Jacqui Halpin (text), John Phillips (illus.), Parmesan the Reluctant Racehorse, Little Pink Dog Books, 1 Oct 2017, 38pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780994626929 Readers will recognise the fun of make-believe games with this amusing story about Parmesan the horse. He behaves like a dog and thinks he is a dog but his job is to run races, not chase balls and if he doesn’t perform well at the Spring Races his trainer thinks they will be in big trouble. This aspect gives overtones of reality and responsible thinking to what is essentially a tale about being yourself and being allowed to…
Author: Admin
Reviewer Liz shares her picks from 2017… How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea – Kate Hosford (text), Gabi Swiatkowska (Illus.) I love finding/reviewing a story that you wish you had created yourself. This quirky picture book fitted that bill, celebrating the wanders of ‘taking tea’ (one of my own favourite pastimes) with delicate pencil drawings that hint at the bizarre newspaper engravings of the Victorian age. Iris and the Tiger – Leanne Hall I met Leanne at the NSW Premier’s Awards night (we were up for the same award) and was charmed by her middle grade story. I read it…
Reviewer Margot shares her top books of 2017… Forgetting Foster – Dianne Touchell I found this book, which tells the story of a father’s struggle with the advance of Alzheimer’s disease, really engaging.. The book is told through the eyes of Foster, a seven year-old boy, who must negotiate the changes in his family circumstances. Words in Deep Blue – Cath Crowley This is a celebration of words, friendship, books and story. Construction using a range of narrative devices just adds to the complexity of this beautifully-crafted book – perfect for all of who love words. …
Emily Suvada, This Mortal Coil, Puffin, 30 Oct 2017, 453pp., $17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780141379272 With the tag-line there’s no gene for run like hell, readers of This Mortal Coil know they are in for an action-packed story before they turn to the front page – and they should not be disappointed. This dystopian tale features many themes, and introduces some new ideas for an original story that maintains its fast pace for most of its 450 odd pages. The story centres around Catarina Agatta, daughter of world renowned geneticist Lachlan Agatta, and is set two years after the world has been shaken…
Sonia Audoly (text), Francesca Quatraro (illus.), The Magic Mail Fairy, Little Steps Publishing, 1 Oct 2017, 36pp., $14.95 (hbk), ISBN: 9781925545524 In the electronic age, letter writing seems to be a dying art. However anyone who grew up in the days before email and Snapchat would remember the excitement of receiving a handwritten letter, addressed just to you. For Nina, that excitement is enhanced when she visits her Great Aunts, because not only do they have regular mail, they have Fairy Mail! The Magic Mail Fairy actually lives quite close to their house, and although she is often out delivering mail,…
Lisa Papp, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, Walker Books Australia, 1 Sept 2017, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781910646328 Madeline Finn does not like to read – and she especially dislikes reading out loud. The words become tangled, and the children listening giggle when she stumbles – and no matter how hard she tries, she just can’t get a star from her teacher – only hearts, which say ‘keep trying.’ Luckily for Madeline, when her mother takes her to the library she meets Bonnie, who is a very good listener. Bonnie never laughs when she makes a mistake, and she…
Reviewer Kay shares her picks for 2017… Force of Nature – Jane Harper A standout for me in 2017 was Jane Harper’s Force of Nature. Set in the fictional Giralong Ranges, east of Melbourne, five women reluctantly enter the rugged bushland as part of a corporate team building exercise – but only four return. Each of the women have their own secrets, and their relations with each other range from frosty to downright hostile. What happens during those few days in the bush is a mystery, and Federal Police Officer Aaron Falk finds himself drawn in to the complex stories…
Reviewer Amy shares her top books of 2017… 2017 was an awesome year for both new releases, and for sequels and continuations of some of my favourite series!! Due to the sheer multitude of incredible books that I read this year, my mini-reviews for this list will all be for debut novels or the starts of new series, so that no context is required! I’ll leave a little list of favorites sequels underneath- Happy New Year everyone, and happy reading! Avery (The Chronicles of Kaya #1) – Charlotte McConaghy Adult Fantasy New. Favourite. Trilogy! I loved loved loved this series- beginning…
John Flanagan, The Caldera (Brotherband #7), Random House Australia, 30 Oct 2017, 432pp., $18.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780857980137 As a younger child myself, The Rangers’ Apprentice was one of my favourite series, and when John Flanagan released Brotherband as a new series, I loved it. Sadly, over the years I’ve been drawn away from his books, but reading the series again for review has reminded me of just how much I love his work. The Caldera is the conclusion to the Brotherband series, being the seventh book. Continuing to follow Hal’s journey in his wolfship with all of his ‘brotherband’ members, the Caldera…
Beattie Alvarez (editor), A Christmas Menagerie, Christmas Press, Oct 2017, 96pp., $24.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780994528049 A Christmas Menagerie is a compilation of Australian and Christmas themed short stories told from the perspectives of a variety of children and animals. From wombats to small girls in koala onesies, the book was a thoroughly enjoyable compilation and quite satisfactorily fulfilled its purpose as a Christmas-based book for me. Each story presented a small moral or physical issue for the main character, and all were resolved with the charm of a children’s book- with the strength of friendships new and old, the ingenuity of…