Deborah Ellis, One More Mountain (A Parvana Story), Allen & Unwin, November 2022, 256 pp. RRP $16.99 (PBK) ISBN 9781761068133 Parvana’s Green Valley School provides essential shelter and support for young girls in Afghanistan seeking refuge. With the help of Shauzia, many girls are rescued, including 15-year old Damsa. However, the safety of the school and the girls and women who reside there is placed in jeopardy when the Taliban people rise once again, endangering women’s freedom and rights. Rafi (Parvana’s son) dreams of being a dancer, but what will this sudden uprising and chaos mean for his safety and…
Author: Admin
Andy Jones, Wishes Come in Threes, Walker Books Australia, November 2022, 271 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9761529500862 Wishes Come in Threes is set in England but has universal themes. Phyllis, who prefers to be known as Phyll, is seeing a school counsellor after an uncharacteristic outburst at school. The counsellor is kind and understanding but has a speech defect that sometimes confuses Phyll – the titles of some chapters comes from one of these defects. Heather wants to understand why Phyll would suddenly become so angry and we, and Heather, find out that her mother, normally an energetic and…
Sami Bayly, How We Came to be: Surprising Sea Creatures, Lothian Children’s Books, September 2022, 32 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk) ISBN Take a dive into our oceans and pass through the five zones of our underwater world. Sami Bayly guides readers through a unique experience and introduces us to some extraordinary friends she has made along the way. From Giant Oarfish to Comb Jelly Fish, Bayly will unearth our evolution phenomenon and reveal How We Came to Be Surprising Sea Creatures. Bayly has produced a very educational read targeted to younger readers. Her picture book uses simple language and simple…
Sunya Mara, The Darkening (The Darkening Duology #1), Hodder & Stoughton, July 2022, 400 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781529354874 Sunya Mara’s debut novel, The Darkening, is a dark and fascinating addition to the world of YA fantasy. The intense action is established instantly. In just the first chapter we are introduced to protagonist Vesper, fearlessly facing the Storm – a deadly darkness that curses everyone it touches. But Vesper’s bravery is costly, as her wanted ex-revolutionist father Alcanar is forced to step in to save her. When Prince Dalca and his trusted Wardana are alerted to Alcanar’s whereabouts, they…
Julia Lawrinson (text) and Heather Potter & Mark Jackson (illustrators), City of Light, Wild Dog Books, February 2023, RRP $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9781742036304 City of Light tells the true story of how two children from Perth captured the imagination of the residents of their city, with the idea to leave their lights on so that astronaut John Glenn could see Perth from space, during his first human orbit of Earth on 20 February 1962. And so, it’s a heartening story of community collaboration during a time of fascination with early advances in outer space travel. Although author Julia Lawrinson is…
Maiya Ibrahim, Spice Road, Hodder and Stoughton, January 2023, 496 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781399702034 Although a fairly long book, Spice Road is difficult to put down. This action-packed and fast-paced novel full of magic and monsters leaves readers wanting more even after the final page. Maiya Ibrahim’s imagination is wild and original as she introduces unique concepts that makes it hard to compare to any other novel. At 17-years old Imani is the youngest shield in the desert city of Qalia. She’s a warrior tasked with defending her hidden city from the ghouls, djinn and monsters hiding in…
G. Leonard, Spark (The Twitchers #2), Walker Books Australia, September 2022, 320 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406389388 Jack’s arms are covered in scratches after saving a cat who had been shot. After learning that this shooting is part of a pattern, Jack recruits his team of twitchers to investigate and serve justice for all the neighbourhood felines. But recruiting the twitches this time is a task in itself with all the members eager to catch a glimpse of a rare, bearded vulture which is passing through Briddvale! Jack has always felt inferior to Twitch who seems able to stay…
Sophie Blackall, Farmhouse, Lothian Children’s Books, August 2022, 48 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734421654 Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall is an enthralling look at the life that happens in a grand old farmhouse. The creation of this story was inspired by the author’s discovery and actual purchase of a falling down house where long ago twelve children were born and raised. Using found items from the house as a starting point, Blackall has created a gorgeous glimpse into the life of an unknown family who once graced the halls of this great home. Time, life itself, and the impermanent nature…
Katrina Nannestad (text) and Martina Heiduczek (illustrator), Waiting for the Storks, HarperCollins Publishers, November 2022, 352 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780733342271 Waiting for the Storks by acclaimed Australian author Katrina Nannestad is a historical fiction set in World War II. It is a heart-wrenching story of eight-year-old Zofia Ulinski, a young Polish girl forcefully taken from her family early one morning in Kraków, Poland, by German soldiers. Although the story is fictional, it is based on events during Hitler’s Nazi Party reign that involved strategically kidnapping Polish children. Children assessed to have ideal physical traits were assimilated into German families…
A.F Harrold (text) & Levi Pinfold (illustrator), The Worlds We Leave Behind, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, August 2022, 272 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781526623881Although neither of them would have said it, they loved one another, like brothers. Have you ever met an acorn that could change your life? For Tommo and Hex, it isn’t as magical as it sounds. Best friends since birth—they’re inseparable. Hex is there when Tommo’s Mum leaves, and his Dad becomes unrecognisable; Tommo understands Hex, even when Hex doesn’t understand himself. Until one day there’s an accident in the woods, and everything changes. Reminiscent of Neil…