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Feature

Em Bailey Meredith Badger author photo

Cult following: Em Bailey on ‘The Special Ones’

Feature review

Dreaming the Enemy
David Metzenthen, A&U, April 2016, reviewed by Dani Solomon

Picture books

Gary
Leila Rudge, Walker Books, May 2016, reviewed by Suzanne Garcia

Gary the pigeon has wanderlust. His scrapbook is filled with mementos from everywhere, yet he has travelled nowhere. Unlike his fellow racing pigeons, Gary can’t fly. But one day he... Read more

I Just Couldn't Wait to Meet You
Kate Ritchie, illus by Hannah Sommerville, Random House, April 2016, reviewed by Louise Pfanner

This warm-hearted picture book from former Home and Away actor Kate Ritchie captures the anticipation of pregnancy and all the fun of preparing for the new baby. With a text... Read more

Incredibilia
Libby Hathorn, illus by Gaye Chapman, Little Hare, May 2016, reviewed by Margaret Hamilton

Little Georgie is the youngest and she’s frequently forgotten by the other children Max and Harriet who are otherwise occupied with their own play. Little Georgie is not deterred though,... Read more

Milo
Tohby Riddle, A&U, April 2016, reviewed by Thuy On

The latest picture book from Tohby Riddle is all about Milo, a dog who ‘lived in a solid kennel in an okay part of town and had few complaints’. Milo... Read more

Smile / Cry
Tania McCartney, illus by Jess Racklyeft, EK Books, April 2016, reviewed by Thuy On

Billed as a ‘beginner’s book of feelings’, this flip-over picture book is cleverly designed to be read from either the ‘Smile’ or the ‘Cry’ cover first. It doesn’t matter which... Read more

Younger readers

Captain Jimmy Cook Discovers Third Grade
Kate and Jol Temple, illus by Jon Foye, A&U, May 2016, reviewed by Angela Crocombe

Jimmy Cook is absolutely certain he is related to Captain James Cook. During History Week at school, Jimmy begins writing a Captain’s Log (not a diary, because those are for... Read more

Chook Doolan: Rules are Rules: Book One
James Roy, illus by Lucinda Gifford, Walker Books, May 2016, reviewed by Sarah Coull

Chook Doolan: Rules are Rules kicks off James Roy’s new ‘Chook Doolan’ series, which features lead character Simon ‘Chook’ Doolan—a nervous boy who wishes he could be much braver. Chook... Read more

Rockhopping
Trace Balla, A&U, April 2016, reviewed by Louise Pfanner

Clancy and his Uncle Egg, the heroes of Trace Balla’s Rivertime, are on a climbing adventure through Victoria’s Grampians. Their six-day trip is full of excitement, with some hairy situations... Read more

The Secrets We Keep
Nova Weetman, UQP, April 2016, reviewed by Carody Culver

Eleven-year-old Clem Timmins never thought her life could change so suddenly. After a house fire destroyed all her possessions and took her mother’s life, Clem and her dad have moved... Read more

Young adult

The Pain, My Mother, Sir Tiffy, Cyber Boy and Me
Michael Gerard Bauer, Omnibus, May 2016, reviewed by Braiden Asciak

Michael Gerard Bauer returns to writing for young adults with a story about the rollercoaster nature of life that every individual experiences—the moments of happiness and sadness, the unexpected surprises... Read more

Special
Georgia Blain, Random House, April 2016, reviewed by Carody Culver

Seventeen-year-old Fern Marlow always thought she was one of the lucky ones—not just lucky, but special. She’s a Lotto Girl: before she was born, her parents won the chance to... Read more

The Special Ones
Em Bailey, HGE, April 2016, reviewed by Bec Kavanagh

Four teens are prisoners on an Amish-style estate, forced to discard their true identities to play the roles that keep their online viewers fascinated. Their captor, the mysterious he, monitors... Read more

On tour

jon klassen author photo

On tour: Jon Klassen