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Children's and YA book reviews and interviews

How to Win a Nobel Prize
Barry Marshall & Lorna Hendry, illus by Bernard Caleo, Piccolo Nero, April 2018, reviewed by Heath Graham

Interview

The new normal: Adam Cece on ‘The Extremely Weird Thing That Happened in Huggabie Falls’

Picture books

Bouncing Back: An Eastern Barred Bandicoot Story
Rohan Cleave & Coral Tulloch, CSIRO Publishing, April 2018, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg

Best known for their conservation-focused picture book Phasmid, Rohan Cleave and Coral Tulloch have now turned their attention to the endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot in Bouncing Back. The story makes... Read more

The Last Peach
Gus Gordon, Viking, April 2018, reviewed by Bronte Coates

Gus Gordon delights and entertains with his newest picture book, a fable about two bugs who come across the most beautiful peach they’ve ever seen. In the beginning they’re overjoyed... Read more

Message in a Sock
Kaye Baillie, illus by Narelda Joy, MidnightSun, April 2018, reviewed by Louise Pfanner

Message in a Sock is a delightful picture book based on a true exchange between an Australian soldier and a young girl in World War I. Tammy and her mother... Read more

Younger readers

The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls
Adam Cece, illus by Andrew Weldon, Text, April 2018, reviewed by Holly Harper

Welcome to Huggabie Falls, where, on a normal day, you might encounter mad scientists, vegetarian piranhas and a spell-slinging schoolteacher with a penchant for turning students into hippopotamuses. In a... Read more

The Long Class Goodnight
Sammy J, Five Mile, April 2018, reviewed by Karys McEwen

Comedian Sammy J is a natural storyteller, and his debut children’s novel is a testament to his ability to craft an entertaining tale. This first title in a planned series... Read more

The Poppa Platoon in World War Chew
Danny Katz, illus by Mitch Vane, Scholastic, April 2018, reviewed by Katie Haydon

‘Little Lunch’ creators Danny Katz and Mitch Vane have teamed up again in ‘The Poppa Platoon’ series, beginning with The Poppa Platoon in World War Chew. The ‘chew’ in the... Read more

Young adult

Amelia Westlake
Erin Gough, Hardie Grant Egmont, April 2018, reviewed by Angela Crocombe

After her Ampersand Prize-winning debut The Flywheel, Erin Gough’s second novel has been eagerly anticipated. Amelia Westlake has been worth the wait. This is a brilliant social satire with a... Read more

Small Spaces
Sarah Epstein, Walker Books, April 2018, reviewed by Phil Lesnie

As a child, Tash Carmody witnessed the kidnapping of Mallory Fisher. Yet nobody would believe her account of the event—that Mallory was abducted by Tash’s imaginary friend Sparrow. Nine years... Read more

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February and March reviews unlocked