Girls Like

Girls Like (Midnight Sun Publishing) Katrina Germein & Deb Hudson PB RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781922858726

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Katrina Germein is a best-selling author, published and translated internationally. Her popular titles include Bev and Kev, Fabulous Frogs and One Little Duck. Her work has been Highly Commended in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and won a CBCA Honour. She is a past winner of the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Award and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award.

Deb Hudson has a passion for drawing bright, happy illustrations that evoke emotion and thought in the reader. Her whimsical work takes you to fantastic places and worlds. She has illustrated ten books, with more coming.

Girls Like is a book that encourages girls to pursue their passions, have confidence in themselves and others, and achieve their dreams.

Katrina Germein uses simple, rhythmic phrases to explore a wide variety of activities girls do. Her book is a celebration of being a girl rather than a narrative style text. The language reads aloud well because of its brevity and carefully chosen words. Girls like…Long hair, Short hair, Bow Hair, Sport Hair. There are no joining words used or long sentences.  

Germein truly celebrates the joy of being a girl and shows girls that they can like and do very different things. She often uses a second- and fourth-line rhyming pattern for readability. Beach swims, Pool swims, Dry Swims, Cool Swims. I did have to think twice about what a dry swim was. The message is strong: each girl is unique and perfect just the way she is. Germein has created an empowering book for girls that’s designed to help girls feel good about themselves.

Deb Hudson’s illustrations are not only bright, happy and colourful but also showcase diversity. The stunning cover not only catches the eye but frames the story content well. Different girls are doing different things immediately, so the story lets girls know what the book is about. The endpapers are in pastel colours, arranged in a triangular grid, featuring shapes and images of girls who are active and unique. The title page invites the reader to turn the page and dive in.

Once inside the book, Hudson’s illustrations are full of movement, activity and character. The characters dancing, riding, scooting, playing, and celebrating are lively, endearing and engaging. Their roundness and softness make them appealing. I love her use of whitespace and lots of vignettes to show many moments at once. This allows for variety and individuality, with many different girls doing different things. This works well for this type of book.

Girls Like is a celebration of all the ways to be a girl and is suited for children 3-7 years. It’s a great bedtime or classroom read. I can see parents of girls wanting to share this book with their daughters to celebrate their individuality. The book's simplicity and celebration of self-expression are both empowering and enjoyable for a girl. This book would also make a great gift for baby girls. I do hope a book like this is also made for boys.

When Dark Roots Hunt

When Dark Roots Hunt by Zena Shapter (Midnight Sun Publishing) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781922858061

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

‘Every society goes through dark ages,’ Kib says quietly. ‘Perhaps these are yours?’

Sala has never truly felt like she belongs. Living in the village of Itta with her father, she feels more ‘swamper’, like her estranged mother. Her innovative ideas are at odds with the superstitious and cautious Ittans who live in fear of the wyann trees and giant water-ants that prey out beyond the wall of poisonous ivy.

‘Don’t go out onto the lake’ is a warning heard again and again, yet Sala is determined to show the community that there is another way. That they can survive if only they are willing to listen.

When an unusual comet shoots through the sky, and a strange ship appears the next day, suddenly everyone – Ittans and their neighbouring communities – believes that this ship is their saviour, their key to survival and power.

When Sala decides to defy her father and uncle, and attempt to reach the ship first, she is accompanied by her long-time friend Aten. But just as it is each community for themselves, Sala soon realises that she, too, does not know who to trust.

In When Dark Roots Hunt, Zena Shapter has crafted a complex world that is at once hauntingly recognisable, predictive and mystical. The pace in this story, with its many twists and turns, does not slow. Characters you think you’ve come to know, turn without warning. And, throughout the story, a voice inside your head asks, ‘Is this where we are headed?’

Sala, however, is the perfect hero – tortured, strong, vulnerable, determined – and I defy any reader not to find a point of connection or something about Sala that resonates within.

With its darker themes, When the Dark Roots Hunt is well suited to its Young Adult market, readers from 13 to 18 years of age who love speculative genres and science fiction, with a hint of dystopian thrown in for good measure.

