Toni Brisland (text) & Anastasia Popp (illust.), Patrick White, Little Steps, July 2020, 68pp., RRP $16.94 (pbk), ISBN 9780648267379 Toni Brisland and Anastasia Popp’s biography of Australian author Patrick White is an excellent addition to the non-fiction shelves of school libraries. Brisland’s text sums up White’s life and work in clear informational style that would be ideal for upper primary and early secondary students who are interested in White or Australian history and literature. It would be invaluable for school projects on Australian authors or notable figures. This book is an ideal length to both give enough detail to go deeper than the surface facts and to keep it short enough not…
Author: Admin
Steve Heron (text) and Benjamin Johnston (illustrator), Ling Li’s Lantern, Midnight Sun Publishing, September 2020, 32 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925227673 A champion of wellbeing for children, author Steve Heron is the founder of Nurture Works Foundation and developed the acclaimed ‘BUZ – Build Up Zone’ social and emotional programs and initiatives used in many schools throughout Western Australia. His first dabble with writing for children led to a series of six picture books in the ‘Feel Safe Feel Right Series.’ Ling Li’s Lantern is Steve’s first stand- alone picture book and a superb story of compassion, kindness, and the true nature of wisdom. Suitable for children 5+, Heron’s insightful storytelling and Benjamin Johnston’s fastidiously composed illustrations draw young readers back in time to enjoy a delightful…
Cameron Macintosh (text) and Dave Atze (illustrator), Chip Blip (Max Booth Future Sleuth #5), Big Sky Publishing, July 2020, 130 pp., RRP $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922265685 Max Booth Future Sleuth by Cameron Macintosh is a story about street urchin Max, a boy from the future who solves mysteries from the past. In the year 2424, Max lives on Skyburb 6 above Bluggsville, in the back room of a museum with his robo-dog Oscar. In Chip Blip, his 5th sleuthing adventure, Max and Oscar try to unravel a mystery surrounding a device from the past no bigger than a grain of rice. After some clever costuming, Max discovers that the device is an ID chip from a dog that…
Matthew Syed (text) and Toby Triumph (illustrator), Dare to Be You: Defy Self-Doubt, Fearlessly Follow Your Own Path and Be Confidently You!, Hachette Australia, September 2020, 160pp., RRP $19.99, ISBN 9781526362377 Confession: I do not LOVE the trend in some children’s and young adult books of have minimum five different fonts per page and eye-wateringly bright coloured pages. When I picked up Dare to Be You by Matthew Syed, I was concerned that I would not be able to objectively review it because it contains the aforementioned cornucopia of fonts and some very orange pages. However, I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the contents. Dare to Be You is essentially a self-help…
Holly Jayne, Bunnygirl, The First Adventure, Berbay Publishing, September 2020, 32 pp., $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 978064878118 Bunnygirl is a sweet tale of a girl named Bea who has one dream: to be a superhero. She loves to read superhero comics and loves to help others. That’s a good start, right? But one thing she is less sure of is just what a superhero needs to really be super. A cape? A mask? Soon her adventures begin as she sets off with her pet Woofs, stumbling upon a little hurt and lost bunny. This little picture book is illustrated with bold and fun illustrations, which are arranged in…
Doug Gimesy (text) and Heather Kiley (illustrator), Life Upside Down: Australia’s Grey-headed Flying-foxes, Australian Geographic, October 2020, 48 pp., RRP $19.95 (hbk), ISBN 9781922388001 This is a beautiful collection of spectacular photographs of these gorgeous animals. Each lovely page is accompanied by brief facts about them. For instance, on the first page there is a flying fox hanging upside down on a branch and we are told their scientific name, that they are mammals and only found in Australia. The story proceeds through their habits and concludes with suggestions for their protection and care. The aim of the book is to alert readers to the vulnerability of the fruit bat and their beauty. I hope it achieves the former,…
Guillaume, Jenna, You were Made for Me, Pan Australia, August 2020, 327 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760559137 ‘Quirky’ is a word too often used when a writer is lost for an appropriate term. Well, I’m using it to describe You were Made for Me, because it’s totally accurate. I’m not spoiling the plot here to tell you that Katie and her very best friend Libby manage to create an actual boy – a perfect, gorgeous boy who is totally devoted to Katie. The reader must suspend disbelief for this book to work – the science is tenuous to say the least! Katie and Libby have been best friends since preschool…
Lucinda Gifford, The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, Walker Books, September 2020, 224 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760651596. Boris, Randall and Leonora Greycoat are a family of wolves who live in Moravia, but when they see an article in The Lupine Times announcing that wolves are to be reintroduced into Scotland, they travel there for the summer to explore their Scottish ancestry. Some aren’t happy about the sudden appearance of wolves, while others welcome them with open arms, but when the Greycoats discover an ancient castle they have links to is about to be turned into a luxury resort, they are determined to find a way to…
Gareth Ward, Brasswitch and Bot (Rise of the Remarkables, #1), Walker Books Australia, August 2020, 352 pp., RRP $ 19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760652210 Until today, being called “Brasswitch” would have got you killed. Now, it might save your life. Screams surge along York’s narrow Victorian streets as a run-away crackle tram races towards disaster. Fearing an accident like the one that killed her parents, Brasswitch Wrench is forced to reveal her powers – a decision that will change her life forever. Recruited to the sinister department of Regulators who hunt down others like her, Wrench teams up with their maverick mechanical leader Bot as they are tasked with halting…
Scott Stuart, My Shadow is Pink, Larrikin House, August 2020, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780648728757 My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart was written in response to the author’s young son being told by his preschool peers that his favourite toy and character (Elsa from Disney’s Frozen) was “for girls”. The story tells the story of a young boy who loves all the things that some people still stereotype as “for girls” like princesses, ponies, and dresses. This love is expressed as the boy having a ‘pink shadow’ that he wonders if he must always hide and how his father learns to understand and…