Marie Lu has followed Stars and Smoke with a thrilling sequel showcasing superstar Winter Young and secret agent Sydney Cossette. It has been a year since the pair were on a secret mission in London, but Winter knows that he cannot turn down another assignment from Panacea especially with Sydney acting as his bodyguard. The pair are sent to Singapore to extract another agent, Sydney’s ex known as the Arsonist, who is in danger. And Winter brings along an old girlfriend too, so expect fireworks!
Icon and Inferno starts off slowly with an emphasis on relationships. Someone is writing a book revealing Winter’s life and secrets. Who in the family would do that and has Gavi Ginsburg, his old flame, leaked information? Jealousy simmers when Winter finds out that the Arsonist is Sydney’s ex-boyfriend and Sydney is not very happy about Winter and Gavi.
The story is an engrossing balance of romance and suspense, which will grip readers who enjoy both genres. Sydney’s loyalty to Panacea and the good of her country is admirable, and it is easy to relate to the problems that Winter faces as a world celebrity. They make a wonderful team.
The action really ramps up with car chases, bullets flying and sinister figures attempting an assassination when Winter and Sydney start on their mission in Singapore. And so does the slow-burning romance between the pair.
This is an admirable second book in the series with deep development of the characters of Sydney and Winter. And the fabulous action will keep readers glued to the page. I hope to see the duo again in the future.
Walliams' first venture into mystery writing is a rip-roaring adventure, cleverly weaving outrageous humour with the suspense of a classic whodunit. Super Sleuth is set in the opulent year of 1929 aboard the majestic ship, the Masquerade and will have its audience captivated until the very end.
This story introduces readers to Dily, an orphaned girl with an insatiable passion for detective stories. Forced to live with an aunt as cruel as any fairy tale villain, Dily’s only solace is her sharp minded and loyal dog named Watson. Together, they form an unconventional detective duo, inspired by the tales Dily loves to read.
When the Masquerade becomes the setting for a chilling crime spree, Dily’s world of imaginary sleuthing turns alarmingly real. With one murder quickly spiralling into multiple ones, the stakes rise, and Dily and Watson find themselves not just solving the case but also dodging danger at every turn. Can Dily and Watson solve the mystery, or will they become the next victim to end up in the mortuary.
The narrative is packed with Walliams' trademark wit, turning even the grimmest scenarios into moments of humour and charm. Adam Stower's illustrations add a dynamic visual layer to the story; bursting with energy and personality. His labelled 'exhibit' diagrams of crime scenes and characters enhance the immersive experience, making readers feel like they are right alongside Dily and Watson in their detective pursuits.
For fans of mystery, humour, and adventure, Super Sleuth is a tantalisingly good read. The story balances suspense and comedy, creating a captivating page-turner for young readers and mystery enthusiasts alike. Dily’s resilience and quick thinking, combined with Watson’s clever antics, make them a memorable team. Whether they’re racing to uncover clues or escaping near disasters, Dily and Watson prove that true detectives come in all shapes and sizes. Walliams’ debut in the mystery genre is a triumph, ensuring readers are left guessing - and laughing - until the very last page.
Themes Detective crime, Humour, Mystery, Problem solving, Fun.
Michelle O'Connell
Detective Beans and the case of the missing hat by Li Chen
Penguin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761049477. (Age:7+)
Everyone knows that detectives are not the real deal unless they have a hat, and so it is for Cat Town's Detective Beans who has misplaced his. His investigations take him all over the town as he meets and interviews different quirky residents, follows the clues and tries to solve the mystery - all before he has to be home in time for dinner with his mum.
For independent readers who like graphic novels, this is the first in a new series that introduces them to the detective/crime genre with a mystery to solve, twists and turns in the plot, a trusty sidekick and dodgy characters, and the need to sift the real from the not-so real and put it together to reach a logical conclusion as the suspense and intrigue builds - all within a story with a setting and theme suitable for younger readers.
