Patrick Ness, Release, Walker Books Australia, 4 May 2017, 287pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781406331172 Twice winner of the Carnegie medal, script writer for the film version of his children’s best seller, A Monster Calls, and author of both Young Adult and adult fiction, Patrick Ness has already a formidable reputation and strong body of work. He has said that this is his most personal book. The novel follows Adam Thorn, seventeen years old, through a single day in his life—a day marked by changes that require him to ‘release’ all sorts of feelings, secrets, grudges, doubts, fears and reservations. Adam…
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Martine Murray, Marsh and Me, Text Publishing, 3 July 2017, 256pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925498011 Joey is not very happy with himself. He is shy, blushes easily, wants to be better at everything he does, and has a few friends who are rather like he is himself. He goes for walks up a particular hill to be alone with his dog, but this time there is someone else there. She has built a treehouse and is secretive about everything, including her name. She does have a beautiful voice. Joey calls her Marsh. As the novel proceeds Joey finds out about her by following…
Belinda Murrell, The Beach Shack Cafe (Pippa’s Island #1), Random House Australia, 3 July 2017, 240pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143783671 Pippa, her mother, sister and brother have recently arrived from London. Dad has left them for a position in Switzerland, and it seems that is it for his responsibility for the rest of the family. Mum has sold up in Britain and they are now living in a caravan behind Pippa’s mother’s parents’ place at Kira Island. Pippa has to share a room, she misses all her old friends, Mum wants her help to convert an old boat shed into a…
Darren Groth, Exchange of Heart, Random House Australia, 31 July 2017, 275pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143781578 Canadian Munro Maddux had a sister with Down’s Syndrome, and he blames himself for her early death. To face his grief, and the plaguing voice inside him which he calls the Coyote, he arrives in Brisbane as an exchange student. His new family welcomes him, he makes a circle of friends, his high school is caring. So why doesn’t the Coyote go away? Munro, at first reluctantly, but later with enthusiasm, volunteers to work in a community of disabled young people, Fair Go, and…
Harmony Jones, The High Note (Girl vs Boy Band #2), Bloomsbury, 1 June 2017, 267pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781408878279 The High Note is the second book in the Girls Vs Boy Band series by Harmony Jones. In this adventure, protagonist Lark Campbell must juggle her own musical identity whilst managing the excitement of having the hottest boy band on the planet as house guests. Lark has the life most tweens dream of – her mother works in the music industry and manages boy band Abbey Road, made up of two dreamy British boys, Ollie and Max, and local talent Teddy,…
Imagine if… celebrating children’s book illustration in Australia Each CBCA Book Week has had a theme since 1945 and, since 1987, there has been artwork interpreting that theme developed by the winner of the previous year’s Picture Book of the Year illustrator. This collection of artwork represents the very pinnacle of children’s book illustration in Australia. It is housed at the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature and is being shown for the first time in the current Imagine If… exhibition. The exhibition, at the University of Canberra, will run until August 30 and is open each weekday between 10am…
Vivian French (text), Marta Dissi (illus.), The Cherry Pie Princess, Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2017, 176pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781406368970 Peony is not a typical princess. While her older sisters squabble about princess-y things, Peony prefers to widen her mind. At first, she takes cooking lessons. But when her father, the King, finds out, he puts a stop to her training. So Peony visits the library only to cause the helpful librarian to land in the dungeon. Then, with the christening of her little brother just a day away, Peony is tossed in the same prison. She soon realises…
Shannon Horsfall, NoMax!, HarperCollins Australia, 1 June 2017, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781460753927 NoMax! is the story of a lovable dog that enjoys every moment of his day. Whether it’s fetching slippers or working in the garden, this well-intentioned pup is just trying to help. So why is his master always calling him NoMax? In a rollicking, rhyming first person narrative, NoMax tells readers about a typical day that includes being ever-so-helpful to his family. But in this clever picture book, the illustrations show a very different story to the one told by this cute canine. In fun, mixed media…
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Karen Tyrrell, The Battle of Bug World (Song Bird #2), Digital Futures Press, 24 June 2017, 180pp., $14.95 (pbk), ISBN: 9780994302182 I really like the premise of this book. Rosie, the superhero Song Bird, has lost her voice which is the source of her power. Cataclysmic events, like tornadoes and giant sinkholes, are threatening the neighbourhood. All the bees have mysteriously disappeared, and a massive food shortage could be the result. And worst of all, Rosie’s sister, Raven, has disappeared. What’s a silenced Song Bird to do? Rosie has to summon up all her courage, round up her friends, and…