Izumi Tanaka is a princess - she's found a place where she belongs. She's in Japan, living in the Imperial Palace, has the perfect boyfriend (previously her bodyguard, see book 1), her mum has come from America and brought their dog too - so her mum and dad are reconnecting too! Life is basically perfect... until Izumi's dad proposes to her mum, which should be the best thing ever, but the council may not approve it. Her boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship, and the pressure to attend university in Tokyo is extreme. It looks like everything is falling apart, but Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to get life back on track.
Following on from the first book Tokyo Ever After, Tokyo Dreaming concludes Izumi Tanaka's coming of age story in a well written, evenly paced book. While the novel does tie up all loose ends in neat bows in an almost expected way, it's still a really lovely book that is very enjoyable. Some readers may wish that the author had chosen a different ending for the main character, but the majority of readers will find comfort in the safe way the book ends. To add variety to the book, there are a different formats used through it such as newspaper articles, text messages and the standard novel format, providing readers that slight shift while not being too jarring in the story. Perfect for fans of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot or even the Loveboat, Taipei book by Abigail Hing Wen.
Themes YA, Romance, Tokyo, Coming of Age, Relationships, Expectations, Japan, America.
The 4th book starring DS Gemma Woodstock is a thrilling ride with many twists and turns and a very unexpected conclusion. Gemma has returned to Smithson with her family, baby Scarlett, her son Ben and partner Mac. When a young woman is involved in a car crash and her body stolen from the morgue, Gemma, although on parental leave, is intrigued by the case. Then a prominent citizen is murdered and Gemma becomes emmeshed in the intricacies of the clues and people surrounding the crime. She is devastated by secrets that involve her and danger stalks her and her family.
Gemma is a brusque and determined woman who confidently uses her intelligence to follow up leads. Family dynamics play a key role in Body of lies. I liked the fact that Gemma was operating as a detective and mother simultaneously. It was fascinating to picture her with little Scarlett strapped to her body, going about the business of interviewing witnesses and pursuing clues, determined to uncover the identity of the woman stolen from the morgue and the person who caused her death. Clues stack up and Gemma is left bewildered about secrets that unfold, leaving her wondering who she can trust. The denouement is mind shattering and almost unbelievable, although on reflection there are pointers throughout the book for astute readers.
I had read the first in the series, The dark lake, in 2018, and found that I easily picked up Body of lies as a near stand-alone, but readers who have followed all the books in the series would better follow the motivations of the characters. I will read up more books by Sarah Bailey, and readers may enjoy books by Simon Rowell, Chris Hammer and Christian White.
Themes Murder, Missing persons, Family relations, Detectives.
Pat Pledger
The secret doorway by Catherine Sheridan. Illus. by Andrew Mcintosh
Little Steps, 2023. ISBN: 9781922833297. (Age:7-10)
The Secret Doorway, the first book in the Four Go On An Adventure series is reminiscent of Enid Blyton books read long ago. Sister and brother, nine year old Anna and eleven year old Peter, have travelled with their parents from Australia to Ireland for a holiday. Before they leave Anna has a vivid dream of places unknown, danger and an old key.
After settling in, Anna begins to experience unusual happenings which she and Peter respond to as they both know Anna has special gifts. After making friends with local siblings, Liam and Cara, the four children find lots in common and enjoy camping in the back garden of the holiday house which backs onto a forest. After watching a mysterious fog roll in over a couple of nights and witnessing strange lights, the naturally curious group decide to investigate and with Anna’s old key, unlock a secret doorway that leads to a magical world full of crystals, mysteries and storybook folk including leprechauns, fairies and pixies. But there is trouble brewing and what danger will the children face as they try to help the folk in the enchanted forest?
The four children are certainly the heroes of this story. Each have their own unique personality and strengths to share when needed. The parents have a very minor role to play in the book and trust that the children will do the right thing at all times. All of the children are self-sufficient, reliable and responsible, and have impeccable manners! A wholesome story that will appeal to children looking for a gentle escape into a fantasy world all their own.
