Frankie Best Hates Quests
By Chris Smith and illustrated by Kenneth Anderson Reviewed by Sarah Custance UK author Chris Smith is best known for the Kid Normal series that he co-wrote with Greg James, the duo has also written The Great Dream Robbery. Frankie Best Hates
A Girl Called Corpse: An Elston-Fright Tale
By Reece Carter Reviewed by Mia Macrossan I nearly didn’t read this because I got turned off by the title* – I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book about a girl called Corpse but I’m so glad I did. This
The Lost Ryu
Written by Emi Watanabe Cohen Reviewed by Sarah Custance American/Japanese author Emi Watanabe Cohen blends Japanese, American, and Jewish folktales and languages in her debut middle grade novel to create a marvellous story about friendship, family, and heritage. 10-year-old Kohei lives in Japan
Seven Wherewithal Way
By Samantha-Ellen Bound Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd Samantha-Ellen Bound is a writer, editor and bookseller who has previously published a dance-themed junior fiction series called Silver Shoes and an all-ages tale called What the Raven Saw. Seven. Wherewithal Way is book one
The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere
A Kingdom and Empires book By Jaclyn Moriarty Illustrated by Kelly Canby Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the fourth title set in the Kingdoms and Empires aimed at middle grade readers. Her previous award winning titles are The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte
The Curse of the Vampire Robot
By Graeme Base Reviewed by Sarah Custance Picture book legend Graeme Base has done it again with his fantastic new book The Curse of the Vampire Robot. With such well known and loved books like Animalia and The Eleventh Hour along with
The Electric Kingdom
By David Arnold Reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lowndes So much of the literature we enjoy today has been inspired by the monumental events of the 20th century: two world wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War and the list goes on. It makes
Lightfall: The Girl & The Galdurian
By Tim Probert Reviewed by Sarah Custance Tim Probert is a New York illustrator and an Art Director at the Nathan Love animation studio. The Girl & The Galdurian is his first novel and the first book in the Lightfall graphic novel
The Golden Tower
By Belinda Murrell Reviewed by Sarah Custance Belinda Murrell is a popular Australian author known for her many middle-grade time-slip novels such as The Ivory Rose, The Ruby Talisman, The Locket of Dreams, The Forgotten Pearl, and many more, as well as
The Girl Who Speaks Bear
By Sophie Anderson Illustrated by Kathrin Honesta Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Sophie Anderson loves to write stories inspired by different folklores and cultures. Her previous novels are The Castle of Tangled Magic and The House with Chicken Legs. In The Girl Who Speaks
The Dragon and Her Boy
By Penny Chrimes Illustrated by Levente Szabo Reviewed by Mia Macrossan British writer Penny Chrimes, a former journalist, is also the author of Tiger Heart, set in the same alternate world as this adventure about a young boy, Stick, who lives with a
The Lost Soul Atlas
By Zana Fraillon Reviewed by Margaret McKay-Lowndes Zana Fraillon is the award winning author of The Bone Sparrow among other creative novels. In The Lost Soul Atlas she delivers another powerful story that, while firmly embedded in the fantasy genre, also provides
The Boy, the Wolf and the Stars
By Shivaun Plozza Reviewed by Mia Macrossan This foray into fantasy is the first middle grade novel by Shivaun who has previously written the YA novels Frankie, a CBCA Notable Book and Tin Heart. At the centre of most fantasy novels is a
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure
by Jeff Kinney, reviewed by Mia Macrossan This is the second title in a new series by Kinney, the author of the popular Diary of A Wimpy Kid series, the first being Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal.
The Race for the Red Dragon: Children of the Dragon 2
by Rebecca Lim reviewed by Sarah Custance ‘The Race for the Red Dragon’ is the second novel in the ‘Children of the Dragon’ series by Rebecca Lim, the first being ‘The Relic of the Blue Dragon’. Rebecca Lim is the award-winning author
Jane Doe and the Cradle of all Worlds #1 The Jane Doe Chronicles
by Jeremy Lachlan reviewed by Mia Macrossan This debut novel just won the Australian Book Industry Book of the Year for Older Readers 13+ . I think that a good reader of 10+ would cope and really enjoy this rollicking fantasy adventure. Jane
