Penguin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761049040. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended for fans of thrillers.
Get set for the ride of your life with Candice Fox’s latest thriller! Set in the desolate Australian outback, on an isolated drug-runners’ road, the High Wire, the book is full of exciting chases, murder, kidnapping, bomb threats and drug runners. Harvey Buck is trying to get to Sydney to be with his dying girlfriend, when he stops to help Clare Holland, whose car has been burnt out. From then on, the action does not stop. The pair are grabbed by three men, strapped into bomb vests and ordered to do unspeakable things. Meanwhile Senior Sergeant Edna is going about her business, dealing with a runaway teenager, Talon, who has appeared believing that he is meeting a girlfriend. The pair go on the trail of Harvey and Clare and encounter threats to their lives and the possibility that Edna will lose her job.
Fox cleverly mixes up the narrative, going from Harvey and Clare’s desperate situation, back to 2011 Afghanistan when Harvey was a soldier, as well as giving the reader an insight into the minds of Edna and Talon. I became invested in the well-being of the main characters as well as the people that Harvey is forced to threaten. Most short chapters end on a cliff-hanger which ensures that the reader must keep reading to see what is going to happen next – I finished the book in two sittings!
High Wire is a book for fans of thrillers that move at breathless speed. The writing is so vivid that each desperate and violent adventure is easy to picture and I can see it being made into a movie or TV series. I certainly look forward to the next book that Fox writes.
In this latest book readers meet fascinating animals from all over the world that are either extinct or are critically endangered. The contents pages list sixty of these animals in alphabetical order; beginning with the African Forest Elephant that are critically endangered due to poachers, deforestation and mining, and ending with the Yunnan Lake Newt, an amphibian that inhabited the waters of Kunming Lake in Yunnan, China and was last seen in 1979. It is believed that urbanisation, poor water quality from pollution and pesticides, as well as the introduction of invasive predators contributed to the extinction of this newt. One Australian animal discussed is the Southern Pig-footed Bandicoot, the smallest grazing animal in the world at just 23-26cms long, which is now extinct due to land being used for cattle grazing and the introduction of cats and foxes to Australia. The last one was sighted in 1901, with rare sightings by First Nations people for another 50 years. It was officially declared extinct in 2000.
Each of these amazing animals is presented on a double page spread with information on one half and a detailed illustration on the other. The scientific name of the animal is given plus a pronunciation guide. From the headings of description including a clever size comparison image, extinction status, diet, location/habitat and fun facts, every reader will have the opportunity to learn more. There are excellent teacher resources available.
Another valuable and engaging addition to a home, school or public library.
How families are made by Dr Amir Khan. Illus. by Donough O'Malley
Farshore, 2024. ISBN: 9780008520885. (Age:6+)
No matter what the size or shape of your family - mum, dad and siblings; two mums; two dads; foster parents; single parent; several generations - each person in the family started out the same way - "a group of special cells, and these were created when an egg was fertilised by a sperm."
Not so long ago when a parent was asked the inevitable "Where did I come from?", the answer was to do with a stork or the cabbage patch; more recently seminal texts like Where Did I Come From?and What's Happening to Me? caused outrage when they appeared on library shelves in primary schools, and just weeks ago a Sydney council tried to ban a book about same-sex parents from its shelves. So while the question remains as old as humanity, responses to it are gradually veering more and more towards the truth and reality, and in this new addition to the Little Experts series, the facts about reproduction, gestation and birth are given in both accessible text and clear illustrations while acknowledging that diversity in family structure and that "family" is much more than a coupling of male and female. It includes a glossary that explains terms like "foster parents", "gender identity" and "transitioning" in the same way it does "embryo" and "zygote", thus normalising their meaning and use for all children.
Despite the world, in general, having come a long way in acknowledging and accepting different family structures and the right for children to know the truth of their origins, including their biological beginnings, there are still those who find such topics too sensitive to discuss and so books like these must be in any school library collection. Yes, there will be those who giggle or blush but that, in itself, is part of their maturing and IMO, the more information young people have the more likely they are to develop respectful relationships with those around them.
Written by a qualified GP, well-known on television in the UK, and presented in such an objective manner amongst a collection of books that covers everything from vehicles powered by humans to superhero animals, it presents this topic as as natural and ordinary and everyday as it should be. However, there will be those for whom the matter-of-factness may clash with their school's beliefs or ethics about the provision of such information, so, for them, a preview may be wise.
