Santa's new sleigh by Caroline Crowe and Jess Pauwels
Faber, 2024. ISBN: 9780571364473.
Christmas Eve was here at last, The countdown clock was ticking fast . . . But yikes! When Santa turned the key (The reindeer need some help you see) The engine didn't start, it spluttered, 'That isn't right', the elves all muttered . . .
When Santa's sleigh stops working on Christmas Eve the elves all rally round to help. Maybe they could use a slingshot? Or the owls could help? How about polar bears? Will they be able to sort the sleigh out before it is too late? Things are not looking good until one small elf has a bright idea!
From the team who gave our young readers Santa's New Beard and Santa's New Reindeer, comes another rollicking story in rhyme that not only pose a huge problem for Santa, but also for them. If Santa's sleigh is not working, how on earth is he going to do his one, and most important job of the year? Because, just as the elves have all sorts of ideas, each with its own particular issue, so will the young reader. And they will have fun predicting what might be the answer, while being delighted with the very up-to-date solution. Especially, as, once again, it is Lizzie who solves the problem.
With its clever rhyme and detailed illustrations that offer something new every read, this series is definitely one to bring out during your Christmas Countdown.
Wonderfully vivid, dazzling illustrations will catch readers’ eyes as they open this book promoting the involvement of everyone in art. Looking at the cover and endpapers before opening the book, readers will be intrigued at the differences between the endpapers, and think about why the author has presented them in such a way.
Olive Chen is one amazing artist. She is colourful, all inclusive, authoritative, all encompassing as she tries out splashes, dribbles, and brushes full of colour to splash and throw across the canvas. The resultant work is simply beautiful. But her parents take a dim view of her efforts. Mum loves to draw triangles, Dad loves squares, and each artist is drawn to their own rigid boundaries, deploring Olive for thinking outside the regime they honour. But thinking outside the square is Olive’s theme, different from the style she is expected to use.
Even at school, the teacher encourages the sort of art produced by Olive’s parents, telling Olive she will be better next time, while standing in front of Olive’s glowing, vivid painting. But her classmates tell her how they like her work, and wish that they could do some as well. Too easy, Olive responds, picking up the paint brushes full of paint, directing the group to use them with panache.
Over the page we see the results of her encouragement as everything within their environment is coloured. Gone is the first black and white endpaper, now replaced by a bright, colourful streetscape. Her parents call out enough, but when the children pull back the curtain of black and white squares and triangles, the bright, colourful class is revealed. Her parents are overwhelmed and love what their daughter has achieved, asking her to help them colour their work. And of course there is a small twist at the end of this fabulous book.
A wonderful testament to thinking outside the square, of encouraging children to find their own path, is shown as Olive bypasses the work expected by her parents and her teacher, and shows everyone what they can achieved, by seeing differently.
The illustrations are wonderful, paint trailing after Olive as she moves across the pages, all sorts of painting styles shown as she lifts her brush. I love the double page showing the parents with their black and white background, telling Olive to stop, then turning over the page to find the opposite, colour swamping the black and white as we look at the class in all their glory. There are exquisite moments in this book, and younger readers will see lots to look at and to talk about.
Themes Art, Colour, Imagination, STEM.
Fran Knight
The Special Gift by Ruth Doyle & Carmen Saldana
Orchard Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781408369166.
On a bitterly cold, fierce winter's night Donkey wanders from the farm where there is no room for one so little to pull a cart, getting colder and colder as the snow falls. But as he stops to drink in an almost-frozen stream he sees the reflection of a brilliant star that grew brighter as he watched. Suddenly, a silver and white bird flew down, and magically, Donkey is wrapped in a warm blanket and is told to follow the star.
Distressed that he has nothing to offer in return, nevertheless he trudges forward - and so begins a journey that now has hope and purpose. And on his travels, Donkey meets other animals who are lost in their own way: a lonely lamb, an old sheepdog who longs to be useful and a robin searching for a reason to sing. Guided by Donkey, the new friends help each other to navigate the storm to safety . . .
