Damian Callinan (text) and Adele K. Thomas (illustrator), Weird School, Penguin Random House Australia, August 2021, 256 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760893446 As the title suggests, Weird School fits firmly into the genre of comedy stories about strange school experiences. It’s actually a collection of short stories, each with its own cast of characters and arc of events, but the stories fit together with some through lines to create a picture of Wally Park Primary, officially classified as a Class A Weird School because so many strange things happen there. To set the scene the book begins with an…
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Jess McGeachin, Frankie and the Fossil, Puffin Books, August 2021, 32 pp, RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760898847 When Frankie, a dinosaur-obsessed child, decides to feed a fossil the corner of her cheese sandwich on a trip to the museum, a ‘strange feeling’ is stirred in her stomach. The feeling follows her through the museum’s exhibits and back to her home. Frankie’s kind gesture has woken a special, ravenous dinosaur friend, a Diplodocus fossil from the museum… You must be hungry…. 152 million years is a long time between breakfasts. A budding friendship is formed between Frankie and the fossil. The…
James Foley, Stellarphant, Fremantle Press, November 2021, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734419835 The space race is back on, and it’s nothing like it was in the past. It’s a race for celebrities and millionaires now, so the more exotic a rocket expedition is, the more notice it gets. Multi award winning children’s author James Foley asks us to imagine Stella (an elephant) rocking up to Space Command to ask if she could become an astronaut. Of course, there are several reasons she is rejected. But Stella is made of something impenetrable, undefeatable, and undeterrable. I guess it’s her…
Lisa Nicol, The What On Earth Institute of Wonder, Penguin Random House, August 2021, 288 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761041556 The What on Earth Institute of Wonder by Lisa Nicol is a story of three kids who live in the town of Larry. Sal is big sister to 8-year-old Roy who is a doomsday prepper – someone who is prepared for any emergency, especially the end of the world kind. They live next door to teenage Bartholomew who is a lover of music and a gentle soul. Sal herself is very special, as she can talk to animals, well one…
Stephen Orr (text) and Timothy Ide (illustrator), The Lanternist, MidnightSun Publishing, July 2021, 400 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925227840 The Lanternist follows in the footsteps of classic historic adventure stories for young readers. It will appeal to those who loved Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and Ruth Park’s Playing Beattie Bow. Our eleven year old hero, Tom Eliot, lives with his dad Bert in Adelaide. It’s 1901 and the world is (as always) embracing new technologies, threatening Bert’s livelihood. Bert is a master of the magic lantern; enthralling crowds with his storytelling skills, supported by the images…
Rory H. Mather (text) and Shane McG (illustrator), Get Back in Your Books!, Scholastic Australia, July 2021, 24 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761120800 Get Back In Your Books! tells the story of a young book who is very confused about some characters at the school library. The bright illustrations will immediately engage young children and they will delight in identifying characters from their favourite books from other beloved titles from Mary Poppins to Harry Potter; my own toddler immediately recognised The Very Hungry Caterpillar and questioned why the main character wasn’t dressed up too. The concept is similar to…
Katrina Nannestad, Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, HarperCollins Publishers, October 2021, 320 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733341465 Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief follows the story of Sasha, a 6 year old Russian boy who’s left to fend for himself in the midst of World War 2. One day, Sasha returns from an afternoon of playing in the sunflower fields to find his entire village, his family, and everything he has ever known to be gone – reduced to rubble and ash at the hands of the Nazis. Sasha is adopted as a soldier into the Red Army, where he spends his…
Malorie Blackman, Endgame, Penguin Random House, September 2021, 480 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780241443996 Endgame is the final book in Malorie Blackman’s popular novel series, Noughts & Crosses. It’s the sixth novel in the series which also includes three novellas. In the world of Noughts & Crosses, the Crosses (who have dark skin) are the ruling class, and the Noughts (with light skin) are the underclass – also sometimes known as Blankers. The story that began with the doomed love story of Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor, reaches its final, thrilling conclusion in the aptly named Endgame. Sephy is…
Karen Foxlee, Dragon Skin, Allen & Unwin, September 2021, 336 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760526108 This book, Foxlee’s much-anticipated latest offering, uses magical realism to weave a complex story of grief, friendship, courage and caring. Pip lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend Matt in a mining town. She very much misses her friend Mika, the loss of whom has contributed to her becoming quite solitary. The other reason is Matt himself as Pip doesn’t like to bring friends home when he is around. Pip constantly urges her mother to leave, and she dreams of going far away…
Kay Kerr, Social Queue, Text Publishing, September 2021, 288 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922458018 Kay Kerr’s debut novel, Please Don’t Hug Me was notabled by CBCA this year. Her second novel is even better. Social Queue follows Zoe Kelly in her first year of journalism and a casual internship at an online media company. What follows is an authentic, heart-warming, and witty exploration of dating, identity, and reflection on high school life. That Zoe is autistic is a bonus. While inclusivity is a topical, almost trendy element of contemporary young adult novels, in Social Queue, it’s included organically and…