Review: Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning

If something is going to go down and it needs investigating, you’ll want Eleanor Jones on your side.

In full preparation mode for the upcoming Debutante Ball and with the Cooinda River in flood now that the drought has broken, Eleanor Jones and her friends have other things on their minds.

The last thing they need is a suspicious death, but Eleanor Jones simply can’t say no when she’s approached by the teen street artist’s girlfriend who refuses to believe that her boyfriend’s death was either by accident or his own hand.

Keeping an eye on the rising water, Eleanor and her friends, Liv, Troy, Ethan and Namita, set about asking questions and checking out Xavi's artwork. 

Review: The Boy Maeve

How often have you read the opening lines of a book and instantly been drawn in? And how often has that initial spark of intrigue been maintained throughout the entire story as it turns and twists in every possible direction?

The Boy Maeve by Kai Ash does exactly that.

Intriguing from the first sentence to the last, this debut novel is an unusual blend of coming-of-age, contemporary queer fiction, magical realism and mythology.

Maeve was adopted as a toddler and remembers little, if anything, of his birth parents or early years.  He’s a loner with his life made more difficult in the knowledge that he’s a boy in a girl’s body – and nobody will acknowledge it.

Review: Shakespeare in the Orchard

A little bit of WWI history, a little bit of Shakespeare, teen friendships and falling outs and an Australian backdrop – there’s something for everyone in Shakespeare in the Orchard.

At fourteen, with his father killed in a horse accident and his older brother serving as a soldier in Egypt, Jack Thorning is the man of the house. Together with his mother, Ada, Jack is keeping the family apple orchard running in between school and army cadet training.

Like most of his peers, Jack is keen to ‘do his bit’ with the war effort, but despite his skill with a rifle, he is too young to enlist and, besides, his mother needs him. But still …

Review: Six Take One

We’ve all gone along to parties that we didn’t really want to go to, right? But how often do we end up regretting our decision because someone was murdered during the party? (Hopefully never.)

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens when seventeen-year-old Cassie’s on-again-off-again friend, Kiah, guilts her into attending a New Year’s Eve party at Johnny’s remote farm, where, among other things, there’s only limited internet coverage.

Before agreeing to go, Cassie elicits a promise from Kiah that they’ll leave by 11 pm. Kiah reluctantly agrees and says she’ll pick Cassie up at 7 pm.

From the outset, reluctance aside, things do not bode well.

Review: A House Divided

A House Divided by Clare Hallifax, is the second book in the Our History series, and an entertaining and informative window into history. 

It covers a year in Juliet’s life and the year is 1975. Colour television was introduced in Australia, flared jeans were fashionable, and the landmark National Library of Australia building opened. It was also a time of political upheaval. 

1975 brings lots of changes for Juliet, her family, and the whole country. 

Juliet lives with her parents and grandmother, and has an older sister at university interstate. Her dad works in a quite senior position in the federal government. 

She's entering her final year of primary school, and is expected to complete a year-long, individual project, one that she needs to choose for herself. 

Juliet decides to compare her life growing up in the seventies, with her Gran’s at the end of the First World War and afterwards.

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: 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.

Review: Swearwolves

Do not let the title of this book turn you off straight away. Hear me out first because the subject matter is treated in an exceptionally mature way and, let’s be honest, those words are out there and being used by our children (but not by Steve Worland in this book).

Luna Wilkinson has not long started at her new school and she’s having trouble fitting in. Everyone has their friendship groups and little cliques and there doesn’t seem to be space for the new kid who is rapidly getting a reputation for being a bit weird.

As Luna sees it, her one chance to stand out – and fit in – lies in wowing the crowds at the upcoming audition for Bite Me – The Musical. Luna doesn’t just want to be given a part; she wants to be cast in the lead role. 

