In this graphic memoir Georgina Chadderton introduces her cartoon character self to the reader, explaining that she loves to draw comics and that she grew up with a younger brother, Rob, who has autism and an intellectual disability. She wants to share what it is like to be a sibling of someone with high support needs and the complicated feelings she experienced. Before Gina starts year 8 at a new high school the family moves to a bigger house during the school holidays. She finds the changes difficult but exciting however it also throws up new challenges in managing Rob’s behaviours, like installing locks on cupboards and the fridge because of his tendency to steal snacks or tear up books. Gina loves her brother, who is non-verbal, and can communicate with him through sign language and the sounds he makes, but when Rob gets frustrated, he has meltdowns and can bite and pinch, something the family is prepared for, but still a problem. Mum, who works in disability support, and Dad, a professional doctor and amateur handyman, seem to have things as under control as they can be, but visits to the hairdresser or dentist are a challenge and what will Gina’s new school friends think, if she is lucky enough to find any? At school some of the other girls make fun of Gina’s boyish appearance, and when she starts her period at school she is too shy to get help, but she finds a friend called Callie who loves her cartooning and seems to have the self-confidence Gina lacks. Callie meets Rob at Gina’s house and she seems cool with his condition, they even have a sleep over while he is in respite care, but when a school project becomes a casualty, and Callie seems to be spending more time with her other friends, will their friendship survive?
The colourful cartoon characters are able to graphically communicate emotional turmoil in a unique way, with humour and compassion, particularly the close relationship between Gina and her brother. There are notes at the end with photos of the family and information about their lives since. One of young Gina’s worries was about how she would look after her brother when her parents couldn’t and it was good to see this articulated and to see how adult Rob is thriving in his own space in supported living. A great way to learn more about neurodiversity but also a well-paced entertaining read that deserves a wide audience, especially as the author is South Australian and it has a satisfying local feel.
Bravepaw and the fangstone of Flintfall by L.M. Wilkinson. Illus. by Lavanya Naidu
Albert Street Books, 2026. ISBN: 9781761182150. (Age:8-12+)
All is not well on the Island of Alluria, there is a crack in the heart of the island allowing Curseworms to enter. Titch, a mouse living on the high plateau, discovering she is the reincarnation of the ancient hero Bravepaw, has taken up the Heartstone staff and driven them away from her home and from Rottwood Mire, but the Darkness cannot be defeated while the Heartstone staff is incomplete and the friends Tich, Huckleberry and the warrior squirrel, Briar, need to find out more about the Gems of Harmony from the great library at Lexhelm. They are flown to Lexhelm by Earna, the Eaglebear and they ask head librarian, Master Sticklepin, about the prophecy. It seems that every 100 years the Dreadroot Monster stirs and Bravepaw must subdue it before it enters Alluria through cracks in the earth. They discover that as well as the Clawstone they have, they must find the Fangstone, the Dreamstone and the Songstone before the Heartstone staff is complete and can defeat their enemies. The friends set out to find the Fangstone and along with physical challenges Bravepaw must trust her instincts in making difficult decisions.
This is the third in the Bravepaw series but there is enough information for a reader to pick up the story so far. Along with black and white illustrations, the highlighting of some words on most pages, using bold print, or capitals or different fonts, breaks up the blocks of text for younger, and less confident readers but does affect the continuity. At under 200 pages each volume in the series is within reach of most readers. There is plenty of action and adventure with an interesting cast of characters; I particularly liked the lavender wolf. Our heroes find out that being fluffy and cute is not always a good test of character and that being brave is not enough without the support of trusted friends.
Themes Fantasy, Adventure, Animals, Friendship.
Sue Speck
Poppy & Pipsqueak: The mighty pipsqueak by Deborah Kelly. Illus. by Amie Sabadin
When Jessie-dog has a puppy much smaller than the others, Dad says it probably won’t survive the night. Poppy is determined to prove that the little pup can do everything the other pups can do. After all, she was born small too.
