Harriet & Will: The Secret Gold

Harriet & Will: The Secret Gold by Debra Clewer (Lilly Pilly Grace Publications) MG AU$13.95 ISBN 978-0-6455168-4-5

Reviewed by Robyn Gillies

Follow the further adventures of Harriet and Will as they travel through time in another middle-grade time-slip novel by Debra Clewer.

Harriet and her best friend Will set out on their school excursion to learn about the Australian gold rush. They visit three different locations where, at each spot, they come across an old red phone booth. And for the cost of a penny, the phone booth plays gold rush stories. Being the history buff that Harriet is, she goes into the booth to listen, but a mysterious portal takes her to the actual gold rush, where she discovers much more than gold.

Harriet’s family are having some money troubles, so Harriet jokes to her mother that she’ll find them some gold. Together, Harriet and Will discover gold sovereigns and a gold nugget that’s been lost for 100 years! But will she be allowed to keep them? And how will she address the interfering bully in her life? Perhaps a little magic from an old dragon friend could do the trick!

This story introduces young readers to the significant role and contribution the Chinese played in Australian history, and the impact the gold rush had on the country's growth and development.

In the same vein as Debra Clewer’s previous Harriet and Will book, The Secret Rings, the short chapters make it an easy read for young readers of around 8-10 who are into magic, fantasy and dragons, and maybe a touch of history.

The author has developed activity sheets, a colouring picture and a word search that parents or carers can download from her website. And for anyone who purchases the paperback version from the author’s website, an embellished bookmark with the cutest little coin is included. Will the coin bring the reader the same luck as Harriet?

Literally Hilarious! – Families Gone Wild

There’s a new collection of stories, poems, jokes and activities for children presented by Daisy Lane Seeds & Just Write for Kids Australia | 22 August 2026 | $17.99 | Original paperback A5 | ISBN 9781763670082 | Ages 6 - 9

 Created by a sensational community of talented authors and illustrators,

 Literally Hilarious! – Families Gone Wild

is a bumper collection of hilarious family short

stories, poems, jokes and other fun activities!

              You’ll find the FUNNIEST,

              MOST EMBARRASSING,

              yet purely HEARTWARMING tales to  literally keep your eyes peeled and your

              ribs cracking for hours!

              Families will go WILD for this anthology!

Key Features:

·        This interactive, illustrated book for junior

              fiction readers includes short chapters,

              engaging language, easy readability, and

              lots of lively action!

·        Each story contains its own unique QR code to take readers to a dedicated website loaded with activities, games and teachable moments.

·        The stories encourage reflection, discussion, and appreciation of their own and other kinds of families, whilst finding the humour in everyday life.

·        A percentage of sales proceeds is donated to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

·        With a foreword and short story by NY Times #1 Bestselling Author Adam Wallace.

Anthology Contributors:

Adam Wallace – Ali Rutstein – Andrew Macintosh – Angela Toniolo – Antonia Ridge – Ayla Cohen – Dannielle Viera – Debra Tidball –

Dianne Bates – Di Scotte – Jacinta Lou – Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern –

Jason Secker – Jennifer Horn – Jeremy Kalbstein – Kelly Louise Jarris – Kirsten Temple – Laura Young – Lellie Lopter – Marg Gibbs –

Mietta Postlethwaite – Norah Colvin – Olivia Coates – Rachael Robertson – Rachel Bell – Rebecca Fraser – Romi Sharp – Steve Heron

Praise for the anthology:

“So many funny stories that I’m sure will inspire comments like, “That’s just like my dad!”, “My mum says that all the time!”, and “My uncle's beard is even weirder than Steve’s!”

“Even though there are no triplets, pet geese or robot dogs in my family, I could still relate to every single side-splitting story!”

“This book is jam-packed with family stories that are short, sharp and very funny!”

“Interactive fun for the whole family!”

DAVID LAWRENCE, AUTHOR & INDIGENOUS LITERACY FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

“SO much fun to read! Kids will love it!”

CAMERON MACINTOSH, CHILDREN’S AUTHOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auslan Alphabet

Auslan Alphabet  by Emma Memma (Puffin Books) ISBN 9781761355615  RRP $19.99 (HB)

Reviewed by Jude Mullen

Emma Memma will be well known to young children and their parents, carers and educators as a former member of the very popular children’s band The Wiggles. Emma Memma has collaborated with a team of Auslan teachers, Deaf and hard-of-hearing professionals and artists to create this bright and engaging book of the Australian Auslan alphabet.

 Each double-page spread features a large photo of Emma on one side and her friend Elvin Melvin on the other, demonstrating each letter of the alphabet in order from A to Z using hand signing. In the top corner of each page, the letter is written in both capital and lowercase and is accompanied by a diagram of the hand sign for the featured letter.

