not a gift - it’s a terrible hint that he’s now expected to do his own washing. What follows is a hilarious series of attempts to avoid laundry duty, including creative (and questionable) ways to rewear dirty clothes.
Greg’s problems don’t stop there. His dad becomes determined to toughen him up and even considers sending him to military academy. Greg’s frantic efforts to prove he’s brave and responsible lead to one ridiculous disaster after another. Add in his awkward crush on a girl who barely knows he exists, and readers are treated to a perfect storm of embarrassing and funny situations.
Kinney’s signature black and white cartoons perfectly complement the text, often delivering punchlines that make the jokes even funnier. The diary format, and balance between text and illustration, makes the story accessible and engaging; especially for reluctant readers or those building reading confidence.
The Last Straw feels almost like watching a stand-up comedy routine on the page. The humour is constant, the pace is quick and the situations are delightfully exaggerated, while still grounded in real childhood experiences.
Perfect for middle-grade readers, this book encourages laughter and reminds us that nobody has life completely figured out - especially not Greg Heffley…. although he would certainly beg to differ!
The Chateau on Sunset is written by bestselling, Perth based author Natasha Lester. With this book, Lester has shifted from historical fiction to modern historical fiction with The Chateau on Sunset being set in the 1950-1970ish time period rather than the 1900s-1940s period settings of her previous novels. Although The Chateau on Sunset is fiction it is based almost entirely on real events (for example the 16-year-old Natalie Wood affair with the 44-year-old Nicholas Ray (the director of Rebel without a cause) was conducted in a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont). The Chateau on Sunset is a fine example of the german term - gothic "bildungsroman" which is a literary genre of formation that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. Aria Jones arrives as a 14-year-old girl in the 1950s and her maturation is followed through to her early twenties.
The Chateau Marmont very much existed and still exists at 8221 Sunset Boulevard and it was a place where rising and falling Hollywood stars and starlets resided and partied. Marilyn Munroe, Grace Kelly and Bette Davis regularly stayed at the Chateau Marmont. Lester depicts the neon skyline surrounding the Marmont including the famous 20 foot high neon silhouette of Beryl Wallace over the Hollywood studios, and the famous pharmacy/drugstore frequented by stars - Schwab's Pharmacy.
The Chateau Marmont is known for its gothic architecture, its private bungalows and as a discreet Hollywood hideaway for celebrities. It is a character itself in this book (quite sentient) reminiscent of other great houses in literature including the great house, Thornfield Hall, where Jane Eyre falls in love with Rochester. Aria Jones is orphaned as was Jane Eyre. The Chateau Marmont is similar to Thornfield Hall as it is a large, spooky house redolent with nasty secrets. Like Jane falling in love with Rochester, Aria falls in love with Theo Winchester (a mysterious wealthy rock singer). Both girls fall in love with a man far above their own station in life. Both weddings are interrupted by the presence of former wives/partners, one is confined to an attic/ the other is kept in one of the bungalows at the Chateau Marmont. Both Jane Eyre and Aria Jones flee to safeguard their integrity and to achieve for themselves in life. Jane inherits a fortune/Aria - well it is best to not give away too much of the plot. It is enough to say that Aria Jones' life mirrors Jane Eyre's life but is placed in a different era and context. Aria Jones is certainly a feisty survivor.
The glitz and glamour and the dangerous and tawdry side of the Golden Age of Hollywood are the subject of The Chateau on Sunset. The strongest parts of the book are when the action occurs within the Chateau. As Aria plots her life's course in glamorous locations beyond the Chateau, something big drops away for the reader. The Chateau looms large and is missed.
Although it may seem unlikely that a lonely, innocent orphan girl could win the friendship of worldly girls, exhibit so much boldness and become an almost agony aunt rescuing starlets from lecherous Hollywood movie directors and exacting lasting revenge and although it seems unlikely that such a girl could catch the eye of Theo Winchester, this is fiction. This is unashamedly a reworking of Jane Eyre, placing the classic story into modern historical times.
Like Jane Eyre, The Chateau on Sunset is told through the first person perspective of the heroine Aria. The reader is drawn into her perspective through her sassy thoughts and reactions - open at any page and it is evident eg..."The door of the turret bursts open. Holy shit! Why at the most crucial junctures of my life does someone burst into the turret?" (p.175)
The Chateau on Sunset is a romp of a book- full of mystery and secrets that will keep the reader captivated.
Themes Sexual abuse/scandal in the Hollywood entertainment industry, Loyalty, Friendship, The Jane Eyre story, Revenge and redemption, Romance.
Wendy Jeffrey
Green Cities by Sheila Boudreau. Illus. by Katy Dockrill
University of Queensland Press, 2026. ISBN: 9780702271175. (Age:10-14 years) Highly recommended.
Green Cities: How green infrastructure helps heal the planet is a fascinating look at a growing movement of providing a possible solution to climate change issues. Written by a Canadian university lecturer, landscape artist and urban planner who specialises in green infrastructure, this very green looking book is an excellent introduction for upper primary - early secondary students to show how positive action is being taken to future-proof cities against climate change. This new edition has been adapted for the Australian market but does use examples from all over the world.
