Jacqueline Harvey, Alice-Miranda in Hollywood (Alice-Miranda #16), Random House Australia, 28 August 2017, 368pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143780618 Alice-Miranda and her friends are off on another exciting adventure. They have been chosen to act in Lawrence Ridley’s new western movie in Hollywood. But there is something strangely suspicious going on behind the scenes. Could it be sabotage or is the rumour of an old curse true? Time is running out for one of the characters. Can Alice-Miranda figure out the mystery in time? Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is no ordinary nine-year old girl. Although, as her name suggests, she is outrageously wealthy,…
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Christine Sharp, Bertha and Bear, University of Queensland Press, August 2018, 32pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780702254062 When a beehive is struck by a falling branch, the Queen bee sends brave Bertha out into the storm to find a new home for the hive. Bertha flies into the woods and finds Bear. She plucks up her courage to ask Bear for help. Bear seems quite amicable and makes a deal to share his home in return for honeycomb. Bertha and Bear is a beautifully designed picture book. The rich, stylised illustrations are a feast for the eyes. Although I found the…
Dee White (text), Tracie Grimwood (illus.), Reena’s Rainbow, EK Books, Sept 2017, 32pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925335491 Reena is different from other children. She cannot hear – sounds are scrambled and make no sense. When she plays hide and seek in the park, her perfect eyes are very good at seeking but when she hides, she cannot hear the children calling her and is left behind. Reena is feeling lonely until she meets Brown Dog, who doesn’t seem to belong either. Together they make a great team and Dog makes sure Reena is never left behind again. This simple, touching…
We asked Allison Tait to write something about her recently released book, The Book of Secrets, and she graciously sent us this thoughtful and insightful post entitled, Why I love Reluctant Heroes. It references her first series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, and digs deep into character portrayal. Thanks Allison! If you’ve read any part of my middle-grade adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles, you’ll know that Quinn Freeman, our hero, is … reluctant. Presented, in book #1, with the idea of leaving home and heading off to mapmaking school, his first response is ‘er, no thanks, I’m good here at home, reading…
Melissa Gijsbers, Lizzy’s Dragon, Stone Table Books, June 2017, 74pp., $12.95 (pbk), ISBN: 9780648118626 Lizzy’s Dragon is a fun book for early readers that combines an Australian rural setting with a bit of fantasy. Lizzy wants a pet lizard, but Mum says they have enough animals. While going for a walk in the paddock to get over her annoyance, Lizzy finds a curious yellow rock. Still feeling unhappy that she can’t have a pet of her own, especially as her unsympathetic younger brother has a puppy, Lizzy keeps her new find safe (and secret) in her room. The “rock” turns out…
Jackie Randall, Emelin, Self-Published, May 2017, 172pp., $14.50 (pbk), ISBN: 9780995379718 This is a first-class historical fiction read for the middle school age group. Emelin is an orphan in medieval England. Having seen first her father, then her mother and still born baby brother, die, Emelin has spent two years with her Uncle Calibor, a kindly if reluctant guardian. Calibor is an illuminator of manuscripts, and a very good one. Finding that his niece shares this special talent, he teaches her the trade, which she learns very quickly. This poor but happy life is disrupted just at the time when prospects…
Jack Heath, 500 Minutes of Danger, Scholastic Australia, 1 August 2017, 192pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781743816493 This is the third in a series of power packed short stories, designed to be read within 30 minutes. The stories read at break-neck speed, with disasters literally around every corner. The genre is pretty set, but the locations and various disasters cover just about every imaginable event – and many I would never have imagined. In the opening story, Quicksand, a girl goes looking for her adventurous uncle who has not returned from a bush expedition, and is soon neck deep in quicksand, feeling tremors…
Bajo & Hex, Speed Zone (Pixel Raiders #3), Scholastic, 1 March 2017, 192pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760275679 Speed Zone is the third installment in the Pixel Raiders series by gaming TV show hosts Bajo and Hex. Created for children who love gaming, the book continues to follow the journey of racers Rip and Mei through their virtual realities. Originally beta testers for a new virtual reality game and now racing for their pixelated lives, Rip and Mei are two school children who love to game. Following on from the two previous books in the series, Dig World and Dragon Land, the…
Gabrielle Williams, My Life as A Hashtag, Allen & Unwin, June 2017, 288pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760113681 Frankly, this book was excellent. Modern, eye-opening, and almost too real, My Life as a Hashtag is definitely something for any millennial- especially those who identify as female – and something that, as a 16 year old with a social media account of my own, really resonated quite deeply. I feel like I simply must say it again- My Life as a Hashtag was excellent. The book is centered on the life of 16 year old MC (Marie-Claude). After she kisses a boy that…
Aaron Blabey, Intergalactic Gas (The Bad Guys # 5), Scholastic Australia, 1 May 2017, 144pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760279479 The world is ending. The good news? The bad guys are back to save it! It’s one small step for the Sort-of-International-League-of-Good-Guys-Guys. It’s one GIANT leap for the Bad Guys. The fifth installment of the children’s series The Bad Guys, Intergalactic Gas is sure to be a new favourite for younger readers. Whilst not a particularly taxing read, the novel is short and sweet- and the care that has gone into each illustration and character is evident throughout. Each friendship develops just…