Cinderella Liberator : A Fairy Tale Revolution
By Rebecca Solnit Illustrated by Arthur Rackham Reviewed by Mia Macrossan In 1892 someone found 345 variants of the Cinderella story. Here is one more written by Rebecca Solnit which uses the famous Arthur Rackham illustrations. For Solnit, as she says in her
Can You Do This?
By Michael Wagner Illustrated by Heath McKenzie Reviewed by Margarite Igras. In this wildly imaginative story about sibling rivalry, I can see a mental subtitle on each page saying these activities are dangerous, do not do this. Regardless, little brother imagines that his bigger brother
Tinsel
By Sibeal Pounder Reviewed by Sarah Custance Sibeal Pounder is the award winning author of the Witch Wars series as well as the Bad Mermaids books. Her newest book, Tinsel, puts an imaginative twist to the classic ‘Santa Claus’ story by asking
The Coloured Echidna
By Eunice Day Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Eunice Day is an Aboriginal Elder from Blackwater. The Coloured Echidna is one of the twelve new picture books for Queensland’s youngest readers published as part of First 5 Forever, an early literacy program initiated
Oswald Messweather
Written by Dimity Powell Illustrated by Siobhan McVey Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Oswald Constantine Dorian Messweather is a young boy who hates his name because it is confusing and messy. He also hates other messy situations around the home, such as his father’s
The Girl Who Speaks Bear
By Sophie Anderson Illustrated by Kathrin Honesta Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Sophie Anderson loves to write stories inspired by different folklores and cultures. Her previous novels are The Castle of Tangled Magic and The House with Chicken Legs. In The Girl Who Speaks
Into the Wild
Written by Robert Vescio Illustrated by Mel Armstrong Reviewed by Sandy Driessens The cover of “Into the Wild”, is so engaging, it makes you want to soar with the blue bird, but also conveys the joy of the little person watching it
The Bird in the Herd
by Kathryn Apel Illustrated by Renee Treml Reviewed by Jillian Custance Here is another charming title by Kathryn Apel, who has published work, mostly in verse, for children across age ranges. Kathryn grew up on a Queensland grazing property giving her a unique
The Edge of Thirteen
By Nova Weetman Reviewed by Zewlan Moor This is the third book about Clem Timmins, following on from the award-winning The Secrets We Share and The Secrets We Keep. Clem is thirteen and navigating changed family and friendship dynamics, as well as being
One Lone Swallow
by Corinne Fenton Illustrated by Owen Swan Reviewed by Jillian Custance Corinne Fenton is the Australian author of over a dozen picture books. For One Lone Swallow she has once again teamed up with illustrator Owen Swan, after working together for the two
Good Question : A Tale Told Backwards
By Sue Whiting & Annie White Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Remember the story of Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky and their mates who were on their way to tell the King that the sky was falling when they met up with Fox? Well,
Time for Adventure, Daddy
Written & Illustrated by Dave Hackett Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Come on, Daddy, it’s time for an adventure!” “But I have more jobs to do,” says Daddy. This cheerful story, created by cartoonist Dave Hackett, is a good-humoured play on spending time with Daddy.
