Tor Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781035053575. (Age:Young Adult) Recommended.
In A Pirate’s Life for Tea, Rebecca Thorne delivers a strong fantasy adventure set in a world where piracy and tea culture collide. The story follows Kianthe, a powerful mage, and her partner Reyna, a former soldier, beginning almost immediately after the events of the first novel of the series, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. The couple have resolved many of the issues that threatened their idyllic life together in the previous book and are looking for a new adventure. All they’re really hoping for is a change of pace and a chance to see more of the world, but they quickly stumble into more trouble than they ever anticipated.
They reluctantly agree to help Bobbie, a constable working for a powerful lord, capture her childhood friend Serina, a former farmer turned pirate. What starts as a simple journey soon turns into a mess of unexpected danger, strange alliances and high-stakes choices. Especially as Reyna and Kianthe are finding it difficult not to meddle in the complicated relationship between their two new acquaintances.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is billed as a cozy fantasy, a subgenre of fantasy that focuses on comforting tales normally set in warm and inviting worlds. There is usually more focus on building friendships and communities and achieving small goals rather than epic battles or dark conflicts. However, in A Pirate’s Life for Tea there are more elements of a swashbuckling pirate adventure than a cozy slice-of-life tale. Readers of the first book may notice quite a sharp divergence from low to high stakes situations and challenges. Nevertheless, Thorne has crafted a whimsical yet heartfelt story with charming characters and plenty of humour.
12 year-old Dylan is about to start High School and change is hard. His friends from Primary School, Hannah, Gemma and Yusuf, are also navigating the big step up to life where new timetables, room changes, teachers and potential new friendships compete with comfort and uncertainty in this new environment. Dylan has the added factor to negotiate - he must do all things from the comfort of his wheelchair, an instrument of speed and agility, but also an occasional impediment to progress in a classroom environment (the science labs are not designed for wheelchairs). His disability does not stop him from participating in life - he loves gaming, creating digital music mixes and playing sports. But sometimes everyone else (except his old friends) seem to make life difficult or totally belittle him with their attitudes or comments. He knows that ‘life is not all about him’, but working out life and friendships can be hard.
The change from Primary to Secondary school is a life change all kids will recognise, so this book will suit those about to, or who have just transitioned to Secondary schooling. And Dylan Alcott’s perspective on how this might be different for someone with a disability is an important one, normalising participation in the school environment and reminding readers that kids are kids, no matter what their abilities, and that friendship dramas are universal. The character Dylan is not the only one with struggles, and restoring friendships requires maturing understanding into his own failings or lack of insight. (The dilemma of ramp access, doors that do not open easily for wheelchair access, the inaccessibility of disabled toilets and the unthinking rudeness of people who are not in a wheelchair are all issues that are presented in the course of the story, insights that are important for young readers to consider.) This book has a youthful cover and some cartoon-style illustrations that perhaps make it seem for a younger audience than Year 5/6/7, but it is a life-change story that has some maturity as it reveals life from the perspective of someone that is wheelchair bound. This insight is not deliberately trying to invoke sympathy, rather it reveals the abilities and human issues with a sense of humour and normalcy that is refreshing. It is an easy-to-read transition story, and I imagine that there will be more to come as Dylan wheels his way through life.
Themes Friendships, Disability, Starting High School, Gaming/coding.
Carolyn Hull
A new day by Emmaline Carroll Southwell and Heather Dryden
Affirm Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781922992345. (Age:3+)
Today's a new day, today's a fresh start. I move through this day with open mind and open heart. I release yesterday, letting go of what's done. Today's about joy. Today's about fun!
A New Day is a positive look at a day in a child’s life, reaffirming the hope that every fresh day brings, empowering children to navigate their way through life’s challenges.
If on this fresh new day, a child feels somewhat alone and concerned, then this book offers five strategies to get back on track.
