Announcement: At The End of Holyrood Lane Crystal Kite Award Winner

Warning: the following contains a fair dollop of self-love and galaxies of sparkle, because that's what happens when one wins awards. Ed. (aka Dimity)

EK Books is delighted to announce that At the End of Holyrood Lane, by Dimity Powell and Nicky Johnston, has won the 2019 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI) Member Choice Award (Australia, New Zealand).

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI) is the international professional organisation for writers and illustrators of children’s literature.

Review: Where's the Ballerina?

This is the perfect book for every little ballerina! Featuring 10 of the world's best loved ballets, the structure of the book means that it has something to offer to everyone from toddlers in tutus to the committed pre-teen dancer.

At the simplest level, the very young can hunt for the classical ballerina in her elegant white tutu in detailed 'Where's Wally?'–type spreads.

Review: Traitor to the Throne

We first met Amani, Jin and the rest of the rebellion leaders in Rebel of the Sands. This international best-seller was the first instalment in Alwyn Hamilton's YA trilogy, and set a very high standard for books 2 and 3 to live up to.

I'm relieved to report that Traitor to the Throne doesn't disappoint! Carrying on seamlessly from where Rebel of the Sands ended (it is essential that you read book 1 before starting on this one), it plunges us straight back into the action and adventure.

Review: I Don't Know What to Call My Cat

One day, a cat turns up on a little girl's doorstep and makes herself at home. It's okay: the girl likes cats and is happy to keep her. She just doesn't know what to call her …

She tries 'Kitty' — and most of the cats in the neighbourhood come running. 'Lorraine', 'Ethel', 'Betty' and even 'Princess High and Mighty' don't seem to fit either. Then a quick trip to the vet reveals the cat is actually a boy!

Review: Magnificent Creatures: Animals on the Move!

From turtles to zebras, herring to firelies, jellyfish to snow geese, and more, the amazing Anna Wright has captured nature at its most fascinating in this truly beautiful book!

Each two-page spread focuses on an animal that is known in some way for its remarkable 'movement'. So, the South African springbok is featured for its startling ability to jump vertically up to 4 metres in height with all four legs extended — a technique known as pronking.

Review: A Miscellany of Magical Beasts

Featuring sixteen marvellous magical creatures from myth and legend, this is the perfect gift for anyone who has ever longed to ride a unicorn, meet a mermaid, or hear a werewolf's howl!

This gorgeous, large-format book is lavishly illustrated throughout, and covers everything from dragons to giants, and elves to trolls. The detailed text gives a thorough overview of that particular magical beast's origins as well as its representation in folklore and mythology around the world.

Review: Survivors

Survivors begins with the words:

For as long as people have looked for adventure, some have also found danger, and when it comes to stories of survival few can match the true tales told in this book.

And that pretty much sums it up! This is a fascinating book for the entire family. David Long has done an excellent job of including stories that may already be familiar to many (for example, Antarctic explorers Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton; and Australia's own Brant Webb and Todd Russell who survived two weeks trapped in Tasmania's Beaconsfield gold mine), as well as equally incredible stories of 'unknown' heroes.

Review: The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl

2016 is the year of Roald Dahl — a celebration of his life and books to commemorate what would have been his 100th birthday on 13 September. And The Glorumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl is the best possible gift I can think of to give any fan of Roald Dahl — adult or child.

This is the book that takes you beyond the stories and behind the scenes. The large-format pages are packed full of previously unpublished reproductions of imagined letters, artefacts, posters and editing notes from Dahl himself. These contain his background ideas, trains of thought and the inspirations that helped him to create the stories. It all combines to bring an entirely new perspective to the characters and tales we thought we 'knew'.

Review: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World

I love non-fiction picture books. They are such a brilliant way to engage young readers with all the fascinating facts that form our wonderful world. And this book is a great example of a non-fiction picture book done well. Each page explodes with astounding facts and incredible artwork. It's fun, fascinating and frickin' awesome!

Kate Pankhurst has drawn from all aspects of life to collect her 'great women who changed the world'. There's Jane Austen, who wasn't even allowed to tell people she was an author when her first book was published. Why? Because in Britain in 1811 people didn't feel it was acceptable for a woman to have a job!

Review: Odd and the Frost Giants

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell are continuing to build their reputation as one of the best author–illustrator combinations. Matching great writing with exquisite illustrations, all presented in a truly stunning format, Odd and the Frost Giants is a book to treasure.

My heart started racing as soon as I saw the silver foil and die-cut cover. When I realised silver ink was used throughout as well, on thick glossy paper, I almost trembled with happiness! It's production values like this that can make a book a work of art.

Review: The Sisters Saint-Claire

The sisters Saint-Claire are five adorable French mice, who live with their parents Odette and Pierre.

Every Sunday, the family heads off to the market — except for the youngest sister, Cecile, who stays at home baking treats to keep the family well fed. Until one day Cecile decides she would like to go to the market too and sell her yummy pies.