Presented in a traditional nonfiction format, with a contents page, an introduction, four clearly defined chapters, and a concluding section featuring a detailed glossary, selected resources, and an index, this book offers accessible information supported by softly muted illustrations. Although the text is substantial, it is thoughtfully spaced and enhanced with bold headings and visual features such as coloured text boxes, quote circles, large images, and labelled diagrams to engage the reader’s attention
The introduction, A Green Way, gives a brief overview of what we already have in our cities and what this book hopes to achieve. Each of the four chapters provides further information, ideas, examples of green architecture already happening across the world and how readers can play a part in greening their cities.
· Chapter 1: Cities: A great Invention that Could Be Even Better · Chapter 2: Nature First: Creating Greener Cities · Chapter 3: Going Green: Green Infrastructure in Action · Conclusion: Making Our Future even Greener
In Chapter 2, pages 16-17, the topic: Learning from Indigenous Knowledge discusses how for over 60,000 years, First Nations Peoples have lived in harmony with Country which encompasses land, sea, sky, living things, knowledge systems, cultural practices and responsibilities associated with each area. Being connected to Country can enable people to understand things differently and take greater responsibility for nature and the ongoing effects of climate change. The author suggests that governments would be wise to include First Nations voices in future planning decisions.
Green Cities would be a valuable addition to schools and public libraries.
Themes Renew Urban Spaces, Climate Change, Green Infrastructure, Nature, Relationships, Sustainability, First Nations Knowledge, Engineering.
Kathryn Beilby
Dog stayed by Tammy Forster & Margeaux Davis
Allen & Unwin, 2026. ISBN: 9781761181191. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Young readers will quickly grasp the loneliness of the old man, as he waves his cane at people, blows his nose when they try to speak to him. He doesn’t like looking at old photographs, or cooking, or sleeping in his large bed. Children will readily sympathise with the old man sleeping alone, cooking for himself and having no one else in his house. And hope for something to change.
And it does. One day a salesman stops at his house. Blowing his nose, the man sees him off his property, telling him to take his scruffy dog with him. But the dog stays. And each day when Mr Hindbottom goes about his chores, the dog is there. One evening a scrap of food is thrown from the window and the dog eats it. This keeps happening over the next few nights, and as the days become cooler, an old quilt is added to the giveaways. One day the old man takes the dog into the bathroom to give the dog a bath, figuring that if the dog is going to stay then at least he can smell nice.
Dog teaches the old man when it is the best time to take a walk, and what treats are the best. Mr Hindbottom teaches the dog when to run, and how to pack as he puts things into the ute for an excursion. And soon people came to see Mr Hindbottom, and he never blows his nose as they speak. But too, he begins to have less energy, he can no longer walk to the letterbox, and seems content to stay in his pyjamas all day.
When he is no longer there, all sorts of things happen at the house, but the dog stays, sure he will love no one else.
But the new owners look at the old scruffy dog and take him as their own, a new season in his life begins.
A charming tale of the changes in life, of life and death, to the seasons of life, the phases, and times of transition. Children will love the warmth between the old man and the dog, and be heartened that the dog will have another person to love.
The change in his circumstances leads him to another phase in his life.
The lovely illustrations match the warmth of the story, giving a loving treatment to the old man, his boredom and loneliness sympathetically shown. Children will readily see snatches of the wife, now no longer there: photos on the wall, her knitting wool next to her empty chair, the handmade quilt, two placemats at the table, her book and creams still on the bedside table next to her empty bed space. All these and more are wonderfully shown, not needing words, but adding to the text. And astute readers will see the difference between the first and last endpaper.
Drake is sneezing, Drake is sick. Can his friends help cure him, quick?
Drake is a little dragon who cannot control his sneezes. When he is put to bed with a bad cold his friends give him a hot broth but it is so hot that when he sneezes, he sets a fire truck alight. Mary has a great idea and makes him a cold concoction but when he sneezes, he covers Mary with snow. Finally when he tries a moderate brew, bubbles come out of his bum, and then Drake decides that bubbles are fun and everyone goes out to play.
This is a great early reader that has many uses. An adult can read it aloud to a young child, getting them to predict the rhyming words at the end of each sentence and try and predict what is going to happen. They could then begin to read along with an adult. The large print and humorous, brightly coloured illustrations are a boon for the beginning reader who could read the story alone. There are instructions for the adult on how to use the book, guidelines for drawing Drake and a list of new words to learn.
This is a series that appeals to children and has a place in a home and school library.
Pat Pledger
Gross Things Animals Eat by Dr Claire Stevens & Adele K Thomas
Children love a book where there may be a hint of grossness happening! Gross Things Animals Eat will delight readers young and old with its fascinating facts about the eating habits of the animal kingdom. Written by vet Dr Claire Stevens, this colourfully presented book, packed with entertaining gross facts and delivered with plenty of humour, including all the farts, poo and vomit young readers desire, is sure to be enjoyed again and again.
