Saturday, 8 February 2025

A New Day

A New Day by Emmaline Carroll Southwell, illustrated by Heather Dryden (Affirm Press) HB RRP $22.99 ISBN: 9781922992345

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

‘Today’s a new day, today’s a fresh start.’ The child protagonist knows that each time she wakes up, she should forget about past events and fully embrace the fun of the present. If she can’t, she must remember her ‘magic five’: breathing, looking for the good, listening to her intuition, showing kindness and being comforted by her family. With these five affirming guides, she’ll always find peace and happiness.

Emmaline Carroll Southwell’s rhyming couplets encourage readers aged four to eight to dive deep and discover their resilience, especially when life’s challenges threaten to swamp them. Youngsters will soon realise that anxiety, loneliness and sadness quickly evaporate when they allow the warmth of confidence and connection to blaze through their day.

A rainbow arcs airily across the endpapers, and its cheerful colours flood into Heather Dryden’s appealing illustrations. Young readers are sure to spy someone who looks like them among the diverse characters in the book. Visual representations of hope—wide smiles, helping hands, and more—boost the uplifting message of the text.

Bright and buoyant, A New Day is the perfect book for kids to turn to when they feel a little blue. If they go through their own ‘magic five’, their troubles will become water under the bridge.

Friday, 7 February 2025

Sadie and the Secret of the Swamp

Sadie and the Secret of the Swamp by Fionna Cosgrove (Dragonfly Publishing) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN: 9781763552524

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

When Sadie’s mum and dad take her and Charlie, her brother, to a cabin in the middle of a swamp, she thinks that it’s the worst place in the world to have a holiday. But there is more to this creepy quagmire than stink and slime. She meets Newt, a boy whose family is also staying at the swamp, and they soon discover that there’s something sinister going on below the muddy water … and their parents are in on the sickening secret.

Fionna Cosgrove’s middle-grade mystery dives deeper and deeper into the murk with every turn of the page. Kids aged eight to eleven who adore mild horror stories will love this book. The dark themes are tempered beautifully by comedic comments during Sadie’s first-person telling of the tale, and the twist at the end will surprise and delight readers.

Fionna keeps her readers hooked with action centred on strong child protagonists and shadowy adults. Sadie shows that bravery and loyalty are admirable attributes, and kids will become invested in her super sleuthing. Meanwhile, Newt, a science fanatic, proves that knowing about the natural world is not geeky—it can actually save your life. The Professor owns the swamp and is a menacing figure throughout the story … but looks can be deceiving.

Sadie and the Secret of the Swamp is a real scream! Not too scary and not too silly, it skids from one mucky misadventure to another on the way to the marvellously monstrous reveal.

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Aslan and Benny

 

Aslan and Benny by Jemima Shafei-Ongu, illustrated by Jane Goodwin (Penguin Random House) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781761047060

Aslan has the heart and the name of a lion. He is fearless! His favourite days are Sundays when the whole family gathers at his yenge’s house for a barbecue, and he can play with his cousins all day. But when they get a scary dog called Benny, it spoils everything. He doesn’t feel so brave anymore. Will Aslan manage his fears and play with his cousins again?

This is a warm and relatable picture book for anyone who’s ever felt trapped by their worries and needed help doing what matters most to them.

It features vivid and bright illustrations by First Nations artist Jade Goodwin, the acclaimed illustrator of Ash Barty’s Little Ash series and picture book My Dream for You.



 

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Compass and Blade

Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw (Harper Collins, 2024) HB RRP $20.99

Reviewed by Melissa Wray, Newcomb Secondary College

Compass and Blade is an epic fantasy story where you must settle in and enjoy the ride! Mira lives in an extremely remote location where the inhabitants wreck passing ships on purpose to survive. They use the recovered loot to trade, ensuring they have the necessary things for survival for the whole community. Mira’s unique ability to swim deep, far, and fast makes her perfect for being a retrieval team member. A team that must rely completely on each other to return safely to shore after swimming out to the wrecks.

When the community is raided and Mira’s father is taken away with the threat of death, Mira must turn her world upside down and risk everything to secure his freedom. She has never left the safety of her community before, but with the help of Seth, the survivor of the most recent shipwreck, she forms a plan to free her father. However, Seth has his own secret agenda, and Mira must decide how far to go, how much help to seek and who is truly trustworthy.

They set off with Mira not fully trusting Seth but having no other choice but to believe what he tells her. Along the journey Mira will seek answers to the questions she has about her own destiny as well as her mother’s past. A past where the secrets of it died with her mother. Mira soon discovers that not everything she has believed in her whole life is true and that sometimes you must risk more than you want to, but there is always a cost.

Greenlaw has created a world with a perfect blend of description, both above the water and below the surface. The affinity Mira has with her need to be in the ocean is expressed through a lovely lyrical writing style. Greenlaw has also created a range of support characters that are fierce, independent, and loyal to each other. As Mira tries to decide who to trust in this new world she has discovered, she also finds an attraction brewing that catches her by surprise. Torn between two attractions, she must decide who to trust and who to resist. There are some mature descriptive romance scenes to be aware of within the novel.

