Princess Mitchell by Christian Wilkins. Illus. by Meng Koach
Simon & Schuster, 2023. ISBN: 9781761420788. (Age:6+)
Mitchell and his cat, Kylie, love to practise ballet, and play princesses together. He also loves soccer and wears his tutu over his uniform. Damon loves playing soccer too, but baulks at Mitchell’s choice of clothing. He tells Mitchell that he cannot play when dressed like a girl. But next Saturday is Mitchell’s birthday party and he intends to have a princess party. All week he prepares for the party. But when it comes to playing soccer in the morning, he is worried about Damon and what he will say. They play the game and with only ten minutes left the other team scores a goal, because Mitchell has seen a beautiful flower that he must smell.
Damon loses his cool and yells at Michael, while Beck puts her arm around Mitchell and tells Damon not to be so mean. In the next half of the game, Mitchell makes a great save and everyone congratulates him.
Later at the party, everyone has dressed as a prince or princess.
Just as the birthday cake is being cut Damon knocks at the door. He is wearing a crown and offers an apology and gives Mitchell his present.
A story about diversity, Princess Michael will be read by all, but particularly by kids who have come across such bullying. Through this story their stories of discrimination can be shared, and suggestions raised about how to deal with it. The story shows how one boy, Mitchell, contends with the attacks he receives, and how he deals with it. The story heralds diversity and non discrimination, and points out how words can undermine. The kids at the princess party all look cool in their finery, and when Damon knocks on the door he is accepted without question, learning from the situation that diversity is the lynch pin of acceptance and friendship.
Themes Friendship, LGBTQA+ people, Discrimination, Diversity, Soccer, Princes and princesses.
Fran Knight
The Riding Gallery by Sally Murphy. Illus. by Martina Heiduczek
Walker Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781760657345. (Age:8+)
Throughout the year, Anton Weniger travels the countryside with his swing boats, shooting gallery and little merry-go-round, settling in St Kilda in Melbourne for the summer. But Anton has a dream - to build a ride like those he experienced in his boyhood Germany. "a ride of such magic, and beauty and awe that all who sat aboard and all who witnessed would be amazed" and music that sounds like there is an orchestra inside.
But this is 1914 and war between England and Germany is imminent. Evelyn's dad is a newspaperman and because he must be "where the news is" he is moving his family again, this time from Wodonga to St Kilda. Evelyn is not impressed by yet another move, although being close to the sea appeals, and on her last night before she is uprooted again, her mum takes her to the fairground and there she meets Mr Weniger and she is delighted to discover that his rides will be in St Kilda each summer. Perhaps the move won't be so bad after all. In fact, once she meets Rory-over-the-fence, who despite being a boy, becomes her BFF and Mr Weniger arrives with his rides, St Kilda becomes a place of wonder and fun. Until it's not.
Because Mr Weniger is a German immigrant suspicion and hatred run deep. When Rory's three older brothers join up to fight "the Hun" Evelyn's relationship with him starts to splinter because while she enjoys the magic of the rides, even more so when Mr Weniger's dream carousel comes to fruition and she is among the first to ride it, Rory sides with those who have a hatred of all Germans and all things German, made more acute when one brother comes home badly injured and the other is killed....
Based on true events, this is a verse novel told by Anton Weniger, Evelyn and Rory which explores the perspectives of each as their worlds collide and a faraway war has an impact on each of their lives, a technique which allows the reader to see inside the thoughts and feelings of each character and understand their point of view. Each of their poems is interspersed with "found poems", created by "using only words and phrases that appeared in original articles from 1914-1918", which tell the story of the progress of the war itself.
While, for younger readers, this is a poignant story that introduces the concepts of perception and position in a story and how friendships can grow and change through circumstances, for older readers, excellent teacher's notes explore the characters and their relationships, and the impact of outside influences on those, as well as the choice of format in much greater depth.
For me, the ending was the twist because it fast-forwards 50 years when Evelyn watches her granddaughter on the very carousel that gave her so much joy - a carousel that has given my own son and granddaughters just as much joy on a regular basis as their childhoods have been spent in Canberra. All Anton Weniger ever wanted to do was build a riding gallery that provided wonder and happiness for those that rode it. With its "fifty two horses running four abreast carved with spectacular detail, decorated with glass jewels that sparkle in the light, two wooden elephants safe enough for the littlest children, panels painted with scenes of Australia, of the world of happiness, mirrors that dazzle and reflect riders and spectators and an organ that plays such lovely music" he would be thrilled to know that 110 years on, not only did his dream come true but it lives on.
