Aussie Kids: Meet Mia by the Jetty

Aussie Kids: Meet Mia by the Jetty by Janeen Brian, illustrated by Danny Snell (Puffin Books) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 978 1 760893668

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is one of eight books in the Aussie Kids series about children from different states of Australia, telling of their lives and adventures. 

In this book, Mia, who lives in Victor Harbour, South Australia, with her parents and older sister Alice, awaits the weekend visit of Jim. She decides to take her new friend to nearby Granite Island with Alice and to be a super tour guide: she even makes and wears a guide badge. At Encounter Bay the three children have a sandcastle competition before boarding a horse-drawn tram which takes them across the jetty to the island. Lastly, they are fortunate enough to see a whale in the ocean.

This chapter book manages to showcase places in South Australia while introducing sisters who bicker in a good-natured way. Each page has a black and blue wash illustration which adds to the book’s appeal. At the end of the book there is a page of fun facts about penguins, including Fairy Penguins. Following this is a double-page spread with pictures of and information about the author and illustrator.

Meet Mia by the Jetty is ideal for readers aged 6 years and up who enjoy reading gentle, well-written stories.

Derek Dool Supercool 2: Going Viral

Derek Dool Supercool 2: Going Viral by Adrian Beck, illustrated by Scott Edgar (Puffin Books) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN9781760892968

In the vein of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Weirdo, Derek Dilbert Dool returns in another supercool adventure! Thankfully, so do his friends Booger and Big Denise. The first chapter begins with the words, ‘Not many people turned up to Derek’s funeral.’ Derek is inside a coffin in the funeral parlour his dad owns, preparing to burst out, wearing vampire teeth, his face smothered in zinc cream to look deathly pale. His prank surprises his classmates and teacher Mr Mustard who are present.

Derek’s escapades later sees him exposing his bright purple undies on video. After accidentally going viral, Derek is then on a mission to deliberately go viral! After all, what is more supercool than being an internet hit? The only problem is, none of his ideas are quite working out as he expected. But Derek's not the type to give up. No way! He is determined to achieve viral victory – even if it's the last thing he ever does.

Children aged 7 to 10 years are likely to find lots to laugh about in this fast-paced, fun-packed series which is full of bravado with its themes of hobbies, friendship, family, self-confidence and staying true to yourself. The book features breakout chapters, many jokes and numerous black and white cartoon illustrations.

Lola in the Middle

Lola in the Middle by Cecily Anne Paterson (Wombat Books) ISBN: 9781925563900 PB RRP $16.99

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

The title of this story is particularly apt – the main character Lola is in the middle of many things. She plays centre on the netball court. She is in between her friends Indi and Tasha, who always fight. And Lola’s parents don’t agree on many things, leaving Lola in the middle again. Along with her netball skills, Lola is very skilled at diplomacy and compromise. But when she develops health issues, Lola learns the hard way that sometimes she needs to look after herself. Maybe the way to deal with things is not always about making people happy.

Lola is in grade 6 and relatively new to the small Kangaroo Valley public school. She is friends with Indi and with Tasha, but when the three of them are together, Indi and Tasha really don’t get along. Lola’s dad is away a lot working on a ship and her mum, who is under pressure with work, is not happy about this. Lola’s relief from all of these dramas is netball, which she is pretty good at. The school team is heading for state finals for the first time, if they can learn to work together as a team. But then Lola finds out she has diabetes, which changes everything.

Lola is a relatable character who thinks about others and worries a fair bit. Her difficulties accepting her lifestyle changes, after her diabetes diagnosis, are quite believable for someone her age. It is convenient that her teacher also has diabetes and can give Lola good advice. Lola’s friends are quite frustrating and this builds up until Lola is forced to tell them the truth. And even though they didn’t win the netball final and Lola couldn’t play the whole game, the team still felt like they’d succeeded, which was a good ending.

This book joins How Not to be Popular and Smart Girls Don’t Wear Mascara, also by Cecily Ann Paterson. These novels are set in Kangaroo Valley public school as well, but about different characters. Lola in the Middle is suitable for mid to late primary school readers. 

