Two dogs, Augie and Perry are left alone during the day. As pups they were always with people but as their owners now go to school or work, they are alone. They play games with each other, but soon tire of this, but now and gain Perry takes Augie’s ball, teasing until Augie plays the piano, a noise Perry cannot stand, but it means the ball is returned. They look wistfully outside, seeing the squirrel on the lawn, so decide to breakout. Barking at the door does not help, so Augie climbs on Perry’s shoulders and opens the handle of the door. It is very exciting outside. They play on the swings and seesaws, swim in the pool, and then find a hole. Digging seems second nature but some debate ensues about the damage to the lawn and the trouble they will get into. But logic is cast aside as the urge to dig takes over.
When they hear the car drive up, they hightail it back inside, barking after closing the door, making it seem like there is an intruder. And this is what their owners think, that a squirrel has done the damage to the lawn, and they are relieved.
Now and again they argue about just who saved the day but in the main they are the best of friends.
Wonderful illustrations reveal a pair of dogs with all their idiosyncrasies. Their intelligent faces peer out at the reader, making them sympathise with their plight. Falconer has beautify captured the efforts dogs go to endear themselves to their owners, and being a pair of dachshunds doubles the fun of their antics. A laugh out loud treat for all readers, kids will love the play they are involved in when their owners are away, making use of the backyard equipment, and laugh loudly at the advent of a small hole which we all know will get much bigger. The images of the dogs are wonderful, showing them in all their moods and contortions: sitting up, begging, playing around, fighting, working together to open the door, to finally snuggling into each other after their long day. Cautious Augie is a superb contrast with the more exuberant Perry and their personalities are revealed in this story.
With a jaunty rhyming sequence, the story of the disappearing frangipani tart unfolds. Desmond the red-footed booby, like all of his clan is a dab hand in the kitchen. When his tart, sitting near the window disappears he sets out to find the culprit. He spies blue footprints in the snow outside his house, and follows them. He passes other booby houses, and see Maureen with her specialty, doughnuts, and Rod with his black forest gateau, but has has no time to stop, he must follow the footprints. ‘Let’s follow the footprint’ is the start of each line on the facing pages, with a small change in the rhyming word to add surprise and intrigue. Readers will be tantalised by the repetition and rhymes that reflect Desmond’s quest.
Eventually ten boobies follow the red footprints in the snow and get to a house with a blue door. The blue-footed booby inside denies stealing the tart, after all he is a greens man, but crumbs in the snow beg to be followed and off they go again. Retracing their steps, the ten boobies find that everyone’s baking has gone. The Swiss Roll and cupcakes, Maureen’s doughnuts, Rod’s gateau are nowhere to be seen.
Just then, Des hears a munching sound in the woods and finds Barbara, rather shamefaced and vey full. She is the culprit with her red feet like theirs, but a tin of blue paint has helped her trick them all.
A twist at the end of this smart verse story will make readers laugh out loud at the cunning of the blue-footed booby.
This wonderful book with its facing pages of large print following the clues, will be a hit with younger readers, following the exploits of the red-footed booby clan in trying to solve the clues of who did the deed. A puzzle is there to be solved, a new bird to be researched and discussed, tempting types of cakes to be thought about, and wonderful rhymes and repetition to be read out loud. Words will be predicted, practised and mulled over, illustrations gasped at, and attempts to draw a booby of their own will pass the time.
Simon & Schuster, 2023. ISBN: 9781398522107. (Age:13+) Recommended.
Fans of Sorcery of Thornswill be delighted in this romantic sequel. Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas and their maid, Mercy, find that Thorn Manor has trapped them inside the wards that surround the house and will not let anyone in or out. They have a week to work out the source of the magic before the Midwinter Ball that Nathaniel is supposed to host. They realise that the wards behaved badly whenever Elisabeth and Nathaniel begin to get close and they discover a grimoire penned by Nathaniel's ancestor Clothilde Thorn, revealing that Nathaniel should be courting Elisabeth in the proper way. He is given three difficult tasks to fulfil before Thorn Manor will open its wards.
