Gabriel Evans, A Human for Kingsley, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), May 2021, ISBN 9781760506919 Kingsley is looking for a human to make his own, but with so many to choose from he struggles to decide which one is right for him. When he meets a young girl, he thinks she might be the one, even though she has some strange habits like bathing (on purpose!) and bossing him around. When he finds that she needs him too, Kingsley realises he has found his human. A CBCA notable for Early Childhood Book 2022, A Human for…
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Maree Kimberley, Dirt Circus League, Text Publishing, March 2021, 304 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922330253 CBCA 2022 Notable for Older Readers’ Dirt Circus League is a refreshing YA read that transcends genres with its thrilling blend of action, magical realism, and dystopia. Seventeen-year-old Asa is seeking a fresh start and a place to belong. Escaping a troubled past, she moves to a small town near Cairns to live with her negligent father where the only friendship she finds is in Karen, her wise Indigenous neighbour. However, something is missing for Asa as she struggles to settle into small town…
C. S. Pacat, Dark Rise, Allen & Unwin, September 2021, 464 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760875749 The old world of magic and heroes is long dead. Destroyed by a battle between light and dark. History forgotten by all but the Stewards, the final flame, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. But their numbers are dwindling, and the darkness seems to grow ever more potent. Violet has always looked up to her older brother – but when she learns the sinister truth about the work her family does, her world is turned on its head. Left…
Christopher Cheng (text) and Stephen Michael King (illustrator), Bear and Rat, Penguin Random House Australia, May 2021, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760896287 ‘Bear,’ said Rat. ‘I’ve been wondering. Will we always hold hands like this, even when we are old and wrinkly…’ So begins this warm and comforting picture book which reveals a friendship so strong, it will overcome all the obstacles life throws in its way, and even beyond. It celebrates the timeless nature of love. The tender relationship between these two friends brought to mind another children’s classic about friendship: Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet. And just as…
Susannah McFarlane (text) and Tamsin Ainslie (illustrator), Grumble Boats, Affirm Press, May 2021, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925712919 Grumble Boats is a beautiful picture book which is on the CBCA 2022 Early Childhood notables list. It’s about Emma who is grumpy about being babysat by Grandma while her family go to an exciting pirate party. Grandma responds by taking Emma and the dog for a walk on the beach. At the beach she encourages Emma to represent her feelings as a drawing on paper and then fold the paper into a boat. Why is Grandma doing this? I…
Lize Meddings, Find Your Kindred Spirits (The Sad Ghost Club #2), Hachette Australia, January 2022, 208 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781444957549 Find your Kindred Spirits by Lize Meddings is a sequel to her breakthrough graphic novel centred around mental health The Sad Ghost Club. After finding a kindred spirit in SG, Socks begins to feel less alone. Then SG wants to welcome another ghostie into the club and things get complicated. Socks struggles to overcome their insecurities around SG’s new friendship and withdraws. But by being brave and sharing their feelings Socks and SG find a way to grow their club…
Diane Lucas and Ben Tyler (text) and Emma Long (illustrator), Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest, Allen & Unwin, June 2021, 32 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760525958 Readers are invited along for a walk in Gagudju Country (also known as Kakadu) and are introduced to its abundance of flora and fauna as known by the local indigenous people. This book has been shortlisted both in the 2022 CBCA Eve Pownall category (best non-fiction for 0-18 years), and in the New Illustrator category, recognising both its informative and artistic merits. The narrative evolves naturally, as if you…
Felice Arena and Garry Lyon, Specky Magee, Penguin Random House Australia, March 2022, 192 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143777168 Simon Magee is 12 years old and plays Aussie Rules. No, he lives and breathes it. This is the 20th anniversary edition of a classic novel that takes young readers out to the Aussie Rules football field, where Specky plays (and plays well) and wants nothing more than to share his love and joy with his family, and above all else his father. However, his father who runs a gallery is interested in anything else but Aussie Rules. Which means,…
Nick Bland, Walk of the Whales, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, October 2021, 32 p., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760509026 Have you ever dropped your Kit-Kat wrapper on the ground and thought… never mind? This book will make you think twice. Award-winning author/illustrator Nick Bland, creator of The Very Cranky Bear series, Wolfred, and The Wrong Book, returns with a humorous exploration of an important message. What happens when the environment starts treating us the way we’ve treated it? The text follows the havoc that ensues after a pod of whales make their way out of the ocean, into swimming pools,…
Safdar Ahmed, Still Alive: Notes from Australia’s Immigration Detention System, Twelve Panels Press, April 2021, 240 pp., RRP $30.00 (pbk), ISBN 9780980593730 Still Alive is an extraordinary and complex book. It is presented in the format of a graphic novel although it is really an expose of the life of detainees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Safdar Ahmed began visiting Villawood in 2011 when he brought art materials into the centre. Under his guidance, some of the detainees began drawing their stories. Quite early in the book Ahmed reflects on the value of art in dealing with trauma and reveals…