The Grey Berets Guide to Surviving the Odds

The Grey Berets Guide to Surviving the Odds by Anna Battese (Affirm Press) PB RRP $22.99 ISBN 9781923135352

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Odie Gusberry-Smith is an eleven-year-old with big worries. In fact, her anxiety keeps her housebound. She is homeschooled and lives primarily in her attic bedroom with her cat, Knuckles, and her messenger pigeons, Pudding and Plonk, who deliver her homework and library books.

One day, she receives an unexpected delivery: a parcel from an anonymous sender. It includes a letter, a beret and a book. The book is titled The Grey Berets Guide to Surviving the Odds, Volume One, and the note advises her to follow its guidelines, as they may save her life. It also highlights the Grey Berets’ motto: PREPARE FOR THE WORST. IT IS SURELY PREPARING FOR YOU. This book is right up Odie’s alley, especially now that her dad wants to take her on a cruise, which she is predicting to be a complete disaster.

The Grey Berets Guide to Surviving the Odds is the first instalment of an upcoming middle-grade trilogy. The humorous tale is packed with adventure and chaos and includes themes of anxiety, resilience and friendship.

 

The Casting Dilemma

The Casting Dilemma by Lynne Stringer (Rhiza Press) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN: 9781761113246

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Insecurity at any age is hard to grapple with, but for teens who are often pulled between independent adulthood and the need to fit in, it can be debilitating.

For Year 10 student, Kate, it’s her appearance that causes her self-doubt – particularly her nose. Even with encouragement from her parents and best friends, Tash and Michael, she must force herself not to let it stop her from auditioning for the lead role in the school musical.

Kate knows she performed so much better than the others on the day – even top contender, Ashleigh – but then she overhears her teachers’ conversation and her initial hopefulness is once again muddied with doubt. Will she get the role? If she doesn’t, will she really want to settle for another role?

The weeks leading up to the performance are full of highs and lows as Kate continues to struggle with self-confidence and pride.

The Casting Dilemma homes in on the internal struggles that all readers, irrespective of age, will face at least once in their lives – the fear of failure, the feeling of never being enough, and the overwhelming desire to succeed.

A school musical is the perfect backdrop to explore these emotions, which could equally apply to other settings such as sport tryouts, job interviews and writing or art competitions – anywhere you must put yourself out there to be measured up against others.

Lynne Stringer has managed to capture this internal emotional hotpot, making Kate a relatable character we instantly connect with and want to cheer on as we ride the roller coaster of self-doubt, excitement and disappointment with her.

The Casting Dilemma is another addition to the Rhiza Press ‘Rhiza Shorts’ series of bite-sized but complete narratives with strong storylines for teens who may either be reluctant readers or time-poor booklovers.

In a world where our attention spans are in rapid decline at the hands of a technology obsession, the Rhiza Shorts series – with its Minimal Words Maximum Impact promise – aims to bring reading back on the agenda.

The Ghost Horse of Snowy River

The Ghost Horse of Snowy River by Stef Gemmill. Wombat Books/Rhiza Press 2026. MG Paperback RRP $18.99. ISBN 9781761113543.

Reviewed by Debra Williams

A year has passed since 12-year-old Georgie Stone had a serious horse-riding accident. Georgie lost three things: an eye, her horse and her country life. All she has left is a horse braid bracelet to remind her of her lost brumby, Magic. 

It’s taken a long time for recovery, and Georgie is not out of the woods. Now that she's back at the cattle station, she tries to overcome her fear of riding and prepare for the two-week cattle muster. There’s a herd of wild brumbies led by the Ghost Horse, being hunted by a local horsewhipper, Goldburn, and Georgie is worried about their safety and future. As the Ghost Horse begins to follow Georgie on the muster, the stallion is in extreme danger. Georgie wonders whether the grey stallion is her old horse, Magic, and seeks a way to prove it before Goldburn captures him.

 

Georgie has a new horse to ride, the mare Faith. The two bond, but there is an ache in Georgie’s heart for Magic. She has never been on a muster before, and some reckless but well-intentioned decisions have proven dangerous.

 

Now she searches online to match DNA from Magic to the Ghost Horse, so-called because of its colour.  Using the horse braid bracelet and a chunk of the Ghost Horse’s mane, plus her own saved money, she sends the samples away. Will they match? And, even if they do, Georgie needs Magic’s original ownership papers to prove the horse is hers.

 

This is an exciting edge-of-the-seat MG adventure story, fraught with much worry and action. There is a strained relationship among Georgie’s divorced parents, her country-dwelling father, and her grandmother. She has a typical sibling-on-again, off-again relationship with her older brother, Finn. Learning to ride again, with the loss of one eye, is a tenuous and difficult step in Georgie’s life. But she shows great inner strength and fights tooth and nail to help save the brumbies and regain her former stallion.

 

A picture book author, this is Stef Gemmill’s first Middle-Grade work. A wonderful story about a girl and her love of horses; recommended for readers ages 8-12.