By putting their own detective's hat on and engaging with the clues and puzzles, perhaps they will solve the mystery before Detective Beans does! Or perhaps it will lead them into seeking other stories in this genre or maybe even beginning to recognise and understand the concept of genre itself and that each as its own particular themes, structures and devices that carry the tory along in a fairly predictable way.
Themes Detectives.
Barbara Braxton
How to build a home by George Clarke. Illus. by Robert Sae-Heng
Farshore, 2024. ISBN: 9780008587895. Recommended.
At a time when some of our students are living in less-than-ideal conditions and the term "housing crisis" seems to be mentioned incessantly, houses and homes are receiving more attention than usual. And it's not just the lifestyle programs with their innovative construction techniques and fancy interior design that are featuring - it's the provision of one of the basic needs of human beings - shelter. And because it is a basic human requirement there are homes all around the world, each different from each other is shape, size, construction and materials, yet all providing for that same purpose.
In this new addition to the Little Experts series, architect George Clarke examines the who, what, and how of construction of a home in this modern time providing an introductory insight into the processes involved from design to the build to the completed product, demonstrating why it is a more complex task than it appears and why there is no magic wand to the problem of not enough for everyone. But there is hope as forward-thinkers explore new materials like the fibre from mushrooms or the seed pods of the cacao tree and even consider new technologies that might automatically adjust the room temperature by measuring body heat.
As well as the basic explanation of home building, readers are invited to "think like an architect" and redesign their own bedrooms, offering all sorts of scope to plan and design model homes using anything from old shoeboxes to Lego or letting the imagination go wild with dreams that may become reality. Why not have a toilet that analyses the products it collects for potential illnesses? Or a window that changes the 'view' to whatever will calm and relax the viewer at the time? In the past, and even now for some, the size of the home was a status symbol that announced the owner's level of prosperity to the world and the power they wielded - in the past some countries introduced chimney and window taxes as revenue raisers - and today fewer and fewer young people envisage owning their own homes because of the cost. Perhaps, after reading this, our young people will consider the purpose of the home and there will be a shift in thinking to value more environmentally friendly dwellings that just do their job of providing shelter and something more than a tent in winter won't just be a pipedream.
This is another in this excellent series which looks at the ordinary and discovers the extraordinary.
An inviting board book which contains lots of rhyming fun for the very young, this will be one of those books that is sought out by the reader. Each page folds out to make a three-page spread. On the left-hand side are two words, ‘Birthday balloons’ for example. The picture on the facing page shows a number of balloons tied to a gate to tell people where the birthday party is. When that flap is opened, the rhyming word is given, in this case, 'Rhyming baboons', and a picture is given of the baboons tied to the gate.
Kids will laugh out land, not only at the pun on the words, but also the illustration. Younger readers will begin to predict the rhyming words as the pages are read, imagining the illustrations that may be used. They will love folding out the pages for themselves.
Bright, colourful illustrations can be found on every second page and the bold use of primary colours makes each page memorable.
The tenets of all birthday parties are all shown; wrapping paper, balloons, pass the parcel, musical chairs, party pies, fairy bread, party pies, fizzy drinks, donuts with sprinkles, blowing the candles out and making a wish. Kids will love the roll call of things to expect at a birthday party and be thrilled when recognising things they have done at a party.
Pesenti, a Sydney based architect, author/ illustrator has also published Rhyme cordial and Rhyme hunger.
Themes Verse, Rhyming words, Party time, Birthdays, Humour.
Charley Gumnut, the koala lives in Scribbly Gum Forest with his friends, and on one of those do nothing days, they all just looked at what was around them. Happily picked some wildflowers and they all made flower crowns and daisy chains. They looked at the clouds to see what shapes they could see. They decided they were hungry so Charles the cockatoo, flew off to collect some food. Just as they were about to eat, they felt big plops of rain and quickly made a shelter with the picnic rug so they could eat their picnic underneath. As they ate they shared the things they loved, Barney outlined them all, concluding the best of all things was having friends.