The first is to stop and breathe. Quietly concentrating on breathing in and out is calming. Next is to look out for the good. This maybe simply taking in the natural environment, or talking to a friend. The third is to listen to how the body is reacting.Number four is showing kindness and sympathy to others, and this ensures others will be kind to you. And the fifth is having your family by your side, supporting, loving and caring. With all these at your heart, each day is fresh and new, positive and life affirming, full of positive people, family and friends.
Thisempowering look at the days’ routines are reflected in the illustrations, which show children in familiar situations, whether that be at school or home, in the street, in the woods, playground or with family or friends. A positive situation is shown in each illustration, reinforcing thepositive message in the text.
Children will see themselves in the illustrations, visiting, playing, cooking,and so on, as the images in the book cover all sorts of situations which are familiar. Support is shown by family and friends, neighbours and teachers, as each new day means a fresh start.
Practical tips to help children navigate their first days at school are offered by the author, who had a reticent child anxious about going to school. The five ways to help the child keep on a positive track can be practised by all children as they navigate life’s journey.
Tatty Mouse: Birthday by Hilary Robinson. Illus. by Mandy Stanley
New Frontier, 2024. ISBN: 9781922326980. (Age:3+) Recommended.
Tatty Mouse is back with another book in the delightful series about the little mouse that loves to recycle. This time she is preparing to make things for her friend’s birthday and children will love to follow her as she uses her tool kit and craft box to make amazing paper hats and wrapping paper. Most amazing of all she uses tin cans to cut out biscuits and to use as mugs for party drinks.
Author Hilary Robinson and illustrator Mandy Stanley have ensured that this series of book has immediate appeal to its young readers. The narrative is told in a few words and the little 'can-you-find' illustrations gain the attention of children who love to find small details on pages. The lift-the-flap pages are sturdy and will last multiple re-reads of the books. The items that Tatty Mouse makes in Tatty Mouse: Birthday by using recycled cans and paper are ones that children could also produce with the help of an older sibling or caregiver.
Mandy Stanley’s illustrations are bright and interesting. Tatty Mouse is a loveable character, very caring of her friends who are cute, and there are many small items on each page to draw the eye of children.
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781760294762. (Age:13+, Young adult) Recommended.
In the near future, Will Helloran is living with his poet father in Canberra which is now under a protective dome due to extreme weather events. Many places in the world are now under climate-controlled domes, requiring close monitoring of the infrastructure to maintain their integrity. Domes are also vulnerable to attack requiring a vigilant border security. Fear of attack is something the government is increasingly using to justify taking more and more control of people’s lives with constant surveillance, mandatory government bulletins and 're-visioned' history. Will’s mother works alongside the Minister for Border Security and travels between the Sydney dome and Canberra. She tends to be overprotective, monitoring his life and pressuring him to make the move to Sydney to pursue government approved academic study. Monitoring with cutting edge technology sits uncomfortably with Will’s smart best friend, Ender’s personal boundaries. She and her twin are enhanced XD serum children and while her sister Magda is brilliant, she has problematic behaviours and the family live with the threat that Magda may be 'quenched' if she becomes unmanageable.
Will was very close to his Uncle Adam who invented a game called the Wilful Hunt, laying clues to be solved before finding Adam at the end location. He gave Will a sophisticated kite called Lookfar which can be remotely controlled through Will’s body movements. Adam is now dead, his death apparently natural and Will, nearly 17, is starting to have a recurring nightmare involving the end of a Wilful Hunt where Adam warns him of danger and a black dog gores him awake. As Will starts to spend more time in the dreamscape he follows Adam’s last hunt clues, like learning the rules of an online game; he also learns how this other dimension is spilling over into the real world and those with evil intent are threatening everything he values. He needs the trust and help of his friends and the haptic enhancement of Lookfar to survive.
The dystopian worldbuilding is convincingly done and worryingly possible. The main characters are quite complex as Will struggles to accept the death of his uncle, his growing feelings for Ender and his relationship with his very different parents. Ender rails against increasing government control while others blindly accept it, she loves her twin but has to live with the family’s daily struggle to protect her. The dreamwalker fantasy elements are vivid and explore how future technology might be able to harness our unconscious minds.