For those readers fascinated by electricity and renewable energy, this new release which is a companion to How to Save the Whole Stinkin’ Planet, will provide extremely valuable information. The book begins with a contents page and an excellent introduction that explains electricity, its uses, the problems with using it, how WE can change the negatives into positives, as well as introducing Imagineering 101 which is a combination imagination and engineer. There is a very handy page on how to use the book broken down into the following stages with individual graphic symbols to be easily identified; Switch on, Snapshot, Blink Forward, Get Active, Lightning Quoz, Level Up with Flash Facts included.
The journey for the reader begins with meeting superhero engineer, Captain Kilowatt in the Imagineering Academy. They will tell the journey in first person and fill the readers head with so much important information to ponder over, investigate and maybe act upon. There are questions, quizzes and opportunities to scan QR codes to consolidate knowledge.
This engaging and often humorous book is highly accessible for all middle grade readers with clear headings and significant white space surrounding the text. The graphic-style images and diagrams add to the visual appeal and reinforce understanding of the information presented.
A brightly coloured showcase of some of the bugs that inhabit our bushland, this book is a fascinating starting point for young readers to think about the world around them. From scaly bug to blowfly, slater to centipede, tarantula to Hercules moth, the book opens readers’ eyes to words that tell them something about that bug. The Hercules moth has no mouth, the golden stick insect has spiky legs, the wasp eats spiders and flies. Each double page offers a different bug and a fact about that animal which will have young minds thinking about that bug and seeking more information. Intriguing facts are put to the reader, prompting their thinking and questioning.
Each insect is illustrated on the opposite page, using motifs and techniques now familiar to readers. Brightly coloured, the insect sits in the middle of a panorama of dots, lines and circles. The last page invites the reader to see how many are remembered after finishing the book.
Helen Milroy has written and illustrated a number of books for Fremantle Press highlighting an aspect of the environment. Children will love her other books about the willy wagtail, emu and backyard bugs and beasts.
Dr Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, born and educated in Perth. Wombat, Mudlark and Other Stories was her first book for children. More information about Helen and her books can be found here, and some information is given at the end of the book.
I picked this up because it was an Aurealis Award Nominee for Young Adult Novel (2023) and quickly became hooked on the story of 17 year-old Declan, a young man who desperately wants to learn magic even though he has been tested as LAME, a person without magical powers. Destined to work a menial job, he instead applies to King’s College to be trained as a wizard, and is devastated when he is rejected. He is taunted by the school bully but his friend Ace stands by him. Then everything changes. His parents and other witches and wizards are encased in iron by the black coats, who pursue him. It seems that he does have magic powers, but they are too powerful to be contained. Narrowly escaping capture, he is rescued by a young woman, Ava, who carries a satchel holding magical objects. Danger faces him as he meets members of Kings College and tries to learn to control his magic.
The Non-Magical Declan Moore is an interesting combination of fast paced action with young adult main characters in the first part of the book, a slower paced section when Declan becomes depressive and introspective, and then an action packed conclusion. The plot as the black shirts try to grab Declan is very exciting, and it held my attention completely. Knowing that action will follow Declan even when he is in the depths of despair about not being able to use his powers, I pushed through this slower section quickly and was rewarded with a thrilling conclusion with engrossing twists and turns. I became involved in the magic that could turn witches and wizards into stone statues and the threat that magic might have on the country. I also related to Declan's attempts to gain magic and although I would have liked to have seen more of Ace his best friend, and Ava the owner of a magical bag, I hope to meet them in the second of the series, A warlock in a cursed kingdom, which carries on the story.
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Coming of age, Witches and wizards.
Pat Pledger
Snow White's escape by Zhao Lihong. Illus. by Claudia Navarro
Little Steps, 2024. ISBN: 9781922833242. (Age:5-8)
Author of Snow White’s Escape, Zhao Lihong, is a famous writer in China who has published more than 80 publications, many of which have been translated into different languages and published abroad. This simple and accessible tale about kindness is tells of a young boy called Liang who stays with his Grandmother during the summer holidays. Liang is often teased about his flapping ears and is called bunny goat by other children. While he does not like the name calling, he does love the three goats at his grandmother’s farm.