Children will adore the group of friends, Barney the koala, Happily the kangaroo, Charles the cockatoo, Edith the echidna, Wilfred the budgie and Robert the wombat, all well known Australian animals that younger children will easily recognise. Produced in a compact landscape book, the size and feel of the book invites children to open it. Inside are the wonderful characters, set amongst the Australian bush, prompting younger readers to recognise both the flora and fauna before them. This lovely book impels children to take part in the story making daisy chains and flower crowns, having a picnic and having to sit beneath the rug when it rains. Each activity pursued by the animals is one that younger children could emulate, increasing the fun behind reading the tale.
A gentle tale of friendship and the very ordinary things that friends do, it will find a place on bookshelves as children pick it to read.
Softly detailed illustrations will catch their eyes as they read, noticing the detail in both the text and the image, searching for all the flora they can spy, prompted by the wonderful colour filled endpapers.
Themes Friendship, Australian animals, Australian wildflowers, Environment, Activities.
Fran Knight
Brown Bears by Dr Nick Crumpton. Illus. by Colleen Larmour
Spring has arrived in Alaska, and a brown bear is waking up. She was alone when she fell asleep at the start of winter; now she is climbing out of her den with two cubs. Follow them as they discover how to survive in the wilderness, from climbing trees to catching salmon, as their mother teaches the cubs how to be bears. There is a saying about not getting between a mother and her cubs, and the confrontation between a male and the mother demonstrates this, showing that a mother's protection of her offspring extends into the animal world as well as the human. The perfect choice for Mother's Day as young readers can reflect on the other parallels between human and animal mothers!
While this story is set in Alaska, zoologist-author Nick Crumpton explains that because this species is not fussy about its diet, they are able to live in many countries, although exclusively in the northern hemisphere, opening opportunities to explore the differences in climate, seasons, habitats and inhabitants of those regions compared to Australia.
This is another in the brilliant Nature Storybooks series that personalises the stories of particular creatures by focusing on one member of the species while providing more general facts separate to the narrative. It is a successful technique that engages young readers because it brings the information into the child's realm rather than being a series of disconnected facts and figures, and thus provides a solid bridge between fiction and non fiction.
Themes Bears.
Barbara Braxton
Landovel by Emily Rodda
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761069758. (Age:8-12) Recommended.
This fantasy quest comes in a lavishly illustrated sealed box containing three books, The Poison Taster, The Secret Keeper and The Truth Teller; all have a map showing the twin isles of True Landovel and Free Landovel, divided by the Channel of the Comet. A natural disaster 75 years ago divided what was once a single island and since that time each has followed a different course, Free pursuing development at any cost, its inhabitants enjoying a good standard of living while polluting the environment, while True is ruled by a seemingly immortal King who shuns development and machines, condemning the populace to rural poverty and fear of the King’s soldiers. The story follows Derry, who remembers nothing of his past, taken with other children by a slave trader and imprisoned on Cram’s Rock, a fortress where he becomes Cram’s poison taster and reader. One of the books Derry loves is Legends of the El, the supernatural beings who secretly go amongst the people and are immortal, renewed at a legendary island ringed with gold. When a desperate woman appears at the rock pursued by two sinister figures she entrusts Derry with a book with the plea 'tell no one'. Book two follows Derry as he and other children are rescued from the rock and taken to a safe site at Free Landovel. Derry keeps the book secret as they are cared for and prepared for their new lives. It seems he and companions Straw, Cat and little Num, who only speaks through a doll head called Say, have been chosen to go to True Landovel, making their way through the countryside on a secret mission to make contact with a missing agent called Hant. The third volume sees Derry as the King’s truth teller, as Derry finds all is not as it seems in the castle at Scarlet City and the fractures between the companions threaten their survival.
Moving seamlessly between volumes the story maintains a fast pace with rich descriptions along with plenty of action and adventure. The characters learn to develop their individual strengths and identities after lives defined by betrayal and suffering. Thrust together they find it difficult to trust but they courageously take on each challenge relying on their own moral compass where their decisions are conflicted. The individual books would not easily stand alone but as a set young readers will be delighted to be able to launch into the next book nestling in the lovely box just waiting to be read. Fans of the Deltora Quest books will welcome another story from this accomplished author.