Review: How To Be A Fantastic Sensational Good Enough Kid

Cheerful, warm, vibrant, satisfying to hold and chock full of brilliant information for celebrating uniqueness (or for when you don’t feel quite enough), this book is a game-changer. A life raft. A first aid kit. I could go on, but I won’t.

With a team of earnest, hilarious little animals representing the various parts of your brain, and a friendly narrator taking you by the hand from the get-go, how could it be anything but magic!

Whether you’re feeling average, isolated, scared, unable to make a friend – or perhaps you’re aware that you’re winning at everything when others are not! – this book contains strategies and ideas for all the variables that life throws up.

Review: Behind the Screens

Behind the Screens not only offers friendly and timely information about navigating the online world, it also empowers and reassures young people that their choices and actions can help them thrive online.

Getting a phone? Get this book!

There’s no doubt the internet is a voracious, sometimes dangerous beast, which can also be a force for good, wonder and enlightenment. There’s also no doubt that we must handle this beast with wisdom and care.

 
Behind the Screens gives us a blueprint for the latter.

 

Review: The Amazing Generation – Your Guide To Fun And Freedom In A Screen-filled World

Encouraging young readers to strengthen their powers of attention and think for themselves, The Amazing Generation lays out scientific and anecdotal evidence of the deliberately addictive nature of social media and smartphones.

There are a multitude of fabulous ideas in its clever and appealing 'Rebel’s Code':

Use technology as a tool. Don’t let technology use you! Fill your life with real friendship, freedom and fun.

The book encourages us all to outsmart the tech companies – or to at least think about our daily habits. To find our own ways to switch off, have fun, connect in real life and create fulfilment, whether we're plugged in or not.

It also helps us to think about who we look up to – and why.

Fascinating anecdotes (did you know that many who live and work in the tech industry will NEVER let their children have social media or smartphones??) and stories from real life young-adult rebels who’ve ditched tech and not only survived but thrived, are all parts of this journey.

Review: Inclusion: Handbooks for Little Humans

Inclusion is the second book, in the Handbooks for Little Humans series. It opens again with A Note to Big Humans.

What does inclusion mean? It is when children listen and learn from others who open windows and doors to their lives. Then, knowing more, invite outsiders into their circle and make them feel wanted - regardless of their differences - for there are those who may be afraid or shy and believe they don’t or won’t fit into an existing group of friends.

In Inclusion, there are many examples of what differences there are everywhere, in everything and everyone; how each person is individual – special, someone who has something to offer others.

Review: The Umbrella

Most of us at some point have heard a version of the phrase, ‘under the same umbrella’... a blanket term used to package a somewhat diverse group of people under one label. But what happens when a child doesn’t fit under this umbrella no matter how hard they try?

Author Niki Foreman has used her parental experience with neurodivergence to write Umbrella, the story of a child trying to find their place in the world. 

Review: Integrity: Handbooks for Little Human

Integrity, the first book in the brilliant Handbooks for Little Humans series, opens with a warm address to Big Humans. 

In a direct, friendly tone, author Zanni Louise approaches the everyday habits of a child’s life.

Scenes of vibrant colour and a collective audience introduce the word Integrity, presenting instances when the meaning is activated.

Values come under the heading integrity, dressed as a jarful of jellybeans. Delightful child characters experience lessons of the heart and mind when confronted with a value challenge. Following the instinct which lives inside them, they're rewarded with the tremendous feeling of having achieved something wonderful.

Guest Post: Miranda Sheppard On Turning Kids' Everyday Worries Into Wins

Children face everyday worries long before they have the language or confidence to name them, and how those moments are met can shape the way they learn to navigate challenges over time.

Every worry explored in The Blooms is one my daughter and I have moved through together. They’re the small, everyday worries that surface in early childhood — the kind that can feel overwhelming to a young person, yet are often difficult for adults to address without brushing them aside or unintentionally making them feel bigger than they are. 

As I began speaking with other parents, I realised just how common these moments were, and how many of us were quietly unsure how best to respond.

