Author: Admin

Aaron Blabey,  Don’t Call Me Bear! ,  Scholastic Australia,  1 August 2016,  24pp.,  $16.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9781760159849 How much can a koala bear? Well, for Warren, the Koala, not much more at all! In fact, he’s had a gutful of being called a bear, and he’s on a mission to set the record straight.  Having been wrongly labelled a bear since the landing of Captain Cook, Warren is ready to let everyone know that cute, furry and bear-like though he may be, koalas are in fact marsupials! Aaron Blabey’s newest picture book tackles Warren’s rage in hilarious, rhyming text, with bright,…

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Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman(text), Ben Newman (illus.),  Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure: a journey through physics, Flying Eye Books, 1 June 2016, 64pp., $29.99 (hbk),  ISBN 9781909263604 Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure is a large, almost square picture book which aims to explain physics to young readers. The book is printed on sustainably produced paper in muted colours. There is a combined glossary/index at the back and the book looks quite attractive. The main character, Professor Astro Cat, is shown wearing a space helmet while his fellow animal characters, such as dogs, bears, mice and rabbits, are not. This…

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Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein (editors),  Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction, 2015,  Twelfth Planet Press,  Sept 2016,  376pp.,  $16.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9781922101501 Short story compilations are a marvellous way to meet new authors. Reading one is  the best way to get a taste of the style and flavour of the writer as it were, before committing yourself to a full- length novel. Plus established novelists often get a bit experimental and playful in the short story which can be a lot of fun. This book is worth reading even if only for the excellent introduction which provides a thorough review of…

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Vivian French (text), Marta Kissi (illus). The Adventures of Alfie Onion. Walker Books, 1 July 2016, 189pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406363104 Aggie Lumpett, a devotee of fairy tales, is convinced that she is going to ‘marry a prince and live happily ever after’. Sadly, no princes ever come her way so she settles for the next best thing – she marries a seventh son and proceeds to bear seven (well, eight if you count Alfie) sons of her own. She cossets her seventh child (entirely ignoring her eighth), names him Magnifico and declares him a hero. Magnifico’s destiny is set…

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Goldie Alexander. Cybertricks. Five Senses Education, 2016, 194pp., $16.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781741308884 In the year 20,043, Planet Terra is on the cusp of The Great Disaster – fossil fuels are being wantonly consumed, flora and fauna are vanishing, war is erupting. Four ‘hatchlings’ – human life forms from the year 20,043 who have previously known only isolation within the metal walls of their individual cells – enter this 21st-century world. The hatchlings are a contrary bunch comprising two ‘fems’ (Pya and Zumi) and two ‘mascs’ (Trist and Jafet). They are tasked with learning about cooperation, and their arrival on Terra…

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Sara Gillingham, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: the complete book of nautical codes. Phaidon/Penguin Random House Australia, 15 March 2016, (unpaged, 60 leaves), $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780714871257 Reaching back in time, memory tells me that some of my most enjoyable literacy and numeracy lessons as a classroom teacher featured codes. Students appreciated the double delight of unscrambling a hidden meaning and of having a secret communication tool at their disposal for future use. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie taps into that childhood pleasure, and combines it with authoritative research, and impressive production values. Sara Gillingham’s book begins with an explanation of four types of nautical codes: signal…

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Eileen Cook,  With Malice,  Hot Key/Allen & Unwin,  August 2016,  304pp.,  $16.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9781471405853 With Malice is a draining read in many ways. Eileen Cook’s novel gives you just enough to think Jill is guilty of murder, before tables turn and you find yourself sympathizing with Jill. But, on to the plot: Jill wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past six weeks, including her long-awaited trip to Italy, and the circumstances leading up to her best friend Simone’s, death in Italy. Very quickly Cook establishes that Jill is under suspicion of Simone’s murder and Jill is left…

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Kara Sorti, Tripping Back Blue,  Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2016,  $24.99 (hbk),  ISBN: 9781512403084 Whoa. This is not a story for the prudish. Or for kids under the age of 15. Riddled with drug references, addiction, family abuse, and casual sex, this book explores many dark areas through the experiences of Finn Walt, a 17 year old drug addict and dealer. At first I found the story hard to get into, it felt almost forced, but then it eased into itself and I began to feel comfortable and invested, until it kinda imploded towards the end. Yes, there was a…

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Pamela Rushby, Princess Parsley,  Scholastic Australia,  July 2016,  224pp.,  $14.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9781742991610 Parsley Patterson is the eldest of four sisters – the others being Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Just about to start high school, Parsley knows her name is going to be a cross to carry and is planning to become Patsy. But things get worse. The family make a living growing herbs and making associated products, which they cart to markets to sell, until they get the idea of hosting their own market, and thus must face the slings and arrows of the local council. One thing leads to…

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Suzi Moore (text), Erica Salcedo (illus.), Wolfish Stew,  Bloomsbury/Allen & Unwin,  July 2016,  32pp.,  $14.99 (pbk),  ISBN: 9781408844953 Wolfish Stew is a delightful collaboration between author and illustrator. It’s a fresh take on an oft-visited picture book topic, a crafty wolf chasing his innocent prey, here a rabbit named Grey. He is on his way through the forest, a place populated with charming animal onlookers, but must be careful to watch out for Blue, the sneaky wolf! This book cleverly subverts the traditional narrative with a surprising ending that will tickle readers. Young readers will take great enjoyment in reading along with…

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