Jazz has had to relocate from the sun and surf of coastal Australia to beachside Brighton in the UK. She is not happy to leave behind her friends and the surfing culture that she loves because of her father’s career move, and now she has to attend a posh new school where everyone treats her like a lemon. If it wasn’t for her cousin Amber (from the original Moonlight Dreamers) and the advice she gives (with the help of Oscar Wilde) she would be forever resentful, lonely and painfully isolated. Making new friends requires her to be proactive, and some Oscar Wilde wisdom connects her to some new potential friends all with the desire to experience more. Slowly the new Moonlight Dreamers discover new directions and new options in their lives and weave together in ways they never thought possible. Jazz’ impetus has forged a new community that provides benefits beyond her own distress, and gives them all an opportunity to look beyond their own problems.
This is a story of friendship and overcoming major and minor dilemmas by working together and daring to dream. It travels into the lives of the young teens looking at their challenges within their families and their relationships, and giving them a chance to see things differently. One of the girls is battling a major health-scare diagnosis, another has to determine whether her current friends are really healthy for her, another has a heart for animals, and Jazz is experiencing the distress of unwanted disconnection from her friends and favoured environment. The story unfolds fairly quickly with some simple twists along the way. It has heart and moments of joy as the girls discover their new connection and the hope of looking at life differently. As Oscar Wilde says, ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’
An informative text alongside detailed illustrations about the things you might find in your own back yard is sure to please younger readers as they become aware of what lives around them. An index inside the front cover tells able readers what they will find inside: ladybird, moth, butterfly, snail, spider, bee, termite, blue tongued lizard, green tree frog, garden ant, while the last page shows younger readers how to make a pet rock.
On each double page is an explanation of the animals in question. Half a dozen sentences give a brief outline of the insect and this is mirrored by a page of illustrations that will make readers laugh while a the same time, acquaint them with the main features of the creature.
One double page is about the snail. Half a dozen sentences tell us about this lovely slow moving creature and compares it with humans. We are told he likes the journey not the destination and baby snails would never ask, ‘Are we there yet?’ On the facing page more information is given in the illustrations. A size chart is shown, along with their colour and main food delight, and when the best time to see them is. For younger readers, a host of information told in a humorous way is repeated with illustrations that will inform and delight.
And I can imagine lots of kids and classes delving into their backyards or playgrounds whenever they have the chance.
Themes Insects, Backyard, Common creatures, Humour.
Fran Knight
Sherlock Bones and the art and science alliance by Renee Treml
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761065729. (Age:7+) Recommended.
In this book our museum-dwelling mystery-solving trio are back: tawny frogmouth skeleton Sherlock Bones himself, along with his sidekicks, Grace (a live raccoon) and Watts (a stuffed parrot).
The new Art and Science Alliance exhibit in the museum is amazing – it showcases weird and fascinating artworks, animals and plants (some real and some fictional). Best of all the exhibit has brought with it a mystery. Stories tell of a ghost in the Hydra painting that comes alive at night. There are definitely hissing and clicking sounds, and then there are the red eyes …
This story is full of very silly word play that children will love. The graphic novel format keeps the pages turning as readers find the clues and try to solve the mystery alongside our trio. While younger readers will enjoy the story and the fabulous black and white illustrations, older readers will pore over extra details in display signage in the backgrounds – learning some Greek mythology, art facts, and animal information as they go.
Renee Treml has a background in environmental science which makes her writing and illustrations informative as well as an engaging. At the back of this book is a double page spread showcasing three of the museum displays: micro-beasts; factual vs fictional creatures; and weird, wonderful and real wildlife.
Themes Mystery, Teamwork, Science, Graphic novel.
Kylie Grant
Pirate Queens by Leigh Lewis Illus. by Sara Gomez Woolley
NatGeo Kids, 2022. ISBN: 9781426371950.
In 1995, September 19 each year was proclaimed International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Created as a bit of fun by two friends in the US, in Australia, at least, it has become a major fundraiser for Childhood Cancer Support with schools getting involved in a range of ways to support students and friends. According to the Cancer Council, it is estimated that, on average, about 750 children aged 0-14 are diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia with leukaemia accounting for about 33% of cases, and brain cancers, 25% so it is likely that a school will be supporting a student through this - if not yours, then nearby.
Thus, what might have been a frivolous suggestion more than 25 years ago, can now have a significant impact on those we know and this new book from NatGeo Kids can provide an opportunity to investigate the lives of some of the women who were just as fearsome as the more well-known males such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Captain Hook or even Jack Sparrow. As is often the case with history, the past is viewed through a male lens because men were viewed as the gender capable of writing and reading, they became the scholars, and thus wrote the history books which were mostly written to please kings, generals or male politicians and so only portrayed the male perspective.