Poppy convinces her father to let her try to save the puppy by hand-rearing it. Her father agrees that Poppy can raise the puppy now named Pipsqueak, but they can’t keep her. The problem is that dad is a farmer and only wants work dogs on the farm so he tells Poppy that she will need to find another home when she is big enough. Poppy loves her puppy and is determined to show her parents that Pipsqueak is a strong, reliable dog.
This is fabulous book and I especially love the Glossary and Featured Creatures in the back as it will help the reader to understand some of the language used. This is a perfect book for emerging or independent readers with short chapters, great language and beautiful black and white illustrations. I hope that there are more books in this series as I can imagine many more adventures for Poppy and Pipsqueak.
This would make a great read aloud or independent read and is bound to be a favourite with readers who like animals and learning new information particularly around dogs and farm life.
In every country around the world are mums – some short, some tall Though they go by different names, we love them all. A Mummy here, a Mama there, or maybe she’s a Ma. Turn the page, let’s meet some of the greatest, near and far.
And so begins this delightful new rhyming picture book, honouring Mums from around the world. Some of the Mums introduced include Okaasan from Japan. She is a Mum who loves to compete in running events with family supporting her. Anyu from Hungary loves browsing in vintage shops. Aiti from Finland loves nothing better than playing with her child. The final Mum is Miimi, a Gumbaynggir mother who is from Australia’s Mid North Coast region. She loves spending time by the tranquil sea.
The colourful, detailed illustrations capture the joy of each Mum spending time with her family. Each page shares warmth and connection. It is especially wonderful to see Mums represented from all walks of life, each engaged in different activities that reflect their unique personalities and experiences. This inclusive approach enables many readers to see themselves and their families reflected in these moments.
There are so many Mums introduced to young readers in What Do You Call Your Mum? and they all have one thing in common; they love spending time with their family. The extra information in the final pages allows this book to provide interesting teaching and learning moments.
University of Queensland Press, 2026. ISBN: 9780702269226. (Age:9-12) Recommended.
Mitch’s life has just gone through upheaval; he must start at a new school halfway through the school year and he is far from comfortable with the move. His parents are working overseas and their return is delayed, so Mitch is staying with his grandmother until his family can move into their new home. Mitch and his very social sister have very different comfort levels as they enter Year 5 and Year 4 respectively. And the class bully soon targets Mitch. Mitch’s anxiety is at an all-time high … if only he had a dog as a friend. The local park has a tree that looks a little like a big dog, and it seems to be calling to him. A magical moment transforms Mitch’s life with the appearance of Argos, a wild and independent dog of unknown background. His magical strength and confidence gives Mitch an opportunity to grow in confidence and find his way, but first he must protect Argos from threats from his local community. Can Mitch keep Argos or will his size and strength create problems for Mitch? And can Argos’ magic last?
This is a story that weaves gentle magical possibilities with a story of a boy finding himself and finding friendship, and learning to speak out, even in the face of a bully and in uncertain circumstances. Wanting a pet is also a desire that needs to be addressed within his family. This is not an unusual theme in a mid-primary novel, but the solution for Mitch has magical overtones. The story has magical mystery and intrigue as the dog in the story is far from a dog home ‘rescue dog’ but rather is a rescuer in nature. This book will be enjoyed by mid-primary readers (aged 9-12) who enjoy fiction where characters grow in confidence, with realistic storylines sprinkled with magical prospects. The magic is not very intense … more Magic Faraway Tree than Harry Potter. The term ‘witch’ is used for one child character who is not aware of her ‘magic’. The bully is unlikeable and is ‘transformed’ into a duck for a night. The central character also has a brief transformation into an owl - unnecessary for the story, but more magic. Mostly though this is about a boy finding his voice, his own path, and maybe a pet.
Themes Fear and courage, Dogs, Magic, Moving schools, Bullying, Family, Pet ownership.
Carolyn Hull
Treeshape by Trace Balla
Allen & Unwin, 2026. ISBN: 9781761181252. (Age:10+ to adult) Highly recommended.