At this time of the year, gift-giving seems to be at the front of mind for many, and while those gifts may seem to have to be the bigger/better/brighter kind, this is a gentle story that reminds us that they can be much simpler. Not a day goes by that we don't hear about the "cost-of-living-crisis" and so it could mean that this year's season is more stressful than ever, so as the characters in this story offer nothing that is tangible but everything that is meaningful, it offers an opportunity for readers to think about what they might offer that could change someone's life for a short time, if not forever. All the creatures have lost their "tribe", lonely and outcast for one reason or another, so perhaps they could think about those in their circle in similar circumstances and consider whether a smile, a visit or a match of homemade biscuits might make the difference. Whether as a family or a class, what can they do to make someone's life a little better - and what might that lead to in the future?
The publishers describe the book as a reminder "of the most special gift we can offer - our own kindness."
Themes Friendship, Resilience, Gifts, Christmas.
Barbara Braxton
The mirror by Nora Roberts
Piatkus, 2024. ISBN: 9780349437538. (Age:Adult) Recommended for Roberts' fans.
Following directly on from the cliff-hanger conclusion to Inheritance, the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy, Nora Roberts has again written a best-selling ghost story combined with romance, friendship and family. She builds on the first story, detailing visions of the seven brides who have died in the mansion in Poole’s Bay that Sonya MacTavish has inherited. Sonya hears footsteps, doors slamming and dreams of events in the past. Together with her cousin Owen, she steps through a mirror and sees a wedding from long ago. Here a bride loses her wedding ring to Hester Dobbs, an evil woman who is determined to dominate the mansion. As Sonya investigates her family history, it is evident that she must break Dobbs’ curse. How is she going to do this?
It took me a few chapters to get into the book as it was a while since I had read Inheritance, and readers new to the series should read Inheritance first before tackling The mirror. The second in the series builds on the characters in the first book, and the emphasis on family, and friendship is dominant. Sonya's best friend Cleo is featured and proves to be a stalwart woman who provides sound advice about combating the ghostly presence of Hester, while Sonya’s cousin Owen helps her out. Her love for Trey, Owen’s best friend and a local lawyer, deepens and she begins to get to know her new family in Poole’s Bay. The back stories of the seven brides are explored and the descriptions of the events that Hester Dobbs can conjure up will bring a shiver to the spine of the reader. Meanwhile the ghostly helpers in the mansion, especially the young boy who throws a ball for the dog, bring moments of lightness.
The mirror is a book that fills out much of the paranormal events and deaths of the brides while expanding on the relationships of the main characters. It ends, like Inheritance, on a sudden cliff-hanger, and it would be worthwhile keeping The mirror to reference back to when the final book in the series is published.
Fans of Nora Roberts’ fantasy and romance will look forward to the next in the series.
Hannah and Jake live in Caper Street in a bizarre and oddly designed house that has been altered by their tinkerer father. Until the new kids arrive at the house across the road their lives are reasonably normal (although their Gran GG and their mother, and sometimes their father, seem to display some considerable eccentricities). The new kids are from the Cruelly family and start to target Hannah and Jake Vann-Wong and inflict unfunny barbs in their direction. Hannah and Jake must discover talents that reveal their family heritage (and special powers) to combat the actions of the Cruelly kids. Their dog Ziggy is also a shape-shifting agent with abilities that are yet to be explored to the full.
In a bizarre way this story involves kid vs kid prank action that has some magical moments of mayhem. It will obviously be the first of more in the Prank War sagas. Initially the chronology of the plot in this book was a little twisted with Friday’s action being followed by Monday to Thursday’s lead up, but this initial confusion did eventually disappear. Hopefully younger readers will persist past the weirdness of the start and will enjoy the strange launch into a magical, spy-like family quest for supremacy over their rivals. Illustrated in humorous cartoon style and with side-bar identification of characters, this is a book for readers aged 7-10 who enjoy pranks and humour. Beating the Cruelly kids in pranking will raise Hannah and Jake’s skill set for the future … they are agents-in-training, and more skills will be added with time (and the next book)!
