The Glow
By Sofie Laguna Illustrated by Marc McBride Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Megan and Li live in a small coastal town and share a passion for creating stories. Megan draws fantasy monsters and Li brings them to life with her amazing tales. School holidays
Cloudspotting
By Samantha Tidy & Susannah Crispe Reviewed by Sandy Driessens ‘When the light changes through my bedroom window, it’s time.’ It’s time for the sun to appear on the horizon and the adventure to begin, for a little girl and her father. This
Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance!
By Hervé Tullet Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Hervé Tullet’s interactive picture book, Press Here, was ahead of the curve when first released to delighted readers in 2010. It’s now quite common to find these ‘meta’ books on our shelves; titles that break
The Isles of the Gods
By Amie Kaufman Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Amie is a New York Times bestselling writer adept at writing books that attract a loyal following. These include the Aurora Cycle and the Illuminae Files which she co-authored with Jay Kristoff. She tends to
Earth Day 2023 Saturday April 22
The theme for Earth Day 2023 is Invest in our Planet. Here are some resources that may inspire and support your work if you are thinking of doing something in your classroom or home. StoryLinks has a list of Environmental Fiction:A selection
The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan
By Felice Arena Reviewed by Sarah Custance Felice Arena is the Australian award-winning author of books such as The Boy and the Spy, Fearless Frederic, and A Great Escape, along with the Specky Magee series. An avid football fan and a keen
Ming and Marie: Spy for Freedom
By Jackie French Reviewed by Sarah Custance Former Australian Children’s Laureate, Jackie French is a fundamental figure when it comes to children’s literature within Australia. Whether she is writing her Diary of a Wombat picture books or critically acclaimed middle-grade novels, there
Augustin and the Hot Air Balloon
By David Metzenthen Reviewed by Mia Macrossan David Metzenthen has written over thirty books for children and young people and has won many honours, including the 2010 winner CBCA Book of the Year Jarvis 2010, 2003 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards prize for
Spellhound: A Dragons of Hallow Book 1
By Lian Tanner Illustrated by Sally Soweol Han Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Lian is a prolific writer of outstanding children’s fantasy. Her books are enjoyable on many levels as she puts her always varied cast of characters in interesting conflicts, has a sense
Queenie in Seven Moves
By Zanni Louise Reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Zanni Louise’s first middle grade novel is a rewarding and heart-warming story inspired by her own family’s experience of temporary homelessness during COVID. When twelve-year-old guitar-playing Queenie, and her mother Clare, are evicted from their home,
Bored: Evie Dreams Big
By Matt Stanton Reviewed by Sarah Custance Matt Stanton has written and co-authored over 35 books for children, including the very popular Funny Kid series and the graphic novel series The Odds. Evie Dreams Big is the 3rd instalment in Stanton’s middle-grade
Lies We Sing to the Sea
By Sarah Underwood Reviewed by Jane Swinton Sarah Underwood has created an epic, complex story steeped in Greek Mythology. There is a content warning on the front-page alerting readers to violence, graphic injury, non-graphic sexual assault, death and suicide. In this story the
Satin
By Sophie Masson Illustrated by Lorena Carrington Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray Every morning early, when no-one’s about, Satin slips out of the forest and walks along the sleepy sunrise streets, looking for blue… Satin is an atmospheric new release from an award winning creative
Charlie’s Swim
By Edith Wright Illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Edith proudly acknowledges her Bardi heritage and this story is about her uncle, Charlie D' Antoine, a Bardi man who grew up near Ardiyooloon. Charmaine, an artist and activist, is a descendant
Interned
By Pamela Rushby Reviewed by Sarah Custance Pamela Rushby is a well-known in Australian children’s literature with over 200 books to her name. Her latest middle-grade novel Interned tells the stories of two young girls with very different backgrounds and how they
Can You Get Rainbows in Space?
By Dr Sheila Kanani Illustrated by Liz Kay Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This colourful compendium of questions and answers about colour is sure to spark the interest of any child with an enquiring mind. Dr Sheila Kanani is a planetary physicist, science presenter,
Parcel for Penguin
By Shelley Knoll-Miller Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Shelley is an Australian illustrator with a love of storytelling – the sillier the better. Parcel for Penguin is the third in the series after Parcel for Koala and Parcel for Gorilla. Penguin is surprised and
All Our Hidden Gifts
By Caroline O’Donoghue Reviewed by Liane McDermott All Our Hidden Gifts written by Irish-born author and journalist, Caroline O’Donoghue, is the first book in a supernatural teen drama trilogy. Having previously published two adult novels, All Our Hidden Gifts was Caroline O’Donoghue’s
Mama’s Chickens
By Michelle Worthington and Nicky Johnston Reviewed by Margarite Igras This picture book is written from personal experience by Australian author Michelle Worthington who was diagnosed with Progressive Non fluent Aphasia – a form of dementia, with symptoms including memory loss, difficulty
Dorrie
Written & illustrated by Tania McCartney Reviewed by Sandy Driessens In the Land of the Long White Cloud, where the mountains kiss the sea, lived a little girl called Dorrie. She loved to dance and sing and play piano, but best of
Ten Blocks to the Big Wok : A Mandarin Counting Book
Written & illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Ten blocks to the Big Wok! Mia cheers. Mia and Uncle Eddie are going to Uncle’s favourite dim sum restaurant in Chinatown and along the way, they count and enjoy icons that
Picturebook Makers
By dPICTUS Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the process of picture creation. Originally published in Sweden, this English edition has been edited by Sam McCullen who also wrote the introduction. In it he says The
Stories of the Night
By Kitty Crowther Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Kitty is a Belgian illustrator and writer who won the 2010 Astrid Lindgren Award, the biggest prize in children’s literature. In Stories of the Night she tells in words and pictures three little stories all
Easy Peasy
By Ky Garvey & Amy Calautti Reviewed by Margarite Igras Ky is a mother to two boys who are both diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. Through her experiences with her boys, she has been inspired to write stories that turn
Mim and the Disastrous Dog Show (The Travelling Bookshop, #4)
By Katrina Nannestad Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini Reviewed by Sarah Custance Katrina Nannestad is a multi-award winning Australian author with over 20 books to her name. Mim and the Disastrous Dog Show is the 4th instalment of The Travelling Bookshop series. 10-year-old Mim loves
The Colourful World of Poppy Starr Olsen
By Poppy Starr Olsen and Jess Black Illustrations by Poppy Starr Olsen Reviewed by Sarah Custance Poppy Starr Olsen is an Australian Olympic skateboarding champion. She was under 14s world champion and the first Australian woman to compete at the Summer X Games.
Aurealis Awards Children’s Fiction 2023 shortlist
The annual Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the publishers of Aurealis magazine, to recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers. The Aurealis Awards are intended to complement the Annual Australian National Science Fiction Convention’s Ditmar Awards and the Australian
Say Hooray
By Renae Hayward & Rebecca Mills Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is Renae’s second children’s book, her first was Barking Mad. Rebecca is a prolific graphic designer and illustrator, whose illustrations have have been used in puzzles, on clothes, stamps and even surfboards. In
The Hotel Witch
By Jessica Miller Reviewed by Sarah Custance Jessica Miller is the Australian born, and UK based, author of the award winning books Elizabeth and Zenobia and The Republic of Birds. The Hotel Witch is her third middle-grade novel. 11-year-old Sibyl is an avid
Rock Star Detectives: Murder at the Movies
By Adam Hills Illustrated by Luna Valentine Reviewed by Sarah Custance Australian born comedian Adam Hills is best known as the host of the comedy show The Last Leg, Murder at the Movies is his second book for children and the second