At first glance, this deceptively simple picture book with short conversational text, appears to be about two adults, one a Knight and the other a Viking, trying to outdo each other while their children play contentedly together at their feet. After carrying on in this manner they finally both decide to build their own wobbly wall on their side of the book with unfortunate consequences. Firstly, they change the natural flow of the water course and secondly both walls are so unstable that they collapse and cause more damage. The two children, so much wiser and thoughtful in their actions, show how the simple act of communication can solve the adults’ differences and help find a resolution.
The colourful and striking cover cleverly depicting the title built in bricks, and the endpapers showing the children happily using an old-fashioned method of communicating by two tins connected by string, add to the interest and wonder of what this book may hold. This story is really a conversation, shown clearly by the use of speech bubbles, and providing an ingenious introduction to pronouns for younger readers.
However, there is also an unexpected depth to this tale. The more the reader examines the themes of competition and conflict, briefly portrayed in this book, and perhaps then considered on a more worldwide scale, the more the realisation that all grievances can be solved with conversation and compromise. There is certainly a lesson to be learnt.
I confess that I have not previously read any of the Skulduggery Pleasant books that weave magic into the mortal world and introduce Skulduggery Pleasant (the skeletal and brilliant magical ‘detective’) and his god-like and magical sidekick Valkyrie Cain. I can understand why they might impress lovers of magical fantasy and detective tales, as the two are intriguingly woven together in this intense murder mystery that defies mortal wisdom. Skulduggery utilises his incredible intellect to solve clues and leads Valkyrie right into the heart of a murderous attack in order to prevent further calamity. The attacks are violent and woven with magical ferocity and both the heroes of this tale must contend with incredible evil, the magical bureaucracy and the twists and turns of a magical adversary that is hard to predict. Woven into this story is also a rebellion that entangles Valkyrie's young sister.
With an incredible background that implies that the world ended six years ago, but still exists in a parallel universe, there is much in this book to confuse. The likeable main characters variously display impossible skills eg teleporting, magical shielding, physical transformation, incredible combat capabilities that defy human logic, and yet there is an inherent thread of the logical detective genre flowing through the impossible. This is only for the lovers of dark magical fantasy who can also cope with the violent action, even though there are some light-hearted moments. Names of characters are particularly humorous, but this is just an authorial device to build a sense of the warped world in which the story unfolds. Detective skills are also woven with extreme logical reasoning and this is appealing to those who like ‘acrobatic thinking’.
I am not a personal fan of this book, but I am sure that there must be some in the 16+ - adult range who would enjoy this darkly torturous story. Note: Landy has published more than 20 books incorporating Skulduggery, and this book begins a trilogy.
Themes Magic, Murder, Mystery, Power, Revenge.
Carolyn Hull
No. 5 Bubblegum Street by Mikolaj Pa. Illus. by Gosia Herba
No. 5 Bubblegum Street is a very busy picture book that shares with the reader the day in the life of an apartment block full of different animals. Translated from Polish and told by an insect narrator who lives in apartment eleven, it is an opportunity to explore how each of the animals live and look after each other.
As well as the tiny insect, there is a famous rapper mouse, monkeys who bake, an owl who plays checkers with hippo, a cat who records bird sounds, a panther who is crazy about houseplants, a family of musical spiders, a hippo who loves adventures, frogs who compose songs, a dog who sculpts and a bat who practises dance routines. All of the animals meet at the end of the day for their weekly party. They all get along and have a great time.
This is an imaginative book full of colour and fun. The bright illustrations are cleverly contrived and the detail in each warrants a very close look. As an added bonus is the use of positional language: behind, under, left, right, over, above and will reinforce this concept for Early Years students.