The rest of the sisters aren't keen. Cecile is so small, says Harriet. She'll get lost in the crowd, says Violet. But Cecile's parents have faith in her and realise that Cecile is no longer a baby. It's time for her to experience life beyond the front door.

Review: The Pied Piper

This is a gorgeous adaptation of the classic tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

It's all very peaceful in the tiny town of Hamelin until one day the streets and houses are invaded by an army of rats, swarming everywhere, climbing towers, ringing bells and even drinking beer from the innkeepers' jugs!

Review: A Most Magical Girl

Annabel Grey is a very proper young lady. Her mother has always emphasised the need for impeccable manners and genteel behaviour, a message firmly reinforced by the teachers at Miss Finch's Academy for Young Ladies.

Annabel's father was a sea captain, who never returned fom one voyage, so it's always just been her and her mother. Orderly, predictable … except for whenever Annabel accidentally glances into a puddle and sees things.

That all changes one rainy day when Annabel sees more than usual in a puddle. A dark man stands with his back to her, and he fills her with dread. When he turns, she sees the shadows in his cheekbones and the shadows in his eyes … and she faints.

Review: Highly Illogical Behaviour

Lisa Praytor is smart, attractive and the girl who everyone at school would probably vote as 'most likely to succeed'. She's also determined to get out of Upland and secure a place in the Woodlawn University psychology program.

To do that, she needs to write an essay on her 'personal experience with mental illness' that will convince Woodlawn she has what it takes to win their full scholarship. And that's where Solomon Reed comes in.

Solomon Reed is also smart and he's not bad-looking either. However, he's not the boy everyone at school would vote most likely to succeed. In fact, since a panic attack three years ago that saw him end up sitting in the school fountain in only his underwear he hasn't attended school … or even left the house.

Review: Poles Apart

Penguins live at the South Pole. Polar bears live at the North Pole. That's just the way it is.

Until … the Pilchard-Browns get lost on the way to a picnic. It seems that even in penguin families, the males don't like to ask for directions!

Fortunately, Mr White the polar bear is a helpful, kind-hearted bear. He's happy to guide the Pilchard-Browns back to their South Pole home. In fact, he's quite excited as he's often dreamed of being the first polar bear to reach the South Pole.

Review: Paper and Fire (The Great Library Series #2)

The first book in this series, Ink and Bone, was one of my highlights for 2015, so I couldn't wait to see if that promise continued in Book 2. I'm pleased to say that it does. Rachel Caine is delivering a cracker of a series!

At the end of Book 1, Jess and his friends Glain, Dario and Khalila were back in the Great Library of Alexandria, each assigned a role after surviving their year as postulants. They were still reeling, though, from the death of Thomas and the imprisonment of Morgan (revealed as an Obscurist) in the Iron Tower.

Review: Day of the Dinosaurs

This large format, stunningly illustrated book will probably make any young dinosaur lover roar with delight!

Divided into four periods — the Triassic, the Early-Middle Jurassic, the Late Jurassic, and the Cretaceous — Day of the Dinosaurs takes readers on a journey of discovery into how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals lived on land, in the water and in the skies.

Review: Tom Topp and the Great Adventure Swap

Tom Topp has great plans for the weekend. His three older brothers are all going to be doing really cool things — Eddie is going ice-skating, Henry is going waterskiing, and Rusty is going hiking. The problem is choosing which one of them to go with.

Actually, no, that's not the problem. The problem is that he has a broken leg so he can't go with any of them. No matter how hard he tries to persuade his mother and brothers that he could manage, they're adamant that he won't be going ice-skating, waterskiing or hiking any time soon.

Shout Out: Animalium Mini Gift Edition

What a fantastic addition to the wonderful 'Welcome to the Museum' series! So far there's been Botanicum, Historium and Animalium — and we've loved them all at KBR.

Now there's the first 'mini gift edition', with Animalium available in a gorgeous pocket-size package.

The stunning illustrations and informative text remain. This is still a fascinating guide to the animal kingdom that really does make you feel as if you're walking through a museum, learning about the exhibits. It's just all been scaled back and simplified a little to fit the smaller format — a mini musuem!

The perfect gift for budding zoologists.

Title: Animalium Mini Gift Edition
Author: Jenny Broom
Illustrator: Katie Scott
Publisher: Five Mile Press, $16.95
Publication Date: September 2016
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760404307
For ages: 9+
Type: Picture Book, Non-Fiction

Review: Wolf Hollow

Wolf Hollow is Lauren Wolk's debut novel and it's a masterpiece. Sensitively exploring the uncomfortable subjects of prejudice and injustice, it well and truly deserves the comparisons that are being made to Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Annabelle has lived in Wolf Hollow all her life. It's a quiet country community that has seen the impact of two world wars and the Great Depression. Annabelle's family is one of the luckier ones. They're not well off but they don't struggle as much as some of the other families, and they're always quick to lend a helping hand.