Mysteries of Thorn Manor occurs a few months after the events in Sorcery of thorns and readers will enjoy it much more if they have read the first book. All Elisabeth wants to do is settle down peacefully after the life-and-death events they faced in the first book, and longs to get an opportunity to kiss Nathaniel, but the Manor has other ideas. The blooming of the romance between Elisabeth and Nathaniel is delightful. It is also fun to follow the adventures of the main characters, including such absurdities as a fight with a dressing gown, and uncover some of the secrets of the house.
This is a warm, cosy short story set in a fabulous house with engaging characters and magical adventures that readers are sure to enjoy.
Themes Magic, Romance.
Pat Pledger
Need a house? Call Ms Mouse! by George Mendoza and Doris Susan Smith
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761066016. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
Ms Mouse architect and designer to her friends, the animals that live nearby, takes on all sorts of projects, buildings she ensures are uniquely suited to each of her clients. The text points out just who her clients are and the dimensions of their requests. We hear of her dedication to her task, sitting at her drawing table, often well into the night, while the illustrations reveal the finished products. And what a joy they are.
Her genius lies in ensuring the finished home is just what is needed for each particular client, down to the most minute detail.
Readers will pore over the double page spreads which showcase these homes, marvelling at the detail, the trouble she has gone to to make sure everything in the home suits the client, revealing Ms Mouse’s talents at fitting the house into the landscape, one favoured by the animal concerned.
Her dedication is underlined on the cover image, showing her hard at work, the detritus of trial and error at her feet, a tray of coffee to keep her working, the images of projects she has worked on behind her.
Opening the book reveals some of her magical work. Readers will pore over each page, taking in the detail so suited to each animal. I love the Caterpillar, his home carved into a pear, food stored in the cellar below, the upper story with live pot plants, Caterpillar comfortably watching TV, warmly waiting for his metamorphosis. No one can disturb the creature as Ms Mouse has included a drawbridge stopping any would be intruder.
Spider’s house is full of computer technology, ensuring the dimensions of the web created outside are strong and well secured.
The Mole who lives underground has an amazing entry at the top of the mound; a trapdoor takes Mole down a lovely spiral staircase to his small but comfortable accommodation with the bedroom being the major concern, while Fox’s house, also underground reveals a comfortable pad to come home to after all the running and making of cunning plans. Relaxation is his main focus and the design takes this into account. Each of the fifteen designs is very different: Trout’s Atlantis garden, Squirrel’s tree house and Lizard’s beach house for example, prompt the readers to perhaps think of what Ms Mouse’s ideal home might be. A surprise awaits at the end of the book.
Children will love the intriguing detail, the thought processes that developed the ideas behind each particular house, the illustrations of the houses as well as the animals, bleeding design, architecture and lifestyle on every richly evocative page. First published in 1981.
The grape in question is sour with the whole world. He remembers when someone upsets him, never forgets when someone wrongs him and an insult is never ignored. He holds grudges when people ignore him or when he is bumped by someone walking by. But he was not always like this. He was part of the grape community, hanging around in a bunch, happy and contented. But one day that all changed. His birthday was coming up so he went to great lengths to make it a wonderful event. He sent out invitations, hired a ferris wheel, a magician and hayride, and had lots of food ordered. But on the day nobody showed up. He waited all day long and no one appeared. He became a sour grape, at odds with the world, always holding grudges.
One day he arranged to meet his friend Lenny and after several unforeseen circumstances, a late bus, and lost dog, he was late, Lenny was very displeased and held a grudge. This gave the sour grape pause to reflect and he came to the conclusion that he would have acted in the same way, despite offering reasons for his lateness. Going home he pulled out some photos of happier times and also looked again at the invitation for his party. It was then he realised that he had told people the wrong date. He realised that being grumpy and holding grudges was tiring. It took a lot of energy so he decided to turn things around.
It wasn’t easy being kind and forgiving all the time and at times he had small meltdowns where he became upset, but in the main he tried to listen to others, forgive and be kind.
The sour grape is wonderfully illsutrated, giving the grape a personality which is reflected in small changes to his eyes and eyebrows. Each of the other fruits are similarly distinct, each having their own characteristics cleverly drawn.