Friday Barnes #9: No Escape
By R.A. Spratt Reviewed by Sarah Custance R.A. Spratt is the well-known Australian author of the Nanny Piggins, Peski Kids, and Friday Barnes series of books. Friday Barnes: No Escape is the 9th book in the series and the first to be
The Daring Princess
Susanna Davidson Alessandra Santelli Reviewed by Barbara Braxton This is a re-telling of the Grimm fairy tale, The Iron Stove, in which a princess frees a prince from an iron stove, after he was trapped there by a wicked witch. But no sooner
The Biscuit Maker
By Sue Lawson Illustrated by Liz Annelli Reviewed by Margarite Igras This gentle story explores the relationship of food and members of a busy community. Benedict Stanley lives with his cat Audrey Mae in Marvin Road. People who pass by his house are much
The Secret Library of Hummingbird House
By Julianne Negri Reviewed by Analucia Malta The Secret Library of Hummingbird House is Julianne Negri's debut novel where she draws on her own experiences going through divorce and custody arrangements to create a relatable and heartfelt story about friendship, family, the
Ten Little Yoga Frogs
By Hilary Robinson and Mandy Stanley Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This bright, colourful, traditional rhyming counting book has the added bonus of all the characters doing yoga and an invitation to the reader to join in. Little children often have trouble sitting still
My Summer With Grandad
Written and illustrated by Tom Tinn-Disbury Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Tom is a UK based illustrator who has worked for various publishers. The Caveman Next Door was his debut as both author and illustrator. My Summer with Grandad is his second picture
Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
Produced by The Natural History Museum Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The Natural History Museum has a whole exhibition based on the theme of real and fantastical animals and the relationships between them. Unfortunately the museum is currently closed due to Covid restrictions
The Best Mum
By Penny Harrison & Sharon Davey Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Everyone loves their mum but sometimes you can’t help yourself looking at other people’s mums and comparing. In this story a little girl talks about all the wonderful ways in which her friend’s
HUGO The boy with the curious mark
By Yohann Devezy Illustrated by Manuela Adreani Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Hugo was born with a curious mark. It looked like a rainbow. His family told him not to worry about it. Someday, they said, it will just disappear.” But it didn’t, it
CBCA Notables Announced
Congratulations to all the brilliant creators, the writers, illustrators, designers, everyone who helped create such a wonderful collection of books for children. Here is the FULL LIST for you to check out the titles. Below are all the ones StoryLinks reviewed
A Case of Grave Danger #1 The Violet Veil Mysteries
By Sophie Cleverly Illustrated by Hannah Peck Reviewed by Sarah Custance Sophie Cleverly is the UK author of the Scarlet and Ivy series which has now been published in six different languages. A Case of Grave Danger is the first book in her
Listen Layla
by Yassmin Abdel-Magied Reviewed by Zewlan Moor From the first few pages, main character Layla demonstrates her energy and irrepressible spirit by dancing around “like a whirling dervish from Sudan, the country of her birth.” She is singing in Arabic, while welding
The Last Bear
By Hannah Gold Illustrated by Levi Pinfold Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The Last Bear is Hannah Gold’s first ever published book and it is a powerful tale of how hope and love can overcome grief and loss . Eleven-year-old April Wood has been neglected
The Dragon and Her Boy
By Penny Chrimes Illustrated by Levente Szabo Reviewed by Mia Macrossan British writer Penny Chrimes, a former journalist, is also the author of Tiger Heart, set in the same alternate world as this adventure about a young boy, Stick, who lives with a
Azaria : A True History
Written and illustrated by Maree Coote Reviewed by Dajo Finlayson What happens when the truth gets lost? What happens when there is a gross miscarriage of justice perpetrated by the media and backed by questionable scientific evidence? Did the mother murder the
Zinnia Jakes: The Tumbling Tortoises
By Brenda Gurr Illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff Reviewed by Sarah Custance This is Australian author Brenda Gurr’s second early readers book and the sequel to Zinnia Jakes: The Crumbling Castle. Famous and elusive cake maker Zinnia Jakes is back, this time she has won
Scoop McLaren: Waves of Mystery
By Helen Castles Illustrated by Beatriz Castro Reviewed by Sarah Custance Helen Castles is still a fairly new author with Waves of Mystery being her second novel and the sequel to Scoop McLaren: Detective Editor. Click! the online newspaper that Scoop McLaren and best
The Sad Ghost Club: Volume 1
By Lize Meddings Reviewed by Sarah Custance Lize Meddings is a UK author and keen advocate for raising awareness for mental health. The Sad Ghost Club is her first graphic novel. This is the story of an ordinary day in the life of
