The School between Winter and Fairyland
By Heather Fawcett Reviewed by Barbara Braxton "Twelve-year-old Autumn is a beastkeeper at Inglenook School for Magicians, which she secretly dreams of attending as a student. Instead, she must care for Inglenook's menagerie of dangerous creatures so the king's future monster hunters
The Wolf’s Howl: A Maven & Reeve Mystery Book 2
By A. L. Tait Reviewed by Sandy Driessens The Wolf’s Howl is, what the Glawn Castle locals call, the biting, freezing gale that rages around the mountains, in the valleys and perhaps, metaphorically, inside the castle itself. This second Maven and Reeve Mystery,
A Glasshouse of Stars
By Shirley Marr Reviewed by Zewlan Moor A Glasshouse of Stars was picked up off the slush-pile by Jessica Townsend, the internationally best-selling author of the Nevermoor series. She passed it to her agent, Gemma Cooper, and a publishing deal ensued. This
The Magnificent Hercules Quick
By Ursula Dubosarsky Illustrated by Andrew Joyner Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Ursula is now the author of over 60 books for children and young adults, and her work is published all over the world. She has won many awards and is the current
Always
By Morris Gleitzman Reviewed by Barbara Braxton Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Then I had a plan for me and Zelda. After the Nazis took my parents I was scared. Soon I hoped the Nazis would be defeated and
The Forest of Moon and Sword
By Amy Raphael Illustrated by August Ro Reviewed by Sarah Custance Amy Raphael is a freelance journalist and a non-fiction book writer and The Forest of Moon and Sword is her first children’s novel. Set in 1647 at the height of the British witch
The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle : The Butter O’Bryan Mysteries, #2
By Jackie French Reviewed by Sarah Custance Jackie French is the award-winning Australian author of over 140 books. Her impact on children’s literature led her to become the 2014-2015 Australian Children’s Laureate as well as being awarded 2015 Senior Australian of the
The Song of Lewis Carmichael
By Sofie Laguna Illustrated by Marc McBride Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Sofie Laguna has won numerous awards for her children's fiction and the 2015 Miles Franklin award for her adult novel The Eye of the Sheep, about an autistic boy, so you can
Gone
By Michael Grant Reviewed by Junior Reviewer Aaron Ding Aaron Ding is 11 years old with a passion to write stories, and is always looking for ways to improve them! Go and read it!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ First published over a decade
Mim and the Baffling Bully : The Traveling Bookshop #1
By Katrina Nannestad Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini Reviewed by Sarah Custance Katrina Nannestad is the award-winning Australian author of over a dozen middle-grade novels including the much acclaimed The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome series as well as the CBCA
Devils in Danger
By Samantha Wheeler Reviewed by Sarah Custance Samantha Wheeler is the bestselling Australian author of Smooch & Rose, Spud & Charli, Everything I’ve Never Said, and her wildlife focused books Mister Cassowary, Wombat Warriors, and Turtle Trackers. Devils in Danger is her
Fil and Harry
By Jenny Blackford Illustrated by Kristin Devine Reviewed by Sarah Custance Jenny Blackford is an Australian author whose previous book The Girl in the Mirror won the 2020 Davitt Award for Best Children’s Crime Novel. Fil and Harry is Jenny’s second middle grade
Skulduggery Pleasant #14 Dead or Alive
By Derek Landy Reviewed by Leonard Cavallaro, aged 12. Leonard is an aspiring author with a love of fantasy. Who is your favourite character? Describe them and tell us why you like them. Arch-Cannon Damocles Creed is the perfect blend of intelligence and evil.