A Californian based illustrator, Oswald has invested the characters with a wonderful background of parks and gardens, full of detail and interest, with touches of visual humour. This is one of a series of books by John and Oswald, the others being: The good egg, The bad seed,The big cheese, The couch potato and The cool bean.
Imagine if your parents made you move house, start a new school and work in their ridiculous Ratty’s cafe. This is the reality for Neon when her parents move to Brunty and open a rat themed café. All Neon wants to do is fit in and blend in but with parents like hers this is proving to be very difficult. 'I just want to be normal' is Neon’s favourite phrase but when she finds a secret compartment in her new bedroom and uses the lipstick inside to draw on the wall she never expects a portal to another universe to open, nor does she expect Moya to step through the hole and drag her back to the unicorn universe where magic is made from goo and Neon’s only hope of getting home is to learn how to command and control the goo, in three days!!
Neon discovers the secret of the unicorns, gets a job and tries to learn everything she needs to so that she can become a unicorn before her 10th birthday as this is the only way she can return home.
With the help of Moya and her problem-solving skills along with a bit of luck and her unique way of dealing with issues, Neon is anything but normal in the unicorn universe as she develops her unicorn skills.
This book is a great read, both as a shared text and as an independent read. I would recommend it for ages 8 and up, with older children, 10 and up, enjoying reading it independently.
This is a book that will be enjoyed by most children, although some might question the author's idea about unicorns! It is a great read for parents to share with children, the goo will either make them laugh or cringe but the story is fun and moves quickly making it an easy and engaging read.
Neon’s secret universe is a well written story that is sure to engage readers.
Bluey, Coco and their friend, Snickers are at the park playing What’s the time, Mrs Wolf? But Coco keeps changing the rules to make sure she wins, much to the chagrin of Bluey. Snickers suggests that they play Shadowlands instead, where they must keep to the shadows and not step into the sun to get to their destination. They are aiming for the picnic that the mums have laid out by the large tree, so they are in a rush to get there.
They keep to the shadows, Coco complaining that they should run across a sunny bit to get to where they all want to go, but Bluey and Snickers keep telling her to obey the rules. This is a funny story about relationships between three children, as one who wants to change the rules annoys the others who wish to obey them. Playing by the rules is reiterated through the story.
A very sturdy board book, the illustrations are bright and clear, the delineation between sun and shade made obvious so the rules can be observed in practise.
This Bluey book has more text than usual and would be a good read aloud as well as a handy book for a parent and child to read together, particularly after observation of rules is an issue.
The popularity of the Bluey books and TV programmes ensure this will be well read. Bluey is an Australian children's television program by the Emmy award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS and is co-commissioned by ABC Children's and BBC Studios.
Themes Observation of rules, Relationships, Siblings, Family and friends, Shadows.
Fran Knight
Where light meets water by Susan Paterson
Simon & Schuster, 2023. ISBN: 9781761102240. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
Inspired by the travels of her great-great-great grandfather, a sailor and artist, Susan Paterson’s novel Where light meets water tells the 19th century tale of Tom Rutherford, a man with a great passion for the sea, and for painting, a self-taught art. A delicate lace glove, that lands near him whilst sketching on shore, a glove strangely smelling of turpentine, leads to an encounter with the young and beautiful Catherine Olgivie, chaperoned by her aunt Cecilia. Catherine is also a painter, in oils, of scenes that capture light and movement, in the style of the newly emerging ‘modern’ impressionists. Tom’s style is more meticulously realistic in his watercolour depictions of ships and the sea; yet the two are drawn together by their shared curiosity and interest in art.
It is a romance, tested by their different backgrounds and the constraints of class, for Catherine comes from a wealthy and privileged family, whilst Tom has had always to forge his own way in a life of hardship and endurance. And then there is also the sea, the first passion that will always pull at Tom’s heart.
Whilst it is fortunate that Catherine’s father is kindly and accepting of her choice of companion, and it seems like they may be able to make a life together, Tom is nevertheless wary for he has seen in his travels how the curled and stilled cobra is capable of rearing up and striking with poison. And he is right!