Many will have loved Isobelle Carmody’s fantasy series Obernewtyn and this stand alone is a welcome addition to her many publications. There are opportunities for discussion about climate change, technological advancements, government surveillance and propaganda but mostly this is a well-crafted, entertaining novel to be enjoyed by a wide range of readers. Teacher's notes are available.
Mr Lemoncello's fantabulous finale by Chris Grabenstein
Penguin Random House, 2024. ISBN: 9780593707944. (Age:9-14) Highly recommended.
Mr Lemoncello is at his best as ‘competition master’ when he plans an audacious final succession plan designed as a compelling competition amongst thirteen lucky 13-year-olds. They must explore and challenge themselves in an array of competitive tasks until there is one final winner of the chance to inherit the Lemoncello empire. Can they outwit and outlast all the other contestants, setting aside friendship and cooperation, until they are the last one standing? And does Mr Lemoncello have opponents who will try and destabilise all that the Lemoncello empire has built over the decades (and the previous books in the series)? Is this the end of all the games and fun and the Lemoncello theme park?
This is another wonderful journey into gaming, knowledge and literature that twists all of these threads into a tapestry of good-natured fun! I loved it! The kids involved are a combined mix of talent and endeavour, and readers will respect their multi-faceted ‘brilliant-ness’. The gaming nature of the challenges requires many higher-order thinking skills and respects and honours readers and even word play. This is a book series to recommend to avid readers, aged 9-14, who are thinkers and who love a bit of fun.
Themes Competition, Games, Challenges, Libraries, Theme parks.
Fans of the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix racing will enjoy this next book in the series about Australian driver Oscar Piastri who at 22 years of age was the youngest driver on the F1 grid in 2024. This highly accessible read about Piastri is set out in a novel format with black and white illustrations throughout, highlighted key words, graphic images and an abundance of information. Also included are tables, diagrams, maps, comparison facts, F1 terminology as well as the opportunity to learn about what goes on behind the scenes.
The coloured cover photograph of Oscar Piastri with a black and white photo inside is then followed by a detailed contents section beginning with an Introduction to Formula One sharing interesting facts. Chapter One gives detailed information about Oscar Piastri including the fact that both of Oscar’s grandfathers were mechanics and loved motor sport. Of interest in this book are chapters about two other Australian F1 legends, Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.
This racing legends series is perfectly pitched at those reluctant readers who prefer fact over fiction with illustrations/graphics to break up text and are motor sport enthusiasts.
Themes Formula One, Motor Sport, Drivers, Family, Competition, Biography.
Kathryn Beilby
Not scary, Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas. Illus. by Amanda Francey
New Frontier, 2024. ISBN: 9781837840755. Highly recommended.
First published in 2014 as Jonathan!, this highly entertaining story of Jonathan and his attempts to scare his family will appeal to all readers.
Johnathan hides behind the curtains and jumps out as his father sweeps the floor. ‘Not funny, Jonathan’ is the response he gets.
Not too deflated he dons his dinosaur costume and leans over his sleeping sister. ‘Not funny Jonathan’, is again the response.
He tries again as mum is hanging out the washing, hiding in the laundry basket. ‘Not funny Jonathan’ is her expected response. Readers will love predicting the one line repeated through the story. And laugh at loud at its use (with a twist) at the end of the tale.
Meanwhile, Jonathan walks away kicking a stone along the footpath. But he suddenly finds he is walking up a bumpy hill, until almost at the top of this green rise, he realises he is on a dinosaur. He takes the beast back to his house, where his family is really scared, running out of the back door to escape the beast. Jonathan thanks the animal for scaring his family, and when it reveals who it is, the final very funny line is said, turning the story on its head.
Kids will love this book with its repeated lines and situations. And talk about their efforts at scaring people or playing hide and seek.