One day a circus comes to town and the children all attend. Snow White, a male goat, has been trained to walk along a tightrope. Sadly, at this performance Snow White falls and injures his leg. During the night, Snow White escapes to Grandmother’s farm and is placed with the other goats. Liang does not want Snow White to go back to the circus as he knows it is dangerous for him to perform that trick again. Grandmother talks to the owner of the circus and it all works out happily in the end.
The delightful graphic-style illustrations in tones of red, black, white and grey perfectly complement the written text. There are teaching notes available.
Constanta is saved from the brink of death by a stranger, and is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride for a undying king, Dracula. Her life changes drastically, most of all, it is not her own. Their lives are long and relatively uncomplicated for many years, but when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat into their lives, Constanta begins to realise there is more to their long years than she thought. When he draws another in, this time a starving artist, she realises that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Now, finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets...
Definitely not for the younger readers, this retelling of Dracula outlines an obsessive spouse, filled with desire that cannot be contained. The book comes with a content warning at the beginning, outlining that it has many dark places and there are too many to list here, suffice to say it is not for readers under 18. This is particularly so for the frequent sex scenes. While the book is well paced, it is not an overly compelling book - it is simple in its writing and has no sense of urgency or enthrallment. While there is much action and many things happen, it did not feel as though there was any real movement in the book. Having not read Dracula, I cannot compare it with the original, perhaps it was meant to mimic this.
When Billy is feeling sad, all he wants to do is talk to someone. But his best friend, Hippo thinks he knows what Billy wants, beginning a journey of doing things that perhaps make him smile but in the end do not get to the core of the problem. He initially suggests that they dress up, Hippo donning a rooster costume and Billy a dragon one. Billy feels a little less sad, but Hippo says he still looks sad, so tries something else. This time they go dancing in the falling blossoms, and yes Billy feels less sad, but trying again to tell Hippo what he really wants, he is cut off. Hippo takes Billy on a pirate ship for an adventure. That does not cheer him up, so Hippo takes him on a flying carpet. When this does not work he tries to throw a party, but Billy is nowhere to be seen.
Hippo finds him and when Billy says that he does not want a party or a dinosaur or a magic carpet or to dance in the blossom, he just wants someone to talk to. So Hippo goes off and collects his fluffy quilt, makes two hot chocolates with extra marshmallow and sits on the couch with Billy.
Billy talks and talks and Hippo listens. He tells him about how he feels, like autumn leaves about to fall or careering over a waterfall, his stomach feeling like midnight. When he finishes talking he feels a little better, his sadness like a distant echo. And the hug that Hippo gives him is the best antidote after all the talking.
Hippo promises to always listen and be there for his friend.
An easily absorbed tale about feeling sad will touch many kids’ hearts as they recall times they have felt sad and simply needed a friendly hug and someone to listen. A gentle, comforting read about sadness will appeal to readers as they identify with Billy and his feelings, and also feel sympathy for Hippo as he tries to comfort Billy, but missing the mark until Billy tells him to listen.
The beautifully understated watercolour and pencil drawings capture Billy’s time on the couch, just wanting someone to listen. I loved the title page with the range of toys, and the hippo in the middle, waiting to be of use, with the other toys being part of the solutions offered by Hippo.
Author/illustrator Gabriel Evans from Western Australia, has been published internationally. Blue Flower by Sonya Hartnett, was his first picture book with Penguin Random House, and was shortlisted for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2022. His second, A Friend for George, was published in 2023, and Listen, Hippo! released in 2024.
More about Gabriel and his work can be found here.
Barbara Sumner has crafted a rich account of life in the seedy side of London in 1833. The heroine, Birdie, has grown up in poverty. Her mother was cast out from a wealthy family when it was discovered she had become pregnant to a stablehand. At age 13, Birdie is sent away from her dying mother to become a laundrymaid in an upper class household, possibly her mother’s original home.