This is a very beautiful and carefully crafted story, of love between two intelligent and unique individuals, struggling against class conventions, drawn together by their passion for art and for the sea, but whose passions also pull them in different directions.
It is also a heart-warming story, for while there is grief and loss, there is great friendship and love. Even the cobra that Tom fears, the person who disrupts their lives, is not evil, but has his own motivations and weaknesses, and is fallibly human. It is a slow moving story, but beautiful, and rewarding, well worth the read.
Themes Art, Class divides, Sea, Travel, Love, Loss, Grief, Friendship.
Helen Eddy
Mulga Bill's bicycle by A. B. Paterson. Illus. by Kilmeny and Deborah Niland
The original publication of the Banjo Paterson poem, illustrated by Kilmeny and Deborah Niland in 1973 won a design award (ABBA) in 1973, and the Visual Arts Board prize in 1974, followed by an IBBY prize in 1976 and has been in print ever since.
It is timely that it be feted again in its 50th year, reminding us all of the wonderful Paterson poems and the talent of the Niland sisters.
That it will be read in classes and homes around Australia is a link to a time when poetry reading was more common, when people in the street knew poems by Paterson and Lawson and could quote lines.
Holding this new edition is wonderful. It has lost none of its freshness, the story of Mulga Bill is as funny and universal as when Paterson wrote it in 1896. In rollocking ballad form, the story is woven around the sudden popularity of cycling as an activity for many. Bicycles were everywhere at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Even women were seen riding bicycles! Paterson takes this phenomena to create a funny ballad about Mulga Bill, one like many who believed their skills were better than they actually were.
When he hears about the bikes, Mulga Bill is swept up in the craze, buying a new outfit before purchasing a bike assuring all that of course he knows how to ride. Readers will compare Mulga’s spur of the minute decision with the bike riders in Australian capital cities today who come out in all their finery for the few days of cycle races like Tour Down Under. But Mulga Bill is sure he will make it home to his cabin above Dead Man’s Creek, so off he sets. But he does not manage to control the bicycle when going downhill, it bolts away from him. The bike and Mulga Bill end up in the creek, Mulga Bill bemoaning his fate. He leaves the bike in the creek and goes back to his horse. A fitting end to someone who was over confident about his abilities.
The illustrations by Kilmeny and Deborah Niland are outstanding, revealing an exuberant man with wonderful handle bar moustache taking on something he has no experience with. That he comes a cropper is no surprise and readers will see the lesson to be learnt. Younger readers will love spotting the many animals as well as the hilariously unnatural positions of Mulga Bill’s body as he tries to ride the bike, then falls off landing in the creek. The look on his face is priceless and I am sure younger readers will have fun emulating his body and facial contortions.
Behaving like a dog is a wonderful idea: not only does it promote the use of the five senses, being more aware of your surroundings and what is happening within you, the tone of the story is very funny, capturing the target audience with funny scenarios, underscoring those behaviours which shrug off worries and concerns in our lives. The author promotes mindfulness and awareness of what makes you feel confident and happy in this laugh out loud book about being a dog. From the start she compares the child with the dog and so directs activities which promote well-being.
After waking up, stretch, wag your body, lap your drink, and then go outside and sniff. Following the dog’s lead, sniff around the backyard; sniff everything there is to sniff, take in the smells of your neighbourhood. Greet other dogs, play each day no matter what the weather is like. Be curious, let the wind ruffle your hair, take naps in the sun or shade, play in the sand, or snow, then tired, sleep like a dog: feel the tiredness, walk around in circles then drop into a ball and sleep.
In this tale all five senses are covered: hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling and tasting as the boy follows the lad of his dog in using all of his senses during the day. Concentrating on your senses leads to mindfulness, a state of being aware of what is going on around you and in you, a state where observation is the key.
Once the story is complete, over the page are two double pages of hints of what you can do to achieve mindfulness during the four seasons of the year. The book tells you to ‘Take a mindful nature walk with a friend’, and the pages outline what can be done in smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling like a dog. The last page gives instructions for a mindful breathing exercise, directions which can be followed several times a day to get more oxygen to the brain and make you feel calm.