Wonderful illustrations parallel the story, showing us a Jonathan eager to scare his family. Warm colours are used to present a loving family, doing things readers are familiar with, encouraging readers to put to themselves in Jonathan’s shoes. Children will recall times they have hidden behind a door, or jumped out at an unsuspecting sibling or parent. I love the movement portrayed in the images: the curtains, the washing, the sister’s leap from the couch, the falling vase and the family fleeing the dinosaur. And the lovely green stripes make a connection through the story, as well as the endpapers with the images of an unhappy Jonathan. I love the dinosaur, a great green animal, its shadows on the front door, being very quiet as it sneaks on tippy toes along the driveway and then shaking Jonathan’s hand after he has scored the family for him. Not quite like a dinosaur, but very funny.
More can be found about this illustrator here. And information about Peter Carnavas can be found here where readers can find the books he has written.
As a fan of The inheritance games series, I eagerly picked up The lovely and the lost, a psychological thriller featuring Kira, a teen who had been rescued as a child from the wild by Cady Bennett. Adopted by Cady, she and Cady’s son Jude, and neighbour Free, are all being trained to handle search-and-rescue dogs. When Cady is called by her estranged father, Bales Bennett, to locate a missing child in the Sierra glades National Park, the three teens accompany her in the search for Bella, the little girl. Kira becomes increasingly obsessed with finding her as flashbacks to her own survival in the forest become more frequent.
The story is told in Kira’s voice and it is easy to become totally immersed in this tense story as Kira begins to remember haunting scenes from her desperate fight to stay alive as a child in the forest. She knows what Bella could be experiencing but is frustrated when the search turns from seeking a missing child to trying to find the person who has kidnapped her and the teens are prohibited from searching because of their age. Together with Gabriel, a troubled teenager living with Cady’s father, they begin to research the people who have disappeared in the forest, and Kira is dismayed to uncover family secrets that have been hidden by Cady.
Dog lovers will be thrilled with the descriptions of how search and rescue dogs behave and how important they are in finding missing people. The dogs all have personalities of their own and help to manage Kira’s behaviour when she is overcome by memories of her childhood trauma.
This is a compelling story with Barnes unpeeling the secrets of Kira’s past, uncovering family secrets, while at the same time maintaining the reader’s fear for the little lost child. The conclusion has a surprising and unexpected twist.
The story of Helen and the fall of Troy is probably familiar to most readers, especially those who love Greek mythology. Bea Fitzgerald brings a new perspective to the tale; it is not so much about the war and the great wooden horse, the deception that leads to the Athenian soldiers’ infiltration of the city, but more about the lives of women, Cassandra and Helen in particular.
The two women are two extremes, different responses to the manipulation of men. Cassandra is the proud rebellious princess who refuses any man’s hand in marriage, choosing instead to become a priestess of Apollo, revelling in being the supposed voice of a god. ‘no one will be able to tell me what to do or where to go or anything at all because the voice of Apollo will be heard when I speak'.
Helen, the most beautiful and most coveted woman in the world is used to being the trophy prize of men’s rivalry. She knows she is merely a man’s possession, yet uses all the wiles at her disposal to manipulate the outcomes she wants. The Trojan prince Paris offers her an escape from Sparta and her cruel husband Menelaus, so she takes it. In Troy she meets Cassandra.
Fitzgerald writes in her ‘note from the author’ that her aim was to ‘explore things that I found troubling’, so her fantasy novel discusses ‘consent, rape, rape culture, sexual coercion and sexual assault’, though the scenes are never explicit but implied. She also presents an authentic depiction of asexuality, something that doesn’t get much representation in fiction. Her portrayal of Cassandra is of a woman who is not interested in a sexual relationship with men but seeks romantic emotional attachment without any expectation or understanding of a physical relationship. Despite coming from two different positions in the patriarchy, Cassandra and Helen are drawn to each other and learn from each other.