Birdie has an unusual ability: colours and scents are inextricably melded together, something that today we would label synesthesia, when a person can actually smell colours. For Birdie, the memory of her mother’s worn red silk dress has a special fragrance she always longs for. At times, in Angas Hall, the aromas of gowns and fabric are overwhelming. The descriptions of beautiful colours and scents are dramatically contrasted with the putrid smells and grime of the world outside. There is no detail spared in Sumner’s descriptions of the unending toil of the servants, and the grot and filth of the life of the poor and the beggars and thieves.
There is a similar authentic recounting in the language of the underclass, with words such as flashhouse, dollymops, and peelers. Meaning can generally be deduced by context, but there is also a short glossary if needed. It is a harsh time; when Birdie is charged with theft, her sentence is transportation to the colony of Australia, for the term of her natural life.
Birdie is an adventurous and wilful heroine; she is determined to make her own way. While the life of her friend Mary may seem safer in her acceptance of the way things are, Birdie always strives for something better. She becomes an inspiration for some of the women she encounters, and she in turn is buoyed up by the courage and perseverance they exhibit.
The story of Birdie’s life in London and then her transportation aboard the ship is fascinating, but perhaps the best is yet to come. What will she make of her life in Australia? I am sure that many readers will be breathlessly awaiting the sequel.
Joaquin Camp's colourful marker illustrations are youthful, simple and all kinds of wonderful. Three robbers, beautifully depicted without mouths and thereby allowing amazing expression through eyes and body posture, are off to rob a bank. Thief 1, Thief 2 and Thief 3 begin to dig and the reader is treated to lots of below-ground glimpses into their tunnel work. The illustration of their planned tunnel and the cross-section of the bank building showing the sleeping guard and the piles of money in the safe is particularly pleasing.
There is some lovely humour within the individual character traits of the three thieves, as well as in where their digging takes them. For something so simple as digging they manage to get it all very wrong. They end up in the middle of a wrestling match, on stage with an orchestra and in China. They even dig all the way through the sea and come up on a boat, which children will love for its absurdity. The reader is also privy to what they don't see in the dirt close to their tunnels: dinosaur bones and a mole family burrow. In the end they have all had quite enough of digging and Thief 3 says 'What if the treasure doesn't exist? What if it's a metaphor and it's actually in our hearts instead?'. The reader is again privy to what the thieves can't see - they are super close to the bank. But the thieves are done and they're off home to enjoy time with all their friends they found along the way. There is oodles of visual information here to support the text and to add extra layers of meaning. It is also a shining example of how simple illustrative techniques can convery great emotion and movement. The text is also short and snappy, giving it a crisp wittiness.
Themes Humorous stories, Friendship.
Nicole Nelson
Mia Megastar by Ada Nicodemou with Meredith Costain. Illus. by Serena Geddes
Mia Megastar written by Ada Nicodemou, a well-known Australian actor, is based loosely on her own childhood memories and her dreams of becoming a star. In this first book of a new series for primary-school aged readers, it is perfectly obvious right from the beginning that eleven year old Mia loves performing. She has a natural talent and is forever sharing her acting performances with her large extended Greek family.
Living above a shop filled with yummy Greek pastries as well as the more mundane everyday items, Mia exudes joy and passion for life. She is always on the go with best friends Ted and Brina, and after seeing a live theatre production Mia decides that they will create a drama club. With a little support from Mr J, the school drama teacher, Mia along with Ted and Brina audition students and form the Summerdale Stage Stars. While trying to work out what play to write, they settle eventually on improv theatre where a scenario is given and the actors improvise on the spot.
Throughout this story there are numerous illustrations and doodles as well as highlighted key words for emphasis. The strong characters are relatable and each bring their own special quality to the story. The introduction and discussion of Greek language, food and traditions is a wonderful way to expose readers to another culture. At the end of the book is a Q & A with Ada Nicodemou which is both enlightening and worth sharing with children.
Book 2 is out in June 2024 and Book 3 in October 2024.
Electric Monkey, 2024. ISBN: 9780008507268. (Age:15+) Recommended.