Somewhere

Somewhere by Shelby Matheson. Wombat Books 2026. MG Paperback 362 pages. RRP $21.99. ISBN: 978-1-76111-223-2

Reviewed by Debra Williams

This book is the second in the Elsewhere series. In the first book, set during World War 1 in 1915, eleven-year-old Elsie Clarke is sent to a mysterious school in the woods for only the most talented children. But fewer still, the Gifted, are invited to the other side; a sentient forest called Elsewhere with a magical secret. Elsie’s world is transformed by the knowledge of Gifts-special talents born from their traits, desires and fears. These are talents the children will need when the formidable headmistress reveals that she’ll do whatever it takes to win the war, robbing the students of their childhood.

In Somewhere, Elsie has been made a guardian: one who helps the others. The start of a new semester means new surprises at Miss Coleridge’s Academy for Gifted Youths. Elsie does her best to be a good guardian, but some terrible mistakes cause Elsewhere’s trust in her to falter. At the same time, Gifted children from around the world have gone missing, taken somewhere Elsewhere’s Gateways can’t reach.

Their teacher, Madam Tryll, has been estranged from her daughter Violet for four years. Now Violet returns, offering Elsie a way to keep Gifts for good rather than borrowing them, but the deal comes with a hefty price. Do the ends truly justify the means?

At 362 pages, this book is a large read. It is a complex story that confident readers in the target age group may enjoy, and the author has left the ending open for a third book. Just an observation: some of the young male readers in the target age group may be uncomfortable with the description of Elsie suddenly having her first period in the night, in Chapter 8, and the graphic description of the blood.

 

Somewhere is designed for readers 10+ years of age.

The Mystery of Colour: and how to solve it

The Mystery of Colour: and how to solve it by David Cole, illustrated by Margaux Samson-Abadie (Thames & Hudson)  ISBN 978-1-760-76542-2   RRP $34.99 (HB)

Reviewed by Jude Mullen

This bright, enticing, hardcover non-fiction book by David Cole invites children to become colour detectives – to find out how the coloured paints and materials we use today are made, and how they were first discovered.

The book is divided into chapters, beginning with a chapter about ochre - the first colour used in artworks from as long as 250 000 years ago. This is followed by chapters on each of the six different colours. For each colour, Cole provides information on how it was discovered, its historical origins and uses, and interesting anecdotes about its significance. He then ends each chapter by discussing the ways colour is used in art, referencing the work of well-known artists from around the globe, such as Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Katsushika Hokusai and Claude Monet.

Every page of this A4-sized book is colourfully coloured in the colour corresponding to the one being described in the written text. Information is spread out over the page in short paragraphs or text boxes, making it an easy and inviting read for children.

There is a particularly Australian flavour to the book with references and examples of Australian Aboriginal rock art, current works by indigenous Australian artist Timothy Cook, as well as other famous Australian artists such as Ken Done, Margaret Olley and Grace Cossington Smith.

At the end of the book, there is a glossary and step-by-step guides to help children make their own paints and paint binders. It will appeal to children’s natural curiosity about how the world works, giving them real answers and many interesting facts to think about. It is suitable for children aged 7-11 years.

Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery

 Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery by Li Chen (Penguin Random House) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN 9781761353420

Here is another graphic novel by a Chinese-New Zealand author-illustrator, part of a series of full-colour graphic novels about a kitten detective. 

In this adventure, Beans is gifted a mysterious treasure map by Captain Scuttlebeard. Alongside his trusty sidekick Biscuits, Beans embarks on a clue-filled journey that leads him all over Cat Town. The duo encounters surprising obstacles, hidden secrets, and unexpected locations along the way. The goal is simple: find the treasure and make it home in time for the evening, all while engaging young readers to solve the mystery right alongside him.

Author and illustrator Li Chen utilises a beautiful, vibrant colour palette that brings Cat Town to life. The books excel at mixing text with dynamic panels, helping early readers (typically ages 7 and up) build confidence and fluency. The humour ranges from silly slapstick to clever deadpan, making it a highly enjoyable read for both kids and adults.

The Detective Beans series is widely celebrated in the children's literature community. The first book in the series, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat, won Best Junior Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards and has sold over 90,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand. Map of Mystery is building on that legacy, with community and critical reception praising it as a quirky, clever, and colourful addition that will tickle the funny bone of any reader. 

Poppy Makes Pockets

Poppy Makes Pockets by Jemima Parker & Karen Erasmus. Hardcover picture book published by EK Books in 2026. RRP $24.99. ISBN 9781921497131

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Whilst out walking with her Mum and dog, Poppy collects some treasures: a smooth stone, a feather, a shiny button and a rattling seedpod. But she doesn’t have anywhere to put them, as Poppy’s dress doesn’t have pockets. Once back at home, she empties her wardrobe and sorts her clothing into two piles, large and small, to find something to wear that has pockets. But all she can find is a large, thick coat, which is too heavy to wear on a hot summer day.

Poppy has an idea, and gathers some sewing supplies: an old t-shirt, scissors, needles, thread and pins. All afternoon, she fashions pockets for her pinafore and sews them on. The next day, when she notices that her friend Linh doesn’t have pockets either, she has another idea and gathers old T-shirts from her family members. Poppy sets up a street stall offering free pockets to anyone who needs them.

This warm, crafty story celebrates fairness, creativity and community, and shows how even small hands can stitch big changes into the world. The end paper illustrations are gorgeous, showing the young reader how to sew their own pockets. And look out for the cute dog in the illustrations, especially when he is staring at a Kookaburra perched on the clothesline.

Poppy Makes Pockets is suitable for children ages 5-8.