Happy Farter's Day by Zoe Foster Blake. Illus. by Adam Nickel
Puffin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761345678. (Age:4+)
What can I say? As an adult I might cringe at the jokes, but the target audience of children who love the word 'fart', and there are many, will be thrilled to shock everyone in their family with the wild and silly jokes in Happy Farter’s Day. It is subtitled A Mix of Dad AND Fart Jokes to Blow You Away, and the book contains just that. Every double page contains two fart jokes, eg. opening the book, the question on one side of the page is 'What’s Dad’s favourite dinosaur?' Answer: 'A Fart-a-saurous Rex', and on the other, 'What does a dod’s fart smell like?' Answer: 'Ex-stink-shun'. These two jokes are illustrated on the double page with a huge green dinosaur chasing a blue dodo and farts emitting from both.
Children will have lots of fun trying to guess the answers to the questions, and even more fun trying out the jokes on their long-suffering fathers.
Adam Nickel’s illustrations are hilarious, all done in bright colours with wonderful expressions on the faces of the farts and the children and dads. They really enhance the text and add another dimension to the humour of the jokes.
This book is the very definition of poignant! Sarah Crossan has woven a love story into the dreadful times of the potato blight in Ireland. With famine, death and disease a constant companion for the poor Irish workers, they must live alongside English landholders who treat all the Irish with unveiled contempt. Nell, the central teenage character of this book, has obtained a service role as a scullery maid in the local landholder’s home at the beginning of the period of the failure of the potato crops. Her connection to the Landholder’s nephew Johnny grows to become an impossible romance, with both threatened by their interest in one another. But sadly, the scourge of the potato blight leads to the death of many and the subsequent desperation leads some to seek drastic solutions. Will Nell and Johnny’s love survive separation, famine, grief and violence?
Written in Crossan’s beautiful prose poetry, this book resonates with simplicity but unspeakable sincerity as it deals with a fictional account of impossible love in difficult times. The romance element is always charged with danger in the face of societal pressures, and Nell’s wisdom and intelligence shine through the pages. This book will echo through the memory for readers who love historical fiction and romance fiction, but the writing style of prose poetry adds an emotional and lyrical beauty to the harshness of the times and the awfulness of grief and famine. Not every detail of the historical period needs to be explained, but the essence of the history is revealed with a gentle touch despite the dire circumstances.
When the lights went out by Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180019. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley, creators of the award-winning Ella and the ocean have joined forces again to produce another stunning picture book. Mum, Dad and a young boy are all snug and cosy in the kitchen when the lights go out. Oh no! It is very dark and the little boy is scared but Dad strikes a match and the family could see that all the lights have gone out in the street. The family creep up the stairs to find more candles, imagining that they are explorers, and after lighting all ten of the candles, they look out the window, to see that the neighbours have come out, and together they sing brave songs and songs that they made them’ tap and sway.’ Then they all dance ‘with the moon and the owls and the little red foxes’ until suddenly the lights come on again.
Tanner’s narrative flows along smoothly, ideal for a read aloud, and children who are afraid of the dark will be reassured with the way the little boy’s parents manage the sudden blackout. Community togetherness is emphasized, and it is lovely to see all the neighbours gathering, singing and dancing.
Bentley’s illustrations are wonderful. He captures the darkness of the night with deep blues and the highlights that the candles make shine with bright gold. The family’s faces are very expressive, showing the fear on the little boy’s face, while Mum and Dad's expressions are calm and soothing. Little details like the family’s cat and foxes in the neighbourhood will intrigue readers who will want to go back and follow their journeys as well.
This lovely story about being scared in the dark and then joining with neighbours to celebrate the dark is a keeper and likely to win more awards for this talented duo.
Themes Fear, Dark, Community life, Electricity.
Pat Pledger
Is my phone reading my mind? The real facts about artificial intelligence by Dr Matt Agnew
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180446. (Age:7-12) Recommended.