Beginning with how often animals eat, this page provides some surprising facts. For example, humpback whales eat every six months, Galapagos turtles eat once a year and cows every four hours. Following on from this, the next few pages let readers know that eating dirt is very common. Many animals do it including birds, gorillas, wallabies, deer, tapirs and zebras. Dirt is full of nutrients that animals need to stay healthy.
And now comes section that is sure to be discussed with great mirth. Poo! Many animals eat poo including kangaroos, rabbits and elephants who actually eat their own poo. Baby koalas eat their mother’s poo. Household pets like rabbits, dogs and guinea pigs eat their own poo too. Poo provides many nutrients just like dirt and also gets rid of toxins in their bodies.
This fascinating book goes on to discuss decomposing animals like vultures, garbage guzzlers such as bin chickens, blood sucking monsters like leeches, bone chewers such as giraffes, skin eaters like leopard geckos, vomit eaters like skua seabirds, wood eaters such as termites and perhaps the most unusual tear eaters - moths and butterflies suck the tears of various animals straight from their eyes!
The bold, glossy illustrations in full colour work brilliantly with the accessible, well-spaced text, speech bubbles and Fun facts with the tiny page corner warnings adding a fun touch children will love. This is a great read that will capture children’s interest.
With its tactile cover, readers will love reciting the title of this book, while following the four words 'up, down, over and through' using the equipment displayed. A celebratory invitation to explore their surroundings outside, children will see and use whatever equipment is there to use, not necessarily manufactured equipment but things in their environment giving the same pleasing challenge.
The readers follow the children playing on such equipment, a playground with many interesting and diverse features. There are nets to climb, castles to explore, bridges to cross, stairs to climb, roundabouts to turn on, slides to slide on, places to hide, sand to play in, boxes to stack. In rhyming pairs of lines, the text refers to the two families meeting at the playground and the two friends having adventures over the equipment. They go up, down, over and through all the pieces of equipment before them, while the last part of the story has them in the sandpit where they talk about top, bottom, empty and full, big and small, fast and slow.
This is an easy book introducing words to younger readers, and they will be further interested in predicting the rhyming words. Bright inviting illustrations support the text, making this a useful book to have in the classroom.
Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History is part of the Our Lands Indigenous History series about Australia’s most iconic landmarks and the land on which they are built. The first book in the series Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History is a 2026 CBCA Notable in the Eve Pownall Award category.
This fascinating book offers a glimpse of the past and how Naarm (Melbourne) became the place where Flinders Street Station would be built. Originally people from the Kulin Nation would meet at Narm-Jaap (Queen’s Wharf) where tea-tree scrub grows along the Birrarung (Yarra River). It was here the various groups would meet and yarn, trade resources and hold ceremonies. They lived off the land harvesting tadpoles and eels, hunting kangaroos and possums and moving inland in the cooler months when the Birrarung would flood.
In 1803 British colonisers decided that this place Naarm (Melbourne) would make the best spot for a settlement. Over time white settlers took over the land and forced the First Nations Peoples onto reserves further inland. They built numerous structures including the Flinders Street Station. This iconic building grew from a small station with one platform to a huge construction begun in 1901 and completed 1910. Over the following years the building has been adapted and enlarged to cope with a growing population.
Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History is beautifully presented with a glorious embossed cover depicting a family on Country, with the outline of Flinders Street Station subtly and cleverly outlined in the background. Inside, the glossy pages showcase detailed illustrations that add great visual interest and depth to the narrative, complementing the accessible and informative text.
Narrative nonfiction picture books offer an engaging and skilful way to introduce young readers to significant historical events, helping them understand how the past continues to shape the world they live in today. This book will be a valuable resource for a school and public library.
Bat Brikson, the adopted son of Adeline and Joab of the Cattenveldt tribe is less than two centimetres tall, lives in Groundlands and wants to fly beyond the grass to the world above.
Bat has never really fitted in; he looks different and he has different dreams to the other Groundlands residents. Bat wants to be high and join the Drakkonbarqs who ride dragon(flies), live in the treetops, and are feared by most of the people in Bat’s village. Then there are the Bittenklore, the other ground dwelling tribe who although are not the enemy they are essentially the ruling class of the Groundlands.
When Bat gets the chance to ride a moth and adventure into the world of the Drakkonbarq he is swept into a world he couldn’t even have imagined existed but there is danger here too and although he feels more at home in the trees he still must face his fears and find out who he really is.
This is a magnificent book and one that needs to be read slowly and quietly to really understand the true wonder of the story. Although ‘little people’ stories have been around for a long time, this adventure fantasy feels less like a fantasy and more like a discovery of a world within the human world. I loved the worlds of Bat and his friends both old and new and the gentle tension that comes from finding new places and trying to fit in while also trying to find out who you really are. This was one of those books that you can’t put down and need to read “just one more” chapter to find out how the story develops and ends.
This would make a brilliant class novel or read aloud for upper Primary classes but would also be enjoyed as an independent read for readers who will take the time to really engage with the wonder and magic of this story.
