Junior Newsletter
Children's and YA book reviews and interviews

 

Game on: Anita Heiss on ‘Kicking Goals with Goodsey and Magic’ x

Anita Heiss’ children’s nonfiction book Kicking Goals with Goodsey and Magic (Piccolo Nero, July) is a collaboration with former football players Adam Goodes and Michael... Read more
 
 

Pandamonia
Chris Owen, illus by Chris Nixon, Fremantle Press, August 2016, reviewed by Thuy On
 x

Pandas are adorable creatures right? So soft and furry and on-trend with their black and white colours. They also don’t do very much except laze... Read more
 
Oh Albert cover 

Oh Albert!
Davina Bell, illus by Sara Acton, Viking, August 2016, reviewed by Amy Nicholls-Diver
 x

Oh, Albert! is a captivating picture book about a mischievous pet dog called Albert, whose eyes are bigger than his stomach. The story follows a week in the life of... Read more
 
 

The Nose Pixies
David Hunt, illus by Lucia Masciullo, ABC Books, August 2016, reviewed by Thuy On
 x

Everyone has heard of the tooth fairy, but what of the lesser-known nose pixies? The tiny, wingless pixies live in the royal kingdom of Schnozz, but instead of teeth they... Read more
 
 

Welcome to Country
Aunty Joy Murphy, illus by Lisa Kennedy, Black Dog Books, August 2016, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg
 x

Although ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ speeches are increasingly a part of Australian gatherings, many non-Indigenous Australians are still learning about traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremonies. Welcome to Country by senior Wurundjeri... Read more
 
 

Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic
Anita Heiss, Adam Goodes & Michael O'Loughlin, Piccolo Nero, July 2016, reviewed by Louise Pfanner
 x

Firstly, a disclaimer: I have never watched a game of football and I know nothing about the game. Actually, I knew nothing, but now I know a lot more. Anita... Read more
 
Princess Parsley cover 

Princess Parsley
Pamela Rushby, Omnibus, August 2016, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg
 x

Poor Parsley Patterson. As if it’s not hard enough starting high school, her dad decides to secede from Australia, making 12-year-old Parsley and her younger sisters (Sage, Rosemary and Thyme—the... Read more
 
 

The Shark Caller
Dianne Wolfer, Random House, August 2016, reviewed by Joy Lawn
 x

The Shark Caller breaks new ground in junior YA fiction. Dianne Wolfer blends a mystical tale about legends and traditions in Papua New Guinea with issues such as saving a... Read more
 
Ruby Wishfingers book 2 cover 

Toad-ally Magic: Ruby Wishfingers book two
Deborah Kelly, illus by Leigh Hedstrom, Wombat Books, August 2016, reviewed by Jarrah Moore
 x

Ruby Wishfingers first discovered that she had wish magic in her fingers when she was nine. Now that she’s 11, she has 11 new wishes to spend! But when her... Read more
 
The Bone Sparrow cover 

The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon, Lothian, July 2016, reviewed by Bec Kavanagh
 x

In a story that is in some ways reminiscent of John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, author Zana Fraillon asks readers to imagine a ‘Someday’ better than today. It... Read more
 
 

Songs that Sound Like Blood
Jared Thomas, Magabala, August 2016, reviewed by Braiden Asciak
 x

Growing up in Port Augusta is restricting Roxy’s dream to become a musician, but when she is accepted to Adelaide University’s Centre of Aboriginal Studies in Music, she feels conflicted... Read more
 

 

On tour: Tamora Pierce x

US author Tamora Pierce has written a number of YA series, including ‘The Song of the Lioness’ and the ‘Circle of Magic’. She will be... Read more
 

 

 

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