This is a wonderful introduction to mindfulness, a kind, friendly look at the five senses and their importance to us, a reminder that using them all requires practise. Just like a dog! The wonderful illustrations are a treat adding another layer of humour and involvement. The images direct us to be in the moment: each is active, collaborative and give an awareness of the senses. Children will instantly recognise the dog’s behaviours, following its lead as it meanders around the playground, sniffing as it wanders. The interaction between the boy and his dog is stunningly displayed, and I love the detail on the last few pages, reiterating the role of the five senses in making us feel at peace.
Themes Mindfulness, Five senses, Meditation, Dogs.
Fran Knight
Cats in chaos by Peter Bently. Illus. by John Bond
When Catsby’s Great Circus comes to town, all the cats wait for dark before skipping along to the local school where the circus is to perform that night. Marmaduke Catsby welcomes one and all to watch Whiskers O’Farrell being shot from the barrel, and see Kitty Kadabra taking sausages from her hat, or Daisy Dog Tamer putting her head in the mouth of an enormous dog. Each act that comes to the stage will evoke lots of fun and laughter as the cats do the most amazing things in their circus. Lots of humour is to be gained from the names of the acts and readers will enjoy predicting the rhyming word for each verse.
Readers will see the antics of their cats reflected in the mayhem of the cats as they try different acts in the circus. Bond has created a wonderful kaleidoscope of cat behaviours for readers to look at, all done in bright vivid colours. The different placement of text on each page adds another layer of interest and intrigue, and the detail on each page will keep eager eyes glued to the pages.
I loved Evel Katnevel and her motorbike going through the flaming hoop, and the Siamese trio of cats of course, doing the trapeze, catching the mackerel pie thrown up by the juggling clown. Readers will laugh out loud at the antics shown by each cat in the circus and when Evel’s motorbike crashes into the fish truck, chaos follows as fish are scattered far and wide and all cats, the circus acts and the audience purr with delight at their free meal.
Chaos follows and not before long, all cats are sleeping soundly with full bellies.
There’s no way to sugar-coat it... this is a book about youth suicide; the grief, anger and confusion that follows for those left behind.
Lizzie Beck, lead singer of the girl band The Jinks, is dead at 21 from suicide and Where the Light Goes is her younger sister Emmy’s processing of this, through the compilation of diary entries, interviews, tweets, newspaper articles, emails, texts and WhatsApp messages.
Written for the YA reader, this book is beautifully designed and creatively typeset, using the appropriate formats for the different types of entries.
In over 40 ‘chapters’ Emmy wrangles the often contradictory memories and images she has of the public persona of celebrity Lizzie and the protective older sister, Beth. She records the first three months following Lizzie/Beth’s death, in which she deals with tensions at home, various responses from the public, and attempts by her friends to support her. She documents her roller-coaster of emotions and behaviours, many of which she later acknowledges were poor choices, made in the grip of unrelenting grief.
Importantly, Barnard’s book also explores the pressures that the media and social media exert on those in the entertainment industry and tackles head-on, the potential mental health issues inherent in celebrity life.
Over the course of the book Emmy comes to better understand the pressures her parents are under, appreciates true friendships, and learns to toughen herself against other’s opinions. She recognises that Beth was not always deserving of her uncritical adoration, and begins to grow into her own version of herself, rather than continuing to play the role that her sister had created for her.
Where the Light Goes addresses the many issues that stem from the topics of depression and suicide, and a resource list of support services is included, but unfortunately these are all UK based. It is cleverly constructed and its extremely engaging format will appeal to YA readers and hopefully encourage more conversation and reflection on these topics.
This book addresses some pertinent aspects of the world in which we live today. Blake Crouch raises issues about this invented and altered world in which we live today, such as popular “symbio” products, "designer ultra pets”, “spider silk clothes”, and other such unexpected things. However, the most amazing and disconcerting aspect of Crouch’s ideas is the new life form, a “tiny pink gorilla” that the Russian oligarchs particularly like. Sex dolls are suggested as popular, wrapped as they are in human muscle and skin. This narrative is set in a time in which many countries have been suffering from food shortages and other aspects of life that have been difficult.