Megamonster
By David Walliams Illustrated by Tony Ross Reviewed by Isabela Newman, age 9 Who is your favourite character? Larker. I like her because she is so brave and always looks at things in a positive way. ( I also like her because she makes
New Historical Fiction
New this month Children’s Historical Fiction List For parents and teachers looking for recent novels to spark a child's interest in humanity's past here is the LONGLIST of the 2021 Book Links Children’s Historical Fiction Awards. All these books, written and published in
When Rain Turns to Snow
by Jane Godwin Reviewed by Sharon Bryan Jane Godwin is an Australian author who has written books for children of all ages. Her picture books, such as Today We Have No Plans (illustrated by Anna Walker) and Hattie Helps Out (with Davina
The Snow Pony
By Alison Lester Reviewed by Dajo Finlayson Originally published in 2001, four years after her other novel for younger readers, The Quicksand Pony, this latest twentieth anniversary release is a childhood favourite of many children and teens. Set on a cattle farm in
The Boy Who Stepped Through Time
By Anna Ciddor Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Anna Ciddor's self-described research 'obsession', her decades-long list of non-fiction titles, and the help of her sister, Tamara Lewit—a researcher and archaeologist specialising in the Roman Empire—make her perfectly placed to pen this richly detailed
Alice-Miranda in Egypt
By Jacqueline Harvey Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Eleven years after the first Alice-Miranda book, bestselling author and former deputy principal Jacqueline Harvey has released the series' twentieth instalment: Alice-Miranda in Egypt. Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones, who was seven and one quarter in the first book,
The Right Way to Rock
By Nat Amoore Reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Nat Amoore returns with her third middle grade book set in the ordinary town of Watterson with the not-so-ordinary children of Watterson Primary School. In The Right Way to Rock we meet Mac Fleetwood Cooper, who
Little Gem and the Mysterious Letters
Written and illustrated by Anna Zobel Reviewed by Sarah Custance Anna Zobel is an Australian author living in Melbourne. Her first novel Little Gem about a clumsy but well-meaning young witch who accidently transports herself 100 years into the future was well
The Ballad of Melodie Rose
By Kate Gordon Illustrated by Rachel Tribout Reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Kate Gordon returns to middle grade magical realism with The Ballad of Melodie Rose, a companion tale to The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn. When we meet Melodie Rose on the front steps of
Across the Sea: Wolf Girl 5
By Anh Do Illustrated by Lachlan Creagh Reviewed by Sarah Custance Anh Do is a well-known Australian personality in comedy, T.V, art, and writing. He is the author of the much-loved children’s series WeirDo, Ninja Kid, and the HotDog books. His newer series,
The Greatest Inventor
By Ben Brooks Illustrated by George Ermos Reviewed by Junior Reviewer Leonard Cavallaro Ben Brooks is the successful author of numerous children’s books, most famously Stories for Boys who Dare to be Different. The Greatest Inventor is an unexpectedly insightful tale of village
Night Ride into Danger
Written by Jackie French. Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Stories that speak to her ancestry and personal history have inspired another engaging historical fiction from the prolific Jackie French. The night run of the Cobb and Co mail coach to Goulburn was a gruelling,
Heroes of the Secret Underground
By Susanne Gervay Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Susanne Gervay, acclaimed Australian author of the I Am Jack series, along with various picture books and standalone novels, has written a powerful and moving middle grade novel inspired by her family's experiences in Nazi-occupied
Elsewhere Girls
By Emily Gale and Nova Weetman Reviewed by Sarah Custance Emily Gale and Nova Weetman are both Melbourne based authors who are much celebrated in their chosen genres. Emily Gale has written many acclaimed YA novels such as the Eliza Boom Diaries,
Michaela Mason’s Big List of 23 Worries
By Alexa Moses Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Australian author and screenwriter Alexa Moses introduces a likeable and nuanced main character in this middle grade novel about moving towns, making friends and facing fears.⠀ Ten-year-old Michaela Mason has a lot of worries. So many,
Eliza Vanda’s Button Box
By Emily Rodda Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Here is another original fantasy from one of Australia's best-loved writers for children. Almost every family has a button box filled with odd buttons collected over the years, but Eliza Vanda's button box contains some
Funny Kid Prank Aliens (Funny Kid, #9)
By Matt Stanton Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Prolific Australian author-illustrator Matt Stanton returns with the ninth book in his popular 'Funny Kid' series. Young readers will enjoy the main character's pranks, rants and overblown-confidence-followed-by-public-humiliation routine that are a staple of this series. When