The only question is, does the story provide the answers readers – and Sala – need? You’ll have to read it to see.

The Quest for the Galleon of Time

The Quest for the Galleon of Time by Tanya Hunter. Midnight Sun Publishing August 2023. Middle-Grade paperback RRP $17.99. E-Book RRP $9.99. ISBN 9781922858191.

Reviewed by Debra Williams

1738. 11-year-old Tobias Crane is sent by his bullying father to work as a cabin boy on the ship The Merry Maiden. It’s a daunting prospect for one so young, who doesn’t want to leave his mum and younger brother. His father has a secretive, suspicious past. There is a shadow hanging over his life. Young Tobias is well-treated by the ship’s captain, Bentley Tremaine, and learns to become a skilled navigator.

Tremaine has a family secret, one which concerns his twin brothers. One of them is the captain of the Majestic Maria. The other is the captain of the pirate ship Hades Damnation. These brothers are at war, and one of them is dead. Which one is at the helm of a ghost ship?

After the Merry Maiden is attacked, many are stranded. Tobias finds himself on an island with some of the survivors, where there is a deep mystery to unravel. The former residents of the island disappeared years before, with little or no clues. Where are the parents of his fellow shipmate Quinn, who was rescued by Captain Tremaine when Quinn was just 5 years old?

What follows is an epic adventure, waiting to find a way off the island, culminating in a battle with pirates. However, there is much to be endured and learned. Debut author Tanya Hunter has left this MG story open for the next one in the series. Will Tobias ever see his family again?

It will be interesting to see what MG readers will make of a rollicking novel which doesn’t have any mention of technology!  

Timefire

Timefire by Nean McKenzie (Midnight Sun Publishing 2023). Middle-Grade. RRP $17.99 paperback. $6.99 eBook. ISBN 9781922858030

Reviewed by Debra Williams

This is a time-travel novel with a difference. In the summer of 2033, young Gilbert is accused of starting local bushfires. His mother, whom Gilbert doesn’t remember, was accused of the same crime thirteen years earlier. After completing an end of year school assignment on bushfires in Victoria’s history, Gilbert finds himself drawn back and forth through time, appearing amid several catastrophic and historic bushfires.

There is secrecy surrounding his mother and his ancestors, and a fire-related legacy dating back generations. Gilbert is puzzled as to why he is appearing at the scenes of these blazes: a mysterious man named Vargo appears at each time span as well, and Gilbert struggles to find any correlation between himself and the stranger. But there are deeper family secrets to be unveiled. The past cannot be altered, but can he learn for the future and save his family?

The story is well researched as far as each fiery event is concerned. The story does get a little confusing at times, and it seems a little incongruous that his family name is Burns, considering the story is about bushfires. 

Gilbert's mobile phone mostly has no signal: but at one point, he can play an episode of his favourite holovision video Detective Danger on a mobile app in the 1850s. Nevertheless, it is an exciting middle-grade Australian tale which will appeal to readers in the 8-12-year-age range.

Alice’s Shoe

Alice’s Shoe by Julie Thorndyke, illustrated by Jennifer Harrison (MidnightSun Publishing) PB RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781922858139

A country child, Alice ran barefoot. On smooth waxed floorboards, over dusty clay in the yard, through icy water in the creek… she refused to wear shoes. After losing her sight and hearing through illness, Alice slowly made her way back to life and became the first deafblind person in Australia to be educated. Her hated shoe was Alice’s first connection with the world of language as she learnt to sign.

Alice’s Shoe tells the childhood story of Alice Betteridge, who became known as ‘Australia’s Helen Keller’.

Ling Li’s Lantern

Ling Li’s Lantern – by Steve Heron and Benjamin Johnston (Midnight Sun Publishing) Picture Book  RRP $29.99 ISBN: 9781925227673

Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty

Ling Li’s Lantern is a beautifully illustrated picture book about compassion and kindness. It is written in the style of a traditional Chinese folktale, where a father tries to show his children the true meaning of wisdom.