In a fascinating and intensely modern novel, Crouch plunges us into a world in which things are changing, and we are learning about what is not specifically good for humans, especially in terms of certain changes. Some of these are not particularly good in terms of making the world better. Crouch raises further unsettling issues, such as Africa’s dealing with "food insecure” problems, while he writes of America as having “rolling food shortages" and “supply chain dystopia”. Crouch writes of a world in which meat is so highly priced that many people cannot afford to buy it anymore. This text set in an imaginary time when America is depicted as undergoing such unsettling aspects as “jobs lost to automation”, and the time of “the great starvation”, such that the USA is depicted as having been in a parlous state. Many people had been suffering, and there had been unusual developments in Glacier National Park - where there were no glaciers anymore because of the weather conditions.
Logan Ramsey works for the Gene Protection Agency, and he looks for evidence of Soren’s DNA on the pages of his book, as plasmids on a page can hold, we are told, a “near infinitesmal amount of genetic information", which can be accessed. He realises that his genome has been hacked, as he grasps the fact that he has been chosen for an “upgrade”. Pertinently, Ramsey’s mother has been working in the area of gene “editing”, and he is questioned about this too. He is told to cooperate or he will be punished. His own fear is that his influenza has the potential to infect his body cells and cause his DNA to be rewritten or at last re-edited. As the effects of the gene intervention occur, we read about the horrendous nature of "eyes rolling, arms curled and unable to uncurl, bubbles coming out of the mouth”, body cells feeling like they are “screaming”, and pain felt all over the body. His first upgrade leaves him insecure and uncertain about the world, particularly finding other humans “a mystery.” Ultimately, Logan is depicted in this novel as the one person in the world who has the potential to outwit the issues faced by the world.
At one point, we read that a human can divide consciousness, such that a human being could type on four keyboards simultaneously, by dividing consciousness into four states. This riveting narrative raises ideas that are absolutely extraordinary, and only a brilliant brain could create such a world, and such a narrative. Crouch has constructed a novel that is richly descriptive, gripping, and absolutely challenging the intellect, describing human responses to all of the issues that the world faces, particularly illness, anger and poverty. It is most appropriate for adolescent and adult reading.
I had high hopes for this book as I loved the first book - The House at the edge of magic, and I wasn’t disappointed. The book opens where the first book ended with Nine and her fellow house mates on their way to the wizarding hopscotch championships. Everything seems to be okay, although there are some issues still with the house and the magical curse that it had. The tea cupboard still causes problems and the skeleton is still upset but even with these small issues the journey is progressing as it should until the house develops hiccups. Now we all know that hiccups are irritating but imagine if your house, which is magic and travelling through magic time, developed a really bad case of hiccups. Unfortunately for Nine and the other residents they don’t have to imagine as they are living it, with the house bouncing through time portals and jumping across magically time periods.
They do make it to the championships but the need to save the house and themselves moves the focus away from the games and towards the Tower from the title.
I absolutely love Amy Sparkes imagination and quirky sense of absurd. This is a series that will engage readers of all ages and keep them entertained until the very end.
I can’t wait for the next book which truly is the sign of a great read.
I would recommend this book to any age but definitely from ages 9 and up, independent readers will love reading this and although it would be fabulous as a class novel I can see students so desperate to find out what happens at the Hopscotch championship and whether they can stop the hiccups in time that they will read ahead.
This is a book that will be shared around a group of students and one that will become a very popular read as it is pure fun with just the right amount of tension.
Themes Magic, Friendship, Fantasy.
Mhairi Alcorn
Shadow catchers by Kirsty Murray and Karen Blair
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781760526955. (Age:3+) Recommended.
This is a charming story of two children and their father, amusing themselves with the shadows they cast. Seemingly a simple activity, it reinforces the fun that can be had from the everyday, bringing in concepts of large and small, day and night, by moonlight and lamplight, each shadow is different and evokes different responses.
Children will love reading about this activity, and rush to see their own and the things they can do with their shadows.
The emphasis on the father’s involvement is wonderful, as he takes them down the street, to a cafe, the playground, then back home, the shadows getting longer as evening comes around.