When Dr Matt asked ChatGPT for a list of titles for a book on artificial intelligence for ages 8-12 one of the serious titles it offered was AI Adventures: Discovering the Secrets of Smart Machines; a title that could easily suit the book. The success of the exercise tells us that we need to know more about how AI is changing the way we live and to understand something about how it works. The book uses cartoon illustrations and coloured pages and fonts with breakout boxes for examples and explanations to break up the text and allow for the inclusion of a lot of material. Starting with an explanation of artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance of algorithms, the building blocks of AI, it then goes on to look at where we find it in our everyday lives. That chapter swerves into a detailed mathematical explanation of how machine learning can predict whether a dog is more likely to be a labrador or chihuahua with calculations using averages, means, modes and medians. The coloured fonts on coloured pages sometimes make the numbers indistinct and a picture of a dalmatian in one of the illustrations doesn’t help the either/or exercise. There are good examples of AI use in our lives, like ordering something from Amazon and some history in a breakout box about the first time a computer beat a human at chess. The difficult concept of ethics dominates the next section where we learn that ethics are guidelines that help us understand if an action is right or wrong and that laws are more formal, stronger and carry a consequence. In explaining Kantian Ethics the example is stealing chocolate, which is against the law so it is a poor example, and in explaining Utilitarian Ethics the classic trolley problem clearly highlights the ethical dilemma but the Pokemon card example really should include the option to leave the card on the ground and do no harm; not including it just makes the question more confusing. These examples highlight the difficulties of the subject and should not discount the value of the book which covers a lot of ground; any attempt to increase understanding and raise awareness of how AI might be misused in deep fakes, echo chambers and through influencers must be commended. The author is well qualified to comment on the subject, the tone is friendly and the language accessible without condescension. Teachers might find some good examples to use in class discussions and parents should read this book with your children and then get them to explain AI to you.
Stephen Hogtun, the author/illustrator of Leaves (2023) and Deep (2023), has written another beautiful and poignant story called Herd. This book follows the journey of an elephant herd as they travel through the African landscape with baby elephant always wondering if he will “ever find a place that felt like home.”
The herd travels through the forest, to the river, across the grassy plains and each time they stop, the baby elephant asks the question but it never quite feels right. While the other elephants sleep, baby elephant searches for a place to call home but he loses his way and finally begins to realise that home is not necessarily a place.
This gentle story will resonate with young readers and evoke feelings of their own homes and families, and how they can feel safe there. The glorious illustrations are striking and showcase a range of colours to represent the landscapes the elephants are travelling through. A wonderful read.
Kathryn Beilby
The isles of the gods by Amie Kaufman
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761180064. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
What a roller-coaster ride The isles of the Gods is! I can’t imagine why I left it unread on my shelf for so long, but luckily for me, I have the sequel The heart of the world, to pick up immediately. Selly is determined to sail the north seas to meet her father but her plans are dashed when she discovers that her Captain has agreed on a secret mission, taking a handsome young stranger, Prince Leander, to the sacred Isles of the Gods where he is to perform a ritual to his god, Barrica. On board too is Keegan who desperately wants to reach the Bibliotek to start his dream of being a scholar. Meanwhile, Laskia, a young woman who worships the sleeping God Macean, is desperate to gain the approval of her sister and is willing to do anything to achieve that. Jude once Leander’s friend, must protect his sick mother and Laskia manipulates him to help her destroy Leander. What follow is mayhem on the high seas, murder, gods and magic, with two countries on the brink of war.
Told in alternate chapters by Selly, Leander, Keegan, Laskia and Jude, it is easy to follow the story and relate to each of the characters. Selly is a determined and clever sailor, whose skill and growth is crucial as much of the action takes place on a small sailboat in a dangerous sea. Leander has always been carefree and frivolous but must face his responsibilities and draw on hidden strengths. Keegan is a hero, willing to give up his plans for peace in the world. Laskia is the villain of the story; her desire to impress her sister Ruby and the nuns overtakes any moral qualms she has, while Jude is one that I felt sorry for – trapped looking after a sick mother.
The pace ramps up in the second half of the book and Kaufman is not afraid to describe the deadly actions that Laskia is prepared to commit in her quest to kill the prince. There is a frightening chase across perilous waters and magic swirls through the air. The under current of fear that Leander will not reach the Isles of the Gods in time to sacrifice to Barrica and that Macean will wake and bring war is very suspenseful and the cliffhanger ending will have fans desperate for the next in the series.
The Isles Of The Gods is a riveting fantasy with a slow burning romance, well deserving of its awards: Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Nominee for Book of the Year for Older Children (2024), CYBILS Award Nominee for Young Adult Speculative Fiction (2023), and Older Readers Book of the Year Award Notable Books 2024. Readers who enjoyed the fantasy and the sailing aspects of the book might like Fable by Adrienne Young and Devil’s ballast by Meg Caddy.