The relationship between these two aspects of womanhood are the focus of the story. Some readers may find the modern language jarring, and not appropriate to the era being depicted, but the purpose is clearly not to recreate the ancient world, but to use it as vehicle for exploring issues in a patriarchal society, and where an alternative sense of being might fit. That said, I’m sure that many readers will find this portrayal of a Sapphic relationship within a Greek mythology setting completely absorbing and enthralling in itself. Fitzgerald’s book has the potential to appeal to a variety of readers, all of whom will take something away of pertinence for themselves.
The thing that particularly resonated with me as a reader was the idea that, yes, you may know the myth, but history chooses what it recalls. The story of Helen has gone down the years as the great love story of Helen and Paris, escaping from Menelaus, and then his vengeful pursuit. But there may have been a completely different experience of those events that is forgotten from the story. History is the story of the victors. Perhaps there was a different story that has been dropped from memory. Fitzgerald reminds us of alternative perspectives.
Students at The Fount Sorcery Academy fall into two distinct groups, those with a talent for writing spells, ‘scrivers’ and those who enact the spell magic, ‘casters’. Leovander Loveage is a powerful but often misdirected scriver from a prominent Meindor family and Leo’s best friend is Agnesia Quest, whose hard-won brilliance as a caster ensures she will do well at the upcoming autumn trial where the Coterie selects graduates for recruitment. Leo is a talented musician who is satisfied with charms and cantrips, avoiding grandmagic; the only reason for persisting with the academy is that the family inheritance will be withheld unless the fifth tier of study at The Fount is successfully completed. Sebastian Grimm is a fellow student, a hardworking caster whose serious application to study has brought out the worst in Leo’s mischievous nature in the past to the extent that they are separated in most classes. When Phade, one of their teachers, shuffles partners in class they find themselves paired and Grimm mistakenly casts a powerful control spell on Leo. The search for a counterspell takes them into the monster infested Wilderlands where they need to cooperate to survive. While bound together the two are forced to learn more about each other than either of them thought possible, leading to greater understanding of how their complementary talents can work together.
This is a delightful debut novel with an interesting system of magic requiring a pair to enact creatively composed spells which come at a cost and with sometimes unpredictable outcomes. The growing relationship between Leo and Sebastian is subtly developed and will no doubt be explored further in the coming sequels.
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Same sex relationship.
Sue Speck
Boss of your own mind by Byll & Beth Stephen. Illus. by Simon Howe
ABC Books, 2024. ISBN: 9780733342769. (Age:3+)
Exuberant digital illustrations show a group of children interacting with other children, in their street, at home, at the playground, swimming pool or basketball court. Sometimes they are shown with their families, but mostly with other children. Each interaction shows a situation where a difference of opinion may occur. But the story reiterates, ‘you are not the boos’ of the school or playground or who becomes friendly with whom.
But you are the boss of your own mind, so no one can tell you what to think or how.
Each page presents a different situation which will provoke readers to think about the options offered. Discussions will ensue about behaviour, about what to think about other people and their relationship with you. But the premise still holds that ‘you are the boss of your mind’, a change from the earlier ‘you are not the boss’ of what other people think, feel or do.
The book title reveals the theme of each book, so adults picking the book to read with younger children will know what is at its heart.
Boss of your own mind tells us straightaway that the theme will be about thinking, challenging the readers to be cautious about telling others what to do, but equally, not allowing themselves to the swayed by others.
Each scene shows us a situation which will spark a familiarity with the readers; they have all been to a playground where someone else tries to tell them what to do, or where friends are fluid, and not expected to be exclusively yours.
Lots of positive words are used which reiterate the positive results of being your own boss. Words such as flexible, change, decide, reassured, safe, calm, peace of mind are used through the rhyming lines, prompting readers to incorporate these words into their vocabulary of how to explain how they feel. And these words and their practice will lead to greater well being and peace of mind.
Knowing your own mind means that you can tell others how you feel with kindness and respect.
The book leads children to think more about how they are treated and how they treat others, encouraging respect between all their acquaintances, family and friends.