Treeshape is the deeply moving, deeply personal story of author and illustrator Trace Balla. Using a graphic novel-style to share her journal/diary-like presentation, this stunning book shares aspects of Trace’s life journey and her learning over many years.
Beginning with her love of trees and the connection she shares with them, we learn about her early years with her family and her life in the city. For young Trace, the mother tree became her constant companion to escape the harshness and challenge of city life.
Always questioning, as Trace grows older, she begins to see the challenge that the trees and the land have to be at peace. She joins groups of environmental activists, protests against tree-logging, chooses to live sustainably and returns to her home to learn about Country.
She raises her young son Joe, firstly in the city and then in the country where they spend time learning about their local environment and always, always connecting with trees and Country. For Trace, trees are her grounding place.
The overall presentation of this book is striking. Trace has used photographs of herself and Joe, trees, plants, creatures as backgrounds, as collage pieces, alongside watercolours, ink, sepia tones, natural colours combined with handwritten text and hand drawn images.
It was a privilege to read and review Treeshape, and I hope that others have the opportunity to enjoy and be moved by such an incredible personal story.
Themes First Nation Peoples, Trees, Connection, Environmental Activism, Country & Culture, Family, Friends, Nature, Conservation, Collage, Graphic Novel, Life Story.
Kathryn Beilby
Good young men by Gary Lonesborough
Allen & Unwin, 2026. ISBN: 9781761182174. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Gary Lonesborough is such a talent! He has written yet another incredibly engaging YA novel that takes you into the heart of life for Aboriginal teenagers on the cusp of adulthood in a small coastal town rife with bullying and racism. The first page sets the scene with council workers scrubbing away the latest graffiti in the shopping centre: ‘WHITE POWER’.
The book is almost three separate stories about Kallum, Jordy, and Dylan, but they are all linked together, by their earlier childhood friendship, and by the memory of Brandon, the fourth friend, now dead, shot by police. Kallum is struggling to fulfil his father’s ambitions for him to become a star football player; Jordy is trying to keep his family together whilst grieving his mother’s death and his father sinking into alcoholism; and Dylan, the one with the bad reputation, is in a kind of limbo between his separated parents. Dylan is the one who was partying with Brandon the night he died, he’s the only one who knows what really happened, and has to go on the witness stand when the murder trial takes place.
All three boys are at a crucial point, having to make decisions about how to act and where they want their lives to go in the future. For Kallum there is the added uncertainty about his sexuality and a tentative exploration of gay friendships online, something that seems fraught with danger.
Lonesborough is a master of bringing to life the world the boys inhabit. His language is literal, simply describing the houses, the furniture, the food they eat, the drinks, the conversations they have. We are taken into that world like watching a film. But somehow he also builds a tension as we watch the boys walk the street, drive cars, go to parties, and meet up with strangers. It’s a tension built from knowing the kind of danger that might occur. On more than one occasion, I found myself dreading what might happen next. I had to keep turning the pages.
In the end Good young men provides positive messages of being true to oneself, valuing family and close friendships, messages that are an undercurrent through all his books. Highly recommended.
Random House, 2025. ISBN: 9780593813188. (Age:8-12) Recommended.
The Dragon’s Apprentice begins with the journal entries of Bianca, who lives in the medieval-like village of Skael. She is an apprentice who is being taught magic by a dragon called Scorch. People in the village contract a fatal cough from working in the mines and magic can cure them. Suddenly we jump a thousand years later and meet Ciara who similarly lives in Skael. She found Bianca’s journal five years ago and it seems to have a personality but is somewhat useless and blank. Yet the journal must have some importance. The tyrannical Warden demands the journal and imprisons her seriously ill mother when it is discovered that they have been hiding it. Luckily Ciara escapes with the journal and manages to evade the Warden and his Drakes (soldiers) while she discovers the power of magic in the journal. She conjures up Scorch the dragon by drawing a magical symbol in the air with her hand. Scorch and Ciara discover how things have gone so bad in Skael and why the villagers have been forbidden to learn magic.