Queen of Coin and Whispers

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (The O’Brien Press Ltd) PB RRP $21.95 ISBN: 9781788491181

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

How would a 19-year-old newly crowned queen and her 18-year-old female spymaster navigate political nemeses, foreign interference, class disparity and mutual romantic attraction? This is the question driving Queen of Coin and Whispers, as Helen Corcoran plunges us into a medieval fantasy universe and the internal lives of conflicted Queen Aurelia (Lia) and fiesty spy Xania as they work to seize control over their unstable country.

Being a fantasy tragic, this book hooked me from the first line (‘The sheep were undeniably dead.’) and barely let me put it down until the final words. From the intriguing premise to the layered plot points, there is an element of suspense that keeps the pages turning. Gradually accelerating tension is punctuated by moments of introspection from the two protagonists, who take turns in the point-of-view spotlight.

The book offers a lot to think about for the modern-minded young adult reader. The plot plays out in a society which actively accepts the full range of sexual preference, gender, and race, yet binds its citizens in a rigid class system. Being a non-magical universe, the story should appeal to those who like the idea of a fantasy novel but are turned off by the supernatural. A warning, though, for anyone who may be distressed by descriptions of violence or torture.

The story trots out a lot of tropes that will be familiar to fantasy afficionados, but the entertainment value is undeniable. The book does suffer from unexplained and hard-to-follow time-jumps and a substantial amount of off-screen action that at times leaves the reader perplexed. With its rushed climax, it almost feels like a trilogy condensed - to its detriment - into a standalone. A strong ability to suspend disbelief is also required when it comes to Lia and Xania’s well-beyond-their-years skills and experience.

While superficially this book has relevance for the female and LGBTQI+ demographics, it is at heart a binge able fantasy spy thriller for anyone over the age of 15 and in the market for escapism.

By the Billabong

By the Billabong by Maura Finn and Cate James (Affirm) ISBN 9781925972474

RRP $24.99 (HB)

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

This thoroughly Australian picture book uses rhyme and repetition to describe what is seen from a child’s perspective while on a walk beside a billabong. ‘I went for a walk by the billabong to see what I could see …’ Matt illustrations show bush scenes and a collection of animals: wombats, spiders, possums, dingoes, emus and finally crocs. The young person, who could be a girl or boy, wears a sun-smart hat and cleverly keeps out of sight of the creatures encountered. Fun use of collective nouns is followed by ‘That’s what I could see. But none of them saw me.’ This all changes with the sighting of ‘glaring crocodiles.’ The run home collects all the other animals on the way, with a very suitable finish, ‘And they all came home with me!’ (Apart from the crocodiles, that is!)

Reminiscent of Hairy Maclary, the rhyming is engaging and works. The animals (and spiders) are doing unexpected things like the dingoes are sowing seeds and the emus are dancing ballet. A wisdom of wombats is one of my favourite collective nouns and it’s good to see it included in a story. Illustrations are full page and in natural colours, like the khaki of eucalyptus and realistic sand and rock hues. There is also a textured look to the pictures, which is very effective. A strong page-turning sense about the writing draws readers through the story to see what happens next.

Author, New Zealand-born Maura Finn and illustrator, Scottish-born Cate James seem to get the Australian aesthetic perfectly. By the Billabong is a fun book to read aloud with beautiful illustrations. It is suitable for reading to young children or for early primary school readers.

A Home for Luna

A Home for Luna has won the Children's Category of the International Rubery Book Awards. The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self-published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges.

https://www.ruberybookaward.com/ 

A Home for Luna - written by Stef Gemmill, illustrated by Mel Armstrong, published by New Frontier Publishing

This is everything a picture-book should be. The story is lovely – Luna, a black and white cat, is far from home, washed ashore in a remote place where eventually she’s befriended by a colony of penguins, including Tiny and Yellow-Eye. When a man passing by in a boat attempts to rescue her, Luna doesn’t want to leave, and she and her new friends join forces to drive him away. The illustrations are delightful, particularly the final picture where Luna is nestled at the feet of Tiny and Yellow-Eye like a penguin chick.
The story has universal themes that even young children will be able to recognise. The idea of ‘home’ and feeling safe and having friends are all simple concepts for children to understand, because they’re central to their own lives. For this very reason, however, they do feature a great deal in picture-books, and it takes no little skill to come up with something as original and appealing as this story.  