I am a fan of crime and mystery stories and I was very happy when I saw a new thriller by Holly Jackson especially as I had really enjoyed A good girl's guide to murder.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price is about 18-year-old Bel, whose mother had disappeared sixteen years before. Bel had been left alone in the back seat of her mother’s car, the only witness to the unsolved disappearance. When the Price family agree to a documentary about the disappearance, the past is dragged up and then Rachel Price reappears with a story that Bel finds hard to believe. What had happened to her? Where had she been and who abducted her?
The novel is unusual because it focuses on what it would be like for Rachel to re-emerge from captivity and how difficult it would be to make connections again with a daughter and husband not seen for sixteen years. Bel also finds it very difficult to relate to a mother who calls her Anna and who is a stranger to her. When small details don’t ring true, she begins to investigate as the film maker’s cameras continue to roll. Who is telling the truth? Should she trust her mother even though there are inconsistencies in her story? And what is the relationship between her mother and father?
A very suspenseful read, once I began this, I found it very difficult to put down. The background of a film documentary was very powerful and the family dynamics were fascinating. Jackson has plenty of red herrings strewn throughout the book but draws all the clues together in a surprising conclusion, some parts of which left me feeling slightly uneasy.
Triggers: The novel contains swear words and some violence, which may make it more suitable for older teens.
Themes Mystery, Thriller, Missing persons, Documentary film-making, Family relations.
Pat Pledger
Extinctopedia by Serenna Quarello. Illus. by Alessio Alcini
Red Comet Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781636550725. (Age:9-12) Highly recommended.
This striking large hard cover collaboration with Smithsonian is a treat for those readers who enjoy finding out about often unknown facts related to the animal kingdom. In this book, there is information from the past - those animals that are extinct like Martha the last passenger pigeon and George the last yellow-tipped tree snail whose personal stories are particularly sad as their demise was due to human incompetence, and the present where many creatures are endangered.
Without a contents page, the reader is encouraged to browse each double page section to discover their own facts and interests. There is information about the Dodo, extinct since mid-1600 mainly caused by invasive species brought to Mauritius; and the last Australian Thylacine (Tasmanian Devil) that died in 1936 in the Hobart Zoo.
Some of the topics covered include information about those creatures declared extinct but rediscovered such as the mountain pygmy possum and the Adelaide pygmy blue-tongue lizard; preserving animals; legendary creatures such as the Quetzal, the bird-snake of the Maya; reasons for extinction: keeping track of endangered species; strange animals like the Axolotl; unusual and unique animals such as the purple frog from India; bugs; marine animals; Oceania which mentions in detail the koala, wombat, bilby and numbat; and importantly information about what we can do now to protect the animal kingdom. In the final pages is a detailed index which is followed by a handy glossary.
Extinctopedia is a fascinating read with stunning illustrations in both black and white and soft colour tones, which will captivate both young and old.
Themes Extinction, Animal Kingdom, World Habitats, Survival, Endangered Species, Diversity.
Eli and his sister Lexie are delighted when Eli convinces their parents to get another dog, that they immediately name based on his behaviour when they first meet him on the farm. Zoom is aptly named!! A Kelpie-cross puppy is full of energy and needs training but Eli’s family are ready. Or are they? Life changes for the family. A picnic day in the country with Zoom becomes a day of adventure, danger and stress when Zoom escapes his lead. Have they lost their new family member already?
This is an absolutely delightful story! As a former owner of a dog just like Zoom I was reminded of all the training scenarios that dog owners must consider. (I believe that Zoom was far better behaved than most puppies I have met! Certainly better behaved and trainable than my own Kelpie-cross puppy!) But Deb Fitzpatrick has created a ‘beautiful picture’ of dog ownership woven with love. For young dog lovers this will certainly appeal, and the addition of some drama in the storyline takes this dog-ownership story to another level of excitement and adventure. Even non-dog lovers will get a taste of the joy of loving and caring for a pet and the lengths to which owners will go to demonstrate their love. Readers aged 7-11 will enjoy this simple tale.