Junior Review: Maisy Hayes Is Not For Sale

Maisy Hayes Is Not For Sale is a fiercely insightful coming-of-age novel by Allayne L Webster. It delves into the judgement teens face and the price tag labelled upon their worth.

Maisy Hayes feels like the background character of her life. Never the prettiest, the smartest, or the coolest in the room. Never with the newest phone, most expensive shoes, or designer bag. Her special treat only ever came in the form of a dollar slushie from the mall.

Maisy faces a situation no teen, let alone adult, wants to encounter. The Hayes family is deep in financial trouble, struggling to make ends meet. 

With Maisy’s absent father lurking in the back of her mind, she is determined to make a future for herself. She’s not sure what yet — though she is positive she wants anything but a life like her mum's.

She dreams of having enough money not to live paycheck to paycheck. To buy things without thinking of the cost. 

Review: Lottie Brooks Vs The Ultra Mean Girls

This book is one of those middle grade reads that this (ahem) middle-aged reviewer could not put down.

Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again!

All the things that could possibly go wrong in a tween girls’ life, do go wrong in this book. And it’s a hoot. 

Written in diary form, with literal stick figure pictures and a tween vernacular to die for, the book’s main character Lottie Brooks is the type of kid that every tween or teen who reads this book wants to be like. Or at the very least, wants to have as a BFF.

Lottie is flawed and a little bit slow to catch on to things that her squad know instantly. 

She’s naïve and funny, clever and endearing, unashamedly herself, and embarrassed at things that other kids don’t give a rip about.

Review: Once I Was A Giant

I was fortunate enough to see the drafts and incomplete storyboard of Once I Was A Giant when meeting Zeno Sworder in person for the first time some eighteen or so months ago. Both experiences were profoundly moving and memorable.

Which pretty much sums up this extraordinary picture book. With no preamble, the Giant’s story begins, at the ending, with a premise that could easily reflect a reoccurring dilemma for many creators; a stymie of creative flow. 

When the picture book maker, with a strong resemblance to the author himself, experiences this impasse, his trusty pencil inexplicably springs to life.

The wee stub shows him her life’s journey from germinating seed to grand dame of her forest kingdom. We are taken through life cycle after life cycle. From a sapling’s view point to that of a towering giant’s, residence to a whole eco-system of invertebrates, animals and birds. It is a wondrous and all-encompassing experience to stand before this giant and gaze skyward at her unfathomable brilliance, so strong, so assured, so steadfast.

Review: Powerful Like A Dragon

A dragon is proud, strong, kind. Be powerful like a dragon.

Words that bolster and build incentive to never give up. Never give in. Especially to the ravages and horrors of war. 

One would think that stories centred around this theme would be a thing of the past and yet, the plight of refugees displaced by senseless conflicts remains a global concern to this day.

Powerful Like a Dragon is a compelling piece of storytelling based on award-winning author, Christopher Cheng’s real-life family history. Caught in the grips of invasion in the midst of World War II, many of Cheng’s extended family made the life-saving decision to flee their homeland in Hong Kong and seek refuge in China.

Guest Post: Margrete Lamond on Gilbert's Cake

Gilbert’s Cake is the story of our story …

Readers often wonder where story ideas come from. They come from many places, but rarely from as deep a place as Gilbert’s Cake.

As author Emily Mir explains, ‘Our first baby, Gilbert, was stillborn in 2010. Two years later, we welcomed Gilbert’s twin siblings. As young children, the twins wanted a party, complete with balloons and a cake, to mark Gilbert's birthday. It was painful at first, but an annual tradition began. Gilbert’s Cake is the story of our story.’

After working with families who have experienced miscarriage and stillbirth, Emily was inspired to share her family’s story of love, loss . . . and pelicans. 

Emily is both a counsellor and a bereaved mother, and hopes her story sparks joy and love as well as evoking holistic ways of healing in the face of loss and trauma.