The Complete Cleo Stories
Cleo and the necklace; Cleo and the present; Cleo makes a friend; Cleo wants a pet By Libby Gleeson & Freya Blackwood. Reviewed by Helen Gearing The Complete Cleo Stories will be treasured by long-time Cleo fans and new readers alike in an
The Bother with the Bonkillyknock Beast: Miss Mary-Kate Martin’s Guide to Monsters 3
By Karen Foxlee, illustrated by Freda Chiu Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Karen Foxlee is the award winning author of Dragon Skin and Lenny's Book of Everything. The Bother with the Bonkillyknock Beast is the third in Mary-Kate monster adventures, the first is The Wrath
Christmas books
A selection of new and old favourites for everyone to enjoy and share at Christmas. Christmas Books
The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas
Written by Matt Lucas Illustrated by Forrest Burdett Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Matt Lucas is a British actor and comedian best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC comedy series Little Britain. He has previously published two picture books for
Skye Blackburn-Lang: Eating Bugs for the Planet
By Dianne Wolfer Reviewed by Sophia Evans Skye Blackburn-Lang: Eating Bugs for the Planet is part of the Aussie STEM Stars series that aims to provide inspiring stories of our world-leading scientists and inventors. The title is the reason I picked up
The Marvellers (The Conjureverse, #1)
By Dhonielle Clayton Reviewed by Bryani-Rose The novel, The Marvellers, written by Dhonielle Clayton is a captivating and magical tale that transports readers into a world of wonder. The story follows 11-year-old Ella, who is a young Conjurer and the first ever to attend
No Brainer: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (18)
By Jeff Kinney Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran and Thomas In addition to having a permanent place on the New York Times bestseller list, I’m sure these books have helped many developing readers become permanent book lovers. The highlights of this series apart
The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet
A Kingdoms and Empires Book By Jaclyn Moriarty Illustrated by Kelly Canby Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Jaclyn Moriarty is the award winning author of novels for children, young adults and sometimes slightly older adults, including the Kingdoms and Empires series starting with The Extremely
The Lost Library
By Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Rebecca Stead has written the award winning When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy and The List of Things That Will Not Change and more. Wendy Mass has written more than thirty
Solomon Macaroni and the Vampire Vacation
By Ashleigh Barton Illustrations by Sarah Davis Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Here is the second adventure of the well mannered vegetarian young vampire, Solomon Macaroni, the first in the series being Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe,also reviewed in StoryLinks. Solomon is still staying with
Fluff, Bullies Beware! (Fluff, #1)
By Matt Stanton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Matt Stanton is the bestselling author of the Funny Kid series along with dozens of others, ranging from picture books to middle-grade novels with graphic novels in between. Fluff, Bullies Beware! is the first in what will
Starfell: Willow Moss and the Magic Thief
By Dominique Valente Illustrated by Sarah Warburton Reviewed by Sarah Custance Willow Moss and the Magic Thief is the 4th and newest installment of these fun, magical, adventurous middle-grade books in the Starfell series, with the talented Sarah Warburton returning to add delightful
Copycat
By Kelli Anne Hawkins Reviewed by Sophia Evans Copycat is the third children’s book by Australian author Kelli Anne Hawkins. Her previous books include The School for Talking Pets (2021) and Birdbrain (2022). Copycat begins with Chapter One titled - THE END which
Silver Linings
By Katrina Nannestad Reviewed by Helen Gearing Katrina Nannestad, beloved best-selling author of twenty-three novels for children, brings early 1950s regional New South Wales (with its hopes for a brighter postwar future embodied in Queen Elizabeth’s upcoming coronation) to life in her
Kip of the Mountain
By Emma Gourlay Illustrated by Kate Moon Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Like Kip, debut author Emma Gourlay grew up with a black dad and a white mum. She now lives in Melbourne and I hope she is writing a sequel to this entertaining
Sea Glass
