James Bishop (text), Rikin Parekh (illus.), Iguana Boy Saves the World With a Triple Cheese Pizza, Hachette Australia, 24 April 2018, 176pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781444939347 Dylan is a gentle and sensitive boy who would love to have a superpower, just as his two siblings, Sam and Millie (aka Arctic Thunder and Millie Monday) do. But his nasty siblings tease him relentlessly about his lack of superhero status and his general limited prowess. So, when Dylan discovers that he can communicate with iguanas he is somewhat disappointed with this seemingly useless superpower Nonetheless, it turns out to be Dylan and his…
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Daisy Hirst, I Do Not Like Books Anymore! Walker Books Australia, May 2018, 40pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781406369137 Natalie and Alphonse love books and stories, but when Natalie gets her first book to learn to read, she is very disappointed. The letters and words do not look right, and there is no story, being about a cat that can sit. She prefers to make up her own stories with her brother Alphonse, creating a wonderful tale and drawing the pictures and Dad writing the words, words Natalie could read. As Natalie and Alphonse make their own story, the visual text…
Shelly Unwin (text) Ben Wood (illus.), Blast Off!, Random House Australia, 30 April 2018, 32pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780143785040 Using humour in the text and illustrations, this is a fun journey through space for young children to discover simple facts about our solar system. Two children and a dog blast off in a rocket into space to visit each planet and the reader is invited to explore with them. Beginning with the covers and endpapers and through every page of the text there is a sense of adventure, action and space travel. The entertaining text by Shelly Unwin is written…
Coral Vass (text) Dub Leffler (illus.), Sorry Day, National Library of Australia Publishing, 1 April 2018, 34pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780642279033 Fear and panic as Maggie slips, lets go of her mother’s hand and loses sight of her in the “sea of legs”. She is in the crowd which waits expectantly to hear the Prime Minister’s apology speech to the Stolen Generations and their families. Frantically she searches for her mother’s loving touch. It has only been a moment but the pain has been sharp and real. On the next page we see the legs and heavy boots of white…
Kirli Saunders (text) Matt Ottley (illus.), The Incredible Freedom Machines, Scholastic Australia, May 2018, 24pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760275228 A young girl wants to break the boundaries of her limited world. She sees others gliding past in their fantastic freedom machines and wants one for herself. Eventually she discovers her own machine and voyages to all sorts of wondrous places, from the bottom of the sea to untouched, beautiful landscapes, all of which make her “a little more entire.” On the final page of the text she is shown relaxing in a chair with a book – her freedom machine…
Devon Sillet (text) Cara King (illus.) Scaredy Book, EK Books, 23 April 2018, 32pp.,, $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925335682 Book lives in a library where he feels safe and secure. From his shelf he can see other books being borrowed and, while many come back with tales of travel and adventure, some return with creased, ripped or even missing pages. Frighteningly, some never return at all! While book yearns for the chance to go outside and experience the world, he feels sheltered and protected on his shelf. However, when Emma comes into the library and borrows Book, he has such an…
Shirley Parenteau, Dolls of Hope, Candlewick Press/Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2018, 336pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781536200263 When village girl Chiyo’s older sister is engaged to a wealthy land owner, she is sent to a distant school to learn how a “traditional” girl should behave in Japan in 1927. The guileless and naive Chiyo feels out of place among her more sophisticated companions, but soon makes new friends. However, she is bullied and tormented by Hoshi, who is the daughter of a general and considers herself the leader of the class. When Chiyo is made protector of a doll sent…
Turia Pitt and Bryce Corbett Unmasked (Young Adult Edition), Random House Australia, 30 April 2018 274pp., $17.99 (pbk) ISBN 9780143790396 While a large percentage of the Australian adult population will be familiar with Turia Pitt’s remarkable story of survival after being caught in a wildfire during an ultra-marathon in the Kimberley in 2011, many teenagers may not. This YA version of her autobiography, also co-written with Bryce Corbett, tells of her amazing recovery and the life lessons she knew before the accident and those she has learnt since. While the book starts with the fire, Turia does describe her upbringing. Born in…
James Dashner, Journal of Curious Letters (The 13th Reality), Scholastic Australia, May 2018, 400pp., $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781742994789 Atticus ‘Tick’ Higginbottom receives a letter in the mail that changes his life. Postmarked from Alaska, the letter reveals the first of 12 clues. If solved, something extraordinary – but unknown – will happen. If he doesn’t want to continue, burning a letter will stop the journey. Not usually an adventurer by nature, Tick decides to keep deciphering the clues despite the unexpected and sometimes frightening events that go with it. He seeks help on the internet and befriends others who have also received letters.…
Ilsa Evans, Stratification, Harbour Publishing House, April 2018, 432pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922134356 Grady Pryndot’s life is already planned: she will be trained as a seer, like her mother before her. There is no need to complete the travels that mark other young peoples’ rite of passage, nor is she blessed with any gifts that would make her part of the chosen collection to go to Haven in service to their people. But on the night before her friends leave, the demi-gods decree that Grady can participate in the travels. Her mother reluctantly allows it, restricting the places Grady can go. Grady, however, takes…