Ling Li and her two older brothers are set a challenge to test their wisdom. They have one day to go to the marketplace and return with something to fill their empty pagoda. Ling Li’s brothers are clever and practical and complete the task quickly. How can she prove herself to her father, when she returns from the marketplace with only a lantern to light her way?  

Ling Li’s Lantern is a heart-warming story that shows the reader that a kind and compassionate heart is more valuable than money or winning a challenge. Steve Heron’s story is wonderfully imagined and enhanced through the delightful illustrations of Benjamin Johnston. He has captured the cultural feel of the story perfectly. His generally muted colour palette makes Ling Li’s yellow outfit shine, like the bright lantern she returns home with.

This is a lovely and quiet picture book with a great message. It would make an excellent addition to any child’s library. Definitely recommended.

River Stone – Book One of The Burning Days

River Stone – Book One of The Burning Days by Rachel Hennessy

(Midnight Sun) YA Science Fiction  PB RRP $19.99  SBN: 9781925227499

Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty

Disaster comes to the River People on the day of Pandora’s Blossoming. Most of the adults are struck down with a sickness and the only chance to save them lays in finding a cure inside a city, mostly destroyed in The Burning. Pandora believes in her heart that she is destined for more than her inevitable pairing with her life-long friend Matthew, so she volunteers to find the cure.   

Joined by Matthew and several other young people from the village, she sets out for the city. The group do not realise how unprepared they are until they meet, Bayat, a young hunter from the Mountain People. Bayat decides to accompany them and help the group prepare for the dangers they will face.

River Stone is a post-apocalyptic story set after an event called The Burning. It explores the conflicted feelings of Pandora, while being paired with Matthew by the village elders, develops a deep connection with the confident young hunter. Although there are moments of struggle and high action in this book, it is essentially a quiet, character based, coming of age story of a group of sheltered young people discovering a big and dangerous world.

River Stone is the first book in The Burning Days and is a great lead into the series. Rachel Hennessy has created an appealing cast of characters and left several threads to be explored in the next book. There are questions to be answered about the city and the strange once human creatures inhabiting it. There is a missing friend who Pandora has vowed to find, and will Pandora fulfil her duty to the village by pairing with Matthew or will she choose Bayat.

This is a book I would recommend to readers 12+ years and fans of character driven dystopian fiction.

  

Heaven Sent

Heaven Sent by S.J. Morgan, (Midnight Sun Publishing) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781925227451

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

The cover and title of Heaven Sent are misleading. They give the impression that this is another YA novel in which angels (or demons) arrive on earth and have a relationship with a human girl. Evie, the protagonist, is almost convinced this is the case when gorgeous Gabe smashes his car through her bedroom wall.

He says he has come to make sure she is happy.

At this stage Evie is wearing a body brace because she has scoliosis, her parents have divorced and her mother is living with Seb who grows marijuana for a living. Miraculously things start to improve after Gabe appears. Evie stops growing and is able to discard the brace. Her father is located by Gabe and reconnects, and her mother gains the strength to leave Seb. There’s also the entrance into Evie’s life of blonde Year 12 student, Isak.

But nothing is as it seems. Gabe’s behaviour becomes more and more erratic. Instead of being a guardian angel, Evie (and the reader) gradually realise Gabe has serious emotional and mental problems. One of the nicest things about the book is that, even after Gabe has a Christmas meltdown, Evie remains a true friend, committed to helping him any way she can.

Like Gabe, many of the characters in Heaven Sent defy the reader’s initial expectations. This is especially true of Paige, Evie’s best friend. Evie herself changes from someone who is happiest being invisible, to someone confident and resilient - although she does sometimes appear much older than sixteen.

This is S.J. Morgan’s first YA novel. It’s a solid debut. The Australian setting is a definite plus and the author gradually reveals Gabe’s true situation with the skill of a good mystery writer.  

