
Saturday, 6 March 2021
Review: Fish Kid and the Turtle Torpedo

Friday, 5 March 2021
Review: Dog

Books have been written about the loyalty and faith of dogs. This is what Tan succeeds in transferring to the page.
His illustrations display the natural longing to be together and share the love and loyalty that exists between human and animal.
Thursday, 4 March 2021
Look What I'm Reading! Nova Weetman
I write books for middle grade readers, aged between 8-14. My most recent book Sick Bay came out in 2019, and I have two new middle grade novels coming out this year: The Edge of Thirteen (March 1), and Elsewhere Girls (May) which I co-wrote with author Emily Gale.
I live in Melbourne with my two children, and when I’m not writing I’m op-shopping, reading or cooking.
Before writing books, I worked in television.
Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished reading Tiger Daughter by Melbourne author, Rebecca Lim.
10 Quirky Questions with author Allison Tait
1. What's your hidden talent?
I have a nose for trouble. Just ask my boys. I can scent that they’re up to no good even before they’ve finished planning their misdeeds.
2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. So big, so mean, so (apparently) impossible to defeat when you’re just a kid.
Wednesday, 3 March 2021
Review: Shine
Tuesday, 2 March 2021
Review: The Edge of Thirteen

Nova Weetman’s powerful portrayal of the awkwardness of early youth and the changes it brings, demands attention be given to the anxiety and angst experienced by teenagers trying to fit in. She employs an intimate, immersive approach, which succeeds in placing the reader in the characters’ space.
Clem is on the cusp of teenage life. Who she was no longer applies as it’s the teen in her age that dictates change. Santa is no longer a presence at her Christmas celebrations, and her chest is determined to stay underdeveloped compared to her two best friends’ Bridge and Ellie. This is a critical concern for Clem. They stand straight, while she remains hunched over.
During the school holiday period, her friends have undergone a metamorphosis. An interest in boys has awoken in them the priority to look and behave differently.
Monday, 1 March 2021
Guest Post: Michelle Worthington on Sensory Aspects For Children with ASD

My best tip would be don’t attempt to try and read books at bedtime. They are tired and cranky, and you might be too. Find a time during the day that works for them and run with it. Don’t feel guilty if you are not reading to them at night.
Choose sensory friendly books like The Mouse and the Egg. They have a lot of white space and the text is easy to read.
Sunday, 28 February 2021
Review: Stories on My Street
The stories, which were first published individually between 1989 and 1991, are about young friends who live on Trotter Street.
The scenarios are familiar and the characters appealing and true to life.
New Wheels for Carlos is about the young boy who wants a new bike. Everyone else seems to have one, and his bike is simply too small to go fast and keep up with the others.
The Big Concrete Lorry features the Patterson family who have three kids and house that seems a bit small for them all. To improve matters, they decide to build an extension, and soon everyone is lending a hand.
In Angel Mae and the New Baby, Christmas time brings excitement for Mae and her family. There's not just the nativity play to look forward to, but also a new sibling expected.
Saturday, 27 February 2021
Review: From Stella Street to Amsterdam and Everything that Happened
New adventures await Henni as she prepares to accompany her ageing neighbour Willa back home to Amsterdam, for a family wedding.
Willa hasn’t been there since she left as a young woman and it seems she’s not ready yet to share any family information with the patient but curious Henni during the first leg of their flight.
Amidst air pockets, turbulence and an experience that they will never forget, the two companions reach Dubai. It is on the flight to Schiphol, that Willa’s mind wanders back to the war years and her childhood. This remembering is a miracle, as she has been forgetting things for ages. Henni is thrilled as all the stories Willa tells are fodder for her writer’s journal.
Giveaway: Fish Kid Prize Pack by Kylie Howarth

She is also part fish! Kylie has swum with whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales in Ningaloo, piranha and pink dolphins in the Amazon, braved scuba diving with lionfish in Egypt, marine iguanas and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and encountered great white sharks in South Africa!
Friday, 26 February 2021
Review: The Quicksand Pony (Fifteenth Anniversary Edition)

After all, she was named after one woman who had done so a hundred years ago, the only survivor of a shipwreck.
So when Biddy's parents finally decide she's big enough to come on a cattle drive with them, she's delighted!
The adventure begins!
Some items mysteriously vanish from their campsite - but they are the only people for miles in the remote bushland, so it couldn't have been a thief.
Look What I'm Reading!: Lize Meddings
Hiya! I’m Lize Meddings. I’m an illustrator and Comic Artist, and I’ve just finished my first ever graphic novel about a Sad Ghost! I created The Sad Ghost Club project in 2015 and since then I’ve been making comics and products based on that same Sad Ghost.
Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I recently started re-reading one of my absolute favourites, The Hobbit. I’ve also had the pleasure of reading Be Your Own Man and I stormed through Lemony Snicket’s, The Bad Beginning a few weeks ago. I will definitely be trying to re-read the entire series!