Howzat Pat: Dare to bowl by Pat Cummins and Dave Hartley. Illus. by Serena Geddes
HarperCollins, 2024. ISBN: 9781460764688. (Age:8+ (but perfect for any independent reader)) Highly recommended.
Dare to Bowl is the first book in a new series by Pat Cummins. Howzat Pat! is brilliant and will become a fast favourite with readers of sports fiction but also readers who want a book on friendships and moving house.
Pat Cummins and the rest of his family are moving away from the city and into the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, the town is a small one, so the arrival of a family of 7 is cause for celebration and interest. On his first day at his new school, he is welcomed by the 'cool' kids who show him a shortcut to the school through a bat filled tunnel.
Pat is also welcomed by Prav who is not in the cool group but seems to be a nice person and interested in cricket, which is Pat’s favourite game. What follows is a beautifully crafted story about friendships and the decision to be cool or nice as it seems that you can’t be both. Pat also meets Beth, a state cricket representative who lives in the 'spookiest house' on the route to school.
The book basically introduces the characters who will continue in the series and shares how the friendship between the three main characters develops.
This is a great book with illustrations that support the story but also add to some of the more comedic moments. The illustrations also help to show what the author is discussing without the need for long sentences which definitely helps the story to move at a good pace. I can’t wait for the next one as I know this series will become a firm favourite in any library. Independent readers who like the sports or relationship genre will enjoy these, however, I can also see it being a great read aloud as the writing flows and the story is enjoyable for all ages.
Themes Sports, Cricket, Friendship, Moving house.
Mhairi Alcorn
My family and other suspects by Kate Emery
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 978176052921. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Wow! Another great mystery from an Australian author, My family and other suspects ticks all the boxes for a compulsive read for fans of murder mysteries. There is a twisty mystery to solve, all members of the dysfunctional family have motives, and there is suspense galore.
Ruth is not happy about visiting the family farm and her step-grandmother, GG. She would prefer to be with her friends, but she is isolated, with no internet or phone. She loves Agatha Christie novels and finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when GG is found dead in suspicious circumstances. With Dylan as her off-sider, she follows clues about the people who would like to see GG dead and ends up suspecting everyone in the family.
Emery builds up the tension as Ruth begins to uncover family secrets. Her family is large with some strange characters belonging to it, so her list is long and the reader will have to read to the end to find out what is going on. What happened to the long-lost son? Did GG change her will? Why was her father thinking about selling his house and guitar? Ruth delves into these and more secrets, always commenting on what is happening in her snarky and very humorous narrative.
This is a compulsive and funny book with great characters, action and motives. I couldn’t put down and read it in a couple of sittings. Readers who enjoyed Eleanor Jones is not a murderer by Amy Doak and The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson are sure to want to pick up My family and other suspects, or they may like to try Emery’s The not so chosen one.
Themes Murder, Family.
Pat Pledger
How to draw a dragon by Kate Talbot
Albert Street Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180606. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Starting with the premise that everyone knows what a dragon looks like, Kate Talbot takes people's imaginations seriously and with a great load of humour shows us drawings of what they might look like.
The image on the first page shows an animal with scaly skin, a long face with wing like things comingout of its ears. So is this a dragon, well, turn the page. Over the page the animal is standing up and has a long green face. But is this a dragon? Well, turn the page. Here is the same animal with our attention drawn to its back where a pair of wings hover. The question appears again, asking if this is dragon, because it looks more like a dinosaur. But it can’t fly. Over the page again the reader is introduced to fire. Everyone knows that dragons breathe fire and this makes them very scary. But this dragon is friendly, so how do these two ideas intersect?
By now readers will be adding their own ideas of what a dragon looks like, laughing at the images presented as the definition of a dragon is revised over and over.
