Junior Newsletter
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Children's and YA book reviews and interviews
 

Pea Pod Lullaby
Glenda Millard, illus by Stephen Michael King, A&U, September 2017, reviewed by Margaret Hamilton

I had read this text before, when it was included as a double-page spread in The Hush Treasure Book anthology, also illustrated by King. I... Read more
 
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Off-course navigation: Claire Christian on ‘Beautiful Mess’

Claire Christian’s 2016 Text Prize winner Beautiful Mess (Text, September) is about two misfits who help each other through the raw pain of adolescence. Reviewer... Read more
 
 

Bertha and Bear
Christine Sharp, UQP, September 2017, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg
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One little bee’s brave expedition through a storm to find somewhere safe to build a new hive is the focus of Christine Sharp’s third picture book Bertha and Bear. The... Read more
 
 

Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros
Meg McKinlay, illus by Leila Rudge, Walker Books, September 2017, reviewed by Suzanne Garcia
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There are things rhinos can and can’t do. Rhinos can wallow in mud and bathe in the sun, but can they be adventurous? In Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros, one... Read more
 
 

Ponk!
Edwina Wyatt, illus by Christopher Nielsen, Little Hare, September 2017, reviewed by Mike Shuttleworth
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Ponk is a little bird who lives at the top of a very tall tree. From on high, Ponk can see The Hill and the strange beasts dancing and swaying... Read more
 
 

The Scared Book
Debra Tidball, illus by Kim Siew, Lothian, September 2017, reviewed by Thuy On
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The Scared Book is, as its title suggests, about a frightened book that’s been infiltrated by a variety of monsters on its pages and begs for help from the reader... Read more
 
 

Bring it On!: Play Like a Girl Book One
Jo Stanley, Five Mile, September 2017, reviewed by Eadie Allen
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Finally, a series about our national sport that stars girls! Jo Stanley has combined her love of footy and empowering women in the new ‘Play Like a Girl’ series, with... Read more
 
 

The Missing Ace: The Mysterious World of Cosentino Book One
Cosentino & Jack Heath, illus by James Hart, Scholastic, September 2017, reviewed by Dani Solomon
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Cosentino the Grand Illusionist runs the beloved Copperpot Theatre in Coppertown, a place in Magicland where the evil King has banned magic. Cos is working on his latest trick—escaping from... Read more
 
 

Mr Bambuckle's Remarkables
Tim Harris, illus by James Hart, Random House, September 2017, reviewed by Holly Harper
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The students of 12B aren’t quite sure what to make of their new teacher, Mr Bambuckle: he rides a unicycle, his cousin is an Icelandic rock star, and he keeps... Read more
 
 

Opposite Land
Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, Random House, September 2017, reviewed by Kate McDonnell
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After a terrible first day at her new school and a fight with her mother, Steve storms up to her room and the next thing she knows, she has tumbled... Read more
 
 

Beautiful Mess
Claire Christian, Text, September 2017, reviewed by Angela Crocombe
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Claire Christian’s 2016 Text Prize-winning book is a beautifully written YA novel that confidently navigates the murky waters of grief and male-female friendship. Chapters are voiced in turn by Ava,... Read more
 
 

A Semi-definitive List of Worst Nightmares
Krystal Sutherland, Penguin, September 2017, reviewed by Tamsien West
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This is a touching, hilarious and relatable book for older teens about depression, anxiety, facing your fears and learning to accept help when you need it most. Seventeen-year-old Esther’s life... Read more
 
 

Take Three Girls
Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood, Pan, September 2017, reviewed by Bec Kavanagh
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Take Three Girls is a novel about friendship, written by friends. The voices of Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood blend seamlessly to create a narrative about three girls... Read more
 

 

 

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