Anita Heiss, Matty’s Comeback, Scholastic Australia, Feb 2016, 96pp., $9.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760152031 Matty is the South Sydney Rabbitoh’s biggest fan. His whole family are Rabbitoh’s supporters, but everyone agrees that Matty is their number 1 fan. He collects South Sydney memorabilia, is a member of the club and goes to every game he can. He even plays for the South Eastern Seagulls in the local competition because their uniform is red, white and green. Matty has been playing well and helps get his team to the grand final, but just before the big game he comes off his…
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David Baddiel (text), Jim Field, (illus) The Boy Who Could Do What He Liked, HarperCollins, 3 Jan 2016, 128pp., $9.99, (pbk), ISBN: 9780008167813 Alfie lives a very structured life. His mother died when he was small, and to help them both cope, his father developed Routines. Alfie has a routine for every waking moment in his day, and even his babysitter knows his routines and sticks to them. His new stepmother has been dropping hints to his father about maybe easing up on them, but the routines make Alfie and his father feel safe. One day though, Alfie’s regular babysitter is unavailable…
Lindsay Eager, Hour of the Bees, Walker Books, 1 March 2016, 368pp., $16.99, (pbk), ISBN: 9781406368154 Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager is a complicated and lengthy read. While on the surface it deals with a family packing up grandfather to move him to a care home, it’s also a fable of sorts, commenting on climate change and the need for humanity to remember kindness and humility when it’s all too easy to get caught up with busy superficial living. Main character Carolina is disgruntled with her upcoming summer. Forced to leave her friends and home to move…
Bernadette Hellard and Lisa Gibbs, Pivot and Win (Netball Gems #3), Random House Australia, 2 Nov 2015, 153pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9 780857 987686 Bernadette Hellard and Lisa Gibbs, Defend to the End (Netball Gems #4), Random House Australia, 2 Nov 2015, 154pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9 780857 987709 Pivot and Win is the third book in the Netball Gems series, while Defend to the End is the fourth. The eight books in the Netball Gems series were written in partnership with Netball Australia. Each book focuses on a player in the Marrang Club’s under 13 team, the Marrang Gems. Pivot…
Bryony Pearce. Phoenix Rising. Stripes Publishing, 1 June 2015, 368pp., $20.99 (pbk), ISBN: 99781847154507 Phoenix Rising is set in the future – where ships sail through oceans filled with junk, fossil fuels are no more, anarchy rules, and it’s every person (or ship) for themselves. The Phoenix is a pirate ship filled with an outlaw crew who try to stay one step ahead of their enemies as they search for a particular island where they can stop running and make a new life. The story centres around the captain’s son Toby who has been at sea since he was six…
Emma Freedman, Turning Pointes, HarperCollins, 4 Jan 2016, 240pp., $14.99, (pbk), ISBN: 9781460751633 This is a ripper of a yarn about the highs and lows of the world of ballet, centering around the Beaumont Academy, and the trials and tribulations of the first person narrator April Franklin. Her journey through the rigours of classical ballet classes, family and friends, relationships and the search for identity, make for an engrossing read for the young ballet aficionado. The pull between traditional performance and April’s natural fit with jazz and hip hop make for a great read. Recommended for young readers. Note: Emma Freedman was…
T. E. Chamie, Oranges at Halftime, Thou Art Publishing, 1 Dec 2015, 32 pp., $16.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780646945484 This is a story of inclusion, friendship and decision making . Two friends join a soccer club and when one decides to leave his mates to help the A team win the cup, the other opts to stay in the lower grade with his friends. Told in rhyming couplets, the language is simple and immediate. Illustrations are a little harder to warm to as, although pages are busy and depict the bustle and camaraderie of the games and training, the characters are…
Karen Hull, Love You, Mum, Lothian/Hachette, 22 March 2016, 24pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780734414441 Very much like a collection of sentimental verse and romantic illustration that would be found in a Mother’s Day card, this small book features Australian fauna and their young, each in a double page with a continuing rhyming story line leading inevitably to bedtime. Lorrikeet, dingo, koala and bilby among others depict the mother and young bonding, ending with the platypus and a delicate affirmation of love somewhat in a watery way. A sweet little book. Reviewed by Chris Dayman
Over the last several years, evidence has been building about the importance of reading aloud to children and young adults. It is timely that Meg Philp contacted Reading Time to request a list of books reviewed here be gathered to support this crucial campaign. Meg has written a short insightful piece on why parents and educators should read to children of all ages, and we have included some links to articles providing more information and support. Reading aloud can put life back into words that have been written down. It’s a step towards oral storytelling and one of the ways parents…
M. G. Leonard, Beetle Boy, Scholastic Australia, 1 March 2016, 336 pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781910002704 Beetle Boy is an intriguing, complex and endearing story about family, friendship and the ethics around scientific discovery. A complex mystery reveals itself slowly, in layers, and the wonderfully inventive methods used to thwart villainous plans and ultimately crack the mystery, keep the pages turning. When we first meet him, Darkus is a loner whose dad has mysteriously vanished. He has been brought to live with his archaeologist uncle – Max, who proves to be a caring and reliable figurehead despite not being the…