The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle

A chance visit to a small museum in Macclesfield, England, and an encounter with the ancient Egyptian  mummycase of a 15-year-old girl named Shebmut, led to author Pamela Rushby’s latest novel, The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle (Walker Books, July 2020).

Shebmut’s mummycase was smuggled, totally illegally, out of Egypt in 1873 by an English lady adventurer on the Nile, Miss Marianne Brocklehurst. It can still be seen today in the museum that she founded. Miss Brocklehurst acquired the mummycase in the course of a one-thousand-mile journey up the Nile on a dahhabiya – a fashionable excursion at the time.

Rushby’s interest in this story led to her discovering another fashionable, and rather bizarre, Victorian social event. Afternoon tea parties where, for the entertainment of guests, an ancient Egyptian mummy would be divested of its wrappings, to reveal the body beneath.

And when you have that kind of information at your fingertips, what do you do with it? You put it all together and write a book, of course!

The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle is a middle-grade novel: a thrilling tale of an orphaned heroine, a mysterious mist-shrouded castle in the Fens, mummy unwrapping parties, a family of house-keeping cats, and a thousand-mile journey up the Nile in (illegal) search of ancient Egyptian mummies.

Pamela Rushby was awarded a writers’ residency in England to research the book: visited the West Park Museum in Macclesfield, haunted the British Museum mummy room and the Petrie Museum, University College London, and generally had (as they say) about as much fun as it’s possible to have with your clothes on. She’d be delighted to talk about the fascinating details of Victorian mummy unwrapping parties, intrepid lady adventurers on the Nile, all things ancient Egyptian – and, of course, the book!

(Published by Walker Books July 2020, illustrations by Nelle May Pierce)

For interview or further information: Pamela Rushby 

P.Rushby@internode.on.net      0418778058       www.pamelarushby.com

Pink

Pink by Margaret Wild and Judith Rossell, (Harper Collins), July 2020, HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781460757499

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

 

Pink is an adorable and endearing dinosaur that you can’t help but fall in love with. She is pink and pretty and sweet. But this doesn’t help Pink in her favourite game, Hide and Seek. Being pink means she’s always the first one to be found. Pink would much rather be brave and smart and not stand out from the crowd. Accepting who you are is hard when all you want to do is fit in.

But this changes when Pink follows the other dinosaurs as they play hide-and-seek and they all get terribly lost. Darkness is closing in and time is running out so Pink scrambles to the top of a hill. There she can easily be spotted and find help for her friends. Two of her wishes have come true. Will Pink’s wish to be able to play hide-and-seek without being found come true too?

Margaret Wild’s writing voice shines and she uses the power of three to great effect. Her word choices and dialogue are in all the right places. The page turns are delightful, and the pace and flow of the story allow the reader to fully enjoy and engage with the story. 

Judith Russell is a perfect choice as the illustrator. Her bright, lush green illustrations and splashes of yellow are paired with pink to great effect. The illustrations cleverly draw the eye to all the right places at all the right times. The double page spreads bring the world of the dinosaurs to life with the juicy green jungle as their playground. The expressions upon the dinosaur faces speak to the reader and light up their imagination.

Pink the picture book is created by an award-winning author and an award-winning illustrator. It is a winning combination. This gorgeous book is perfect for the 2-5 years age group.

Chinese Tigers

Jan Latta, author and wildlife photographer of True to Life Books, has published 4 Big Cat books in traditional Chinese.  They can be purchased with or without the English version to help children with second language reading. Jan follows animals in the wild to tell their stories. She travelled to Sri Lanka to photograph the elusive leopards, Africa for the cheetahs and lions, and India for the endangered tigers.