Themes Princes, Magic, Gods and goddesses, Sailing.
Two young boys, Max and Milo, are next-door neighbours and best friends. They are inseparable, and enjoy their time spent together playing, building, racing and stargazing on Sunday nights. They love all things space-related and are even preparing an old abandoned car to use as a rocket to travel into space.
After a time, Milo does not come over to do all the things the boys used to do together. Max finds out that Milo is leaving and feels a sense of loneliness and emptiness. Milo, though, has left something for Max in their rocket ship. It is a page of space facts about distances and Max realises that he can still keep in touch with Milo. That he is not so far away compared to distances in space.
The Space Between is a beautifully told story that shares a delightful friendship filled with joy and imagination between two young children. The bold and colourful illustrations, set in rural Australia, are visually stunning. They showcase the big wide landscapes of both the land and the night sky in gorgeous hues. The endpapers share some clever fun facts and are the perfect accompaniment to this wonderful story.
This is a boy-friendly sci-fi fantasy involving boys who battle beasts from other realms. It is deliberate in being simple in language and sentence construction, so would automatically appeal to readers who are not yet adept at tackling complicated plots and details, but want action and are switched on by fantasy battles against ‘dinosaur-like’ beasts. It is an easy read chapter book with few chapters. With technology to assist, and a robotic dog, there are lots of features that add twists to the action ‘fight scenes’. A section of the plot is told via graphic novel illustration in one chapter. I can’t say I loved it … but it does have a place in meeting the reading demands of some young readers.
This is definitely a book for readers who are at risk of switching off to reading, appealing to those aged 5-7. (Beyond this age it would suit those who are struggling with their reading.) It will not meet the needs of capable readers, the simplicity in sentence construction will feel very clumsy for able readers. There is the occasional hint of humour, but the impossible scenarios are inherently bizarre rather than funny. Those readers that love graphic novel style may be enticed to read this simple story. (A brief introductory section details the premise of Boys vs Beasts series, and introduces characters.)
Themes Fantasy battles, Beasts, Graphic novel.
Carolyn Hull
Swiftle: the ultimate Taylor Swift puzzle book by Lucy Doncaster
Puffin, 2024. ISBN: 9780241723807. (Age:7+)
Young Taylor Swift fans will enjoy completing the many different types of puzzles in this new unofficial release to celebrate the popularity of this well-known singer and entertainer. This will test young diehard fan’s knowledge and also provide new facts about this world-wide singing sensation.
Throughout the book are word searches, word tracers, crosswords, hidden letter hunts, words within words, number pyramids, all sorts of coded activities, jumbled letters and clever wordokus.
This book is a great introduction to the kinds of puzzles children may see their parents, grandparents or other adults completing. It contains the solutions in the final pages as well as attribution pages that list all of Taylor Swifts albums, songs and films.
Swiftle would make a wonderful gift for a Taylor Swift fan.
The last word sees the return of Natalka, Benedict and Edwin, who first appeared in The postscript murders. Natalka and Edwina are now running a detective agency in Shoreham, Sussex and when they are approached by two sisters who are convinced that their mother, Melody Chambers, a local author, has been murdered, they are thrilled to take on the case. Edwin who peruses the obituary pages, notices that Melody’s obit has been written by someone who is already deceased and finds links to other authors who have also died. Benedict and Edwin decide to attend a writer’s retreat which the authors have all attended, hoping to find clues to what has happened. And then another murder is committed and the amateur investigators seek the help of Detective Harbinder Kaur.
Readers wanting to read more of Harbinger Kaur’s investigations, starting with The Stranger Diaries, winner of the 2020 Edgar Award for Best Novel, will be disappointed as she plays a minor role in The last word, but those who enjoyed the quirky natures of Natalka, Benedict and Edwin from The postscript murders will be pleased to see them return. As always Griffiths’ characterisation is brilliant and it is easy to visualise the people she portrays in her story. The plot is very twisty and there are many suspects. I didn’t guess the outcome – which is always a plus in a mystery story. Why would going to a writer’s retreat or belonging to a book club lead to murder?
Although The last word can be read as a stand-alone, better understanding of the characters would come from reading The postscript murders. This was an enjoyable and very clever cosy mystery with snatches of humour to lighten the way.