All baby marsupials are known as joeys, and this lovely easily held board book shows a younger audience the range of joeys in Australia as they go to bed. Informing as well as helping the child settle at bed time through seeing how other animals go to sleep, the board book will be a favourite with its views of the night sky, and the joey snuggling down into their nests.
Joeys are all quite different, some spotted, some flying, some large and cumbersome looking, many are nocturnal, and Treml uses some of their attributes to inform the text. Younger readers will learn of the wombat joeys romping underground, the mice joeys running on the cool soil, the flying joeys gliding from one tree to another, leading through to the beautiful striped number joeys nestling down to sleep. Each page includes a soft reminder that sleep time is upon them, giving information about the joey, all done in wonderfully soothing soft pastel coloured images and accompanied by soothing verses.The second to last page shows a koala cuddling her joey while going off to sleep and turning over the the last page reminds children that it is now their sleep time, as the day is done.
This is a lovely board book to read with younger children as they go to bed, reminding them that all animals sleep and have a bed time, and it is now their bed time too.
Themes Animals, Joeys, Sleep, Bed time, Verse.
Fran Knight
Good Housekeeping The Ultimate Kids Christmas Book by Good Housekeeping
Hearst Home Kids, 2024. ISBN: 9781958395998. (Age:8+) Recommended.
What makes Christmas, Christmas for kids? That was the question that the authors of this book asked themselves to kickstart their thinking and they came up with three key elements - festivities. decorations and food.
Created by the editors and Test Kitchen chefs at Good Housekeeping, it begins with a quick trip around the world to discover the ways kids in different countries celebrate the time, including Australia, offering an opportunity for students to share the traditions that make celebrations in their households unique and then this is followed by an advent calendar with 24 suggestions of different activities that could be done each day from taking a walk outside and enjoying what Nature has to offer to creating a Christmas time capsule using memories of the family's favourite moments to be opened in 12 months' time.
There are further chapters that focus on the origins and development of the Christmas tree, hosting a gift swap and many more practical ideas that mean this is the ideal starter resource for Christmas celebrations in the classroom, especially for those students in the 8-12 age range who are a little more independent and demanding something new. Even though many of the activities and recipes are winter-based, even they are an opportunity to explore why so much of what we continue to do here in Australia reflects those northern hemisphere traditions.
Max is a trickster and a joker, a true funny kid, and he claims that scary movies don’t really scare him, but his classmates do not believe him. A class assignment gives him the opportunity of making his own scary movie to demonstrate that he knows how scary movies work. With his friend Hugo they plan to prank and scare his first-time babysitter and film the action. Unfortunately for Max things get complicated when his arch-nemesis Abby also turns up and before he knows it he too becomes a little on edge.
This book is just plain fun! Spookytime includes lots of delightful kid-friendly humour and moments of ridiculous and quirky antics. With slime monsters, ‘ghosts’ and unexplained things that make unexpected noises, a ‘duckenstein’ and a baby that goes missing, the troubles slowly escalate and make Max a little bit scared. The delight of this book is that there is always an underlying sense of the absurd and it is genuinely funny. Readers aged 8-12 will have a laugh while reading this book and will probably recommend it to their friends.
Themes Humour, Scary movies, Pranks.
Carolyn Hull
Hemlock House by Katie Cotugno
Penguin, 2024. ISBN: 9780241612699. (Age:15+)
Katie Cotugno returns with her two sleuths, Michael Linden and Holiday Proctor who were first featured in Liar’s Beach. This one is set on the Harvard campus where Linden is a first-year student. There he reunites with his old girlfriend Greer and the romance is going well until Bri, Greer’s roommate in Hemlock House, is found dead in Greer’s bed. He doesn’t believe the police’s verdict of an overdose and enlists the help of Holiday to investigate.