Case histories starts in an unusual way, with a vivid description of three separate cases in Cambridge. In the first a little girl disappears from a tent during the night. The second case describes the awful attack of a young girl working in her father’s office, and in the third there is a grisly scene of a young mother overwhelmed by the demands of a new baby and her husband. It is not until later in the book that Jackson Brodie, a private investigator, appears and is thrown into these old cold cases. He is asked by Julia and Amelia Land to find out what happened to their sister, the little girl who disappeared, another client wants him to find the murderer of his daughter and Shirley want to find her long lost niece. Connections gradually appear and Jackson must tie the threads together.
Atkinson has woven together a complex series of plots that are gripping and kept me engrossed to the end. Her description of all the characters is wonderful and it is easy to imagine each of them. Brodie is going through a challenging time after his divorce and is dealing with all the emotions that come with grappling with an ex-wife and his daughter. He becomes embroiled in the lives of his clients as he tries to make sense of three cold cases.
I missed reading this when it was first published in 2004 and it has stood up to the test of time. It is an outstanding literary crime novel and deserves the Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Longlist (2005), and Saltire Society Literary Award for Scottish Book of the Year (2005). I look forward to reading the rest in the series.
Hannah Gold, award-winning author of The Last Bear, The Lost Whale and Finding Bear, has written another impressive and engaging story about an endearing endangered animal species. In this story turtles are fighting for their survival and 11 year old Silver Trevelon and her parents will join the battle to try to save them.
Silver’s father has been commissioned to paint the turtles in order to promote the dire threat to their species. The connected and loving family are seemingly struggling with a deep sense of loss and this change of scenery may be the perfect opportunity to learn to live with their sadness. After initially expressing their doubts, Silver and her mum agree to go and the family travels to a remote area of Costa Rica where they will spend four months at a Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
The remoteness and beauty of the rainforest for Silver is a blessing. She loves trees and feels at one with them. Silver embraces the jungle, the house they will live in for the next four months and feels alive. She instantly connects with the older turtles being cared for and spends many of her days helping look after Luna, a 60 year old green sea turtle who has only two flippers. Silver’s mother though does not respond to the surroundings, the animals or the sanctuary, and seems lost and broken. Added to this Silver’s father is struggling with his commission. For Silver, her worries about her parents are causing confusion and anxiety. Will they both be able to accept what this new life may bring as Silver has done?
Meeting Rafi, the son of one of the trusted staff, opens up a whole new world of learning and adventure for Silver. Together they help to keep the turtle eggs safe and put themselves in grave danger when poachers strike. Both Silver and Rafi are instrumental in trying to thwart the poachers but will they be able to save the eggs of the leatherback, hawksbill and green sea turtles?
There are many themes shared throughout this story. Perhaps the theme of motherhood loss is one of the strongest and author Hannah Gold sensitively shares this with readers. There is also the pressing need for more support for turtle protection and education. Coping with a new environment, a new language, a new way of thinking plus a new friendship is life-changing for Silver and her growth throughout this narrative is heartwarming to read.
In the final pages of the book there is an Author’s Note, a Resources List and Acknowledgements, all important to read to gain a clearer insight into some aspects of this wonderful story. Illustrations by Levi Pinfold are spread throughout the text and provide a striking dark and moody visual backdrop.
It's raining outside and Dragonboy and his stuffed-animal friends are stuck at home, feeling as gloomy as the weather. For them, the only fun is to be exploring outside and they aren't particularly interested when Dragonboy suggests exploring inside. And even though Darwin the sloth was noticing something unusual, they paid him no attention. When they venture into the attic and discover a lot of old toys and games, their day brightens and as they play together, but Darwin's feelings are hurt.
This is another in this series for very young readers who are learning about friendship and kindness and building relationships through everyday acts of kindness that have nothing to do with material things. Each time one of the characters shows kindness, a tiny red heart appears and they are invited to count how many they find (there are 100) and think about what it was that triggered it.
Something a little different that encourages young readers to understand that there are many ways to be a good friend.
Themes Kindness, Friendship.
Barbara Braxton
Guinness World Records Gamer's edition 2025
Guinness World Records, 2024. ISBN: 9781913484521. (Age:8+) Recommended.
