Review: The Embarrassing Confessions of Gracie Sparks

Starting high school is nerve-wracking enough for most kids. Different teachers. New subjects. A maze of corridors and classrooms to navigate. More homework. That’s all bad enough but when your dad insists on sending you to a school where you don’t know anyone except your aloof big sister and one weirdo from your primary school … well, that’s next level.

Enter Gracie Sparks.

The transition from being the popular and cool student who wows everyone with her electric guitar skills to being a friendless nobody does not sit well with Gracie and she’s determined to do something about it. But what?

All the other Year 7s at Middleton Grammar are already in tight friendship groups so Gracie is initially stuck with boring-girl Margot. 

Review: Hafsa’s Way

Hafsa will not take no for an answer. She intends to be a doctor but her parents do not hold the same dream for her. Her parents don't support the idea of girls being doctors and believe she should follow a more traditional path and seek marriage.

As a companion novel to the Amal Unbound and Omar Rising, we are once more transported to a small Pakistani village, hours away from the big city of Lahore. 

Hafsa Imtiaz discovers a flyer advertising the Bukhara Summer Science Camp, in Lahore, that teaches kids about medicine. She applies without her parents’ permission and is excited to be accepted. Her parents believe the camp is expensive and will not let her go to Lahore unsupervised. Hafsa persuades her father to let her go after her sister, Shabnam and her husband, Sohail, who live near the camp, offer to pay for the camp and let her stay with them.

Review: The Prime Minister Problem

Brenton Cullen's debut novel is a terrific read for middle-grade. This young man has been a keen writer since childhood and is now making his dream of writing professionally come true. And what a great start this is!

It's very definitely a sweet and engaging read and, a word I use very deliberately for books of this ilk - wholesome. It's that feel-good, warm-fuzzy uplifting narrative to which young readers always respond with alacrity. Actually, it puts me in mind of some of our great middle-grade authors such as the wonderful Robin Klein and Morris Gleitzman.

We've likely all known a kid like Wren, or maybe even been that kid ourselves. He's the outsider. The one who's friendless and never seems to fit in anywhere. He's quiet and his anxiety often causes him to be tongue-tied. His mum is caring and loving but, as a single mother lacking any support from the ex-husband, she's always super busy and very tired, working two part-time jobs. His older brother works too.

Sunday Shelfie - Trickshot Harri

Happy #sundayshelfie day! It is my pleasure to welcome the wonderful Jake Minton.This week we are celebrating the fun and engaging picture book Jake has created with Adrian Lloyd and Adam Jackson, Trickshot Harri.

Roar for Trickshot Harri as he learns that scoring the most goals isn’t everything – it’s teamwork that makes the dream work!

Book two in the bestselling Animal World Cup series, Trickshot Harri the Cheetah World Beater, is packed with insider jokes and pitch-perfect details, and captures all the intense excitement of the game while exploring the importance of sharing and being part of something bigger.

Written by Adrian Lloyd and Adam Jackson

Illustrated by Jake Minton
Published by Little Book Press

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Interview: Charlie Archbold

Charlie Archbold's The Sugarcane Kids series has become a favourite with young readers for its blend of mystery, adventure and authentic Far North Queensland settings. 

In her latest instalment, The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay, Andy and his friends find themselves investigating a new puzzle that threatens both their community and the natural environment they love. Combining page-turning suspense with themes of friendship, courage and environmental stewardship, the novel offers readers another engaging adventure with the resourceful Sugarcane Kids taking charge. 

Kids' Book Review spoke with Charlie about the inspiration behind the story, creating memorable mysteries for young readers, and what lies ahead for the series.

Review: Possum Tragic

The jury is out when it comes to Halloween and Australia’s fairly recent embrace of the ancient Celtic festival. 

Some families have welcomed the spooky fun with open arms, while others remain less enchanted by the parade of plastic pumpkins cobwebs and American-style excess.

For MelbourneStyle creator Maree Coote, however, the bigger concern is what all that excess leaves behind.

The award-winning illustrator, author and designer is renowned for her quirky and ingenious typographic picture books, including Spellbound: Making Pictures with the A-B-C, Animology and Alphabeasts. 

Junior Review: Saving Shark Pup

This is the true story about a shark pup that had to leave its mother and gets stuck on a beach. 

But there are always people to help, and help they do. 

Little shark pup washed up on Manley Beach, Sydney, in September 2017. 

Review: Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans

Zoe Gaetjen’s Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans is a warm-hearted and funny young adult novel. 

