Something for Fleur

Something for Fleur by Catherine Pelosi, illustrated by Caitlin Murray (Lothian Books) PB RRP$14.99, also available in HB and e-book ISBN 9780734418184

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This delightful, bright picture book plays to the excited anticipation which all children experience as they wait for their special day -- their birthday -- and what presents might await them.

It’s soon to be Flo the Flamingo’s birthday and she’s as excited as any child. On the first day, the postman delivers a letter from Bo which promises something special in the mail. ‘It’s very big,’ the letter promises which has Flo wondering if perhaps it’s ice-cream mountains or ten-tiered cakes. On the next two days there are more letters, each offering promises. By now Flo is beside herself with excitement.

However, on her birthday there’s nothing in the letterbox and there’s no parcel. Cue the impatience where Flo waits and waits until…

There’s such a build-up until the big surprise at the very end of the book. (And no, we’re not going to reveal the goody in the big box!)

Written at times in rhyming couplets and with the most colourful and engaging full-page illustrations with masses of images that frolic throughout the pages, this is an ideal picture book for any child aged two to six years.

Quark’s Academy

Quark’s Academy by Catherine Pelosi (Lothian)

PB RRP $15.99

IBSN 9780734417800

Reviewed by Kate Simpson

“No parents, pets or soft toys allowed.” Quark’s Academy is the story of three young science whizz kids, Augustine, Celeste and Oscar, who are invited to spend a week at the prestigious Quark’s Academy to compete in the Best Invention Competition and win a prize of unspecified riches. But as the week progresses, it becomes clear that the academy is not what it seems and more is at stake than the offered prize money. It’s a sparkling and delightful debut from Catherine Pelosi, bursting with imagination and adventure.

Quark’s Academy is to science and invention what Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory is to candy-making. It’s packed full of fun, futuristic and sometimes downright outlandish inventions like jet packs, weather makers and an invention to combine the DNA of different animal species: fancy a lion mixed with an antelope? An anaconda crossed with an elephant? Anything is possible at Quark’s Academy.

With strong male and female protagonists, this book will appeal to both boys and girls aged 8 and up with a taste for fun and adventure. And if they weren’t science fans before they read the book, they will be afterwards.  

Quark’s Academy

Quark’s Academy by Catherine Pelosi (Lothian) PB

Once a year, the prestigious and mysterious Quark’s Academy admits 15 exceptional young scientists for a week’s study that will culminate in the Best Invention Competition. This year’s batch of contenders includes soft-hearted Augustine (engineer and environmentalist), pragmatic Celeste (particle physicist and time-travel buff) and troublemaker Oscar (fart bombs). Their acceptance into Quark’s Academy is a dream come true: the opportunity to experience firsthand the new technologies and discoveries that are at the cutting edge of scientific development. But after a class in gene-splicing goes awry, it becomes clear that there’s something suspicious going on at Quark’s Academy, and it’s up to Celeste, Augustine and Oscar to uncover what it is. From the futuristic travel capsule that transports the students to the chemical compounds that enhance memory, the scientific principles of Quark’s Academy toe the line brilliantly between science-fiction and reality. Catherine Pelosi’s Quark’s Academy is an engaging and entertaining debut for readers aged eight and up with an interest in STEM—or those who just love a well-paced adventure story with fantastical elements.

Reviewer Lian Hingee is the digital marketing manager at Readings