Thus, even though there have been female pirates since the dawn of piracy, including Ching Shih (aka Zheng Yi Sao) who tormented the South China Sea with her fleet of 70,000 raiders in the early 19th century, our children have grown up with male-dominated images and stereotypes.
Easy to read with lots of detailed illustrations, the author has trolled the few resources that do still exist and this collection of six stories of powerful female pirates who forged their own path is but a small part of the stories of other women whose stories have been lost or forgotten. Spanning the Caribbean, the Irish and North Seas, the Mediterranean and even the Pacific, this is a fascinating look into the lives of these women that had me more intrigued that I imagined and immediately I could see its place in a serious study of these seafarers who not only captivate young readers in folklore and fiction but who also were real and shaped history so that International Talk Like a Pirate Day could have a legitimate place in the curriculum and thus, its associated fund-raising boosted.
Older students might investigate the qualities of leaders and leadership and whether rule by fear is the most successful way, while perhaps the next pirate a younger child draws might even be female!
Themes Pirates.
Barbara Braxton
The brink by Holden Sheppard
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458643. (Age:15+) Highly recommended.
Plans go wrong for a group of teenagers set on serious partying for Schoolies week, when they end up isolated on a remote island, only just tolerated by the nearest mainland community. It starts out fun, but tensions build, and then when a dead body is found, it all turns into a teenage nightmare version of ‘Lord of the Flies’.
The story is told by three alternating voices, Leonardo, Kaiya and Mason. And whilst the three of them are on the outside of the popular group and each dealing with personal issues, they turn out to be the most trustworthy individuals amid a bunch of highly volatile personalities.
The brink is about young people on the brink of adulthood, trying to find themselves amid parental expectations and the stresses of old friendship groups, and uncertain about the future. And then, as fear mounts, and hopes of rescue fade, they also find themselves on the brink of anarchy and brutality.
It is then that Leonardo, Kaiya, and Mason, each come to their own understanding of what is important to them. They, more than any of the others, find their inner strength and sense of identity.
Sheppard presents issues of anxiety, teenage sexuality, entrenched bullying, anger, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as issues of self-esteem and personal ethics. It reads like a thriller, and is a thoroughly gripping book.
12-year-old Alice England does not have the lifestyle of most girls her age. She lives in the same building where her father runs his funeral and undertaking business, and she works to assist him in preparing the deceased for their memorial farewells. Her own life has been shadowed by its own sadness. She is the surviving twin, although with a permanent impairment, from a difficult birth. Her mother abandoned the family early in Alice’s life, but Alice is incredibly close to her caring and staid father. And it seems that the dead also are able to hint their needs to her. This very unusual environment and her unusual personality leads others to give her a wide berth, but Alice is not very distressed by this. She has a formal, proper and almost sombre approach to life, and does not realise that she is unusual. Her complete honesty with her father adds a unique perspective to her pre-teen life. When George Devenish is brought to the funeral home it seems that Alice realises that his death on the sea-side quay is not all it seems. His unusual ‘sunshine’ allergy and anaphylaxis is not everything there is to know about his death. The otherworldly communication in the story is subtle, but leads Alice to begin investigating. She is also introduced to a potential, although unwilling, new ‘friend’ and companion in the inquiry in Violet Devenish (similarly allergic as her Uncle George). The investigation twists and turns, but it is Alice’s doggedness (and occasional tactlessness) despite opposition that leads her into unfamiliar territory and to an understanding of George’s death.
My concern for this book is for the readers who have experienced recent grief. The discussions about embalming and preparations for funerals are perhaps on the edge of macabre and may be a little raw for young readers struggling with their own losses. Alice has a personality that is both naive and mature, perhaps even eccentric and comical, but it is her unruffled and almost blase and nonchalant response to death that is the most unusual. The twists and turns in this mystery and the understanding of an unusual allergy are intriguing and keep readers turning the pages. There is also a connection to an environmental issue and to some teens who live a slightly edgy life on quayside. Although this book would introduce the murder mystery genre to a younger audience, and in some ways it has a similar, but more modern, appeal to the Enola Holmes series, I suspect that the environment of bereavement may need to be read by those aged at least 13+. School Libraries should recognise the need to protect some psychologically vulnerable readers.