By Rebecca Fraser Reviewed by Sarah Custance Rebecca Fraser is a Melbourne based author and editor who has written three middle-grade novels, a speculative short story collection, as well as over sixty poems, articles, and short stories. Her latest middle-grade novel Sea
Millie Mak the Maker
by Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng Reviewed by Charlotte Barkla Millie Mak is a creative and industrious nine-year-old who turns everyday objects into something new. Through her ingenuity, she navigates difficult friendships, family relationships and school. Millie Mak the Maker is
The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright
By Reece Carter Reviewed by Helen Gearing Nutritionist-turned-children’s-author Reece Carter burst onto the Australian kidlit scene in 2022 with his debut novel, A Girl Called Corpse, also reviewed in StoryLinks, which snaffled a bunch of award shortlistings, including Australian Book Industry Association’s
Rocket
Written by Dave Lowe Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Dave Lowe is a British-born, Brisbane-based author whose previous works include the My Hamster Is a Genius series, The Incredible Dadventure series, the ‘Cafe’ episode of Bluey, and several plays and musicals performed at
Game On! 2: Glitched
Written and illustrated by Emily Snape Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Emily Snape is a London-based author and illustrator whose many previous titles include the Motor Mix series, The Little Monster’s Guide to Positivity and Fergus the Furball. Glitched is the second book in
This Camp is Doomed: A Dennith Grange Misadventure
By Anna Zobel Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Melbourne based Anna Zobel is making a name for herself for writing quirky entertaining mysteries within an original fantasy framework. Her previous work include the Little Gem series also reviewed in StoryLinks. This Camp is
Penny Draws a School Play
By Sara Shepard Reviewed by Charlotte Barkla Oh, how I wish Penny Draws a School Play was around when I was a kid. Penny Lowry is in 5th grade and has a lot of changes in her life. Baby twin siblings on the
Ruby and the Pen
By David Lawrence. Illustrated by Cherie Dignam Reviewed by Helen Gearing Short chapters, lots of dialogue, larger-than-life characters, cartoon-style illustrations and a wallop of fun make David Lawrence’s latest middle-grade novel a solid choice for readers aged 8-11 who need some encouragement
Ash Barty Champion
By Ash Barty Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the Younger Reader edition of Ash Barty's official autobiography. She says It's a tennis story. It's a family story. It's a teamwork story. It's the story of how I got to where and who
Being Jimmy Baxter
By Fiona Lloyd Reviewed by Zewlan Moor Jimmy Baxter starts the story as Jimmy Branthwaite, a boy in Year 6. He and his mother are being driven to a safe house out of town for a “holiday.” It isn’t until his violent
Guardians: Wylah The Koorie Warrior 1 and Custodians: Wylah The Koorie Warrior 2
By Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard Reviewed by Sophia Evans Guardians: Wylah The Koorie Warrior 1 is a fantasy-adventure story inspired by First Nations history. It is a bit hard to classify as it attempts to merge fantasy, adventure, action, alternate history, and
The Wish Sisters: The Running Wish; The Pet Wish
By Allison Rushby Illustrated by Karen Blair Reviewed by Helen Gearing A baby sister who can make wishes come true. A mischievous imp who likes to twist wishes and make them go wrong. A nosy neighbour. A very public sports carnival and fundraiser.
Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt
By R A Spratt Reviewed by Mia Macrossan R A Spratt is the hugely popular author of the Friday Barnes series, The Peski Kids and the hilarious Nanny Piggins series. Quite a few of the stories in this collection are retellings of
Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth
By Anna Fienberg Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Anna Fienberg has written more than forty well-loved books for children and young adults and has won many awards including the Children's Book Council of Australia award for The Magnificent Nose and Other Marvels, the Victorian
Ming and Hilde Lead a Revolution #3 The Girls Who Changed the World
By Jackie French Reviewed by Helen Gearing Good historical fiction helps readers answer questions they didn’t know they had, and in her latest middle-grade novel, Ming and Hilde Lead a Revolution, Australian storytelling great Jackie French AM turns her attention to how
