Review: In the Dark Spaces

If you read just one Sci Fi Fantasy this year, make it In the Dark Spaces. 

It took my breath away on so many levels.

Not only was I immersed in a new world where terrifying alien invaders become wise philosophers, I was also forced to face unimaginable questions. What would I be prepared to live for? What would I die for without hesitation?

What would you do if you were stolen from the only world you knew and the one reason that might keep you clinging to life was left behind?

A girl in her early teens watches as everyone in her home is murdered en masse. Then she faces an on the spot decision : blend in with the invaders or die.

News: KBR CBCA 2018 Shortlist Predictions!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Forever curious to delve deeper into our book-loving psyches, we asked our intrepid KBR team to predict the 2018 CBCA Shortlist outcome based on the Notable Titles announced on the 27 February.

The Kids Book Review team is a mixed band of accomplished literary professionals, artists, educators, librarians and of course, reviewers so naturally, our responses were never going to be straightforward! Each team member was asked three questions:

·         Which title they thought WILL be shortlisted

·         Which title they thought SHOULD be shortlisted

·         Which title WOULD be shortlisted if they could choose, in other words, their favourite.

Here is what they had to say. Perhaps it will prompt you to make your own pre-announcement predictions. Whatever the outcome, KBR congratulate all those who made the Notables list this year. It is hugely gratifying to see the magnitude of quality, meaningful literature that Australia continues to create for children.

Guest Post: An Interview with Sue Whiting and Annie White

Writer and Editor Sue Whiting has teamed up with the greatly gifted illustrator Annie White to create the tangled, tantalising and mysterious picture book, Beware the Deep Dark Forest. Anastasia Gonis asks them both how their collaboration came about, plus other interesting questions on how the book was created.

Sue: What was the genesis of this new picture book and how did Annie White come to be chosen as illustrator?
I have always been intrigued with the fairytale motif of the deep dark forest, and one day – seven years ago to be exact – I was at a library doing a story time session when I noticed a young boy wearing a black cape walking up and down the stairs, saying in a very dramatic way: Beware the deep dark forest! Beware the deep dark forest! He was in his own wonderful imaginary world and I was intrigued to know what was going on in that imagination. What did he have to beware of? Within a day I had my first draft down – but it took another few years before the story really took shape.

Announcement: The Shortlist for the Children's Book Council of Australia 2018 Book of the Year Awards

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) today announced the Short List for the 2018 CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

The CBCA Awards are the longest running book awards in Australia. From the small list of books entered in 1946, the judges this year received 444 books for consideration and have described the entries as highly original and diverse with a stellar list of potential winners.

‘Themes this year include journeying, resilience and acceptance,’ said CBCA National Chair, Professor Margot Hillel OAM, ‘with stories that reflect the world around us, and demonstrate an openness to interpretation that should invite discussion and reflection.’

The CBCA supports Australian authors and illustrators of books for young readers. These esteemed awards are extremely influential in children’s publishing and bookselling, providing information about quality children's books for schools, libraries and the community at large.

Guest Post: Q & A with Sarah Epstein

Following the recent release of her sensational new book, Small Spaces and a revealing 12 Curly Questions session with us, the author who desires to be Mo Willems' Pigeon character, Sarah Epstein, is back answering all the questions Small Spaces poses.

Australian author Sarah Epstein has written an impressive page-turner in her debut novel about 17-year-old Tash, who witnessed her imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a carnival. Nine years later, Tash is trying to leave her troubled past behind. When disturbing memories resurface and Tash starts to see Sparrow again, she starts to question everything. Is Sparrow real or is Tash more dangerous to others than she thinks?

Review: In The Dark

Although Carole Poustie wrote this title as a sequel to her debut novel, Dog Gone, In the Dark is a brilliant, well-crafted page-turner that stands alone quite confidently.

Ish is a young boy whose life becomes crumpled and tossed by a single act of curiosity. He has poetic talent, which he believes he inherited from his grandpa who has died. 

After being told not to enter the old cellar of his Gran’s house, he does exactly that, using the excuse of searching for his grandpa’s book on the Mongolian Death Worm.

Deep in the dark spaces of the cellar, he discovers a secret that has been kept from him in the form of a letter addressed to his mother, stamped but never sent. 

Interviews: A Very KBR Christmas 2018!

It's time to pour some rum-flavoured fun onto your fruit mince pies and settle back for a good read - because you love stories, right?

As always, our intrepid team of reviewers has tried to leave no page unturned in order bring you the best of another bountiful year of bedazzling children's stories.