What makes the book so attractive and engaging is both the bright, colourful outfits Emma and Elvin wear and the softer-coloured backgrounds surrounding them. The photographs are clear and large, and the layout is simple and clean, making it very visually appealing. Readers can clearly see the finger positions, making them easy to copy.

The last spread of the book features Auslan hand signs for some common words such as ‘please’, ‘thank-you’ and ‘hello’. The last page also includes a QR code that can be scanned to view YouTube clips of Emma and Elvin reading and signing a range of other storybooks.

This book will appeal to children aged around 3 – 5 years. It is a perfect educational tool for teaching the Auslan Alphabet, as well as themes of diversity and inclusivity.

Racing Puffing Billy

Racing Puffing Billy by Corinne Fenton & Mark Wilson (Windy Hollow Books) PB RRP $27.99 ISBN 9781922998279

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Racing Puffing Billy is based upon the true story of a faithful dog named Jerry and his best friend Lionel, a driver on the famous Puffing Billy steam train. Jerry was rescued as a cold and hungry pup by Lionel and his wife Bea. He became famous on Puffing Billy for racing the train back to the station. The moment he heard the blast from Puffing Billy’s whistle, Jerry came running.

Corrine Fenton is an award-winning author known for writing beautiful picture-book histories of animals whose lives have become legendary. Her award-winning books include Lionel and Me, My Friend Tertius, Bob the Railway Dog, The Dog on the Tuckerbox and Queenie: One Elephant’s Story.

Mark Wilson is a multiple award-winning author/illustrator with 39 books in print worldwide in nine languages. Mark has a passion for Australian history and the environment. In 2011 he received the Dromkeen Medal for Services to Children’s Literature.

Corrine Fenton has written a story with heart and much love for Jerry. Her heartwarming style pairs facts with word choices and sentence construction that deeply connect the reader to Jerry, the train and the setting. She characterises animal friendship and showcases Jerry’s dog personality and his impact on those around him to great effect. The flawless opening sentence captures the reader's attention. One windswept night, a sick and scruffy pup, owned by no one, limped up the path of a house in Upper Ferntree Gully in the Dandenong Ranges. The text is timeless; it captures Australian history and spirit beautifully, letting the reader time-travel and marvel. After his run, Jerry often clambered into a fire bucket to cool off.  The reader experiences the Puffing Billy through Jerry's eyes. Fenton shows emotion, history and setting rather than telling. Passengers leaned from the train windows or sat on the carriage sills, legs dangling, watching him race, and children would yell, ‘Go Jerry,’ which always encouraged him to run faster. This playful, rhythmic read tugs at the heartstrings.

Mark Wilson’s signature illustration style shines as he beautifully captures the historical vintage Puffing Billy steam train and the old stations. He is the perfect illustrator choice for this text. His attention to detail captures not only the engineering of the Puffing Billy steam train but also human and dog emotions and the beauty of the Dandenong Ranges. He emphasises the deep emotional bond between the driver, Lionel, and Jerry, and, through detailed facial expressions, pulls readers into their friendship and shared love of the Puffing Billy steam train. The colour palette is realistic and perfectly suited to the era. The endpapers feature the Puffing Billy steam train sweeping around a bend, with passengers sitting on windowsills or waving, showing the magic of the ride as the train steams through the lush green ranges. I think what I like best is how beautifully it captures the absolute joy of Jerry racing the train.

Racing Puffing Billy is written for children 3 years and older. With its nostalgic theme and its focus on a unique friendship, it’s sure to be loved by parents, teachers and librarians. It’s also a wonderful book for train enthusiasts. This book brilliantly shares the themes of friendship, loyalty and history.

Mika and Meero: Djeran Djerup

Mika and Meero: Djeran Djerup by Alton Walley (UWA Publishing), RRP $16.99 Junior Fiction ISBN 2-370002-215343

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

From the moment it arrived in the letterbox, I couldn’t wait to read Mika and Meero: Djeran Djerup. What first attracted me were the action images of the two Nyoongar (First Nation) siblings on the front cover, the multi-coloured pages in various shades of ochre and the large-print text interspersed with fun illustrations and deadpan commentary. As I riffled through the pages, their thickness and texture told me a lot of care had gone into preparing what presents as a high-quality product. It was time to find out if the storyline would also deliver!

It’s Djeran season when the weather turns cool before the rains come and the lowlands flood. That means it’s time for the extended family of Mika and her little brother Meero to move camp to higher ground. Mum and Dad are leading the way towards the Kaarta Moorndah (Perth Hills); they easily remember their way around Boodjar (Country). Meero, on the other hand, can’t even remember what he had for breakfast. Meero is in a grumpy guts mood – he’s tired from climbing the path, and his older cousins are teasing him. Even worse, they throw his precious fish and marron that he’s been carrying in his bag for the last two days over the cliff. So what if his snacks were stinking? He convinces himself that his snack-stealing cousins are jealous of him.