Hemlock House is told from the point of view of Michael, who relates events as they occur. He is struggling with being a scholarship entrant to Harvard and is willing to go along with unpleasant hazing to fit in with the lacrosse team. He is uncertain about his future subjects but is unable to resist looking into Bri’s death and he and Holiday gradually uncover clues to what is happening. Bri was wearing Greer’s clothes and lying in her bed. Was Greer the intended victim? The ending seemed rushed and was a surprise to me, but on reflection clues had been scattered throughout the narrative.
A quick easy read, Hemlock House is likely to appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries set in academia, while the descriptions of parties, alcohol and drugs make it more suitable for the older teen. It can be read as a standalone but reading Liar's beach would give a better understanding of the characters.
Set against the stark and perilous backdrop of World War II, Katrina Nannestad’s All the Beautiful Things is a touching story that will take readers on a journey of delight and despair. The story unfolds in the market village of Berchtesgaden, a few miles from Hitler’s mountainous retreat, and tells a deeply moving tale of love, resilience and the unrelenting acts of kindness amidst unspeakable horrors.
The story follows Anna, a courageous young girl, who must protect her frail sister, Eva, from the Nazi regime; who ruthlessly target the weak and vulnerable. The stakes are high and there are constant dangers everywhere. Anna discovers new friendships, as allies emerge within the village, in a quiet defiance to resist Nazi oppression, but they all risk everything to shield those targeted.
While hidden from the outside, and confined to a tiny world, Eva’s shining heart will not be dampened. Her joy and boundless love for life is a stark contrast to the grim reality surrounding her. Eva's unconditional love and excitement for every little piece of beauty, brings joy to their day.
Anna’s internal conflict is tenderly portrayed. She struggles with tension between moments of joy and the constant awareness of impending danger lurking around every corner. Cleverly intertwined throughout the novel is the resilience of the human spirit; to find beauty, even in the darkest of times.
Nannestad masterfully balances heartbreak with hope, as she captures the uncertainty of living under constant threat and makes the moments of connection and kindness even more impactful. Bringing the village of Berchtesgaden to life, contrasting its natural beauty with the chilling shadow of Nazi oppression, readers will feel both the weight of the darkness and the light that perseveres within it.
All the Beautiful Things is a poignant reminder of humanity’s capacity for love and resistance in the face of unimaginable cruelty. It’s a story of heartbreak and hope, and a testament to the enduring power of compassion and courage. A truly beautiful story about heartbreak and pain, and the little joys within that will leave readers moved and inspired. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Second World War, Friendship, Love, Loyalty, Hope, Family, Resistance, Conflict.
Escape from Cuttlefish Cove is the first in a new series called Solve it your way. Written and illustrated by Rachel Jackson (Australian senior intelligence analyst, researcher and author of intelligence products) this is a debut novel. There are 150 illustrations that aid the interpretation and following of clues.
This book could be a solution to the problem of finding a segway for those young people who are enthusiastic gamers but reluctant readers. Escape from Cuttlefish Cove could be read by the lone reader but does lend itself to being read with a buddy. It would be a great text for disengaged and struggling readers and their tutors or friends as it is interactive and multi-pathed. The reader is the driver of the plot. All choices and decisions are made by the reader and this is where the fun begins. The adventures come in bite size chunks with the reader flipping back and forward through the book to arrive at a consequence of their own choices that may be really quite nice e.g. imagine living with the merpeople in their merkingdom forever... or not so nice at all. Escape from Cuttlefish Cove gives the reader agency in the reading process.