From an underwater dragon, trying hard to breathe fire, but having difficulty, to a fireman trying to put out fires despite breathing fire itself, to the conclusion that really there’s no such thing as a dragon. And yet!On one page, the dragon is underwater and looks a little like a leafy sea dragon. And there is the Komodo dragon. But the image has no head, so the reader is asked to draw one in. Several attempts are shown, and the reader’s imagination soars, giving the dragon a jet pack, and a mermaid tail, and a pirate’s hat, and a sword. A magnificent dragon soars overhead and breathes fire on the children beneath it. And that is scary. And as it lands they all toast marshmallows.
This very funny look at the idea of a dragon, an animal seen in lots of books from picture books for three year olds to heavy tomes for adult readers, will set imaginations glowing, as the readers bring their own ideas to the fore.
Wonderful illustrations underline the humour in the text. The dragon sits on each page like a tailor’s dummy, having bits added as the text unfolds. Sometimes its eyes tell a story of patience as various bits are added or taken away. But all the time, it is a friendly dragon and its skills are used to advantage at the end of the book.
I can see lots of kids at home or in the classroom, trying out drawing a dragon for themselves, sharing ideas, searching for books in the library which show dragons. And a quick search will gather many dragon books which will add to the fun of drawing their own version.
Themes Dragons, Drawing, Imagination.
Fran Knight
Ethel the penguin by Ursula Dubosarsky and Christopher Nielsen
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180880. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
An exuberant read aloud story of excitable Ethel, the class penguin will titillate fancies in every classroom. She is not allowed to sit next to the other students as her lawless behaviour will distract them from their work.
But Ethel is her best friend, hatched in the south but now living next door in an iceberg semi-detached.
The thought processes of all readers will be ignited as they think of all the fun that can be had with a friend living in an iceberg next door, going to school with you.
Four lined rhyming stanzas are on each page, carrying the tale along, lovely words highlighted in larger font and different colours, making the whole task easily accomplished by those new to reading. And of course laughing at the ingenious thymes, and predicting the rhyming words will also initiate lots of fun.
But what happens when Ethel decides to run away from home? And even worse, to find a Ferris Wheel. The family and Ethel’s parents trace her down to the local amusement park with a Ferris Wheel, and there she is, in her own little cab near the top of the Ferris Wheel. Ethel’s dad falls to the ground in a faint, while Ethel’s mum is overcome by tears.
Ethel is overcome by guilt, how could she be so bad? she asks. She decides to fly down to comfort her parents and gets her wings ready to fly, but as she jumps off the Ferris Wheel she remembers that penguins do not fly. Whoops. Smashing to the ground, her parents rush to her side as she promises not to be so silly again. But the reader knows that Ethel will not be down for long.
A wonderful story to read again and again, Ethel’s behaviour will remind readers that no matter what they do, parents will support them, but they must be sensible of the results of lawless behaviour.
Lots of laugh out loud humour, kids will love reading this book over and over, laughing at Ethel’s antics, and taken in with the hilarious rhymes that round of each stanza.
The illustrations are wonderful, lots of life, movement and colour, with Ethel’s eyes and eyebrows giving the nod to how she sees herself. The images of the families next door to each other will create mirth, as will the circus detail given in the last few pages. The endpapers show Ethel communing with a handful of seagulls, latching on to her and teaching her how to fly. Another Ethel book in the offing perhaps.
A gorgeous new picture book by South Australian author Beverley McWilliams is sure to be a must-have for all library shelves whether it be a home, school or public library. Beautifully illustrated by Hélène Magisson, this gentle, whimsical story tells of Willow and her much-loved red gumboots. These gumboots go wherever she goes and are a favourite part of her daily adventures.
Willow wears her boots to the beach, in the garden, when she is dancing, riding her bike, playing her violin, to parties and out in the rain. But what happens when Willow’s boots develop holes? When children laugh at her boots? Willow hides them. Until… one day Willow has a brilliant idea as she watches her mother in the garden planting in spring. Her gumboots will make the perfect new home for flowers.
Throughout this narrative each carefully constructed sentence perfectly conveys the story. With the striking illustrations to further complement the text, the reader is taken on an enchanting journey through the seasons to a new beginning. A clever use of rich language to describe how Willow moves in her boots enhances the natural flow of the story.