The 14th edition of the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition is packed full facts, news and statistics. The Contents page counts down the Top 100 gaming records picked by video experts with 100 being the first dog to hold a speedrun record, 50 being the Most Platinumed PlayStation game: Marvel’s Spider-man: Be Greater and Number One, the best-selling video game, Minecraft. For many young readers hearing the Minecraft is number one will be no surprise and the fact that Mario features at Number Two as the most ubiquitous videogame character will also not be a surprise. Following the countdown is a Round up page where late last-minute gaming additions were added to the Records Database. These include the largest shiny Pokémon hunt, smallest handheld console and the largest collection of video game kiosks - just to name a few.
For children and indeed adults who game, this is a treasure trove of vital facts, figures, colourful images and trivia that will no doubt entertain and engage them for hours.
Themes Gaming, Compendium, Facts.
Kathryn Beilby
Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
Pan Macmillan, 2024. ISBN: 9781035045464. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended for fans of romantasy.
Rewitched is a cosy romantasy that will appeal to readers of the genre. Belladonna Blackthorn is busy trying to keep Lunar Books afloat, fending off the machinations of her toxic boss who is driving it into the ground. Belle is about to turn thirty and has paid little attention to her magical ability until she receives a summons to appear at her coven for a test to see if she has reached her potential and is worthy of keeping her magic. She has used it casually to help readers find the right book, keep plants alive and her bookshop tidy, and is dismayed to realise that she could lose it. After a disastrous interview she is give a second chance, a month to learn her magic under the tutelage of discredited wizard Artorius and the caring eye of handsome Watchman, Rune. The month will also give her the opportunity to gain a feeling of self-worth.
Rewitched has many moments of suspense as Belle desperately tries to learn her magic while evil forces loom over her spell casting. The coven is vividly described and Belle’s many attempts to learn magic spells are fascinating. But it is the uplifting theme of learning to trust herself and become confident in the person that she is that makes this a feel-good and comforting story. Found family and the importance of trusting your friends are other important themes, while the growing relationship between Rune and Belle will appeal to lovers of slow-burning romances.
This is a warm, often funny, cosy that will leave readers knowing that family and friendship are important and that it is always possible to build self-esteem and skills.
Themes Witches, Bookshops, Romance, Self-esteem.
Pat Pledger
Zoom by Dannika Patterson and Ross Morgan
Ford Street Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922696427. (Age:5-9) Highly recommended.
Some days for children at school are not always the best. For Tom his day seemed to be the worst. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. He arrives home angry and upset, feeling very negative about himself and takes himself off to his room. His mother waits quietly with a snack to give Tom the opportunity to settle down. While he is settling, he picks up his grandfather’s camera and zooms in on things happening in the storm outside.
Once Tom has calmed his whirling thoughts, he and his mum talk about his day. With help from his mum, his perception of what happened changes when he begins to put the single isolated events into perspective. The spilt paint was turned into a spectacular painting, the dropped lunch happened because he was intercepting a ball as it was about to hit a window and his second to last place in a running race came about because he stopped to help a classmate who had fallen over. Using the camera and the analogy of zooming in and out with the lens, helps Tom gather a different take on his worst day ever. He realises that what happened was not as bad as he first thought and the bigger picture tells another story.
This very emotive story will be an excellent resource for homes and schools. So many students struggle to control their emotions when things start to unravel. This book gently explores how to try to change the narrative and the glorious illustrations provide a deeply engaging visual connection to the story. Teacher's notes are available.
A wonderful story of resilience as a child shines through an event so powerful that her world is upturned.
Malini wakes one morning, an important morning when she, for the first time, will help plant the rice seedlings for the next crop, a crop the Sri Lankan village depends on. The bullock driver stops and hands Malini the reins to hold while he is away. She stares at this large beast, as he snorts and shakes his head. Suddenly the wind whips up, the sky darkens, birds take cover, and rain starts to fall in sheets headed toward the village. She has been told to stay with the ox but is terrified by the sound and strength of the falling rain. The bullock is frightened too, the water is now at his knees. Mailini’s mother calls to her to come to the shelter of the house. But she is concerned for the bullock and his load. She tugs hard on the reins, urging the animal to follow her. Eventually he does, and she leads him up the hill to Baba’s barn. Here she closes the door behind them and takes off the yolk and releases the animal from the cart. They are sheltered from the rain and the wind, but the barn creaks and the wind howls, the ox stomping and snorting at the devastation outside. Malini knows that she must calm the beast. She comes in close and whispers to him, stroking his flanks and calming him. They wait for the storm to pass, the wind no longer making the walls creak, the rain no longer pounding the roof.