This charming tale begins with a bang when 11-year-old Lisette bursts into the bookshop Arlo is minding. She manages to hide while a menacing monster of a man called Silas scours the place for her. But once Lisette is safe, she presents a parcel to Arlo. He recognizes that it is from his mother who died a year ago because of a car accident. The parcel contains an extremely old, rare book called a grimoire and mysteriously one of the stories within was written by Arlo’s mother. More mysteriously it seems the story is mirroring events that start to take place in the lives of Arlo and Lisette. Over the past year Arlo has been heartbroken and has chosen to live a very quiet life with his kind uncle, who owns the bookshop. His only companion is a smart brave mouse called Herbert. Silas continues his pursuit of Lisette and when she is kidnapped Arlo needs to control his fearfulness in order to help his new friend. What’s more Lisette believes her grandmother died as a result of being hounded by a property developer, Marcellus, to vacate her bookshop. Marcellus is employing Silas to get hold of the grimoire. This all makes for an exciting page turning story.
A lot of things happen in this novel but it is delightful and easy to follow. This is due in part to a lot of dialogue and just the right balance of suspense and magic. Abela enticingly teases the reader into believing that Arlo might actually be experiencing what is happening in his story. Arlo and Lisette are both smart with wonderful hearts and his Uncle Avery and friend Gertrude are comically eccentric. It reminded me of the Eerie-on-Sea series or Jaclyn Moriarty’s Kingdoms and Empires series. It would be a great read-aloud book for children from 8 to 12 years old. Abela wrote it as “a love letter to books, book sellers, librarians and reading” and it most certainly is that.
Themes Fear, Bullying, Family, Friendship, Love.
Jo Marshall
Ella and the useless day by Meg McKinlay and Karen Blair
Ella and her Dad decide to have a clean up day, after looking at their house, so full of useless things. They search, scramble and sort, poke, pick and pile, hunt, hoist and heave, filling their little car trailer with loads of things that are too old, too big, too small, too holey, or broken and altogether useless. Their next door neighbour takes the old bicycle, to him it is perfect. The lady at the end of the street asks if she can have the holey blankets as they are just what she needs. A jogger notices Dad’s old fashioned suit and jogs happily away with it. At the park two girls spy the leaking fishbowl, it is just what they want, while several other people take things from the trailer until, arriving at the dump Ella and her Dad find they have no useless things left in the trailer to leave behind.
A wonderfully witty tale of recycling and repurposing, children will begin to look around them with more than a cursory eye, seeing the things that are no longer useful to them, but may be useful to someone else.
Meg McKinlay’s sense of the unusual shines through as she uses alliterative words to describe the things they look for, or repeats the word useless at the start contrasting with the word useful in the last pages. Each of the neighbours finds just what they need from the trailer, prompting readers to think what their use might be. How could somebody really want a holed blanket or an 80’s suit or leaking fishbowl. Suggestions will come thick and fast from avid readers, eager to make something useless into something useful.
Blair’s watercolour and pencil illustrations add to the humour of the text, showing the pair as they dive into the useless things found in their home and shed, or fill the trailer, or leave behind stuff other people want to take, arriving empty handed at the dump. I love the front cover with the delicate balancing act by Dad, Ella and the dog, paralleling the fine line between useful and useless. And the last several pages where we see the use to which the useless objects have been put. The detail of the house and shed will titillate the imaginations of the readers, spying things others do not see, seeing out things which they may have at home, tucked away instead of being thrown out or recycled. And the endpapers too show the difference between useless and useful and I love the journey taken by Ella and her Dad, through the house then the neighbourhood and to the dump. A wonderful story promoting recycling and repurposing, but also being creative and encouraging a sense of community as the useless property is shared.
Themes Recycling, Creativity, Community, Rubbish.
Fran Knight
The best liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458452. (Age:10+)
Aubrey and Joel are the best of friends. They have always been friends, and while others might think they are odd, they are perfectly happy enjoying their make believe games, even if they might be getting a bit old for them now. When Aubrey returns from their camping trip having gone a separate way from Joel, and he has now disappeared, this makes Aubrey the last person to see him. The whole town is looking for him, but Aubrey might be the only one who can find him. Setting out to look for him with Aubrey’s older sister, Teagan, and Joel and Aubrey’s friend, Mari, they might find themselves along the way.
This middle grade book, set in America, is narrated by Aubrey, starting straight after the camping trip. The story unfolds naturally, moving forward smoothly, with a few flashbacks sprinkled throughout. There are a variety of characters, facing different issues, which are issues that many readers experience. Chapter length varies, with some chapters being much shorter than others. The novel is essentially a contemporary book with mystery and adventure, and heart. While we are living in modern times, children still experience racism and discrimination for being themselves, which this book looks at through the eyes of a preteen child learning about themselves. Good for fans of ‘Melissa’ (previously titled ‘George’) by Alex Gino.