This enjoyable story has a humorous tone with no unnecessary violence. Dragons have taken an oath not to use magic for violence towards humans, which causes an interesting ethical dilemma for a fire-breathing dragon. James Riley has his characters talk in plenty of contemporary banter and therefore makes this story funnier and more relatable to children. Also, he has wisely created an uncomplicated fantasy world. Good versus evil drives the fast-paced plot. Ciara is a brave likable 12-year-old, determined to save her mother and see justice done. Scorch becomes less cranky and kinder as he tries to teach Ciara the rights and wrongs of using magic. The jacket design is appealing and the examples of magic symbols at the end of the book are a nice touch. I found myself trying them out! It would make a good read aloud for 8-to-12 year olds. There is already a sequel.
‘Climate grief is a real thing’, ‘a perpetual loop of what’s the point?’ and ‘a mounting sense of doom’. Ava catalogues the dead. On her first day of work at the Department of the Vanishing she is given a list of 24 species of birds, all now extinct. Her job is to archive all the scientific and cultural materials relating to the extinct species, to preserve their history. It’s a soul destroying job, alleviated only by bursts of manic humour shared with her co-worker Dee as they laugh at the Chief’s mispronunciation of ‘ARCH-ivists’ or vent their anger by punching stacks of documents.
For Ava climate grief is merged with grief over a disappeared father in her childhood, and a disappearing mother succumbing to dementia in an aged care home. The doctor tells her ‘grief can make you do odd things’, ‘compulsive behaviours’ that find outlet in the heightened demands she makes of her lover, the man with the bird feathers tattooed on his arm; anything to keep feeling half alive.
Birds are important. A double-page spread presents an attempt at translating all the bird calls made by Australian species; it’s a cacophony of sounds. Research has shown that hearing birdsong leads to an improvement in the mental wellbeing of listeners. Yet those sounds are disappearing from the urban environment. Imagine the joy of hearing a lyrebird, a bird capable of reproducing the sound of so many other birds in the wild. Sadly the lyrebird becomes the next to appear on Ava’s notification of extinct species.
The novel is set a few years in the future, and takes an emotive verse form, overlain with the ephemera of the archivist’s job: lists, facts, quotes, notes, photographs … and the recorded interview statements with police, for we learn early on that she has been arrested by the NSW Police intergovernmental fraud squad. Gradually, like the archivist herself, the reader pieces together the fragments that build a story of loss and discovery, until the explosive final revelation.
Department of the Vanishing is a very different approach to storytelling, immediately obvious to the reader flicking through the pages. It is full of fascinating detail, duly referenced at the end, but an emotional story is threaded throughout, and ultimately comes together like an intriguing detective story.
This delightful short novella is the prefect introduction for younger readers to Hannah Gold’s compelling Bear series books - The Last Bear and Finding Bear as well as the stand alone book, The Lone Husky.
In Bear Rescue, all of the important characters come together to celebrate April’s father’s birthday. Living on Svalbard, a small icy island in the middle of the Arctic, April and her family, now including Maria and baby August, are close to their friends, Hedda, Tor and Jurgen. They all meet together for the birthday celebration at Hedda’s cabin after journeying on a sled pulled by huskies.
April has been tasked with keeping a big secret and helping her father enable it at the birthday party. In the meantime, Bear appears drawn to the peanut butter in April’s birthday cake left outside the cabin in the cold and devours it! When April goes to retrieve it, she can feel Bear’s presence and is overjoyed to see him. However, baby August goes missing and it is up to Bear and April, with help from husky Blaze, to find him in the snowy landscape.
Hannah Gold has once again provided her young readers with a warm and heartfelt adventure that provides so much enjoyment. Her vivid descriptions of the natural snow- covered Arctic world and her gentle introduction to environmental issues encourages children to care deeply about the planet and the creatures who share it.
