Olive of Groves (Katrina Nannestad, illus by Lucia Masciullo, ABC Books)

Olive is thrilled to be attending Mrs Groves’ Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers. But when Olive arrives, she finds that regular little girls are strictly forbidden and she must pretend to be a circus performer despite her lack of skills and fear of heights. Between Mrs Groves’ somewhat unorthodox teaching style and the horrible school bully, Olive is going to have to fight if she wants to stay at school with her new friends. There is something decidedly old-fashioned about Olive of Groves, and it will certainly appeal to young readers who enjoy the stories of Enid Blyton. What works best is that the villain here isn’t just the bully—it is the wilfully oblivious Mrs Groves who literally runs the other way rather than witness wrongdoing and ignores anything that would force her to discipline her favourite student. Olive herself is sweet, determined and loyal to her strange new collection of friends, which includes a couple of hoarding rats, a rather blind moose and a collection of trouble-making little boys. This is a simple, fun and gorgeously illustrated story that will appeal to readers aged seven and up. 

Meg Whelan is the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content bookshop in Melbourne