We asked author, Randa Abdel-Fattah to tell us a little about how her timely YA novel, When Michael Met Mina developed. Her answer is of course, gracious and thoughtful. The book explores topics not only of interest to Australian young people, but also to many others across the globe. How does racism affect people’s everyday lives? How does it affect the victims– and the racists, too? Just over three and a half years’ ago I quit law and started a PhD to explore just that question. I wanted to unpack racism, specifically Islamophobia, from the point of view of its perpetrators. While I was conducting…
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Virginie Morgand, What Do Grown-ups Do All Day?, Wide Eyed Editions/Murdoch Books, May 2016, 64pp., $29.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781847808097 Can you remember wondering as a child what adults did all day? Or perhaps you wondered about what you might do when you grew up? This picture book by Virginie Morgand explores these questions through fourteen different work places, covering over one hundred different jobs. Each new work place is briefly explained with illustrations and minimal text, depicting a multitude of vocations from labourers on a building site, to farmer, artist and chef. Influenced by hand printing techniques, Morgand has created a…
James Roy (text), Lucinda Gifford (illus), Rules are Rules (Chook Doolan #1), Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2016, 64pp., $7.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922244932 James Roy (text), Lucinda Gifford (illus), The Newest Pet (Chook Doolan #2), Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2016, 64pp., $7.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922244949 James Roy is a very popular Australian author of YA and middle grade novels. Now he has produced a terrific new series of chapter books for emergent readers. The main character, Simon Doolan is known as ‘Chook’ because he is chicken (scared) of everything. He lives with his big brother Ricky, his mum, his dad, a cat called…
Thalia Kalkipsakis, Split Infinity (Lifespan of Starlight #2), Hardie Grant Egmont, 1 May 2016, 272pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760125325 In an Orwellian future society is tightly controlled by ‘the Feds’ and the ‘legals’ have chips implanted in their arms. But if you are an ‘illegal’ like Scout you have no chip and that means no right to rations, school or to exist within mainstream society. Scout and her friend Mason however have learnt to time skip; this means they can escape to the future, or does it? Scout soon discovers the Feds have been waiting for her, her mum has disappeared and…
Amy Tintera, Ruined, Allen & Unwin, May 2016, 368pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760290641 Emelina Flores, (Em) is consumed with rage; she wants revenge for the death of her parents, the king and queen of Ruina, the kidnapping of her sister and the destruction of the kingdom. Although she does not have magic like other Ruined she is a skilled fighter and has planned an ambush. She will infiltrate the enemy kingdom of Lera by impersonating the prince’s betrothed and then destroy the royal family. The problem is however life is never that simple; Em hasn’t counted on emotions getting in the…
Diane Evans (text), Ian Faulkner (illus), Mo, the Darling Dingo, Big Sky Publishing, 1 March 2016, 40pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922132833 Mo, the Daring Dingo is a delightful picture book about a courageous young dingo who is looking for adventure. He sneaks out and, against good advice, goes to the waterfall. Ian Faulkner’s quirky brightly-coloured illustrations play nicely with the text adding a subplot of fairies watching over a range of Australian animal characters. Brisbane author, Diane Evans has highlighted certain words in bold print- enhancing the reading experience for kids. This story will spark conversation about the young dingo who wants…
Herve Tullet, Let’s Play, Allen & Unwin, April 2016, 60 pages, $22.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760292980 Following on from the wildly successful Press Here and Mix It Up, French author and illustrator Herve Tullet has created another playful, colourful interactive book. Yellow dot is bored and invites the reader to play by pressing the page here and there to make it move around or by pressing it, the dot multiplies or changes colour or jumps. The reader is also instructed to trace lines with their finger, clap and spin etc. By turning each page the reader discovers the effect of their actions. There…
Libby Hathorn (text), Gaye Chapman (illus), Incredibilia, Little Hare, May 2016, $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760125257 Georgie is the youngest and is always ignored by Max and Harriet who don’t include her in their games. But Georgie is inventive and resilient – a leaf becomes a message from a tree, a flower tells her something, there is hidden meaning in the patterns of rain on the windowpane and in the shape of the clouds. When she decides to play her game by herself she finally catches the attention of Max and Harriet but now it is Georgie who sets the rules. ‘You…
Sara Pennypacker (text), Jon Klassen (illus), Pax, HarperCollins Australia, 4 April 2016, 275pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780008124090 This is a quest novel about loss and how you cope with it. It is a physical journey beautifully realised in carefully described settings and also, more importantly, an inner journey of discovery of what is true and what is important in life. Award winning author Jenny Pennypacker has created here an engrossing many-layered narrative high on emotional intensity. In a heart-wrenching opening scene 12 year-old Peter is compelled by his father to abandon his pet fox, Pax, and live 300 miles away with…
Em Bailey, The Special Ones, Hardie Grant Egmont, 1 April 2016, 320pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781742976280 Esther is one of the four Special Ones. They are teenagers living in an isolated country farmhouse with no electricity or running water, and grow or raise all their own food. To their online followers they live perfect, simple lives and are role models and advisors. But all is not as it seems. It has been a long time since Esther believed she was Special, she has come to realise she is a prisoner of a dangerous madman. As she struggles to keep up the…