The storyline is fast-paced and action-packed, with plot twists and deceit aplenty. Mira is determined to free her father, but her vulnerability haunts her as she also seeks answers to her questions about her mother. Her father is the only person she has left, so she is determined to save her father and return to her life. However, others around Mira have different plans for her. Ones that might not let her reach her goal. There are villains, sweeping seas and dangerous lands for Mira to navigate. There are also themes of family, friendship and loyalty that she must consider throughout her high-stakes voyage.

Compass and Blade is suitable for the 14+ years age group.

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Chickenpox

Chickenpox by Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN: 9781761068621

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Imagine being the oldest sibling with two sisters and two brothers. Imagine always being told, “You’re the big sister,” by your parents and being the only one who gets into trouble when things go wrong. Imagine your only escape is going to school and spending (limited) free time with your two best friends – who then see another side of you when you lose it with your siblings.

Welcome to 12-year-old Abby Lai’s life in ‘the wild zoo’.

And, if you think all of that is bad enough, now imagine being quarantined at home, with your siblings, for at least seven days when one of your best friends unknowingly gives you all chickenpox!

It’s enough to make Abby want to leave and live on her own – except she can’t set foot out of the house, so maybe she’ll take over the guest room. Unfortunately, the ghost stories she told her siblings may just be truth.

In Chickenpox, author Remy Lai has delved right into the thinking of a 12-year-old, with Abby’s desire to be seen as grown up but not exactly enjoying all the responsibility. We also see the insecurity and need to be liked that is common at that age, along with self-doubt and somewhat unreasoned assumptions flying left, right and centre.

Central themes in Chickenpox include sibling rivalry, growing up and the trials and tribulations of pre-teen friendships (and budding relationships).  

In this midgrade graphic novel, Lai explores some serious issues in a lighthearted but not trivialised way that induces laughter, ‘been-there-done-that’ sympathetic groans and perhaps a few eye rolls in every chapter.

The anime-like comic strip illustrations add to the light touch and energy of the book, which is an easy and enjoyable read. Remy Lai, who also illustrated the story, captures the emotions of the child characters perfectly and, combined with the text, every reader will find themselves making connections with the characters in that they’ll remind you of yourself or someone you know.

While reading the story, I did have cause to wonder how much of it was true and indeed, reading Lai’s author note at the end reveals that (as with most narratives) it was based on actual events – although she has changed the names for privacy. It just makes it all the more enjoyable trying to work out which character is based on Lai herself – maybe the middle child who is suspiciously named ‘Remy’, although I’m wondering if it’s actually Abby herself who is based on the author?

Wondering aside, Chickenpox is a fun and fabulous read that I believe will be thoroughly enjoyed by its target audience of readers aged from 8 to 12.

Sunday, 2 February 2025

Mr Grumblebum at the Lighthouse

Mr Grumblebum at the Lighthouse by David Graham, illustrations by Salvador Capuyan (Xlibris) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781669879299

Here is a self-published picture book in the Grumblebum series. In this book, Mr Grumblebum receives a letter from the Ports Authority offering him a job at a lighthouse. Taking up this position, he discovers that a van is removing the lighthouse’s automatic light for repairs and cleaning. A Captain Morgan from the Ports Authority tells Grumblebum he’s employed for a month, during which time he’s to complete a list of jobs (shown in an illustration.) Importantly, he must turn on the manual light nightly.

A problem arises when he accidentally knocks over a tin of paint and stands on a plank, which hits him in the face: he also hits his finger with his hammer. Otherwise, he appears to attend well to his other duties.

Grumblebum makes friends with a dolphin, Shread, who lives in the harbour waters. The old man also thinks he might be lonely, but he has the lighthouse cat, Foo, to keep him company. Again, accidentally, he steps on Foo’s tail.

One night while in bed, Grumblebum sees a distress signal sent out by a small boat at sea. Without hesitation, he heads out in the lighthouse boat to save the fishermen on the boat. As he heads home with the two sodden men, the boat’s engine conks out. However, Shread the dolphin comes to the rescue, towing them to shore.

The book, with its appealing, full-age, cartoon-type illustrations, could have been improved with professional editing and proofreading.

Mr Grumblebum at the Lighthouse can be purchased by contacting the author at daggy52@hotmail.com or from the publisher Xlibris at orders@xlibiris.com

 

 


Saturday, 1 February 2025

Mr Grumblebum at the Waxworks

Mr Grumblebum at the Waxworks by David Graham, illustrations by Salvador Capuyan (Xlibris) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 978369422946

Here is a self-published picture book that is the third in the Grumblebum series. In this book, the main character is not Mr Grumblebum but two lively boys, Freddy and Herbie, who are always looking for action around the small town of Farleigh, where they and the grumpy old man live. The boys get up to mischief some mornings on the way to school when they walk down Elm Street and try to innocently upset some residents.

One day, however, Mr Grumblebum is waiting for the boys: to their surprise, he chases after them. To escape from the umbrella-wielding old man, they hide inside the waxworks.

The book has full-age, cartoon-type illustrations that capture Mr Grumblebum's personality. However, it could have been improved with some professional proofreading.

Mr Grumblebum at the Waxworks can be purchased by contacting the author at daggy52@hotmail.com