She leads the bullock out of the barn and is gathered into her mother’s arms, the villagers crowding around her.
This lovely story of showing strength and fortitude in the face of disaster will resonate with all younger readers. They will have seen footage on various media of children in disastrous situations and will sympathise with this young girl and the choices she makes. The size of the ox will daunt readers, the illustrations showing clearly how big it is in relation to Malini, its size making her decision even more admirable.
The illustrations are memorable, from the huge bullock on the cover, the rain coming in sheets, the ox being urged on by the little girl, the rain falling across the page. La Fave likes to capture moments in time and this book reflects this, as the rain comes down and water rises in the village. Information about Kim La Fave can be found here.
Award winning author and illustrator, Fullerton and Fave live in Canada. They are both interested in stories of children around the world. This one about life in Sri Lanka is a wonderful look at the life of a child very different from our own and will give our readers a different perspective of life in a different community. The reliance on rice and the hands-on work of planting the seeds as well as their need for an ox to carry the load, will intrigue younger readers, and the look at the devastation the monsoon can bring, will add another level of interest.
At the end of the book is an informative page relating more information about Sri Lanka and its reliance on the annual monsoon.
Themes Monsoon, Sri Lanka, Oxen, Strength, Resilience, Flood.
Fran Knight
Guinness World Records 2025
Guinness World Records, 2024. ISBN: 9781913484606. (Age:8+) Highly recommended.
The 2025 Guinness World Record Book celebrates 70 years of record breaking achievements. Once again nearly 30,000 applications were reviewed and there is a QR code to find bonus content. The 2025 GWR book begins with Chapter one showcasing the last seven decades of the Guinness World Records (GWR). There is a fresh new cover look designed by 3D digital artist Chris Labrooy and the book itself contains over 1000 images. The endpapers show all previous covers and it is interesting to see how it has visually changed over time.
The opening page highlights icons from all over the world and asks the reader to see whom they might know. Immediately recognisable are Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Sir Donald Bradman, Elton John, Sir David Attenborough and HRH Queen Elizabeth. The history of the GWR follows the opening pages is a fascinating look at the past with some familiar and unfamiliar records, events and people discussed. Chapter headings this year include Natural world, Humankind, Recordmania, Explorer’s Science & Technology, Arts & Entertainment, Kids Zone, and Sport. There are flashback pages at the beginning of each chapter and the Kids Zone chapter has U16 records.
Platinum is the traditional gift for a 70th anniversary and there is a double page devoted to many things platinum including Elvis Presley receiving the highest amount of platinum records.
This latest GWR book is packed full of so much to read about, absorb and discuss. The images are striking, the records often hilarious, e.g. the most underpants (44 pairs) pulled on in a minute was by Nicholas Manning from Queensland, plus there is so much history to be revisited. There is definitely something for everyone.
Superhero animals by Chris Packham. Illus. by Anders Frang
Farshore, 2024. ISBN: 9780755504657. (Age:6+)
What links whales, earthworms, dogs and wasps? How does whale poo make the underwater world go round? Why are tiny ants so mighty? What makes bats heroes of the night?
Each of the 9,000,000 species of animal, plant and fungi that humans share this planet with has a special role in ensuring that the world's ecosystems keep working and stay healthy. whether that's pollinating plants, fertilising the oceans or cleaning the soil or the myriad of other tasks that they work together to do. And in this new addition to the Little Experts series, readers are introduced to some of these superhero creatures on which we all rely.
In the introduction, the reader is reminded that they can make a difference - one person, in one community, on our one planet, so while some creatures, like the tiger shark and the vulture seem quite exotic and out of our everyday realm, others like bees, wasps, bats and frogs are much more familiar and for these, there are challenges to take up to understand them better, protect them and share what we know so others do too.
Little Experts is a series designed to introduce 6-9 year olds to the world around them by having experts in the field share their knowledge in easily accessible explanations accompanied by rich illustrations, and even though they, themselves, may not recognise the names of the experts who are mostly UK based, nevertheless having titles about everyday things that our little ones are curious about and pitched at their level can only be a positive addition to non fiction collections.