Themes Lies and Truth, Mystery, Understanding, Relationships, Middle Grade, Racism.
Leilong the brontosaurus is a very good school bus, and the children are all ready and waiting as he goes from building to building to collect them. But being a brontosaurus in a modern city of cars and buses and trucks and people can have its drawbacks and Leilong finds himself banned and confined to the school gymnasium. He is so upset that he cries and cries... and finds himself a new career!!
Young readers first met Leilong when he took them to library storytime and they will be happy that he returns in another adventure. What if Leilong arrived at their school? What uses could he have? Have them write letters to the principal to persuade them that Leilong should stay...
Themes Dinosaurs, Libraries.
Barbara Braxton
The last gladiator by Anh Do
Rise of the Mythix 5. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761065682. (Age:9-13) Highly recommended.
The Last Gladiator by Anh Do is the fifth book in the surprising Rise of the Mythix series. Minh, Kelly and Stanley are hiding out in an abandoned warehouse with Kelly trying to work out how to rescue Jimmy and also help Stanley remember part of the Mythix Prophecy. After returning from a search for food, Minh fills the others in on a news item about a huge person taking on and defeating the Hornets. This begins to make sense to Stanley, who with help from Kelly’s powers has remembered a passage from the ‘Prophecies and Portents’ book which states there may be more people born with mythical powers. What follows is a search for this mysterious person whom they locate but who does not want anything to do with them. Meanwhile Jimmy is in deep trouble having been brought back to his human form from stone but forced into a painting with the evil Medusa. They are released as an experiment and their first combined task is to burn the painting of Jimmy’s parents. It becomes a battle of wills as to how they will follow commands from The Collector.
The Collector cunningly announces the Gladiator Games where the strongest gladiators in the nation will fight each other, with a prize worth fighting over. The mysterious giant person from the search enters the Games and becomes known as the Kraken, with four massive tentacles. He and the Cyclops eventually face off in the final. But Kelly, Minh and Stanley are also in a fight for their lives. And will they separate Jimmy from the Medusa? An exciting story awaits the fans of this series with Book 6 coming soon.
Themes Fantasy, Myths, Dystopia, Adventure, Power, Good vs Evil, Friendships, Danger.
Kathryn Beilby
Ninni Yabini by Cheryl Kickett-Tucker and Tyrown Waigana
When Mother and Father swan rebuild their nest, they are so engrossed in their task that they do not see the baby swan is missing. A storm has washed their home away and they must build a new nest. Their beloved offspring, named Ninni Yabini after the evening star, wanders away, following a willy-wagtail, and finds herself alone and scared.
The beginning of the story evokes its setting, a place near the river, amongst reeds which they use to build their nest along with river grasses and sticks. While the story develops we learn of the tasks each of the swans does in daily life and the things they collect to make their nest.
When Yabini wanders off, her dad, Maali calls in vain. Yabini spies the evening star, her namesake and feels comforted, following its lead. As she stumbles over logs and runs through puddles, the little star gets brighter and brighter as she nears home.
A happy reunion follows although not without dad telling his cygnet not to follow the willy-wagtail ever again. But all is peaceful as the little family snuggles together to sleep that night, happy and content.
The story models a strong family relationship with the parents kissing and cuddling their child, strengthening the bonds that tie them together.
The illustrations support this theme admirably, from the spectacular front cover showing the baby being held in the parents’ wings to the back cover with the lost very unhappy cygnet being led by the evening star. The strikingly modern illustrations are different from what is usually expected complementing an Indigenous story and will encourage readers to look more closely at the art wok of a range of books.
Written in Noongar and English, and illustrated with wonderful striking artwork, this book celebrates family and home, while at the end is a list of the six Noongar seasons. The use of Noongar language throughout the book encourages children to try out the language for themselves, and an easy place to start is to learn the names of the six seasons.
Author, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker belongs to three areas of the Noongar people – Wadjuk (Swan River), Balladong (Wheatbelt) and Yued (Moora) and her stories reflect the inspiration of her family’s experiences in the bush. For more information about Cheryl and her books see here.
The illustrator, Tyrown Waigana is a Wardandi Noongar (south-west cape country) and Ait Koedhal (Torres Strait Islander) multi-disciplinary artist and graphic designer. An interview with Tyrown can be found here. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Aboriginal themes, Aboriginal stories, Western Australia, Family, Belonging, Home.