Wannabe stand-up comedian Matt has commandeered the help of his long-suffering friend Hugo to video his public appearance on Redhill Street. Matt is nervous but the gig does not go well, no one seems to want to stop and hear his jokes, all just hurrying around to nearby Redhill Square. To find out what is going on Matt and Hugo follow, it seems the Redbacks soccer team are playing in a game broadcast on a big screen and the fans are gathering to watch, including mega fan Abby Purcell. When a soccer ball comes their way Hugo surprises Matt with his amazing ball skills, but when he passes the ball it hits Matt in the face. Matt doesn’t like sport and sport doesn’t like him, but he notices Abby, who also hates sport, has caught soccer fever along with thousands of others, watching and cheering their team on. Hugo points out that half a billion people watched the last soccer world cup, catching Matt’s imagination; he wants some of that attention for himself! In his dreams, soccer star Matt is the centre of attention, wowing fans with his skills but sadly dream skills don’t translate into real ones and at school he is back to hearing random soccer facts from Hugo. Matt’s grandpa tells him a stand-up comedian must go and find his audience so when Abby sets off after school to coach the Little Kickers team at the Redhill Soccer Club Matt has another brilliant idea, don’t all sports have half time shows?
This is the 14th book in the Funny Kid series with its familiar bold black and white cartoon characters on most pages adding to the action. As expected, Matt comes to realise that it is not enough to be funny, or to find an audience, he has to care about his audience so they can care about him. Fans of Funny Kid won’t be disappointed but the book also stands quite well alone; there are unexpected twists and turns in the plot and quite a lot to learn about soccer.
Themes Comedy, Soccer, Friendship.
Sue Speck
The far-out five: Snot Jelly Island by Olaf Falafel
When four friends visit a carnival magic show a unique set of circumstances, including a magic word uttered by an incompetent magician, an electrical storm and a butterfly fart, lead to them being transformed into Spewnicorn, a rainbow spewing unicorn, Tubbs, a walking bathtub, a blue footed booby, Bloof, and a super cool seal called Jeff. The magician too is transformed, no longer the Great Waldini, but Wally the koala with a magic pouch. All five are caught up in a mega tornado and dumped into the sea, luckily Tubbs is perfect for adventuring and they have been travelling in search of Wally’s lost magic wand and battling weird creatures like Bat-erpillars, Porcupineapples and the Plop Mess Monster. They have visited strange places like Chess Island where they could only move one space at a time, Mudland and the Island of Teachers where they were told to stop talking. The latest is the home of the Bum Faced Woodlouse and their task is to free the villagers who have been transformed by the evil Meduli into wobbly green statues made of a substance they call snot jelly. Bum jokes abound as the five call a Bab-Uner and climb into the basket lifted by its inflatable bum to find and defeat the worm headed creature with the transforming stare, a feat which of course involves the reflection off a pug’s bum.
Bursting with colour and action with great characters embracing their new personas the fast-paced story is interleaved with asides, like spot the difference and advert breaks (including “Educator Away” spray) with lots to see on every page. I liked the way the five worked together using their special talents for good, like changing Craig the Cowardly’s name to Craig the Courageous. My 11-year-old grandson read it twice in quick succession and highly recommended it. Olaf Falafel brings all of his skills as a standup comedian and illustrator to this fun graphic novel which will be popular with those familiar with his joke book A Poo on a Pogo Stick and his huge online following.
Century, 2022. ISBN: 9781780897615. (Age:14+) Recommended.
A setting in a chateau in Provence, an independent young woman who becomes a nanny, a handsome Comte to fall in love with, likeable charges and adorable animals - what more can any reader of romance want? This is the first romance that I have read by Katie Fforde and found it to be a charming, escapist read. It is 1963 and Alexandra is in Paris, wanting a few days in that beautiful city before going to live with relatives in Switzerland. When she is given the opportunity to be a nanny in charge of three children in Provence, she jumps at the chance and finds herself in an old chateau, with three children who need a little love and their father who is very attractive. Gradually the children warm to her as she gets to know their strengths and the chateau begins to bloom with the introduction of David and Jack as tutors and two gorgeous little kittens.
A Wedding in Provence is a cosy, slow burning romance that centres around the main character, Alexandra, and how she adapts to life in France. Katie Florde’s narrative flows smoothly and it was very easy for me to be carried along, enjoying Lexie’s foray into looking after two teens and a young child. I loved the descriptions of the food, the way the characters interacted and the warmth and good will that Lexie brought to her job. The main characters were likeable and Milou the dog and the two little kittens adorable!
