Davinia Evans, Notorious Sorcerer, Hachette Australia, September 2022, 448 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780356518688 If you’re looking for epic fantasy with a touch of alchemy, sharp dialogue, and a captivating queer romance, have I got a book for you! In the half-submerged city of Bezim, the Inquisitors are strictly regulating the use of alchemy, which they blame for the Sundering, a tremor that nearly split the city. Wannabe alchemist Siyon Velo, navigates the four planes of reality, harvesting essentials so wealthy alchemists can make magic. “Don’t worry,” Siyon grinned, the thrill of what he was about to do starting…
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Edwina Wyatt (text) and Katherine Queen (illustrator), The Courage of Magnolia Moon (Magnolia Moon #3), Walker Books, November 2022, 160 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781460760215 Magnolia Moon is a girl of great daring. Even though she has daring, this third book in the series centres on Magnolia’s doubting her courage. How brave is she? Can she help her friends, her family and herself? Ten year old Magnolia Moon will find the courage to move forward, from going to the dentist, bullying, repairing the relationship with her best friend, and speaking up for what’s right. While this story is quiet,…
Rebecca Fung (text) and David Allan (illustrator), A Very Special Moon Mission, Christmas Press, July 2022, 80 pp., RRP $13.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780645378801 What happens when you visit a space station and accidentally launch a spaceship to the moon? A whole of fun! Best friends Phoebe and Elliott are mad about space, and when they are joined by the unpopular new girl at school, Julia, end up on an unexpected journey where they meet astronauts in training, an amazing rocket called The Obsession, and a cheeky supercomputer known as IMP. But eventually the fun wears off and they realise they…
John Schu (text) and Veronica Miller Jamison (illustrator), This is a School, Walker Books, July 2022, 40 pp, RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781536204582 A school is a place to try, to fail, to explore, to share, to learn, to discover, to ask questions, to come together, to celebrate and more – not just for students but for teachers, librarians, staff, principals, helpers and visitors. This upbeat debut title from librarian and former classroom teacher, John Schu, positions school as nurturing, inclusive and trusted hive, buzzing and brimming with activities, discoveries and possibilities. Each person is a valued member and when…
Randa Abdel-Fattah (text) and Maxine Beneba Clarke (illustrator), 11 Words for Love, Lothian Children’s Books, September 2022, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734421203 There are eleven words for love, and my family knows them all. This is YA author and academic Randa Abdel-Fatteh’s first picture book. She writes with a mix of prose and rhyming verse with a song-like rhythm. The end papers and title page open with images of a family with packed suitcases. A patchwork rainbow coloured suitcase pops up on other spreads, containing photos and other treasures which sets the context beautifully for…
Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble, The Raven’s Song, Allen & Unwin, October 2022, 288 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761065798 We’ve been told over and over we’re the generation that waits for the world to recover. We endure the heat. We endure the storms, the wrecking floods, the long droughts, the days of smoke as fire burns, coz this is what the honoured earth does when she’s trying to recover. A warning with what the future may hold, this novel hits close to home in its depiction of a post-pandemic and ecologically destroyed world where life has had to change…
Cat MacInnes, My Aussie Plants and Animals, Windy Hollow Books, June 2022, 28 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780645323535 Cat MacInnes presents an illustrated alphabet book focussing specifically on Australian plants and animals to illustrate the letters. The upper-case letters: with an animal, the lower case: with a plant species. A simple concept and format but delivered with skill and restraint makes for a quality early childhood resource. There are a few common and familiar images used that young readers are likely to recognise and excitedly point out and name, like kangaroo, echidna, magpie, and platypus, However, there are arguably more unrecognisable nouns…
Chris McKimmie, The New Dog, Ford Street Publishing, May 2022, 32 pp., RRP $16.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781922696045 Life is pretty good as the new dog, with a choice of places to sleep and seven stuffed lobsters to chew on. There are plenty of things to do and smell and dig, although bath time isn’t so much fun. This book is all about Kiddo, the new dog in the family, and through his eyes we get to see what life is like for him. The notes for the vet that are included at the end of the book add another small…
Lily Bailey, When I See Blue, Hachette Australia, June 2022, 272 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781510109803 I found reading this book exhausting! It’s exhausting because you walk in the shoes of Ben who is living with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and OCD is exhausting! Twelve year old Ben has moved to London from Essex and is starting at a new school; an anxious time for any kid, let alone one with OCD. His lucky number is four, and ‘The Thoughts’ tell him that as long as he does things in fours, everything, and everyone, will be ok. If he…
Olaf Falafel, Blobfish, Walker Books Australia, May 2022, 32 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk) 9781406397659 Blobfish lives in the ocean and loves telling jokes. Sadly, he has no friends to share his jokes with, and so begins his adventure. Will Blobfish find real friendship at the bottom of the ocean? Comedian Olaf Falafel tackles some big issues in 32 pages – littering and water pollution, loneliness, and friendship. By and large this tongue in cheek tale takes a light-hearted look at a serious environmental issue and does a great job for its intended audience. Weaving in themes of belonging and friendship against such an immense…