Fran Knight
Flipper and Finnegan by Sophie Cunningham. Illus. by Anil Tortop
Albert Street Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781761180071. (Age:4-8)
Flipper and Finnegan are are Little Penguins enjoying a glorious life on Phillip Island. They love their special place in the world alongside other wildlife such as seals, bandicoots and Cape Barren Geese. Their days are filled with fish hunting in the clear blue ocean and at night they waddle up the beach to their cosy burrow. When an oil spills covers most of their colony in oil the ranges at the Wildlife Centre know that the penguins are in grave danger. Oily feathers mean the penguins can't keep warm and if they try to preen themselves to remove it the oil will make them sick. Inventive thinking and lots of help from knitters all over the world results in the penguins being put in tiny woollen jumpers until they can be properly cleaned.
There is a small paragraph at the end of the story about the true history behind the tale of Flipper and Finnegan and what we can do to help Little Penguins. There are a few penguin facts scattered within the story and the illustrations and text give a wonderful sense of place (both of Australia and Phillip Island itself). Anil Tortop's illustrations use light to great effect and her animals are cute and cuddly. This is a heartwarming story about what can be achieved when we come together for a cause but is also a reminder of the damage human activity is having on the world around us. While great for younger children this presents the view that after the penguins have been cleaned up they are returned back to a perfect world. This may be a bit simplistic and miss out on teaching points for older children (however it could also be a useful springboard for discussing these issues). A second true story title by this same author and illustrator is titled Tippy and Jellybean: The True Story of a Brave Koala Who Saved her Baby from a Bushfire.
With beautifully appropriate soft edged illustrations by Hilary Jean Tapper, the phrases on each page point to words that need to be said to defuse a situation which many children and adults come across. The words point to a kindness, an emotion felt by the speaker, comforting the other person in a situation we can all recognise.
So at home, a child has drawn on the wall, and owns up with ‘I did it’. Many people will see this event, sometimes more often that they wish, but the simple owning up defuses a situation which could cause distress. At home too, a child may feel left out and the simple question, ‘Want to join in?’ makes that person feel part of the group and be thankful that the questioner is so kind. Similarly when at school, one child has wet themselves and the other reassures her that ‘happens to everyone sometimes’, so reaching out to an embarrassed child, offering comfort. In other situations: talking to a person in hospital or an older family member possibly in a nursing home, or needing help in class, all sorts of situations are described by the illustrations and given apt phrases to respond with. Readers will eagerly say what has happened to them in a similar situation and the reader will be able to encourage a response that is appropriate and kind, offering comfort and support.
Very much a book to produce if people in the class are being unkind or showing signs of being unable to resolve a situation, this book has wide educative uses both at home, and in the classroom.
The beautiful illustrations beg to be interpreted and discussed, leading on to revealing emotions and feelings. These emotions will then lead to solutions and the text gives the best solution: kind words, kindly offered as the speaker feels sympathy for the person involved.
Stroud returns with another adventure featuring the audacious and notorious Scarlett and Browne. This time they have evaded their enemies in the wilds of Mercia and Northumbria, while conducting some exciting heists. Using Scarlett’s planning skills and shooting ability and Browne’s ability to read minds, the pair have been successful until they are faced with a dangerous adversary while trying to pull off a near impossible mission.
There is all the excitement, snarky asides, and humour, wrapped up in a fast-paced plot and beautiful writing that one expects from an author of the calibre of Stroud. In The notorious Scarlett and Browne, Stroud takes his adventure story a step further and gives the reader some solid and often heart-breaking background about his two protagonists. Browne is afraid of his powers and often fails to use them when needed, while Scarlett’s path into being an outlaw is explored in depth. The pair grow closer to understanding each other, and the delightful Joe and Ettie from the first book, appear again.
There is a map at the beginning of the book that shows the paths that the outlaws take and is a useful reference for readers who are not British. The descriptions of the Faith Houses and the Brothers of the Hand that have grown up in response to the threat of the Tainted are frightening and easy to imagine happening in a dystopian world. An execution scene is vividly described as a stage-managed event and had me on the edge of my seat in fear. Albert’s observations about the plight of children as slave labour and the poverty and hunger also added a dimension to the story.
A film based on the first book, The outlaws Scarlett and Browne, is being planned. Meanwhile fans are sure to be thrilled to read this sequel. I look forward to any future books in this series and fans might like to read Stroud’s Lockwood and Co. series while they wait.
