Time to Fly: Smarty Pup 5

Time to Fly: Smarty Pup 5 by Anh Doh, illustrated by Anton Emdin, (Allen & Unwin 2025) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9781761069932

Reviewed by Sylvia Forbes

Time to Fly is book 5 in the Smarty Pup series from mega-best seller author - Anh Doh.  It’s a series that hits the perfect spot for young readers, fulfilling their love for excitement, adventure and undiluted fun.

When Miss Anne announces the whole class will be dancing at the awesome Schools Concert, everyone's excited! 

But the amazing routine finishes in a pyramid ... with JJ at the very top.

Can JJ conquer his fears and become Top Dog?

Starring JJ (AKA the Pawsome Genius - who has a high IQ and the ability to talk), Time to Fly presents another vibrant non-stop action adventure - with challenges and situations needing to be overcome, jokes and laughter with every page turn and an unwavering camaraderie and a positive, can-do attitude, it is guaranteed to enthral both new and old fans of the series alike.

Upon successfully forming a pyramid on their very first attempt, and hearing that they're going to be flying to the awesome Schools’ Concert, the kids are so excited that they forget where they are -- causing the pyramid to topple - and because he was at the very top, poor JJ falls the hardest and is nervous about being at the top again. After trying out several other positions in the pyramid - without success - JJ refuses to try again. When his fear of heights is revealed, his teacher and classmates rally round him - offering other options so that he can continue to be involved in the concert. And he takes on the role of costume designer with great relish (and with dazzling results!)

Then, (200-odd pages later) after setbacks and struggles, stepping out of comfort zones and not giving up, Time to Fly concludes on a heartily satisfying note - a wonderful testament to the power of working together for the greater good of the team. 

Anton Emdin's illustrations are the perfect fit for this series - instantly engaging, in full, hyper-bright colour and brilliantly larger-than-life, they capture the action-packed excitement and energy of the text. 

With its lovable characters, heartwarming moments and themes of friendship, loyalty, bravery and team support, Time to Fly manages to deliver some important messages in a way that doesn't jar with the joviality of it all. 

This is an excellent read for kids who are just starting to sink their teeth into chapter books. Long with the dynamic illustrations, it has a good amount of text without being too text-heavy - making it ideal for reluctant readers. too.

Featuring an amazing lenticular animated cover, this book is set to fly off shelves. Suitable for a 6-10 year aged readership.

Scorpion’s Curse: Sky Dragon 8

Scorpion’s Curse: Sky Dragon 8 Anh Doh & James Hart (Allen & Unwin) Paperback RRP $16.99 9781761069840

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Anh Doh is one of Australia’s best-loved storytellers. His junior fiction series Wolf Girl, WeirDo, Hotdog! and Ninja Kid are loved by millions of kids around Australia, having sold over 2.5 million books.

James Hart was raised in the UK before moving to Australia to study illustration, electronic design and multimedia. His illustrated book series include D-Bot Squad, You Choose, Boy vs Beast, Glen Maxwell, Ball Stars and Accidently Awesome.

Amber and her insect friends are back. This time she dares to fly into Toroc with Irene to Uktum to find out what’s causing a mysterious scorpion plague. She ventures underground to Alal Tep -The Assembly of Gods to discover who opened an ancient tomb and stole hidden artifacts and treasures from the Gods. A mysterious illness jeopardises Amber’s chances of solving the mystery as she races to save herself and find a cure to a curse.

Doh has once again written an enticing, adventurous read full of page turns that hook you in. The text flows easily with great pacing. The world building is awesome because Doh logically builds in information that makes what happens believable. I feel the ancient pyramids and the desert have influenced his world creating in this book. Kids like to read about kids being brave and fearless and Amber is a character that does just that. She does have the back up of trusted adults.

Doh describes what Amber sees, hears and feels to bring the reader right into the moment. The verbs are active, and the vocabulary used enriches the story and allows the reader to imagine the scenes themselves. The tension rises with each chapter and event-building to the finale. I love how Doh shows rather than tells so the reader makes his or her own conclusions. This imaginary world certainly feels real, and so do Amber’s powers.

