Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars
By Catherine Norton Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Here is another fascinating glimpse into the lives of girls and women in Victorian England from a writer adept at bringing history to sparkling life for young readers. Norton's other books are Crossing and The
Inkflower
By Suzy Zail Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Suzy Zail used to be a lawyer but quit to become a writer. Her books include The Tattooed Flower, The Wrong Boy, and Alexander Altman A10567 - all stories based on or inspired by her
Finding Bear
By Hannah Gold Illustrated by Levi Pinfold Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Finding Bear is a continuation of Hannah Gold's debut and award winning novel The Last Bear (reviewed in StoryLinks) but it works very well as a stand alone. Hannah has also written
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
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
Meet me at the Moon Tree
By Shivaun Plozza Reviewed by Helen Gearing In The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen says, “Our brokenness has no other beauty but the beauty that comes from the compassion that surrounds it.” Shivaun Plozza’s Meet Me at the Moon Tree
The Odds: The Power of Being Odd
By Matt Stanton Reviewed by Sarah Custance Matt Stanton is the bestselling author of the Funny Kid series along with dozens of others, ranging from picture books to middle-grade novels. The Odds is Stanton’s first delve into the graphic novel genre, The
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
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
The Jammer
By Nova Weetman Illustrated by Jessica Cruickshank Reviewed by Melissa Salisbury Nova Weetman is the award-winning author of many middle grade and young adult novels. In The Jammer she delivers another deeply satisfying story about love, loss, grief, growing up, connections and finding your
Birdbrain
By Kelli Anne Hawkins Reviewed by Sarah Custance Birdbrain is the second middle-grade novel by Australian author Kelli Anne Hawkins, who’s first book was The School for Talking Pets. 11-year-old Hadley Boggs lives a simple but happy life with her father and Mr
Dirt By Sea
By Michael Wagner Illustrated by Tom Jellett Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Michael Wagner is a children's author, speaker and storyteller. He writes for early childhood and for older children and his recent books include Why I Love Footy also illustrated by Tom Jellett. Tom
A Little Spark
By Barry Jonsberg Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Most of Barry's novels are about complex family relationships negotiated by a teenage protagonist at the centre of the action. Here in his latest, A Bright Spark, he deals with the fallout from divorce. Cate is
Ella and the Useless Day
Created by Meg McKinlay & Karen Blair Reviewed by Barbara Braxton When Dad takes a tumble in Ella's room because it is so full, just like the rest of the house, it is clearly time for a clean-out. And so, together, they
Milly and the Mulberry Tree
Written by Vikki Conley Illustrated by Deb Hudson Reviewed by Sandy Driessens Milly’s Mulberry tree is the centre of her world. One Day Milly helped her Papa plant a tree, right in the middle of the garden, “so it can grow with us”. As
Where You Left Us
By Rhiannon Wilde Reviewed by Jane Swinton It was a joy to read Sunshine Coast author Rhiannon Wilde’s Where You Left Us. The book has captured Australian quirky humour and the darkly grim affection, that is typical of adolescents everywhere. The story is
My Baba is the Best
Written by Bachar Houli Illustrated by Debby Rahmalia Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Bachar Houli is a noted AFL football player and devout Muslim who has successfully promoted various community initiatives. This is his first picture book. It is a colourful depiction of Muslim family
The Detective’s Guide to New York City
By Nicki Greenberg Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd The Detective's Guide to New York City is the sequel to Nicki Greenberg's debut middle grade mystery novel, The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel. In the first book, we were introduced to thirteen-year-old Pepper Stark and
Book #2 The Odds: Run, Odds, Run
By Matt Stanton Reviewed by Sarah Custance Australian author/illustrator Matt Stanton has written over 30 books, spanning picture books to middle-grade fiction. He is the author of the much-acclaimed Funny Kid series, the Fart Monster and Me series which was co-authored by Tim
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
What We’ll Build: Plans For Our Together Future
By Oliver Jeffers Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The renowned award-winning Oliver Jeffers is a Northern Irish artist, illustrator and writer who now lives and works in Brooklyn. He is perhaps best known for the best selling The Day the Crayons Quit. In his
Time for Adventure, Daddy
Written & Illustrated by Dave Hackett Reviewed by Sandy Driessens “Come on, Daddy, it’s time for an adventure!” “But I have more jobs to do,” says Daddy. This cheerful story, created by cartoonist Dave Hackett, is a good-humoured play on spending time with Daddy.
The Last Bear
By Hannah Gold Illustrated by Levi Pinfold Reviewed by Mia Macrossan The Last Bear is Hannah Gold’s first ever published book and it is a powerful tale of how hope and love can overcome grief and loss . Eleven-year-old April Wood has been neglected
Aster’s Good, Right Things
By Kate Gordon Reviewed by Sarah Custance Kate Gordon, an Australian librarian and writer, is the author of Girl Running, Boy Falling, Juno Jones: Word Ninja, and The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn which is the first in a trilogy of books. Aster’s
The Girl, the Cat and the Navigator
by Matilda Woods reviewed by Bryani-Rose, age 11 Eleven-year old Oona Britt is from Nordlor, the village of one thousand ships. She lives with her father, mother and six sisters. Oona is very unlike her sisters, instead of wanting to marry a
Harrow Lake
by Kat Ellis reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lowndes This is the fourth YA novel for UK writer Kat Ellis, who professes to write“YA thrillers with a touch of the weird”. There is no doubt that Harrow Lake has a touch of the weird. With
Snow
by Ondine Sherman reviewed by Sarah Custance ‘Snow’ is the second book in Sherman’s ‘Animal Allies’ series, the first book is ‘Sky’ and the third, (coming out in 2020) is ‘Star’. Ondine is a life-long animal activist and the co-founder and MD of
Running with the Horses
written and illustrated by Alison Lester reviewed by Mia Macrossan Running with the Horses written and illustrated by Australian national treasure Alison Lester is a new edition of an old picture book favourite. Now in a smaller hardback format it is more
The Year We Fell From Space
by Amy Sarig King reviewed by Mia Macrossan Amy Sarig King has published many critically acclaimed young adult novels under the name A.S. King, including Please Ignore Vera Dietz, which was named a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and Ask the Passengers, which
Fly
by Jess McGeachin reviewed by Kerry Neary Sometimes children’s stories take a leap of the imagination but children are so used to this from their let’s pretend games it doesn’t bother them. In Fly, Lucy finds a small bird that can’t fly.