Themes Kindness, Respect, Well being, Trust, Family, Friendship.
Fran Knight
Somewhere beyond the sea by TJ Klune
Pan Macmillan, 2024. ISBN: 9781035009381. (Age:Adult fiction) Recommended.
Arthur Parnassus has built a life for himself and the children in his care - as the headmaster and caretaker of an orphanage for magical children, he's making sure their lives are free from the horrors of his own childhood. Living on a curious island, he is joined by the love of his life, Linus Baker, who has left his life behind to assist him in raising the children as well as spend his life with him. Together they'll do anything to protect their magical and powerful charges.
When Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It's also a fight for a better future that all magical people deserve. When a new child joins them - one who calls himself a monster - Arthur knows they've reached breaking point. With an inspector coming from DICOMY (the department that monitors magical people, in particular children), tensions are high. Will their family grow stronger or fall apart?
Somewhere Beyond The Sea is the second in a series by TJ Klune, the first titled The House in the Cerulean Sea, and thus is the continuation of the story started in the first book, however the first book is told from Linus' point of view, and the second is told from Arthur's. The characters from the first book are all present in the second book and are just as well-rounded and easy to love again, with more history for some being explored. The story itself reflects common themes seen in the world still today - prejudice, fear, racism, specific groups being targeted, group think and government control. This series is well worth the read, with humour, love, belonging and just a beautiful story all over.
Themes LGBTQIA+, Fantasy, Prejudice, Fear, Belonging, Government Control, Humour, Love.
Melanie Pages
Crypt of the moon spider by Nathan Ballingrud
Titan Books, 2025. ISBN: 9781803368801. (Age:Adult, Young adult)
Veronica’s childhood memories of their farm in Nebraska include a happy moment with her father under the night sky where she expressed a desire to visit the moon with its forests because it looked lonely. Now it is 1923 and she and her husband are in a moon shuttle on their way to the Borrowfield Home for the Melancholy and a new beginning, free from her ungrateful selfish sadness. He has booked her in for expensive treatments involving experimental brain surgery and Moon Spider silk but we get the impression he is dumping her in the facility which can only be reached by shuttle and that he is signing her in for treatment 'until sane' to seize a new beginning for himself. The Moon Spider, believed to have psychic properties, spun its web throughout the forests and was worshipped by a group called the Alabaster Scholars. When it died the scholars continued to live in its lair and harness the power of the spider silk. Veronica is locked in small cell in the facility built over the lair and Doctor Cull, who calls himself ‘a surgeon of the mind’, repeatedly snips away at her brain to replace the ‘bad bits’ with a silk repair, while his assistant, Grub, cleans up.
With elements of gothic horror in a surreal setting Nathan Ballingrud’s elegant prose confidently leads us into a nightmare world where time and memory are manipulated. The horror does include tiny spiders crawling out of opened skulls, but the psychological drama is cleverly delivered on many levels as Veronica’s sense of self evolves. At just 88 pages this novella is surprisingly powerful and subtly thought provoking.
Small town in winter and four people vanish in a single night without a trace... Nora's best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. Nora is determined to find her, and after discovering a string of coded messages Becca has left her, she begins to unravel a decades old mystery. Thirty years ago, another girl went missing and a sinister urban legend, a goddess figure, played an eeire role in Nora and Becca's own childhood games... As Nora looks further into the mystery, it's clear there are dark forces at work in her town - and they'll stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried deep.
This intensely dark thriller reads well with even pacing, timeline flashbacks that enhance the story and realistic dialogue. The story mainly follows Nora, with some of it following Becca mainly in flashbacks, and then other characters in further flashbacks. There are several mysteries in the story to solve, a look at semi toxic best-friendship, the line between make-believe and belief and a look at the occult. Relationships are looked at through a variety of lenses, covering family, friends, romantic and inappropriate relationships. The author handles this all very well and everthing informs the story. It would be good for fans of House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.