Georgette Heyer is one of my favourite authors, one I turn to when I need a feel-good book. The unknown Ajax is a delight to read, having wit, romance, humour and drama as well as an unforgettable male lead. Major Hugo Darracott is the heir to Darracott Place, which is presided over by the tyrannical Lord Darracott. Hugo is unknown to the family; his father married out of his class to a weaver’s daughter and they expect him to uncouth and poorly educated. When he arrives at Darracott Place, he is not welcomed, and possessing a wicked sense of humour, decides to play the country bumpkin, exaggerating his Yorkshire accent and pretending to be simple. His grandfather has decided that he should marry Althea who is pressed into trying to make Hugo into a gentleman, while bitterly resisting the idea of marriage. Gradually members of the family come to realise that there is more to Hugo than the façade that he has presented, and it is his skill and intelligence that brings the family out of the danger of disgrace in a perilous and funny final climax.
It is easy to see why Georgette Heyer’s books are still in publication and why there is a long waiting list to borrow them at the library. Hugo is an absolute delight, his sly humour and remarks lighten the problems of the dysfunctional Darracott family, while all the characters, nobility and servants are well rounded characters. Heyer adds in mystery and danger with smugglers importing goods from France and the local constabulary trying to find who is the ringleader.
Heyer writes with wit and compassion and The Unknown Ajax is sure to appeal to readers who like historical romances with a dash of adventure. Fans of Bridgerton may even be enticed to try her outstanding novels.
‘The untold story of Herbert Kenny, the man who discovered Belsen’ is the factual story of an energetic young man who joined up to fight in WWII determined to do what was needed and get the job done. He knew the job was tough, he saw soldiers maimed or killed in huge numbers. But battle-hardened as he became, nothing prepared him for the day he led a British battalion through the gates of Belsen concentration camp. The horrors he encountered there left him scarred for life. It is hard even to read about the suffering and degradation of the prisoners who were little more than the ‘living dead’ surrounded by rotting corpses and filth.
Hodkinson’s well researched account reveals the impact on a soldier who was so shocked by what he encountered, the experience was smothered and never revealed to family members, but not without consequences for his mental health and his relationships, something we would now recognise as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It is an account of an unimaginable descent into hell, something that just defies comprehension as to how human beings could treat their fellow men in such a way. Attempts to explain the Nazi attitude towards those they saw as sub-human just collapse before the undeniable feeling that it was just innately wrong.
The last chapter of the book is titled ‘If all good people unite and speak out’. It is a plea that all forms of discrimination and persecution be challenged, so that the past does not repeat itself, a plea for people to learn to live together in peace.
Themes Non-fiction, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, World War II, PTSD, Trauma.
It's the last day at the construction site and Cranky the crane is feeling cranky. And he doesn't want to talk about it. His friends Zippy, Wheezy, and Dump Chuck try to cheer him up. But you know what doesn't help when you're feeling cranky. A lot of talking. Or people telling you to cheer up.
So what will help?
This book for young readers helps them understand and validate some of those big feelings that sometimes swamp them but which they can't articulate yet, particularly those that seem to have negative connotations as though they are unnatural. Being good friends, Zippy, Wheezy and Dump Chuck don't like seeing their friend unhappy and try to change his mood, but when Cranky is happy, do they try to turn that emotion around? It can be confusing for a little one and they soon learn that it's apparently not OK to be angry or sad or whatever when, in fact, it is. Such feelings are real, natural and valid and they will recognise them in Cranky and through talking with the adult they are sharing the book with, maybe be able to learn words to express their feelings and the reasons for them, as well as strategies to deal with them.
By using construction vehicles in this anthropomorphic manner, the author has enabled the young reader to examine and talk about emotions at arm's length as well as start to realise the impact of their emotions on others around them and why friends want to help, even though they just want to be cranky for a while longer.
There are any number of books in this vein available to our younger readers but given the levels of anxiety and depression that seem to be enveloping this age group, particularly as parents' anxieties have an impact on them, it is a message that they cannot hear too many times, especially our boys who may believe that "real men" are bulletproof and not subject to such feelings. Emotions are real, natural and valid and it's normal to have them and healthy to express them, even if you're a cranky crane on a construction site.