Many of us are familiar with the 1980s and 90s Choose your own adventures series of children's gamebooks where each story was written from a second-person point of view with the reader assuming the role of protagonist. This internationally popular series went into decline with the advent of computer games. Rachel Jackson's Solve it your way series could just bring children back to gaming through the medium of books rather than the screen. While the literary content may be slightly formulaic and simplistic, the tone is matter-of-fact and action oriented. You (the reader) are an active, capable, decision maker. You are confronted with all sorts of problems but you have choice and you do not run away from danger. You choose the right path. It is timely that children and young people are offered books that give them back that sense of capability, of curiosity and adventurousness. They need to be rescued from passivity and hopelessness and be redirected back into reading, solving problems and exploring options. Escape from Cuttlefish Cove engages the brain because problems must be solved in order to progress in certain directions. These problems may be riddles, tricky puzzles or codes. There are 64 different story paths with checklists in the back of the book for tracking progress and moving easily between stories. The reader can jump in and out at any point making it ideal for those who have not yet aquired reading stamina.
Escape from Cuttlefish Cove is recommended particularly as a book to offer reluctant readers and also for the enjoyment of all readers. It would be ideal if struggling readers are matched with a reading buddy so that the adventures can be decided upon, argued about and the consequences experienced together. Every chapter 'byte" ends with a text box with two or three choices- "If you choose...turn to page..." Escape from Cuttlefish Cove looks like an ordinary book but it is not. Teachers and librarians please share this series with your students.
For media enquiries contact Rowena Beresford, editor @rivetedpress.com.au.
Another addition to the plethora of books concentrating on the Harry Potter books and films, Harry Potter in 100 Objects will fascinate fans as well as those who have not read or seen all of them. The book is divided into a section for each of the eight films and features iconic props, artefacts and items from them. The Contents page outlines what has been chosen for each and there is an extensive index for the curious. Opposite to the title page is a full-page photograph of Hermione Granger sitting in front of a cauldron and pouring potions into it, and readers will at once know that they are in for a treat.
Most of the objects are featured on a double page spread, with information about how they were made and when they were used, all enhanced with many enticing photos of the objects and the actors who took part in the scenes. I was particularly impressed with the sorting hat, which was created entirely digitally. Another prop that jumped out at me was the Hogwarts Express, where helicopter shots were used of the train travelling through Scotland. Luna Lovegood’s dirigle plum earrings were interesting too – it was intriguing to learn that she made them herself as well as the beaded hare Patronus bracelet she wears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was interesting to read about the many famous actors, including Maggie Smith and Kenneth Branagh, and study photos featuring them from the films.
Harry Potter in 100 Objects is a tribute to the creativity of the makers of the items featured in the films and to the enduring skill of the actors involved in bringing J.K. Rowling's imagination alive on the big screen. It is a book that can be read from cover to cover, dipped into to read about favourites of the films, or perused to look at captivating photos and artefacts. This would make a wonderful gift for any Harry Potter fan.
Themes Harry Potter films, Stage props.
Pat Pledger
The house that horror built by Christina Henry
Titan Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781803364032. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended for readers who like the horror genre.
Single mother Harry Adams is desperate to provide for her teenage son Gabe. As COVID winds down and after a lengthy period with little work, she takes a cleaning job with Javier Castillo, a well-known horror movie director. His mansion, named Bright Horses, is filled with props, costumes and artefacts from horror movies and there is a sinister locked room from which Harry thinks she has heard a voice saying, ‘Help me’. And has one of the props, a Sten costume, been staring at her and moving? With eviction from her flat looming, and no savings, Harry knows she must keep this job and look after Gabe. Can she ignore the house’s secrets?
I found The house that horror built was a compulsive read that I finished in a couple of sittings. Although the suspense surrounding the house and its owner built up and kept me interested, what held my attention was the plight of Harry. She had been unable to live with her religious family and had run away as a teenager, experiencing being homeless and living under bridges and the occasional squat. With no educational qualifications the only jobs she could get were waiting tables or cleaning houses and she knew that she had to keep her head down and not annoy Mr Castillo. She worried constantly about finding somewhere to live and being the adult in the family and not burdening Gabe with her troubles.