Free educational videos showing animals in their natural habitats in the wild are available.

  

Contact Jan Latta for discounts  janlatta@truetolifebooks.com.au

Reader Achievement

Janeen Brian’s junior fiction story, Meet Mia by the Jetty published by Penguin Random House and illustrated by Danny Snell, was released on 1 July 2020. It is part of the inaugural and popular Aussie Kids series, targeted at readers 6 to 8 years. Each story features a child in a different state in Australia.

School Magazine will be reprinting two stories and three poems written by Janeen, while publishing one new poem, Just a broomstick now, and a story, Twin Time.

The End of the World is Bigger Than Love

The End of the World is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell, (Text), 2020, RRP $24.00 pb  ISBN: 9781922268822

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

This intriguing YA novel combines unreliable narrators with magic realism. Davina Bell creates a world in which reality and fantasy join hands and dance together. It’s a challenging, yet satisfying, read.

The world has become a place of terror, public executions and climate disaster. Identical twin sisters, Summer and Winter, live in isolation on a remote island. Years ago their father brought them there. He was a scientist, responsible, among other things, for The Greying, an illnesss that ultimately kills.

Summer is the more hip, talkative sister with a well-developed sense of humour. Winter is quieter and kinder. The girls grow into teenagers, surviving in their own intense reality, eating through a stockpile of tinned food, reading and re-reading their mother’s favourite books. Fictional characters fulfil their need for friends. The words of characters in To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Outsiders and The Power of One are quoted and requoted.

Then a mysterious stranger, Edward, appears, disrupting the girls’ carefully constructed world. Summer only refers to him as ‘the bear’. Winter falls in love.

Alternating chapters written by Summer and Winter draw the reader into a fantastical world where nothing is as it seems. Their mother didn’t die when Winter was born. Edward hasn’t appeared by chance. The sisters are not living on an island.

Most unexpected of all is the hint that perhaps there is only one sister. Has Winter created a second self to help her cope with so many horrific life experiences? After the final page there’s a quote from Albert Camus: ‘In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer…’

The book is full of wonderfully-written dreamlike sequences: the talking whale is especially memorable. YA readers will delight in its complexity and intricate plotting.

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian (Walker Books) ISBN 978-1-760651-87-9 PB $16.99 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

This story is set in the early 1800s in a village called Whittering, which is surrounded by a wall.  Thirteen-year-old Eloise Pail lives at the Children of Paradise orphanage, where she works hard looking after the younger children and carrying buckets of water from the village. Eloise wants to know how she came to be left at the orphanage as a baby in a bucket and why she was never adopted out as a younger child, but every attempt to find out is foiled by the awful head nun Sister Hortense. Constantly in trouble, Eloise’s life is bleak, but she finds solace in the stars and a story about unicorns told to her by the kind nun Sister Genevieve.

Eloise makes friends with the village blacksmith Mr Jackson and his horse Dancy which has a mysterious bump in the centre of its forehead. Mr Jackson tells Eloise about a pond outside the town walls, which many years ago was poisoned by a mysterious beast and Eloise’s interest is piqued. Sister Hortense’s treatment of Eloise’s grows worse: she stops her lessons and locks her in a cupboard. The arrival of Janie, another orphan her age, threatens the small pleasures Eloise has managed to find. But Janie helps Eloise to solve the mystery of the unicorn and Whittering Pond so they can save the village. As Eloise tries to escape the orphanage and find a family, the difficulties mount up, but with a bit of magic and a lot of determination, she finds her way. 

Eloise’s character is incredibly resilient and imaginative. She clings onto magical stories she is told, having the strength of mind to believe they are real even when Sister Hortense says they are of the devil. The reader can feel Eloise’s plight, with her frustrations and her too-small boots which increasingly hurt her feet. The food she is given to eat is delightfully disgusting and includes gruel, tripe, turnips, sheep gizzards and bone soup. Most readers will also find it very satisfying that the despicable Sister Hortense gets what she deserves in the end.

