Junior Newsletter
Children's and YA book reviews and interviews

 

Down the garden path: Jessica Miller on ‘Elizabeth and Zenobia’ x

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... Read more
 

 

Shelf help: Cath Crowley on ‘Words in Deep Blue’ x

A love story set in a second-hand bookshop, Cath Crowley’s latest YA novel Words in Deep Blue is ‘a beautiful examination of grief, love and... Read more
 
 

Words in Deep Blue
Cath Crowley, Pan, September 2016, reviewed by Meg Whelan
 x

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.... Read more
 
 

The Little Bad Wolf
Sam Bowring, illus by Lachlan Creagh, Lothian, September 2016, reviewed by Thuy On
 x

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... Read more
 
 

Mechanica: A Beginner's Field Guide
Lance Balchin, The Five Mile Press, September 2016, reviewed by Amy Nicholls-Diver
 x

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... Read more
 
 

One Photo
Ross Watkins, illus by Liz Anelli, Viking, September 2016, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg
 x

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... Read more
 
 

The Pied Piper
Ayesha L Rubio, The Five Mile Press, September 2016, reviewed by Margaret Hamilton
 x

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... Read more
 
 

Elizabeth and Zenobia
Jessica Miller, Text, September 2016, reviewed by Dani Solomon
 x

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... Read more
 
 

The Grabbem Getaway: Axel and BEAST Book One
Adrian C Bott, illus by Andy Isaac, Hardie Grant Egmont, September 2016, reviewed by Suzanne Garcia
 x

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... Read more
 
 

Skyfire: The Seven Signs Book One
Michael Adams, Scholastic, September 2016, reviewed by Heath Graham
 x

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... Read more
 
 

Two Troll Tales from Norway
Margrete Lamond, illus by Ingrid Kallick, Christmas Press, September 2016, reviewed by Alexandra Pixton
 x

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... Read more
 
 

Valdur the Viking and the Ghostly Goths
Craig Cormick, Ford Street, September 2016, reviewed by Meg Whelan
 x

Valdur the Viking is having a pretty bad day. First, his pet dog Ragna—who is maybe a dragon—eats the last pickle. Then his father and most of their ship’s crew... Read more
 
 

The Book That Made Me
ed by Judith Ridge, Walker Books, September 2016, reviewed by Jarrah Moore
 x

The Book that Made Me is a collection of mini-essays by 32 authors, many of them children’s and YA authors and most Australian or New Zealanders. The authors were asked... Read more
 

 

On tour: Rainbow Rowell x

Rainbow Rowell’s YA novels include Eleanor and Park (Orion), Fangirl and Carry On (both Macmillan). She is travelling to the Melbourne Writers Festival in August... Read more
 

 

 

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