JJ and the Giant Panther: Smarty Pup 2
By Anh Do Illustrated by Anton Emdin Allen & Unwin Children's 2023 "'Okay, okay!' said Mr Hosking. 'Fine, JJ can come on school camp. But he has to be on his absolute best behaviour!'. 'Deal!' promised JJ. JJ the genius pup has Lily
Koko and the Coconut
By Turia Pitt & Celestine Vaite Illustrated by Emilie Tavaearii Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Caught in a grassfire while competing in a 100 km ultramarathon in 2011, Turia suffered full thickness burns to 65 per cent of her body but she survived to
Whalesong
By Kate Gordon Reviewed by Sarah Custance Kate Gordon is the Australian award-winning author of middle-grade novels, The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn, and Aster’s Good Right Things, along with YA novel Girl Running, Boy Falling which were all either a Notable or
The Last Firefox
By Lee Newbery Illustrations by Laura Catalan Reviewed by Sarah Custance Lee Newbery is a Welsh author, The Last Firefox is his debut novel that focuses on the importance of friendship, family, and what it truly means to be brave. 11-year-old Charlie lives in
The Zebra’s Great Escape
By Katherine Rundell Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie Reviewed by Mia Macrossan What a treat this is, a new book by two award winning creators. Katherine is the author of The Explorers, The Good Thieves and One Christmas Wish and more, while Sara creates
Great and Small
Written by Alison McLennan Illustrated by Connah Brecon Reviewed by Sandy Driessens When I first saw the cover of Great and Small I thought, “What an unusual image of a unicorn”. Not graceful, not majestic, quite unique. Now that I’ve read the story,
Under the Moonlight
Written and illustrated by Susannah Crispe Reviewed by Margarite Igras This gentle and heart-warming picture book is a wonderfully endearing story about an unusual friendship, that provides comfort when afraid, and shows that strength is not dependent on size. Moose has been foraging
The Last Light Horse
By Dianne Wolfer Illustrated by Brian Simmonds Reviewed by Sarah Custance Australian author Dianne Wolfer has won numerous awards for her many children’s books that range from picture books, to middle-grade readers, and in this case, short historical fiction books. The Last Light
Alfie the Brave
By Richard Harris Illustrated by Simon Howe Reviewed by Sarah Custance Some may know Dr Richard ‘Harry’ Harris, not for writing children’s books, but for his work as a member of the international cave-diving team that rescued a young soccer team from rising
Fozia and the Quest of Prince Zal
By Rosanne Hawke Reviewed by Dajo Finlayson This is the third book in a series by multi award winning Australian author, Rosanne Hawke, which began with Kelsey and the Quest of the Porcelain Doll (2014) and its sequel Jehan and the Quest of the
The Cow That Swam Out To Sea
By Pamela Rushby Illustrated by Nicola Hooper Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This 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 by the Queensland Government and coordinated by
The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn
By Kate Gordon Reviewed by Sarah Custance Kate Gordon is an Australian librarian turned author whose previous works include: Three Things about Daisy Blue, Girl Running, Boy Falling, and Juno Jones: Word Ninja. The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn is one of her
Arthur and the Tiger
written and illustrated by Sophie Beer reviewed by Mia Macrossan This appealing picture book is all about learning how to overcome your fears. It is set in a circus full of brave and bold people except for Arthur, the Ringmaster’s son. He isn’t
Nevertell
by Katharine Orton reviewed by Sarah Custance There have been a number of authors over the past few years that have made remarkably strong debuts and I will absolutely be adding Katharine Orton to that list. ‘Nevertell’ is her first novel but
Arthur and the What-Ifs
by Heath McKenzie reviewed by Mia Macrossan Arthur is a dog with a secret desire to play his violin. He has composed a tune but he is too scared to play it in public in case people hear it and laugh at
Nevertell
by Katharine Orton This debut novel is an interesting and unusual combination of historical novel and fantasy for readers of 8 to 12. Nevertell is set in Siberia in a prison camp during Stalin’s rule of Russia. 12-year-old Lina knows no other
The Dark
by Lemony Snicket illustrated by Jon Klassen reviewed by Claire Monsour Lazlo was afraid of the dark. The dark lived in the same house as Lazlo, and it liked to creep around into different nooks and corners. Most of the time, the dark
Off the Track
Written by Cristy Burne Illustrated by Amanda Burnett Reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lownes Younger readers will find it difficult to contemplate a life without mobile devices, but this is exactly what is imposed on the young characters in this wholesome novel by science writer
Amal Unbound
by Aisha Saeed reviewed by Lucy McGinley This moving story centres on a brave young Indian girl who dreams of becoming a teacher. One day her bravery brings her to the attention of the corrupt local landlord. In the simple act of
Beware the Deep Dark Forest
by Sue Whiting illustrated by Annie White reviewed by Peter Taylor The warmth of Annie White’s delicious artwork and the unusual hand-drawn font used on the cover of Beware the Deep Dark Forrest instantly persuade us to explore the treescape within. Progressing through