Henry’s description of the house and its contents, its relationship to horror movies and the disturbing background of its owner were well described. What had happened to Mr Castillo’s wife and son? What terrifying secrets were hidden in the gothic mansion?
The exciting climax at the conclusion of the book brought all the plot twists together. I am likely to read another book by Christina Henry if I am in the mood for an easy-to-read horror story.
Themes Horror, Movies, Single mothers, Suspense.
Pat Pledger
Bunny and Bird: How to make a snowman by Nick Bland
The third in the series of Bunny and Bird books will be well received by young fans and eagerly borrowed by newbies. The stories all revolve around two friends, Bunny and Bird.
Bunny asks Bird to guess what he has found, holding up a black circle. Bird’s guess of a giant dot is scoffed at by Bunny, who announces that he has found a magic hole. They look at the hole, Bunny testing it with one foot, and Bird carefully peering in. Questioned about its magic properties, Bunny tells Bird that there is a tiger in the hole, so they both move a little further away, and watch as tiger paws push a snowball from the hole. Questioned further, Bunny tells bird about the bear which also fell in after the tiger. Then a bull charged and also fell in the hole.
Each time an animal is mentioned, it appears with something to add to the first large snowball. The basics of a snowman begin to appear and readers will begin to predict what else the snowman needs and where it might come from.
All the while, Bird and Bunny discuss the hole and the animals which came out of it. Bird asks Bunny what he was doing in the forest. It transpires he was waiting for Wombat to help him make a snowman. Wombat is asked what he needs to make one. Wombat replies they need snow for the body, rocks for the eyes, sticks for arms and a carrot for its nose.
Children will call out to the two friends to look behind them as the snowman develops. Suddenly it begins to snow, and Bird suggests they go home, but as they turn, they see the almost completed snowman. But it still needs a few more touches, and Bunny magics the carrot for its nose.
A charming story of friendship, of believing, of building something together, this latest story from whimsical author illustrator Nick Bland will have young readers talking about the building of the snowman and how it got to be there. Believing in magic at this time of the year will appeal to every reader, as for some, snow is part of this time of the year, but for most Australian readers it is redolent of Christmas and seen in lots of books, cards, Christmas trees and decorations. The idea of the black hole is wonderful, asking readers to think about what it is, and how it has so many things in it, and why it is there.
Lots to mull over, think about and laugh along with Bunny and Bird as they nut out their complication.
Themes Friendship, Humour, Bunny and Bird series, Snowman, Christmas.
Fran Knight
The Order of Masks by Alina Bellchambers
Pan Macmillan, 2024. ISBN: 9781761560149. (Age:Young Adult) Recommended.
The Order of Masks is the debut novel from Adelaide Hills author, Alina Bellchambers. A dark fantasy romance, Bellchambers has crafted a captivating world of political intrigue, magic and betrayal.
Mira has been on the run for her entire life, fleeing a past that her mother refuses to talk about. All Mira has ever known is constant upheaval and a feeling of never truly belonging anywhere. Exhausted by the endless turmoil and secrets, Mira is determined to find a way to secure her future once and for all, no matter the risk. To do this she must enter the deadly trials of the Ravalian Court, where she will either rise to become a powerful wielder of magic or die at the hands of the emperor, who has more than one reason to want her dead.
The Order of Masks also follows Scarlett, an ambitious princess struggling against her power-hungry brothers, forceful mother and aloof father. Despite their wildly different backgrounds, Mira and Scarlett are brought together by both ambition and desperation and have more in common than either could have imagined. If only they could trust one another long enough to discover this.
The hidden motives and morally grey natures of both Mira and Scarlett make for an engaging read, as Bellchambers skillfully builds a conflict that questions the thin line between ally and adversary. The Order of Masks balances action, romance, and suspense, making this novel a must-read for fans of fantasy with a dark edge.
Themes Fantasy, Thriller, Romance, Revenge, Family, Politics, Magic, War.