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars with its star-studded blue cover by Tracie Grimwood, is ideal for upper primary readers of middle-grade fantasy fiction.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, (Scholastic), 2020, RRP $20.99 pb ISBN: 9781743836811

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

         

This is a prequel to the original Hunger Games books. The Games were devised by the Capitol of Panem to punish the Districts for starting a war. A boy and girl tribute from each district is sent to fight in an arena until only one remains alive. Now it is time for the tenth Hunger Games and already the population’s interest is waning. It isn’t the full bells and whistles event it will eventually become.

The main character is teenager Coriolanus Snow, the notorious President Snow of later books. The Snow’s, once an influential family, have fallen on hard times and are living in barely concealed poverty. Coriolanus is chosen to mentor one of the tributes for the Games. If his tribute does well, Coriolanus will win prize money and be able to afford to go to university.

He is assigned Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, who has made her living from singing and composing songs. Initially he is bitterly disappointed, but Lucy has charisma and he begins to see her as a person and not a means to an end. In fact, he becomes infatuated and cheats to help her win the Games. The second part of the book concerns what happens next. 

The question is posed: how much of Coriolanus Snow’s character was he born with and how much is shaped by the events he lives through? Coriolanus is certainly changed by his experiences and it is possible to see the monster he will ultimately become.

The Hunger Games trilogy were compulsive reading when they first appeared in 2008, and many will know the story of Katniss and Peeta through the movies. This new addition does not disappoint. It is written in the third person (the first three books were in first person) which gives Suzanne Collins space to draw parallels between dystopian Panam and present-day society, especially the use of media and spin.

Are people ultimately evil and must be controlled?  Or is there natural goodness as Lucy hopes? She is an enigmatic character. Readers must decide for themselves whether she is as honest as she appears. Perhaps she is simply a very talented performer. 

Compelling, well crafted, full of powerful social commentary and great characters, this is a book YA and confident middle grade readers will love. Hopefully, it is the first in a new series about Panam.

My Place by Sally Morgan

My Place by Sally Morgan (Fremantle Press) PB RRP $23:00 ISBN: 9781925816761

Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty

My Place is a great Australian classic, one of the best loved biographies of Aboriginal Australia ever written. It has now been adapted for younger readers. From the blurb: ‘Sally Morgan always wondered about her family: who they were; where they came from; what they were hiding. She asked questions but received few answers. So, Sally travelled to her grandmother’s birthplace. What started as a tentative search for information, became an extraordinary pilgrimage that would change their lives forever.’

My Place is a search by the author for identity and belonging. The dedication to her family sums up the essence of the book. “How deprived we would have been if we had been willing to let things stay as they were. We would have survived, but not as a whole people. We would have never known our place.”

Sally’s story begins in the mid 1950’s in Perth, Western Australia, as a five-year-old, visiting her father in hospital. All through her childhood, she had questions for her mother and grandmother about their family. Questions like, why did Nan hide whenever she bought friends home after school. Over the years she received lots of evasion and very few answers. This emotive, often heart-wrenching and beautifully written book explores Sally’s search for answers about her heritage. It took her entire childhood, through her university years and into adulthood before she found the answers to her identity. My Place not only tells her own story, but explores the story of her great uncle, her mother and grandmother, giving the reader a glimpse of the inequality and hardships faced by the aboriginal people. What she finally discovered was a rich heritage and the sense of belonging she had been searching for her entire life. She found her place.

I usually read books as an escape from the real world, and it is rare that I read non-fiction or biographies for pleasure. This is not a book I would have chosen to read. I am so glad that Claire from Fremantle Press sent this book to me for review. Not only is it, the sharing of a touching and emotional journey of discovery, it resonates with me on a personal level. I was in my late twenties when I discovered my own aboriginal heritage. Reading My Place has made me even more determined to delve deeper into the rich culture I missed out on as a child. My Place was originally published as three separate books in 1987. It remains highly relevant today. 

