Reviews

The coldest girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

From Twinkle with love by Sandhya Menon

Hodder, 2018. ISBN 9781473678736
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. Twinkle, a 16 year old high school student, dreams of being a movie director. When she hears about an up and coming film festival, she is determined to make her mark on the industry and direct an amazing movie for everyone to see. When Sahil Roy asks her to be his partner for the festival, she eagerly accepts his offer, knowing it will bring her closer to Sahil's twin brother Neil, who she has a crush on. But little does she realise that Sahil has liked her since they were 11 and is hoping she will notice him instead. As Sahil and Twinkle start to work together, Twinkle realises they have more in common that she first thought and finds herself conflicted in her feelings for the wrong brother. What will she do, which brother will show her their true colours?
The book is written in the form of a diary, with each entry being a letter to one of Twinkle's favourite movie directors. This format was different to your average chapter book and easy to follow. The characters have an authentic feel to their personality, each one I found I could relate to in their feelings and the choices they were faced with as teenagers. The story touches on themes of friendship, conflict, loyalty and the trials we all encounter as we are growing up. Twinkle makes many choices in her attempt to define who she really is and learns a big lesson along the way.
"From Twinkle with love" is an inspiring and engaging read, full of humour, at times sadness and the emotional ups and downs of growing up. I highly recommend this read.
Mia Rice (Student)

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780141375397
(Age: 12+) Recommended. A princess, a soldier, a hunter, a traitor, and a thief. Following the paths of Princess Catherine, Ambrose, March, Edyon, and Tash; these five people will soon come to find their futures are connected by a mysterious bottle of demon smoke. Who will unlock its secrets? These five young people are trying to survive as much as everyone else is but with their kingdoms at war, they are all facing their own demons. Unwanted marriages, revenge, crossroad decisions and literal demons, they will have to have all of these problems and more.
Sally Green has crafted a character-driven story with the themes of war, social classes, forbidden love, mystery and a dash of the fantasy. Her characters are fleshed out, and uniquely expressive and driven in their own ways, each so different from the other. With it being a lengthy story, the plot is somewhat slow but pulls the reader back in with its action, suspense and surprising plot twists. And with that, it kicked off a series of events that kept me clinging to the book wanting more. Green spares no detail in this encapturing story of kings and kingdoms, love and loss, and demon smoke. I would recommend this to young and young adult readers.
Kayla Raphael

Let's visit the Olobobs by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408897621
(Age: 1-4) Board book, Lift-the-flaps, Shapes. Based on the English children's television show "Olobob Top", as seen on ABC, this early learning book about shape has been created by Leigh Hodgkinson ("Are You Sitting Comfortably?") and Steve Smith. There are four Olobob Top titles planned for release this year and another four in 2019: some sticker activity books and some board books. Olobob Top is about the adventures of three friends, Tib, Lalloo and Boble, who live in the biggest and best tree in Olobob Forest. Their world is made up of all sorts of shapes and in each television episode they build new characters who come to life. "Let's Visit the Olobobs" begins by introducing the Olobob characters and each page features a shape that the reader is asked to find within the accompanying picture (e.g., "Can you spot a triangle?"). There is more than one of the shape within each picture but the target shape can be identified because of its colour, pattern, or other specifics. The reader is spoken to directly ("Yes! It's Lalloo's dress. It's a very spotty dress Lalloo"), making it sound like the television narration on shows like Tellytubbies.
Young children will like pointing out all the other shapes they can see within the illustrations, with varying levels of entry depending on children's shape knowledge and vocabulary. Other concepts are also scattered throughout, including counting (numbers), size (long, big) and position (around). What is especially great about this is how there are shapes within shapes and sometimes the shapes are even obstructed or overlapping, requiring children to understand layering and position (e.g. the semi-circle of Gurdy's shell is partly hidden behind his head) in order to correctly locate the shapes. Bright colours and interesting smiley characters make this easy on the eye and will appeal to young ones even if they haven't seen the show.
Nicole Nelson

