Review search
Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café (Anna Fienberg & Stephen Michael King, A&U)
Released October 2013
Figaro and Rumba are a Cuban dog and cat who live together. Rumba, the cat, is an ex-musician whose whole family was catnapped years ago. Figaro, the dog, found Rumba... Read more
Maddy West and the Tongue Taker (Brian Falkner, illus by Donovan Bixley, Walker Books)
Released October 2012
The latest chapter book from New Zealand-born author Brian Falkner continues in the same adventurous vein as his last, the delightful Northwood. Falkner has created another feisty young heroine for... Read more
Black Spring (Alison Croggon, Walker Books)
Released October 2012
Black Spring is a dark, gothic tale inspired by Wuthering Heights. In this fantasy version of 19th-century England, some people are born with magical powers. However, only the male babies... Read more
The Convent (Maureen McCarthy, A&U)
Released October 2012
Maureen McCarthy is one of Australia’s best-loved YA authors, and her latest novel The Convent tells a compelling coming-of-age story about fate, choices and family secrets. Nineteen-year-old Peach plans to... Read more
The Crystal Code: The Billionaire Series Book Four (Richard Newsome, Text)
Released September 2012
Richard Newsome’s ‘Billionaire’ series continues at the same frenetic pace that worked so well in previous books. In The Crystal Code, the world’s youngest billionaire, Gerald Wilkins, and his friends... Read more
I Made Lattes for a Love God (Wendy Harmer, A&U)
Released November 2012
Fifteen-year-old Elly Pickering’s life just got a whole lot more exciting. Not only is her number-one crush, teen sensation Jake Blake, coming to her hometown to film his latest movie,... Read more
Lola Bensky (Lily Brett, Hamish Hamilton)
Released October 2012
Lola Bensky, a character often referred to as Lily Brett’s alter ego, has appeared in Brett’s short fiction, as well her 1990 novel Things Could Be Worse. In Brett’s new... Read more
On the Farm: Our Holiday with Uncle Kev (Roland Harvey, A&U)
Released November 2012
On the Farm: Our Holiday with Uncle Kev is the latest addition to Roland Harvey’s successful series of picture books, and it captures all of the fun and mayhem of... Read more
Looking for Rex (Jan Ormerod, illus by Carol Thompson, Little Hare)
Released October 2012
Although Gramps keeps himself active and busy, he’s lonely. He misses his wife Rose, and his family thinks he should get out more. Mum suggests that Gramps might like to... Read more
The Lady Risks All (Stephanie Laurens, HarperCollins)
Released October 2012
Stephanie Laurens' readers will be familiar with Lord Julian, or Roscoe, the hero of her latest Regency-set romance. However, they will be disappointed with the result: the novel is marred... Read more
Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed (Anna Campbell, HarperCollins)
Released October 2012
Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed kicks off a new series by Anna Campbell, who has signed with a new publisher, Grand Central Publishing, though she remains with HarperCollins in... Read more
Don’t Go Back to Where You Came From (Tim Soutphommasane, NewSouth)
Released October 2012
With the recent popularity of shows such as Dumb, Drunk and Racist and Go Back to Where You Came From, Tim Soutphommasane's book is a timely study of multiculturalism in... Read more
Princess Betony and the Unicorn (Pamela Freeman, illus by Tamsin Ainslie, Walker Books)
Released October 2012
This stand-alone first chapter book from prolific author Pamela Freeman opens with a whip-cracking governess and a sprightly princess who isn't allowed to do x, y and z. When the... Read more
Questions of Travel (Michelle de Kretser, A&U)
Released October 2012
Questions of Travel is the fourth novel from Michelle de Kretser, who, I think it’s safe to say, is no longer a rising star but one of Australia’s finest literary... Read more
The Conversation (David Brooks, UQP)
Released November 2012
I was eager to read The Conversation by David Brooks. The idea of the novel had me salivating long before I held the pages in my hand. Two strangers—an older... Read more
A Corner of White: The Colours of Madeleine Book One (Jaclyn Moriarty, Pan Macmillan)
Released October 2012
Madeleine lives in Cambridge, England, The World, where she is homeschooled along with her two friends Belle and Jack. One day Madeleine finds a letter in a parking meter—and for... Read more
BOOK REVIEW: The Oldest Song in the World (Sue Woolfe, Fourth Estate)
Released January 1970
The Oldest Song in the World is quite an incredible book. The story, with its mix of themes, is full of tension and interest. Kate is sent to a town... Read more
Zombies, Bananas and Why There Are No Economists in Heaven (Jessica Irvine, A&U)
Released August 2012
Let’s face it, economics is not the sexiest social science going around. If I were to spout the terms ‘negative externality’ or ‘elasticity of demand’, I’m pretty sure most readers’... Read more
Get Well Soon! My (Un)Brilliant Career as a Nurse (Kristy Chambers, UQP)
Released September 2012
*Nonfiction Television audiences have been inundated with programs that attempt to depict the medical profession. Brisbane nurse Kristy Chambers’ memoir Get Well Soon! embodies the reason for their popularity: our tendency... Read more
The Rise of the Fifth Estate: Social Media and Blogging in Australian Politics Greg Jericho (Scribe, September)
Released September 2012
The Rise of the Fifth Estate is a well-researched and engaging look at the world of social media and blogging in the context of the Australian political system, and author... Read more