Luckily, they soon reach camp where a hearty feed and good night’s sleep work wonders for Meero’s mood. Ahead lies a day of dancing and celebration, and Meero regards himself as an excellent dancer. If his feet moved any quicker, he’d be lighting the ground on fire. But in his whirlwind of spinning and kicking up sand, he stubs his toe and hurtles through the air. How is he ever going to learn the new dance?

Meanwhile, Mika’s having her own problems. She’s expected to sing a special part to accompany the dances, but everyone is familiar with Nana’s beautiful version. How can she ever compete with that? Nana advises her to head out into the bush with Aunty to see what Boodjar can teach her. But that’s silly. The bush can’t sing. What is she to do?

Told alternately from Meero’s and Mika’s point of view, this story takes you along on their respective journeys combatting their fears of cave monsters, fire ants and fanged birds, learning from the trees, the djerup (birds), the animals and even the cave. Along the way, the readers learn a selection of words from the Nyoongar language weaved into the narrative with context. Overall, the story indeed delivers with playful humour and satisfying resolutions. I’d suggest this book will resonate best with kids around Years 3-4 and is an excellent complement to topics on First Nations culture being taught at school.

Harriet and Will: The Secret Gold

Title: Harriet and Will: The Secret Gold

Genre: Middle-Grade for readers aged 9-13

Theme: Australian gold rush time-travel historical fiction adventure with elements of magical realism

Author: Debra Clewer

Publisher: Lilly Pilly Grace Publishing

Cover design: Joel Broughton

Release date: 22^nd July 2026                                                                                                                                                          

What do a red phone booth, an equally red dragon, and gold missing for one hundred years have in common? Everything!

When Harriet Cooper and Will Taylor embark on a school excursion to three gold rush locations, they hurtle through history. A mysterious restored red phone booth appears at each place, ready to play gold rush stories for the cost of an old penny. But the ancient phone booth does much more, and the two friends find themselves back in the gold rush days at each place! When Harriet discovers gold sovereigns and a nugget, will she be allowed to keep them? Or will they have to be returned to the sites where they were discovered?

Be prepared for daring dragon battles, tough teachers and the bothersome bully who makes life difficult as Harriet and Will seek justice.

For fans of Dr Who, C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl.

Links to purchase:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H9RBQJFS/   (eBook)

Website:   https://www.clewerbooknook.com   (paperback)

What's That Splat?

What's That Splat?  by Johanna Bell, illustrated by Amelia Luscombe (Thames & Hudson 2026) HB RRP $ 24.99 ISBN: 9781760764821

Reviewed by Sylvia Forbes

Sometimes a splat is just a splat, but sometimes a splat is much more than that!

The creative duo behind What is a Dot?' have returned with another excellent book for children (aged 2+ years).

With its rounded corners and extra-thick, glossy pages, What's That Splat? sets off the moment you open the cover, and with every page turn takes you on a fun, playful and creative journey, 

The idea is simple. Here is a splat, and what do you see? Inspired by the famous Rorschach inkblot test (used by psychologists to analyse the associations people make when shown a series of splotchy inkblots), this brilliant book invites young children to look at a splat and see what creatures or objects they might find within them. 

Joanna Bell's fun and lively text is a pleasure to read (my only minor quibble in an otherwise spotless rhyming text is for the couple of times where near-rhyme words are used). The theme is well presented. It creates intrigue and sparks curiosity. It hints at and asks questions. But never tells. 

But wait a minute, what's that splat? Is it this? Or is it that?  

One of the wonderful things about splats is that their outcomes are completely unpredictable — each splat made becomes an open-ended surprise. What's That Splat? has cleverly harnessed this surprise element by challenging and inspiring children to transform blank splats into something exciting and new. They will learn that splats can come in all shapes and sizes and can even do amazing things like roar and squeak!

Amelia Luscombe's illustrations are bright, happy and delightfully naïve — perfectly mirroring the openness and joy of Johanna Bell's narrative as she brings the splats to life. Bold colours in a palette of red, yellow, blue, black, white and brown are effectively used to make up the large 'free-range' splat shapes — while thoughtfully added, minimal lines suggest which creature or object might be found in each splat. Every element on every page is well balanced and incredibly pleasing to the eye. I'm a fan of it all.

With instantly appealing words and pictures — inspiring young imaginations to run riot and get creative, What's That Splat? is bound to be on high rotation! So grown-ups, be sure to have paint pots and plenty of paper on hand, as kids will be splat-action ready after reading this!

What will your splat become?