She twisted, twirled, whizzed and whirled. She bounced, hopped, ran and flopped.
As a brilliant addition to the book there is information about upcycling plus an excellent example of a procedural text for making your own gumboot plant pot which could provide a valuable teaching moment for Early Years teachers and their students.
A delightful picture book to read aloud, savour and share.
Themes Gumboots, Gardening, Nature, Upcycling.
Kathryn Beilby
Youngblood by Sasha Laurens
Penguin, 2023. ISBN: 9780241631232. (Age:13+)
Kat Finn is struggling, hiding her vampire life from her friends, paying the high price of Hema, the blood substitute that vampires live on after the Peril caused feeding off humans to be deadly, when she wins a fully paid scholarship and everything she needs paid for by an anonymous benefactor, allowing her to go to the exclusive vampire only high school Harcote. It's her dream, it will set her up for life (seeing as a Youngblood she'll have a very long one), then she gets tricked into a room swap - putting her with her ex-best friend, who betrayed her years ago.
Taylor Sanger has very little to care about, she's the school's out-and-proud lesbian who seems to be the 'tester' for many girls, but they never come back for anything serious, money is no issue at home and she doesn't care what the rest of the school thinks about her, though she is not looking forward to her allocated roommate for the year - until she walks into her room and sees Kath-er-ine Finn, her ex-best friend who suddenly vanished years ago.
Add all this together along with a death on campus, Youngbloods acting badly and a conspiracy underpinning all of Vampiredom, and Kat and Taylor may have to set their differences aside and join together to investigate what is going on at Harcote, and what is potentially happening between them...
Laurens brings new life to an age old fascination with vampires - by creating vampires who give birth to children who grow up the same as mortal children, but sometime after a pandemic essentially, so feeding off humans wasn't an option. In this version, vampires survive by drinking Hema, and humans might have a disease that kills the vampire or might not - why risk it. As with all good stories, there are traditionalist vs modernist - those that want the old ways to continue and those that want the new way to prevail. There are villains and heroes. There are bullies and victims. It's a high school. There are insecurities, learning, teachers, cliques and all the things you would expect (including instagram), but it's all done really well. Told in dual perspective, swapping between Kat and Taylor, the story is well rounded and evenly paced. Perfect for fans of vampires and fans of similar books such as Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe.
Olive Chen believes she is the most magnificent and brilliant artist in the whole wide world, and certainly, for one so young, her paintings are full of movement and colour. Her parents are also artists - serious artists - who live in prim and pristine monochromatic world while they paint prim, proper, and perfect shapes. They know Olive has the talent to follow in their footsteps. But Olive likes to smear, splatter, splash, and even lick. Painting squares and triangles is not her style and no matter how hard they and her teacher try, Olive cannot paint a shape, much to their disappointment and disapproval. But Olive's classmates love her riotous splashes of colour and she decides to teach them her technique. With a brush in each hand, Olive cascades through town with her friends in tow, painting what she wants to, what she feels - until she reaches her parents' pristine art museum.
The story of parents trying to mould their children in their own image, expecting them to be mini-mes, with the same likes and dislikes is a common one and so this story which celebrates individuality and creativity is probably as much for the adult who shares it as it is for the little one who hears it. Despite being a common trope in children's literature, Olive's ability to ignore the wishes of the adults in her life and be true to herself regardless, is one that many children would like to have - rather than being torn between who they are and who they are expected to be.
Older readers might like to draw comparisons between the endpages - the front being the monochromatic linear images of the town representing the rather dull version of ourselves that we might be if conformity and obedience to expectation become the driving force or the vibrant freeform version of the back images if we let our true selves shine through, identifying the details, differences in and demeanour of the various characters before and after Olive and her friends have swept through. They could also examine and track how line and colour are used throughout to depict the characters and their moods making them as integral to the story as the words themselves.
Quality picture books deliver more and more each time they are read, and this is one of those.
