In some people's eyes, Mem Fox can do no wrong. In other's, she can do no right. My opinion has always landed somewhere in the middle - I love and adore some of her books, while others fall flat. I will always remember being introduced to her work for the first time at uni via … Continue reading Good Night, Sleep Tight | Mem Fox
Australian author/illustrator Gus Gordon has presented us with another quirky, heart-warming tale in Herman and Rosie. There are, however, no chickens in sight. Herman is an oboe playing, wild boysenberry yoghurt loving crocodile. Rosie is a jazz singing, toffee loving deer. They live in opposite apartments in New York but have never met. They are … Continue reading Herman and Rosie | Gus Gordon
Love and Hunger caters to my current food obsession perfectly.It provides elements of the Slow Food movement, the common sense of Michael Pollan and the appreciation of good food and cooking as a way of living life to the full.Charlotte (notice I use her first name familiarly! Having shared a High Tea with her last … Continue reading Love and Hunger (and High Tea) | Charlotte Wood
I approached Crewel with some trepidation and an "oh no, not another dystopian YA novel" attitude. So I have to say up front that I loved this book from the first page. I loved the whole weaving of time concept. It captured my imagination and drew me in. It felt original, new and exciting. It was a … Continue reading Crewel | Gennifer Albin
Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto is a fun mystery story. Phyllis is into magic and she has a knack for it. Her great-grandfather was a world famous magician who disappeared mysteriously; Phyllis has obviously inherited his abilities. Phyllis also fancies herself as a bit of a super-sleuth. So when the lady in … Continue reading Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto | Geoffrey McSkimming
This will be one of those books that many parents will hate...with a passion. It is littered with jokes about genitals, sex and bodily functions. There are swear words and crude concepts. It was like eavesdropping on my teenage stepsons phone conversation or facebook page - fascinating as a sociological exercise and disconcerting as … Continue reading S.C.U.M. | Danny Katz
For young girls who love their EJ 12 books comes a new series about a time-travelling 11 year old - Arkie Sparkle Treasure Hunter.Arkie's parents are archaeologists, hence her name! The series begins when Arkie's parents are kidnapped and Arkie is left a series of clues and challenges - she must find seven treasures across … Continue reading Arkie Sparkle Treasure Hunter | Petra James
I've been trying to work out what I want to say about The Wrong Boy for a couple of days now. The writing was pretty good, the story was exactly as you would expect for a teen romance/holocaust story and the history was accurate. But I was uncomfortable the whole time I was reading it. … Continue reading The Wrong Boy | Suzy Zail
Most of you will be familiar with Shirley Hughes because of her wonderful picture books including Dogger and the Alfie series. After all these years, Hero on a Bicycle is her first novel for children. The story is set in Florence at the end of WW2. Paulo's father is fighting with the Partisans but hasn't been … Continue reading Hero On A Bicycle | Shirley Hughes
Although I have enjoyed a number of Jackie French books over the years, I haven't thought of her writing as being particularly elegant or sparkling. I usually consider her writing to be more prosaic and deliberate than beautiful. She writes marvelous historical fiction for children, but there are times when you can see her formula at … Continue reading Pennies for Hitler | Jackie French
Mmmmmm what did I think about Pop?It was quite appealing in a light-hearted way even as it dealt with some pretty heavy issues. Three Merseyside teens (Elfie, Jimmy & Agnes) - dealing with their tough lives - lives they try to lighten by entering a TV Talent show. Through their eyes we see bad parenting, … Continue reading Pop by Catherine Bruton
Shadowfell was my first encounter with Juliet Marillier. I suspect it won't be my last.My fantasy reading is pretty mainstream and commercial but this is the kind of fantasy writing that Marillier excels at and that I enjoy. Her writing falls into the historic or swords and sandals fantasy genre. Shadowfell is YA fantasy but … Continue reading Shadowfell | Juliet Marillier
From what I have read, we know a lot about Thomas Cromwell's deeds but not a lot about his motivations, feelings or thoughts. This is what Hilary Mantel gives us with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Mantel gives Cromwell flesh, heart and thoughts. Via these two novels we see Cromwell's desires, his disappointments and … Continue reading Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel
From the Irish author of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' comes a brand new novel, The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, set in Sydney, Australia. Barnaby Brocket is born into a very normal family. Mr & Mrs Brocket pride themselves on how normal they are...in fact, you could say, that they are … Continue reading The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket | John Boyne
I reviewed book 1 in The Door Trilogy last year - The Golden Door. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was looking forward to book two a lot. Sadly The Silver Door is basically the same plot as book one - just through another door into another part of Dorne to find the other brother. This … Continue reading The Silver Door | Emily Rodda
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