Can I touch your hair? by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

The world's worst children 3 by David Walliams

HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008304607
Highly recommended. Where do I start when telling you about David Walliams "The worlds worst children 3"?! What an awesome storyteller he is!
This book is full of 10 short stories about a variety of horrible children or sibling groups who really are, as the title suggests, the worlds worst! They are terrible, awful, mean, nasty, stinky, gross, absolutely HORRENDOUS children, and after reading this book I am thankful for my well behaved spawn.
My almost 8 year old son and I read this book, and laughed the whole way through. David Walliams has the most incredible way of writing these stories that are appealing to so many different stages of readers. My son is a reluctant reader and would much prefer to be read to - however this book got his attention and hooked him in! He wanted to read it on his own which is a huge tick for me. The shorter chapters (each their own horrible story about another despicable character) meant that he could read them himself, with little help from an adult and also capture his imagination and sense of humour to keep him going.
My almost 4 year old also enjoyed listening and added in her fair share of laughs or often an 'Eeeww" or "that's yuk Mummy!" followed by laughter!
In addition to this the wonderful illustrations by Tony Ross compliment the story and help to increase understanding of the story for the younger listeners. They also made us laugh out loud even more! His drawings are both gruesome and lively, funny and captivating. I don't think the story would be as good without them.
The stories include Tandy who tantrums so badly her parents eventually leave her and move to Australia (and can still sometimes hear her), Hank who played pranks on his poor family and eventually had one turn on him and go terribly wrong and of course the triplets who were the most disgusting children I have ever read about (but I will let you read that story for yourself!).
This is the first of "The world's worst children" series that we have read and I am going to go and find the first two as we loved them so much. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!
Lauren Fountain

The World of David Walliams Book of Stuff: Fun, facts and everything you NEVER wanted to know by David Walliams

Ill. by Quentin Blake and Tony Ross. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008293253
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Humour, Puzzles. Designed especially for children who can't get enough of David Walliams weird and hilarious humour and illustrated by two outstanding illustrators, "The world of David Walliams Book of stuff" will bring hours of fun and laughter into the lives of those who read it. Even people who aren't familiar with Walliam's books will be delighted with the fun in the book and are sure to want to pick up one of his stories or watch a film based on his books.
There are also puzzles to solve, like finding the 14 differences in the two pictures of Walliams' writing shed or designing a Walliams book cover. Readers will meet Raj in a new adventure and find out about the author's interest in swimming and his acting in "Billionaire Boy", "Ratburger" and "Grandma's great escape".
The illustrations by Blake and Ross enhance the book and will have readers laughing out loud as they read "Leonard Spud's guide to loo-modelling" or "Mummy's tooth care range" as well as many other very funny articles and cartoons.
This is a must for all Walliams' fans and is sure to keep the whole family chortling during the holidays with its funny jokes and slightly rude content.
Pat Pledger

Peg + Cat : The lemonade problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Candlewick Entertainment, 2018. ISBN 9781536200614
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Problem Solving, STEM, Mathematics, Cats. Lemonade stands outside one's house is harking back to a time when neighbours knew each other, when they supported their kids' endeavours and there were no worries about drinking from an offered cup.
Still, that aside, the idea that Peg and Cat set up a stall to try and sell drinks of lemonade to the local teens in exchange for marbles, is a step to teaching younger readers about problem solving, negotiation and maths. This picture book version taken from the very popular television series, will please younger readers. It is brightly illustrated, invitingly told, and features numbers and mathematical symbols throughout the text and pictures. Humour underlines the simple story of negotiating your way through a problem, while the illustrations cleverly support the text using laugh out loud situations that children will recognise.
This will appeal to younger readers wanting a simple introduction to the numbers from one to ten.
Fran Knight

Under my bed by John Dickson

Berbay Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780994384133
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Under my bed is a fun picture book all about those monsters hiding in the dark places of a child's bedroom. What if the monsters had a party? Would you be invited? It is your room after all. Imagine lying in your bed while monsters move around your room. Our main character is doing just that! He can hear them making sandwiches and crushing snails. He can see the shapes of their bodies in the dark but enough is enough. If he has to lay here listening then he may as well join in! Will the monsters let him?
Under my bed is all about overcoming your fears because those fears might actually be a lot of fun. The illustrations are cast in shadows, making them seem scary in the dark. The white monster eyes add to this but they aren't scary, they are fun, especially as you read about what is going on. The story also rhymes, reading like a poem but with the elements of a story. It is descriptive and engaging, making it a great read aloud story for parents and in classrooms. The rhyming element is great for older children learning to write their own rhymes or if writing about their fears and changing them to seem fun and harmless.
Under my bed would also be good for the Child Protection Curriculum, supporting children to talk about and identifying feelings. This story is highly recommended for readers aged 7+.
Kylie Kempster

