Kate Pankhurst, Fantastically Great Women Who Worked Wonders, March 2019, Bloomsbury Publishing, 32 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781408899274 The cover and title of this book instantly captured my attention, and continued to as I turned page after page. The introduction page which calls the reader to ‘follow your fantastically great dreams with…’ was an invitation I couldn’t refuse. A book which powerfully and creatively captures the journeys, successes and challenges of the profiled great women, while also encouraging the reader to follow the lead of ‘these big dreamers and go-getters’ to achieve their goals no matter how big or…
Author: Admin
Anh Do (text), and Jeremy Ley (illustrator), Ninja Switch! (Ninja Kid #3), Scholastic Australia, March 2019, 192pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760662820 Nelson has always been skinny and unfit – that is, until he turns 10 when his innate ninja skills present themselves. Suddenly the prospect of competing in the approaching athletics carnival seems exciting. Surely his ninja skills will help him win a medal. But when the day finally arrives, Grandma and her inventions change everything. The Ninja Kid books by Anh Do follow on from the success of his best-selling WeirdDo series that tell the story of a…
Natalie Jane Prior (text) and Stephen Michael King (illustration), Wandering Star, Scholastic Australia, May 2019, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760663339 A young girl and her horse go on an enchanting adventure making friends along the way. On their travels, they encounter a circus filled with talented animals, a farm with a field full of sheep, and finally their favourite place of all—a secret cove where they look out for dolphins and seals. Even when their adventure takes a turn and they end up in a dark cave, the young girl discovers how brave she can be with her…
Zanni Louise (text) and Philip Bunting (illustrator), Mum for Sale (Errol! #2), Scholastic Australia, April 2019, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781742996080 When Errol the penguin struggles to get his mum’s attention, what does he do? He puts her up for sale! Not before long, Errol is reminded how precious his mum is and all the wonderful things she can do. Zanni Louise’s simple, yet eye-catching text along with Philip Bunting’s vibrant illustrations makes this story easily accessible for younger children, encouraging them to read and interpret the pictures on their own. Young children will wholeheartedly relate to Errol’s…
Anna Walker, I Love My Grandma (I Love Ollie #9), Scholastic Australia, April 2019, 24 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760667184 While Ollie the zebra spends the day with his grandma playing, singing, painting and having a picnic, I am fondly reminded of my own grandmother, who always had a story to tell, or game to play. Written in effortless rhyme, I Love My Grandma, captures the heart-warming bond that can exist between grandparents and grandchildren, and beautifully portrays the magic ability of children to find joy in the simplest of things. Anna Walker has an uncanny ability to extend…
Deborah Underwood (text) and Hannah Marks (illustrator), The Panda Problem, Scholastic Australia, May 2019, 48 pp., RRP $15.99, ISBN 978176066590 NY Times’ best-selling author Deborah Underwood has created a refreshingly different picture book in The Panda Problem. When a cheeky panda interrupts the story a narrator is trying to tell, we know it’s going to be good. You see, a narrator needs the main character to have a problem; otherwise there will be no story. But Panda doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s not scared of spiders, he doesn’t want a friend, and he doesn’t wish to be…
Megan Daley, Raising Readers: How to nurture a child’s love of books, University of Queensland Press, April 2019, 246 pp., RRP $27.95 (pbk), ISBN 9780702262579 I am not the most objective person when it comes to this book, but I am sure I can review it with some impartiality. Full disclosure. I worked with Megan in my first teacher librarian job and we have remained friends since then. This book is a culmination of two years of writing and editing, but of course, is based on Megan’s experience and practice as a teacher librarian for the last 20. Raising Readers:…
Hilary Rogers, Boss Girl (Girltopia #2), Scholastic Australia, March 2019, 192pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781742994598 Boss Girl commences four weeks after an outbreak of a mysterious virus affecting all males in Girltopia (formerly known as Melbourne). Clara has shot to fame via Instagram after her bravery in the early days of the crisis, and is showing great initiative starting up an informal nursery and volunteering at the hospital. Although at first glance it may appear unrealistic that ‘tweens’ would take on that much responsibility in a somewhat dystopian society, it does not come across as forced or unnatural and Clara,…
Jacqueline Harvey, Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilemma (Clementine Rose #14), Random House Australia, December 2018, 160 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143780595 Six year old Clementine Rose lives with her family in Penberthy House. The holidays are coming and Clementine is looking forward to a trip to the city, but her plans are changed when the hosts of The Great Village Bake-Off, Florence and Nobby Loveberry, choose Penberthy House to stage their next show. The village is abuzz with the news and would-be contestants are flocking to the auditions. There will also be a junior bake-off so Clementine is…
Tim Harris (text), and James Hart (illustrator), On the Lookout (Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables #4), Penguin Random House, February 2019, 240 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143793144 Mr Bambuckle and his remarkable class are back again in the fourth book of the series. The story begins where the last one left off – at the campgrounds with Miss Frost considering the implications of a runaway student, Vex Vron. She realises with much irritation that she must work together with the teacher in order to keep her job. This involves some clandestine shenanigans to keep the runaway a secret from the principal…