It explores grief, friendship and first love in a way that feels truly authentic and genuine. 

When seventeen-year-old Cleo Markson arrives at the Australian Art School for a summer life drawing program, she is nervous and anxious. In the past, Cleo has had older sister Emmy and her detailed plans to help prepare for change and new experiences. 

Review - Banjo Paterson : Man From Snowy River / Waltzing Matilda

Iconic Australian poetry classics in the hands of babies? As they say it’s never too young to start. Two of Banjo Paterson’s famous poems are available as beautiful board books, edited by Kathryn England and illustrated by the talented Cate James.

Banjo Paterson - The Man From Snowy River begins with that most memorable line we all can recite, ‘There was movement at the station for the word had got around that the colt from old Regret had got away’ and off we go.

Review: The Escape Game

Reality TV, escape rooms, quirky characters with a side of murder? Yes please! The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss is an exciting YA novel that follows a group of teenagers selected to compete on the latest season of the renowned TV show, The Escape Game. But the only thing is - the last season didn’t go so well…. Season four ended in tragedy, with a contestant brutally murdered on the day of the grand finale - and the mystery is still unsolved. 

As the new group of contestants step into the game, what begins as a high-stakes competition quickly takes a darker turn. Suspicion lingers, tensions rise, and it becomes clear that the danger may not be confined to the puzzles. With secrets lurking beneath the surface and everyone a possible suspect, the contestants must navigate not only the challenges of the game, but the chilling possibility that history could repeat itself if the murder is not solved. 

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was great fun, and such a unique concept. I loved that it was a mystery within a mystery - each escape room bringing more clues, and adding more layers to the murder from previous season. 

Review: Monkeypig

Molly has been happily living in the jungle with all the other monkeys. But Molly has a secret. She is in fact a pig. No one had ever noticed, but after a non-monkey scent is discovered, suspicion begins to rise that an impostor has infiltrated the group. Can Molly manage to go undetected or will she get found out and banished from the group forever?

Review: Exploring the Elements - A Complete Guide to the Periodic Table

This book – and its companion books (see below) are like the perfect day for me. With caramel on top. The joy they bring me – I can't even.

The thing about this stunning series is that it is intensely comprehensive yet served in bite-sized pieces... an intellectual smorgasbord that keeps you coming back for more.

In Exploring the Elements, my periodic table fangirl side entered overdrive. Earth's elements are a regular fascination but this deep dive, sans too-boggling jargon, will cram young heads with wows. 

Sunday Shelfie - WANTED: The Cutest Baby in the World

Happy #sundayshelfie day! It is my pleasure to welcome the wonderful Sarah Zweck. This week we are celebrating the gorgeous picture book Sarah has created with Davina Bell, WANTED: The Cutest Baby in the World.

Late one evening, a detective knocks on the door of two exhausted parents. She’s on the hunt for the world’s most devious master criminal: The Cutest Baby in the World...

Should you find yourself in this rogue’s clutches, your entire world will be turned upside-down! But the most villainous bit? You wouldn’t have it any other way.

A delightfully mischievous book for children who were once the cutest baby in the world - and for new babies who are about to be!

Written by Davina Bell
Illustrated by Sarah Zweck
Published by Thames and Hudson Australia 

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Meet The Illustrator: Cate James

Name, title, location:
Cate James, author/illustrator, Northern Beaches, Sydney

Describe your illustration style in ten words or fewer.
Contemporary, with a nod to books I grew up with.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Wacom tablet and iMac, light box, one million pencils and two sausage dogs

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Drawing and screen printing

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Quentin Blake, Andy Warhol and Jon Klassen

Review: Australian Backyard Buddies

There is something truly delightful about a book that encourages young readers to pause… to look closely… and to notice what has always been there. Australian Backyard Buddies does exactly that.

This engaging text celebrates a range of living creatures that share our everyday spaces. It invites curiosity with its unique contents page, drawing readers into a world that is familiar yet often overlooked.

Each double page offers bite-sized information about backyard creatures - their habits, habitats and behaviours. 

Review: The World From Here

Milo lies on the grass gazing at the clouds and sees shapes and animals. Maya looks out the window of a plane and sees the blue sky and clouds and a patchwork-quilt-like landscape below.

Continuing from these vantage points, we are taken on a journey filled with ponderings and interesting facts all about the wonder of the natural world, including how the weather makes us feel, along with mindfulness and calming strategies.