The Glass Horse of Venice
By Arnold Zable & Anita Lester Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The book was inspired by a chance meeting in Venice and speaks to one of Arnold’s core beliefs, that in the face of dislocation and change, children have a need for a
Marringa Lullaby
By Emily Wurramara & Sylvia Wurramarrba Kkac Illustrated by Dylan Mooney Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Emily is an Indigenous Australian singer and songwriter. Here she and Sylvia have teamed up with Dylan, a Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander man from Mackay
Lights Out, Little Dragon
By Debra Tidball & Rae Tan Reviewed by Margarite Igras This is the award-winning Australian author Debra Tidball’s second interactive story for younger children. In The CBCA Notable Book 2018, The Scared Book, the author asks the reader and listener to blow
How to Free a Jinn
By Raidah Shah Idil Reviewed by Helen Gearing It is difficult to believe this book is a debut. Malay-Australian author Raidah Shah Idil brings Kuala Lumpur to vivid (humid!) life in this thrilling middle-grade adventure exploring themes of migration, family, and faith. ‘Mama
When Dinosaurs Roamed Australia
By Sarah Jane Lightfoot Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is Sarah's second book, the first being Down the Road Little Bee, 2021, a bee's search for pollen across the Australian suburban landscape. The title of When Dinosaurs Roamed Australia speaks for itself,
Anomaly
By Emma Lord Reviewed by Lucille Rose This action-filled dystopian thriller follows the story of young Piper Manning, one of the only survivors of the strange infection that swept across the world fifty-two days ago. Isolated on a farm in New South
Let’s Try Again Another Day
By Charlotte Barkla & Jade Goodwin Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Charlotte Barkla is the author of All Bodies Are Good Bodies and From My Head To My Toes, I Say What Goes, both reviewed in StoryLinks. Here she has teamed up with Jade Goodwin,
Jerry’s Window
By Y K Willemse Reviewed by Heidi Gray Jerry’s Window is Yvette’s most recent dive into middle grade fiction after her young adult epic fantasy fiction series The Fledgling Account. Jerry’s Window is a hilarious page turner depicting all the imaginative and
The Space Between
By Jess McGeachin Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jess has won many fancy-pants awards (as he calls them), the latest is winning the 2023 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Deep. His debut picture book was Fly, 2019, and since then he has written
Digger Digs Down
By Johanna Bell & Huni Melissa Bolliger Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Johanna Bell works in poetry, picture books, podcasts, audio installations and community arts. Her books include Hope is the Thing which won 2024 CBCA Book of the Year, Award for New
Yvonne Mes talks dinosaurs, opals and writing for children
Meet Yvonne Mes, author, illustrator, presenter and co-ordinator of WriteLinks, whose latest book The Opal Dinosaur has just been published. She kindly agreed to answer a few questions from Storylinks. Where did the story come from? Whose idea was it
Book Links September newsletter
The Book Links Newsletter for September contains a wealth of news about what is happening in the world of children's books. Enjoy.
2024 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE CYA LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED!
CYA LONGLIST The longlisted titles for the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Children and Young Adult Category are: Secret Sparrowby Jackie French (HarperCollins Publishers) The Detective’s Guide to Paris by Nicki Greenberg (Affirm Press) Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim (Allen & Unwin) Spies
The Best Witch in Paris
By Lauren Crozier Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Lauren Crozier won the 2023 Text Prize for her debut novel, a funny original adventure full of magic, found family, new friends, and self discovery with the catchy title of The Best Witch in Paris,
The Lost History: Talismans of Fate, Book Two
By Melanie La'Brooy Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the sequel to The Wintrish Girl which delighted many readers with its originality, humour, engaging characters, and fast paced action. Here again are the same characters: Penn, still struggling to find her true
Days of Warmth
By Gregg Dreise Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Indigenous Kamilaroi, Gregg Dreise, is an award-winning author, illustrator, artist, musician, and storyteller. His work includes Mad Magpie, Kookoo Kookaburra and Circles of Life, reviewed in StoryLinks. This latest board book blends early learning concepts
The Opal Dinosaur
By Yvonne Mes & Sylvia Morris Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Yvonne Mes is a multi faceted creator who writes and illustrates children's books including Oliver's Grumbles, Trouble in the Henhouse, and Meet Sydney Nolan. Here she has teamed up with children's illustrator
Ingenious Insects
By Sarah Allen Reviewed by Margarite Igras Australian author and illustrator Sarah Allen shares her love of the amazing fauna and flora found on the Australian continent in this ingenious children's picture book. Her first book, Busy Beaks was shortlisted for the
Rock Dogs
By Sally Barns & Anil Tortop Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Looking for a book that Rocks? Well, this is the one. In a small, sleepy town thrashed a ROCK’N’ROLL BAND and on lead guitar was a dachshund named Dan. With Barry, the bulldog
Yanga Mother
By Cheryl Leavy & Christopher Bassi Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Yanga Mother is a story of motherly love, represented by the unbreakable bond between a kangaroo and her joey. With lifelike illustrations, richly coloured to showcase changes in daylight and seasons,
Peek-a-Boo Lottie
By Laura Holloway & Kristen Willis Reviewed by Margarite Igras Laura Holloway’s debut picture book engages the adult reader and the young non-reading child in a one-on-one playful game of Peek-a-Boo, that beloved game of hide and seek often played by a
Meet the Author: Lara Cain Gray
A picture’s worth a thousand words, but a great picture book? Priceless! The Grown-Up’s Guide To Picture Books explores the complexities of modern picture books, from why our favourites tend to linger so long in our memories, to how we can
The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books
By Lara Cain Gray, Lorena Carrington & Timothy Ide Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Dr Lara Cain Gray is a librarian, children's book advocate and esteemed Storylinks reviewer. Her aim with this debut is to create a guide for teachers, parents and carers
Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria: Bravepaw 1
By L M Wilkinson Illustrated by Lavanya Naidu Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Here is an enjoyable fast paced adventure with an appealing central character created by L M Wilkinson who has written many other titles as Lili Wilkinson, including Deep is the Fen,
The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage
By Charlie Archbold Reviewed by Helen Gearing The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage is the highly-awaited next in series from award-winning author Charlie Archbold. Its predecessor, The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat, brought Far-North Queensland to life through an edge-of-your-seat
The Book Star
By Bec Nanayakkara &Joanna Bartel Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Every night, Grace whispered, ‘Space is the greatest place!’ before she went to sleep”. Grace would know because she owns thirty-seven books about space, and she had read them all. So, when her teacher
Paper-Flower Girl
By Margrete Lamond & Mateja Jager Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Honour book 2024 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Paper-Flower Girl is a work-of-art type of picture book that captivates with abstract, fantastical imagery. Slovenian-born artist Mateja Jager’s restrained colour palette and
This Is My Book
By Tim Harris & Heidi McKinnon Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray In the ever-popular ‘meta book’ tradition, This Is My Book invites the reader into a battle between the left-hand page and the right-hand page for ultimate ownership of the story. The
Ming and Ada Spark the Digital Age (The Girls Who Changed the World #4)
By Jackie French Reviewed by Jamie Willis Jackie French AM is one of Australia’s most popular authors, having written more than 140 books spanning all reading ages and genres. She was the Australian Children's Laureate for 2014/15 and the 2015 Senior Australian
Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer
By Amy Doak Reviewed by Jamie Willis Amy Doak’s debut young adult novel and CBCA Notable, Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer, hooks the reader from the first line:‘Before I say anything, I’d just like to make one thing perfectly clear: I didn’t
