Shiver Me Timbers! (Oakley Graham, illus by Nina Caniac, Big Sky Publishing)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
This is a rollicking tale about a crew of pirates led by the peg-legged, hook-handed Captain Black. They sail the high seas looking for treasure, through typhoons and storms, past...
Spark (Adam Wallace, illus by Andrew Plant, Ford Street)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
A small fire is born of a careless act. Spark is thrilled by his new found energy but, coaxed by his friend Wind, the fun gets out of hand and...
That’s Not a Hippopotamus (Juliette MacIver, illus by Sarah Davis, Gecko Press)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
This book begins with a class visit to a zoo. The children are told by the guide that they have every kind of animal, but the children quickly realise that...
There’s Not One (Jennifer Higgie, Scribble)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
This luscious picture book offers such pleasures that small children (and their grown-up read-aloud machines) will be drawn towards it. Its simple story—that while there are billions and zillions of...
The Twins of Tintarfell (James O’Loghlin, Pan)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
The Twins of Tintarfell is James O'Loghlin’s third novel for kids following The Adventures of Sir Roderick, The Not-Very Brave (2014) and Daisy Malone and the Blue Glowing Stone (2015)....
Elegy (Jane Abbott, Random House)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
The locals call Kincasey ‘Short Town’—no matter what you expect from it, it always comes up short. In this stereotypical Australian country town, rife with gossip and misogyny, the local...
Goldenhand (Garth Nix, A&U)
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Fans of Garth Nix will be delighted to return once again to the world of the ‘Old Kingdom’ series, with Goldenhand plunging the reader straight back into where Abhorsen left...
Paper, scissors, glue: Jennifer Higgie on ‘There’s Not One’
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Art critic and editor Jennifer Higgie’s debut picture book There’s Not One (Scribble, October) is a ‘simple story’ that teaches children the unique nature of things in a wider landscape...
Sweet rhymes: Joel Moore on ‘Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures’
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Joel Moore—known also by his alias Mulga—is a mural artist, designer and poet, who has turned his hand to picture books. Reviewer Suzanne Garcia calls Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures (Lothian,...
Blue Sky Yellow Kite (Janet A Holmes, illus by Jonathan Bentley, Little Hare)
Monday, 11 July 2016
Friendship can begin in so many different ways. It can be fleeting or it can develop into a long-lasting relationship. And it depends on both parties to make it work....
Gwendolyn! (Juliette MacIver, illus by Terri Rose Baynton, ABC Books)
Monday, 11 July 2016
Gwendolyn! is a variation of a fish-out-of-water story; only this time it’s about a penguin frolicking in the depths of a jungle. Most kids know that jaguars, monkeys and parrots...
Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures (Joel Moore (Mulga), Lothian)
Monday, 11 July 2016
A creative mogul in the making, Sydney-based mural artist and poet Joel Moore has made his Mulga alias a brand name with a clothing label and illustration work for companies...
The Patchwork Bike (Maxine Beneba Clarke, illus by Van T Rudd, Lothian)
Monday, 11 July 2016
This deceptively simple story by author Maxine Beneba Clarke is beautifully written and incredibly powerful. It uses evocative language and onomatopoeia to flesh out a world so physically different from...
Artie and the Grime Wave (Richard Roxburgh, A&U)
Monday, 11 July 2016
This action-packed story of small, skinny Artie and his best mate Bumshoe reads like an old-fashioned ‘boys’ own’ adventure. Artie is constantly being picked on by the school bully Nate...
Somewhere Else (Gus Gordon, Viking)
Monday, 11 July 2016
White duck George Laurent doesn’t want to fly anywhere. The beauty of the Arctic tundra, the Caribbean and Paris means nothing to him, despite the urging of his friends. He’d...
Into Tordon (Z F Kingbolt, MidnightSun)
Monday, 11 July 2016
In Into Tordon, 14-year-old gamer Bethlyn wins the annual championship of Tordon, her online gaming obsession. But when she agrees to meet up with some of her fellow gamers to...
The Book of Whispers (Kimberley Starr, Text)
Monday, 11 July 2016
Luca is the young heir of the Conte De Falconi, destined to take over responsibility for his father’s lands and also the ancient Book of Whispers, a mysterious tome that...
Our Chemical Hearts (Krystal Sutherland, Penguin)
Monday, 11 July 2016
When Henry Page meets Grace Town it’s not exactly love at first sight, but he is immediately drawn to her. Grace is beautiful and damaged and mysterious—she walks with a...
Second act: Richard Roxburgh on ‘Artie and the Grime Wave’
Friday, 8 July 2016
Artie and the Grime Wave (A&U, October), written and illustrated by Richard Roxburgh, is an ‘action-packed story’ for younger readers with ‘elements of [Roxburgh’s] famous wit’, writes reviewer Angela Crocombe....
Down the garden path: Jessica Miller on ‘Elizabeth and Zenobia’
Thursday, 7 July 2016
Reviewer Dani Solomon calls Jessica Miller’s debut middle-grade adventure story Elizabeth and Zenobia (Text, September), about the timid Elizabeth and the fearless Zenobia, ‘the perfect book for 12-year-old readers (and...
Hello, Sydney! (Megan McKean, Thames & Hudson)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Fifteen of Sydney’s favourite locations, for tourists and residents alike, supply the backdrop for this spot-and-find adventure by designer Megan McKean. All the icons are featured—the Sydney Opera House, the...
The Little Bad Wolf (Sam Bowring, illus by Lachlan Creagh, Lothian)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
The big bad wolf (now retired) has a bit of nasty reputation but his grandson is quite mischievous too: ‘Trouble was his favourite thing to make.’ Set in a fairyland...
Mechanica: A Beginner’s Field Guide (Lance Balchin, The Five Mile Press)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Mechanica: A Beginner’s Field Guide is a beautiful picture book for older children that combines steampunk style with a futuristic, cautionary tale. Author and illustrator Lance Balchin has created a...
One Photo (Ross Watkins, illus by Liz Anelli, Viking)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
In One Photo, author Ross Watkins and illustrator Liz Anelli gently sketch a family affected by Alzheimer’s, though the disease is never mentioned in the narrative; rather, the young protagonist...
The Pied Piper (Ayesha L Rubio, The Five Mile Press)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
The timeless story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin is given a whole new look in this lively new treatment. The story has been adapted for modern readers and flows...
The Grabbem Getaway: Axel and BEAST Book One (Adrian C Bott, illus by Andy Isaac, Hardie Grant Egmont)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
When a shape-shifting robot breaks into his house, 12-year-old Axel is plucked from his computer screen into a high-stakes scenario to rival any of his beloved games. Thrust into a...
Elizabeth and Zenobia (Jessica Miller, Text)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Painfully quiet Elizabeth and her delightfully devious and not-quite-imaginary friend Zenobia move into Witheringe House, the old manor where Elizabeth’s father spent his childhood. It is also where Elizabeth’s aunt...
Skyfire: The Seven Signs Book One (Michael Adams, Scholastic)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
In the near future, seven teens from around the world have been selected as the winners of the DARE Awards by internet trillionaire Felix Scott. Their skills and achievements have...
Two Troll Tales from Norway (Margrete Lamond, illus by Ingrid Kallick, Christmas Press)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Margrete Lamond’s enchanting retelling of The Two Troll Tales from Norway is sure to attract educators and booksellers around the country. The first of the pair of folk tales in...
Words in Deep Blue (Cath Crowley, Pan)
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Since her brother Cal drowned 10 months ago, Rachel has failed Year 12, lost all her friends and watched her mother become consumed by grief. Desperate to get away, she...
