A. L. Tait, The Fire Star: A Maven & Reeve Mystery, Penguin Australia, September 2020, 320 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760897079 A maid with a plan. A squire with a secret. A missing jewel. A kingdom in turmoil. Maven and Reeve have three days to solve the mystery of the Fire Star. If they don’t, they’ll lose everything. This could be a complete disaster . . . or the beginning of a friendship. Political intrigue, castle-life chaos, a secret order, betrothals, betrayals, and the theft of a coveted precious gem, the Fire Star. A.L. Tait’s is packed with mystery. Set in a medieval-ish period, Maven is…
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Zoë Norton Lodge (text) and Georgia Norton Lodge (illustrator), Elizabella Breaks a Leg, Walker Books, September 2020, 224 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760652555 Elizabella Breaks a Leg is a fine fourth addition to the Elizabella series of novels for middle primary readers. The title, along with the cover line – “When things go wrong, just flip the script” – set the scene for a school play adventure, in Elizabella’s fourth term of Year Four. The story includes a solid cast of characters, with family, best friends, and teachers. All are well drawn within the text, and very identifiable. The illustrations, sprinkled throughout, are black and white, cartoonish, and…
Jackie Kerin (text) and Annie White (illustrator), Gold! Ford Street Publishing, September 2020, 32pp., RRP $16.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781925804539 This book is inspired by the art of Eugene Von Guerard and S.T. Gill this colourful account of the Central Victorian gold rush in the late 1850s is a fine picture book. Kerin and White start their story with the drastic impact of the gold rushes on the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, and how intoxicating the call of ‘gold!’ was across the world. They then take four boys to Kingower where they struggle and dig for months. Eventually they are given a trip to England and meet the Queen, despite the dire warning of a woman who constantly predicts the worst. And then the Eureka Stockade occurred, another…
Elizabeth Honey, From Stella Street to Amsterdam, Allen & Unwin, September 2020, 432 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781865084541 You have to know the past to understand the present, astronomer Carl Sagan once said. And in this brand new adventure, twenty years after 45 + 47 Stella Street, Elizabeth Honey has created an intricate story that dips between past and present, rich with insights and life lessons. When young teen, Henni Octon accompanies her elderly Dutch neighbour, Willa, to Amsterdam, she uncovers a family secret dating back to World War II. While getting to know Willa’s family and making new friends, Henni must navigate change, distance and tales of an earlier life that often seems incomprehensible, ultimately deciding whether or not to disclose the…
Lauren James, The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, Walker Books, September 2020, 432 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406391121 Harriet Stoker is photographing an abandoned building after dark for a university project, when she plunges to her death. This is just the beginning of Harriet Stoker’s afterlife. The energy released by her death awakens the other ghosts who reside in the building and from them she learns that if she ever tries to leave, she will disintegrate. But she can think of nothing more than seeing her gran, with whom she has lived since her parents died years before. She learns from the other spirits that each of them has a power and she hopes that her own power, when it…
Elizabeth Fensham, My Dog is a Winner, University of Queensland Press, September 2020, 200pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780702262951 Whenever I pick up an Elizabeth Fensham book, I always feel like I’m in good hands and this one is no different. Following on from My Dog Doesn’t Like Me and My Dog Gets a Job, we now have My Dog is a Winner. It follows the trials and tribulations of Eric Bright and his dog, Ugly. If this is the first time you’ve met Eric and Ugly, don’t worry, you’ll soon learn that Eric is a likeable, empathetic kid who, with his faithful canine friend, has a knack of knowing how to solve problems of those around…
Sally Odgers (text) and Christina Booth (illustrator), Aussie Kids: Meet Dooley on the Farm, Penguin, September 2020, 64 pp., RRP $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760893682 Aussie Kids is a new series for readers who are ready for their first chapter books. Each of the eight books features a child from somewhere in Australia, giving children a peek into the lives of other kids’ homes and neighbourhoods. Aussie Kids: Meet Dooley on the Farm is a recent addition to this series. Dooley lives on a farm on the north-west coast of Tasmania. When his cousin Sienna comes to visit from Sydney, Dooley is excited to show her around his farm. He plans to take her swimming in…
David Woodland, Ernie’s Journey, Berbay Publishers, November 2020, 40 pp. RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780648785149 Ernie’s Journey is a debut book by David Woodland gives children a great opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. The creativity and attention to detail provide a window into a world where they can expect the unexpected. Ernie, the titular character, is an experienced, adventuring uncle to Eli, a young tortoise who is very attentive to Ernie’s tales. Young readers will want to be paying attention right from the front endpapers. At Eli’s request, Ernie recounts some of his more outlandish adventures to Eli and his cousins. When Eli has the chance to talk…
Jess McGeachin, The Lost Library, Penguin Random House, Australia, September 2020, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760892715 The Lost Library is a picture book story of adventure and fantasy as Oliver and Rosie are transported into a world of imagination through the books that they encounter in a hidden, mysterious lost library. But the lost library is not only an exciting and adventurous place, it is also frightening. Good friendship and collaborative problem solving with the help of books, helps Oliver and Rosie find their way back out of the library to the safety of the real library. Whilst the storyline is engaging and magical, the careful detail and originality in the artwork is particularly impressive. McGeachin’s illustrations impact on the atmosphere of the story with contrasting colours and tones and changes…
Rachel Hennessy, Mountain Arrow (Book Two of The Burning Days), MidnightSun, November 2020, 368 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925227741 River Stone – Book One of The Burning Days was published in April 2019. It was original and fresh, and I gave it a very positive review. Mountain Arrow – Book Two of The Burning Days unfortunately suffers the fate of many second instalments in book trilogies; not a lot happens. Its main purpose is to set up the story for the climactic conclusion – which will be in book three. I’m struggling to offer a synopsis, as the narrative is so weak. In River Stone we are introduced to Pandora, who is a…