Recommended for readers who want to escape to another country, find out about its customs and food while enjoying a slow moving, clean romance that has been compared to The sound of music. Readers may also enjoy romances by Eva Ibbotson, especially The Secret countess.
Themes Romance, Provence, Child care.
Pat Pledger
The travelling bookshop: Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer by Katrina Nannestad. Illus. by Cheryl Orsini
Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is the seventh book in The travelling bookshop series by award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad. The narrative is the first person voice of Mim Cohen our central character who is a girl of primary years age. Mim and her family live in a magical caravan that is actually a travelling bookshop that chooses for itself where it will go next depending on where there is a need. So far, other books in the series have taken Mim, her dad and brother, a horse called Flossy and other assorted animals to a Dutch village, a Greek island, Paris, the Cotswalds, Venice and Salzburg. Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer takes the reader to Norway. Children following the gentle and fun adventures of Mim and her family will have quite the geography lesson.
Nannestad weaves in cultural and social aspects of the countries visited. Thus in Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer, the reader is not only immersed in the topography of mountains and fjords but also in Viking history, in the mythology of trolls and in the social make-up of a Norwegian village - the handicrafts, the people and the farm life. Mention of the recession of the forests is acknowledged through the encroachment of wolves and moose on the villagers as their habitats are diminished.
Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is a story about family and matching books to people. The message, in a lighthearted way, is that books (the right books) can change lives. Its is Mim's father's business in life to place the right book in the right hands at the right time in order for lives to be changed. Even though they can't see it at the time, each selection works out and lives are changed. The travelling bookshop, when it has solved the problem of the village, moves on to the next adventure in another real-life location somewhere in the world where it is needed. The central problem in Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is that Norbert, the fruit farmer, cannot solve the problem of the missing apples. If Mim and her father can't help he will lose his farm. In the meantime, Mim has her own problems with her mother not being with them and having to be a mother to her little brother who is scared of everything especially trolls after reading The three Billy Goats Gruff (a traditional Norwegian fairy tale). Problems are met head on and solved in creative ways even if it means the family cannot uses bridges (for fear of trolls) and must travel in a paddleboat shaped like a duck.
Whimsical, warm and imaginative, Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is another gentle family adventure by a beloved author. The delightful illustrations for the entire series are by Sydney based Cheryl Orsini. Little sketches are scattered throughout the pages and further add to the fanciful and playful nature of Nannestad's story line.
With such a sprinkling of magic, kindness and good, along with plenty of good-natured bluster and quirky problems to be solved, Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer, like the other books in The travelling bookshop series, is a delightful addition to primary school libraries and to primary aged children's booklists for reading for pleasure.
Themes Norway, Importance of books, Family, Friendship.
Wendy Jeffrey
Milly Meelyu by Holly Bradley & Darryl Fogarty. Illus. by Corinne Fogarty
Written in dual language - English and Badimia - this charming picture book will engage young readers with its bold and vivid illustrations and simple accessible text. The Meelyu are small lizards that live in the hollows of logs. When their habitat is destroyed by a grader for land clearing purposes they search all over for a new home where they can feel safe.
They consider a few options - one was too small for the larger lizard, another had cat tracks surrounding it, a third had not enough sun and the final one seemed too far away to get there safely. However, the Meelyu bravely began travelling across the distance but were pounced on by a feral cat. Luckily, some human children scared the cat away and the Meelyu safely made it to their new home.
Milly Meelyu gently explores themes of habitat loss, resilience, and the importance of caring for the natural world and how humans must take responsibility for looking after the flora and fauna. It also introduces readers to the notion of animal totems as symbols of identity and connection in First Nations culture and the importance these traditions play in their lives. Teacher's notes and an activity are available from the publisher.
Themes Dual Language – English and Badimia, Totem Animals, Habitats, Conservation, Lizards, Feral Cats, Land Clearing.