Hart’s black and white illustrations support Doh’s text. The characters have a life-like appeal and the images help explain some of the things Amber sees. For example, ‘Some of the stones are actually hollow. I can see ants moving around inside them.’ We then see an image that supports and explains this. Perspective is used well with drawings of the ruins showing their scale and grandness. The actions of the insects are visually powerful because Hart shows their sheer number and volume wonderfully. I particularly love when Amber is riding the insects as a dragon in the sky. Visually it is very powerful. Illustrative movement features well to highlight the action happening. Hart’s characters are well rounded and expressive, and he helps support a wonderful imaginary world.

Scorpion’s Curse: Sky Dragon 8 is an enthralling junior novel that connects to younger readers with a thrilling adventure that won’t disappoint Anh Doh fans. This book is great for juveniles to read -- it will appeal to kids, parents, teachers and librarians.

 

Reviews by Pauline Hosking

Pearl No. 6 The Helpful Unicorn by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Adele K Thomas, 2020.RRP $12.99 pb ISBN 9781760669287 

Ninja Kid No. 5 Ninja Clones! By Anh Do, illustrated by Anton Emdin, 2020. RRP$14.99 pb ISBN 9781743835128

Ella Diaries No. 18, Wildlife Rescue by Meredith Costain, illustrated by Danielle McDonald, 2020. RRP$14.99 pb ISBN 9781743832301

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

These are new books in a highly successful series published by Scholastic Australia. They are for mid-primary readers (7+ years).

The Helpful Unicorn. Pearl and her friends Olive the ogre and Tweet the firebird quickly respond to a call for help. A dragon named Trudy is stuck in the Bothering Bog. Pearl uses her amazing pink magic to free the dragon and foil three horrible gobble-uns. This easy-to-read story has a positive message about being a good friend and helping others. Newly independent readers will enjoy the gobble-uns and their nasty songs. Each page is edged with pink and there’s lots pinker in the delightful illustrations.

Ninja Clones. Nelson Kane has a secret identity. He is the Ninja Kid, tasked with stopping evil Dr Kane from gaining control of the town of Duck Creek. Nelson lives in Duck Creek’s junkyard with his Mum, grandma and cousin Kenny. Kenny has a secret identity too − as Ninja Kid’s sidekick H-Dude.  

Nelson’s grandma is a clever inventor. She creates robot clones of the boys to protect their identities. The clones will take the place of Nelson and Kenny when the pair are off having adventures and are only to be used in emergencies. Predictably, there are lots of emergencies and the clones cause massive havoc. 

Ninja Clones is an action-packed read with some laugh out loud moments. The black and white illustrations have a cartoon-like quality which adds to the humour.

The book is a turning point in the series. Nelson finally discovers why Dr Kane is so intent on controlling Duck Creek. He also learns what has happened to his father.

Wildlife Rescue. Ella is a likeable Grade 5 student with a great imagination and kind heart. When the baby possum she finds is taken to the Wildlife Rescue Centre, she worries that it will be lonely. Ella visits the Centre and becomes so involved in its work that she ignores the concerns and interests of her best friends Ammy and Zoe. By the end of the book the three are reconciled and Ella has learnt a great deal about caring for orphaned animals.

As well as a sweet story, this book has good information about what NOT to do when you find a traumatised animal. Readers also learn how to sew a simple pouch for baby animals to sleep in. Wildlife Rescue is written in a diary format and includes lots of Ella’s trade-mark spelling (gooder, betterer, importerant, giganterous). The deceptively simple, quirky, illustrations clearly show what each character is feeling.

The dedication thanks Michele Phillips, a Pride of Australia nominee who runs a real wildlife rescue centre in Melbourne.

One minor quibble on page 90 there is an illustration of a circus performer standing in the middle of a horse’s back. This would hurt the horse. She should be balancing on the horse’s rump. This is a tiny mistake in a book focused on caring for animals.