This adapted version combines the three books into one volume. I highly recommend this wonderful biography for both adults and younger readers.

Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief by Dee White, (Omnibus Books), 2020, RRP $17.99 pb

      ISBN: 9781760662516

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

Dee White’s book was inspired by the way Muslims in Paris saved the lives of many Jewish children during World War II. This unusual and generally unrecognised true story makes Beyond Belief a valuable addition to middle grade books dealing with this period. It’s also a rattling good adventure full of suspense, with easily likeable characters and a strong evocation of place.

When France is invaded, eleven-year-old Ruben’s parents take him to the Grand Mosque in Paris. They are going to find his sister who has disappeared somewhere in the south of France. Rubin must wait, pretending to be a Muslim, until the legendary Fox appears to take him to Spain where he will be united with his family.

Unfortunately, the Mosque is not safe. It is frequently visited and searched by Nazis.  Rubin escapes with two other Jewish children, Hana and her little brother Momo. Aided by the Resistance, they have several hair-raising adventures. Finally, the three reach a farmhouse in the French countryside, far away from Spain. There, by a set of surprising circumstances, he meets his sister and learns the Fox’s identity.

Rubin emerges as a gentle, kind-hearted boy who struggles to stay brave. Faced with danger, he remembers his mother’s advice: ‘You must be strong like the cedars’.

The details of life in the mosque are fascinating and informative. Jewish and Muslim faiths have many similarities (and differences) which could spark interesting classroom discussions. 

Dee White wanted ‘to write a story about kindness, humanity and hope amidst the horror of war.’ Beyond Belief is certainly that. As such it is a useful text for our time. Highly recommended.

Ginnie & Pinney Learn & Grow

Ginnie & Pinney Learn & Grow series by Penny Harris, illustrated by Winnie Zhou (Big Sky Publishing) 8 x PB in slipcase RRP $197.00 ISBN: 9781922265814

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

From inclusiveness and identity to sharing and saying sorry, each of the eight books in this worthy series deals with an important facet of social or emotional learning for kids aged three to eight. The series comes with a downloadable 64-page Teacher Resource, and each book has a QR code that links to a free animated video. Significantly, the books have been developed in consultation with Australian academics in the fields of education, linguistics and psychology, so the complex themes are well thought out and represented in a way that young children will find easy to understand.

Penny Harris has placed her animal characters in familiar situations – such as a sports day, or a game of hide and seek – so that kids can comprehend the context of the specific theme of each book. The animals’ conversations and thoughts are portrayed in bubbles alongside the story text, allowing readers to get inside the characters’ minds and see what they are thinking and feeling. This encourages children to consider not just their own but also others’ wellbeing, and induces dynamic discussion about subjects that can often be difficult to process.

Featuring muted tones, Winnie Zhou’s illustrations have a soothing quality for small eyes. Her unique characterisation of the animals – from Miranda Panda and Dodo Komodo to the trio of cuddly koalas – is playful and charming, ensuring that the theme of each book is delivered in a safe and comforting setting. The use of curved lines and shapes throughout the books blankets the pages with a gentleness that is both warm and inviting.

Young children will enjoy following the adventures of Ginnie, Pinney and their friends as the appealing animals model positive behaviour and the power of empathy. Along the way, readers will develop their emotional intelligence and discover more about themselves and others.

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale by Dominque Valente (HarperCollins Australia) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780008308445

Willow Moss, the youngest and least powerful sister in a family of witches, recently saved the world. The problem is, nobody can remember it – and, to make matters worse, her magical ability now seems broken. Instead of finding lost things, objects keep disappearing against her will – which is especially troubling now that her friend Sometimes needs her help.

Sometimes has discovered how to see ten minutes into the future. Unfortunately, that’s only enough time to find out that his kidnappers are on their way. His only hope is to write an urgent letter to Willow, asking if she wouldn’t mind trying to find him.

As Willow and her friends piece together what has happened to Sometimes, their adventure takes them from an enchanted tower to a magical forest of Wisperia and into dangerous new realms. Can Willow save Sometimes when her own powers are out of control?