Many have made our hearts soar and our emotions bloom, just like a great Christmas tale. So spend a moment or two with us as the KBR team share their fondest festive recollections and recommendations.

Look What I'm Reading! Shaye Wardrop

Shaye Wardrop is a picture book writer and blogger. Science fiction and fantasy obsessed, she has a passion for stories with far away lands, magnificent beasts, incredible journeys and brave little feet.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
The Disappearance of Ember Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Young Adult).

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
The second book in The Tribe series, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are strictly controlled and people born with supernatural abilities are labelled ‘illegals’ and detained.

Ember Crow is an illegal hiding in the Firstwood with a whole tribe of her kind, but when she goes missing, the only person who can help get her back is also the person who took her.

Antonia Pesenti & Hilary Bell on Summer Time

Summer is here. School-bags and shoes have been flung to the back of the wardrobe, alarm clocks shoved into drawers, and long, lazy days unwind to the drone of lawnmowers and the hum of rotating fans. Sand accumulates in the shower recess; blond hair turns chlorine-green. 

Look What I'm Reading! Sue Whiting

Sue Whiting is an Australian author and editor. She has written numerous books in a variety of genres: fiction and nonfiction, picture books through to YA. Her latest book is Missing, a contemporary mystery for readers 10+, and her next book is Beware the Deep, Dark Forest, a picture book illustrated by Annie White, which is due for release in October.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I have just finished reading The Secrets We Share by Nova Weetman.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
This is the sequel to The Secrets We Keep and continues the story of twelve-year-old Clem who is now trying to navigate that awkward and confusing time of starting high school and working out where one fits. This is made doubly difficult when Clem’s mother returns home after many months away from the family while recovering from her mental illness.

Review: The Ones that Disappeared

When I read Zana Fraillon's award-winning The Bone Sparrow, I thought she'd reached the pinnacle in storytelling, but then she created The Ones that Disappeared.

Three children live in darkness, tending forbidden plants. They do nothing, are nothing, know nothing except what their captives tell them.

When everything goes wrong, they dare to escape. They understand that to leave means being chased mercilessly to the death. Their captors have executed other runners in front of them as a warning. But they run anyway.

Esra and Miran, who are in their early teens, try to protect the younger Isa. Skeet is a ring-in of sorts with issues of his own. Through these four voices, the essence of child slavery is revealed, and so much more.

Review: The Dream Keeper

This masterful, dreamy and tender book is both penned and illustrated by celebrated creator, Anna Walker.

What if there lives a Dream Keeper…
… and when you’re scared of shadows,
the Dream Keeper sees.

A small child who’s afraid of the dark. A darling turtle with a teeny-weeny lantern on a wooden stick, rowing a boat, carrying a jar full of light-dreams…

After the sublime endpapers, two single pages filled with intricate detail of each life – the child’s and the Dream Keeper’s - make up the first double spread.

Review: Sleep Tight, Platypup

We're all afraid of something. Spiders or snakes. Heights or flying. Small spaces.

Sleep Tight, Platypup is about being afraid of the dark.

The dark has lots of things that are scary, particularly when you're young. Especially shadows and rustling noises.

In this story, a baby platypus, called a platypup, encounters these shapes and sounds as he tries to sleep in his burrow.

And his mummy teaches him how to look at the night to take the mystery out of it all.

Platypup discovers the night is not just filled with darkness, but also with light.

Review: My Blue is Happy

We all know that colours can evoke emotion. The sight of a bright yellow sunflower always puts a smile on my face, and if I need to calm down after a stressful day there's nothing more soothing than looking out over the greens and greys of the Australian bush.

But is my yellow your yellow? Is my green your green?

August Young Adult New Releases

This month, we present some amazing new YA books, mostly from Australian authors. There's a great cross-section as the bar continues to rise each month in YA fiction by a range of wonderful authors and publishers. Snuggle up, keep warm and enjoy some great reading.

The Undercurrent, by Paula Weston, $19.99, Text Publishing, 9781925498233, Read review here

Review: Fixer the Robot

Fixer is a kind, hardworking and humble robot. Everyday he ‘trundles up the hill’ and helps other robots as they go about their work. His acts of kindness don’t go unnoticed, as we discover when an unfortunate event results in Fixer needing some help.

The story does a great job of building Fixer’s loveable character during his encounters with Dug the digger, Bull the dozer and Gertie the grabber when he does anything he can to help, including giving up his own battery.