The way back from broken by Amber J. Keyser

Carolrhoda Lab, 2018. ISBN 9781541514881
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Sibling death. Grief. Wilderness. Survival. Rakmen's baby sister died and the family is working through the tragedy in their own ways. He and his mother attend weekly meetings at Promise House, a support group where the mothers cry and the children do art therapy downstairs. His father won't go, like others he goes to the bar and bottles up the grief. Rakmen helps out with the other damaged kids, including some his age, Molly, who survived a car crash that killed her sister, D'Veray and D'Mareay, identical twins whose brother D'Shawn died of cancer. Their shared experiences help them to understand each other, unlike Rakmen's best friend Juan, who can't understand why he has lost interest in sport, girls and the excitement of finishing school. When his Biology teacher, Mrs Tatlas, turns up at the support group consumed with grief over her stillborn son, Rakmen's mother befriends her and he is thrust together with her young daughter Jacey. His own parents are going through troubled times and so when he is invited to spend the summer at a remote Canadian lake they ask him to go, not only to look after Jacey and her mum but to give them space to find a way forward. The lake is very remote and the family's cabin run down but it is very beautiful and Mrs Tatlas, Leah, decides on a canoe camping trip 'au large' in the wilderness. The trip is very challenging but they gradually find a rhythm to their days, paddling, carrying the canoe and setting up camp to collapse exhausted at the end of the day, an escape from the exhaustion of grief. When Leah breaks her ankle four days away from anywhere Rakmen and Jacey have to go for help. Loaded with responsibility Rakmen exceeds his own expectations and dramatically opts for survival and the living, moving on from blaming himself for his sister's loss.
This sensitive exploration of grief and healing acknowledges the complexity of the issue; the triggers, the depression and volatile behaviour, the self-blame, family breakdown and damage to relationships caused by the death of a child. The finely drawn description of the beautiful, scary and dangerous wilderness is a real strength, powerfully asserting that life is larger than grief, allowing the characters to discover resilience counteracting the hopelessness at the start of the book. Recommended for students looking for a serious read to engage the emotions or anyone dealing with, or wishing to understand, aspects of grieving.
Sue Speck

Ariki and the giant shark by Nicola Davies

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406369793
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Ariki is a young island girl with a love for the sea. She has lived on her island her whole life but she is still seen as a stranger because she wasn't born there. Ariki was washed ashore as a toddler and has no knowledge of where she is from. Ariki is also very different to the other islanders due to her tattoos - they are dots and lines rather than lines and swirls. her tattoos are also on the opposite side to other girls. The island is suffering as the fish are not swimming which means no food. When the nihui (sharks) gather in abundance and as an even larger shark appears, the islanders believe they are under attack and must hunt and kill this monster shark. Ariki thinks differently. Her tattoos tingle when she is in the water with this creature. The cave etchings she discovers, thanks to the younger children, show this giant creature needs help from humans. Can Ariki, her friend Ipo, her guardian Arohaka and eight children help this creature while the rest of the island wants to destroy it?
"Ariki and the Giant Shark" is a beautiful island adventure and story about being yourself and believing in your gifts. Ariki is an excellent role model for young readers because she is strong, adventurous and independent despite being called names and not having a traditional family to care for her. The story is descriptive and easy to read, making it a great read aloud story for bedtime or even in the classroom. It is a story from another culture, connecting it to learning about Australia's neighbours in Geography. This book is highly recommended for independent readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster

The Silver Hand by Terry Deary

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781472929488
(Age: 11 and up) Recommended. Written by the extremely successful Terry Deary of "Horrible Histories" fame, this book is sure to be as successful.
"It's 1918 and the Great War is entering its final phase. France is beginning to make small inroads against the Germans while the Germans are not only continuing to suffer huge loses at the hands of the French but the deadly Flu is also beginning to have a huge impact. In northern France, young Aimee has just found out that her mother is part of a spy network working with the British. After reluctantly befriending Marius, a German boy who has been left behind by his countrymen, she must try to help him get back behind German lines while evading a traitor - the man with a silver hand, she has helped to discover. " Publisher. Danger lurks at the turning of every page and I frequently found myself holding my breath.
Deary has done a fantastic job of allowing the reader to get to know the main characters and develop a close relationship with them. The familiar hardships faced by so many during war time are experienced and throw in the constant challenges of evading the silver handed man, a spine-tingling story is experienced. It sheds light on the fact that no one escaped from the war in France and this is quickly discovered as Aimee travels through woods and the countryside. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction book and it is a must have for the library. I will certainly be recommending it to a number of students.
Kathryn Schumacher

A stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker

Candlewick Press, 2018, ISBN 9780763665968
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Grief, Pets, Journeys, Wordless stories. Aaron Becker's "A stone for Sascha" is a cinematic wordless picture book that begins with the loss of family pet, Sascha the dog. From the simple act of placing a golden stone on the grave, we are transported across the world, across millennia, into epic world events as we follow the stone's journey. Aaron Becker drew inspiration from his time in Granada, Spain observing the history of the buildings, where he observed churches built atop Roman ruins. The maps on the endpapers reference the stone's travels from Ethiopia 5000BCE then Babylon 600BCE, by sea and overland across continents, Asia to China then across the Pacific Ocean to the San Juan Islands. Becker's choice of dark, moody tones with bright touches of yellow and white are visually appealing.
Without words, the pictures are evocative, connecting the reader first with the little girl's grief, then with one toss of a stone into the vast ocean, back in time to a meteor shower and the golden stone's shattering landing. This turning point changes the story's direction from deep in the prehistoric ocean, to tectonic plates shifting, to the golden rock shard emerging in ancient Ethiopia. Through wars, religious ceremonies, travels by land and sea, pirate attacks this golden monument's purpose evolves and changes. After the Chinese sculptor carves the bridge's capstone into a golden box and stunning dragon the story continues edging closer and closer to the San Juan Islands and the little girl's hands. Becker's message of connectivity and the circle of life is beautifully portrayed.
"A stone for Sascha" is a picture book for older readers, one to be shared across the generations, opening up conversations about the passage of time, historic events and coping with grief. Becker's paintings are sweeping landscapes, then slices of history, close-ups and panoramic with an emotional depth shown through tone and light and shade. With Becker's cinematic background, this wordless picture book would translate beautifully into film.
Rhyllis Bignell

We wear pants by Katie Abey

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408893609
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Themes: Clothing. Humour. Katie Abey's We wear pants is an enjoyable and colourful picture book showing a broad range of animals wearing an interesting array of people clothes and shoes. Across a double-page spread we are first invited to view quirky animals wearing a range of pants: giraffe's neck is festooned with 'pant-tastic' undies, crocodile's looking snappy in his nappy, while blue monkey dances in his tartan pants! With speech bubbles filled with questions and comments, text placed up, down and around the quirky carton animals, this is humorous book to explore.
While Aussie kids will question the use of wellies, they'll soon see splashing elephants, a narwhal with a gum boot on its horn, even an octopus wearing eight wellies having a lot of fun. There is one character who chooses to remain an individual throughout, yellow monkey wears something different each time. Abey encourages the reader to find the biggest hat, the tiniest fish and check out the range of diverse hats for different seasons. Colourful coats are fun to wear on the bus, in the rain or sharing a bench with friends. The fun continues with animals wearing shoes, socks, scarves, t-shirts, glasses and pyjamas.
Abey's cartoon animal characters are engaging, follow the characters throughout and observe their antics, especially the cheeky monkey. Share with a young child, discussing the questions, the silly situations and crazy ways these animals wear human clothing. Finally check out their fashion styles when they all get dressed, there's a fire-fighter alligator, a giraffe in multi-coloured scarves and a prancing pony in jeans and a red shirt. We wear pants is entertaining, use Abey's style to create new pictures of animals dressed as humans.
Rhyllis Bignell

The littlest things give the loveliest hugs by Mark Sperring

Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408338049
(Age: 2+) Highly recommended. The littlest things give the loveliest hugs is a beautifully illustrated picture book about hugs. Each page is bright and detailed, depicting different animals hugging and snuggling their children. From elephants to foxes to koalas, this book is ready to be part of a child's nightly bedtime routine. Even before reading the rhyming sentences, children and their carers will be busy discussing all of the details in each illustration. Children can discover where the different animals are found, make observations about animal families and learn about their appearance - great Science links.
The rhyming sentences are all about cuddles and snuggles and it reads like a poem. The rhyming couplets can help children identify rhyming words, supporting older children to create their own couplets. The content is aimed at younger children and is highly recommended for children aged 2+ and younger readers aged 5+.
Kylie Kempster