The Betrothed

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass (HarperCollins) PB ISBN 9780008158828

Kiera Cass is back with a glittering royal romance sure to captivate her legion of loyal readers and lovers of courtly intrigue. Here is a historical novel for readers of Cass’s selection series which have been on the New York Times bestseller list.

Lady Hollis Brite has grown up vying for King Jameson’s attention, hoping one day to become Queen of Coroa. The king has many other daughters of the nobility to choose from, so when he declares his love for her, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets Silas, a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Cass’s latest novel moves along at a steady and engaging speed. There are many characters in the story but it’s nevertheless possible to keep up with each of them and with the courtly goings-on. The characters are not three-dimensional characters, though, with some of them, such as Delia Grace and Nora and Hollis’s parents repeating the same actions throughout the book. The only really interesting character was Valentina who Hollis befriends.

The main plot was Hollis giggling over Jameson and then falling into love with Silas the moment they lay eyes on each other. It takes a few minutes of conversation spaced over two or three days for them to realize they love each other.  Before long, Hollis is ready to ditch Jameson to marry Silas. As for Silas, he has the audacity to be offended over Hollis's initial rejection. (He knew she was practically engaged to the king and yet still decided to kiss her.)

Having said that, the book is nevertheless a satisfying read and is sure to be enjoyed by teenage girls who like the idea of romance.

Tom’s Tears

Tom’s Tears written and illustrated by Teigan Margetts (Ethicool Books) ISBN 9780648702443 PB $19.00 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Tom’s Tears is a picture book that explores the gender stereotype of ‘boys don’t cry’ with an engaging story about a boy who believes he has lost his tears. With colourful illustrations that show up close facial expressions, the story follows the two main characters, Tom and Oliver, who have been given different advice by their fathers about what to do when they feel upset. Oliver decides to help Tom find his tears and as they look for them, Tom works out himself what he wants to do when he feels emotional.

Tom explains to his friend Oliver, ‘My dad told me that I’m not allowed to cry. He said I needed to be a real man. He said that if I cried, it would make me a girl.’ While not as prevalent as in previous generations, this attitude is still around in our society and it is good to see a book exploring the issue. Tom explains to Oliver (who is slightly mystified by this explanation) that because his older brother ‘lost his tears’ a few years ago, now he just gets angry and kicks things – including his brother. To prevent this from happening to Tom, the two friends search for Tom’s tears in the skate park, the playground and in the woods. They go back to Oliver’s house, and watch a movie … and find Tom’s tears. It’s a happy ending.

A note in the back of the book states that ‘Men who feel they can’t express their emotions are more likely to be depressed and violent.’ This is followed by ‘What are you going to do today?’ The suggestion that the child can do something to make things different, puts a positive slant on the situation and the power back in the children’s hands.

Teigan Margetts founded Ethicool books this year with her partner Stu French. Their goal is to produce books for children that deal with world issues and to increase their understanding of ways to change things. Tom’s Tears is suitable for preschoolers and early primary-aged children.

Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures: Finding the good when things seem bad

Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures: Finding the good when things seem bad by Josh Langley (Big Sky Publishing) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN: 781922265692

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

The modern world with its pervasive technology and intense pressures affects children and adults alike.  With its straightforward advice for finding confidence and building resilience, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures is a practical guide to navigating some of life’s key challenges.

The text is written in clear, concise language and addresses a broad spectrum of the concerns that weigh on kids’ minds on a daily basis.  Perfectionism, social media, anxiety, self-worth and friendship are all tackled head-on.  Techniques are offered for putting worries into perspective, reframing problems and reaching out with kindness.

Bold, colourful cartoon illustrations featuring a wide cast of stick figure characters provide examples - sometimes touching, sometimes hilarious - of the concepts explored in the text. 

This book will be a valuable resource for parents and teachers of primary-school aged children, and one the kids will also find amusing and engaging.  Teaching materials are available.