Message in a Sock

Message in a Sock by Kaye Baillee, illustrated by Narelda Joy (MidnightSun Publishing) HB RRP $27.99 ISBN 9781925227383

Reviewed by Brook Tayla

This very touching and true war story is special. It doesn’t just depict a time in history -- it transports you right there. Unlike most war stories, this story focuses on the women left at home during WW1 and homes in on one aspect of how they supported their men – the soldiers.

Author Kaye Baillie tells the story of a little girl placing messages into the toes of socks that her mother has knitted during a war appeal to assist Australian soldiers serving in France. She includes other features in her story, including a poetic ‘Knitter’s Song’ that encapsulates the whole premise of this tale and the words of the original letter that sparked this book into being. Her story is underpinned by excellent historical research that makes this tale even more touching.

Narelda Joy’s collage illustrations perfectly compliment not only the story but the era of war. The colours and materials used have very vintage muted tones in hues of brown, green and blue. Another interesting aspect is that all the people in this story, including the child protagonist, Tammy, are always looking down, but the soldier looks you straight in the eye – a very open for interpretation move on the part of the illustrator.

This beautiful book and its unusual perspective will be treasured for not only it’s uniqueness but also for it’s truthful historical interpretation.
I feel very special to have known about this book for quite a long time. Kaye Baillee told me about it on the first day I met her, and I have been anticipating it’s release since 2016! Congratulations Kaye – it was worth the wait!

There is a very special Book Launch happening for ‘Message in a Sock’ for those who would like to attend on Anzac Day, 25^th April, 2pm – 3pm at The National Wool Museum, 26 Moorabool Street, Geelong, Victoria. Here are the details: MidnightSun Publishing together with author Kaye Baillie and illustrator Narelda Joy are proud to launch their picture book, MESSAGE IN A SOCK at the National Wool Museum with FREE ENTRY to the Museum all day.

Join Sue Lawson, writing teacher and young adult author of books including FREEDOM RIDE and PROTEST IN AUSTRALIA as she discusses MESSAGE IN A SOCK with Kaye Baillie and Narelda Joy. Listen to a reading from the book then handle replica World War 1 socks knitted by a talented Red Cross volunteer. Enjoy a hot drink and Anzac biscuit then view the Museum’s sock knitting machines and the collection displaying the full story of wool.  National Wool Museum volunteers will demonstrate ‘casting on’ and signed copies of MESSAGE IN A SOCK will be available for purchase.

Brook Tayla writes a picture book review blog at telltalestome@wordpress.com and would love you to drop by, read some reviews, leave a comment and subscribe.  Brook also offers editing services for beginning and emerging writers.

Who's Who in Children's Publishing

In the latest issue of Buzz Words, a new segment began introducing subscriber readers to editors, publishers, agents and those on the other side of the children’s publishing fence. Here is the first profile, with many more to come, one in every issue. If you'd like to check out Buzz Words, the online magazine for those in the Australian children's book industry, get a complimentary, obligation-free issue from dibates@outlook.com 

Anna Solding is the managing director of MidnightSun Publishing, an Adelaide based publishing company which specialises in literary fiction for adults and children’s books for all ages. She holds a Masters and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide. Books that Anna has published have been successful, both critically and commercially, receiving reviews in major newspapers and some have been translated and sold into other territories.

Picture book One Step at a Time has been translated into simplified Chinese and Spanish and was a CBCA Honour Book in 2016. Adult novel An Ordinary Epidemic has been sold both to the USA and the UK. Anna has been the recipient of several grants from Arts South Australia and was chosen as one of the publishers to attend the Australia-China Publishing Forum in 2015. For the last three years, Anna has attended both the London and Bologna Book Fairs to make new contacts and secure agents for overseas rights. In 2017, Anna was chosen to travel to South Korea and China with three other Australian publishers to forge ties with publishers in Asia. Middle grade novel A Cardboard Palace by Allayne Webster, which MidnightSun published this year, will hit Swedish bookshops in 2018.

MidnightSun is constantly expanding, looking for high quality work, and is always open for submissions for all ages. Send the first 20 pages of your work only, with a cover letter containing all your details, to submissions@midnightsunpublishing.com or hard copy to MidnightSun Publishing, P.O. Box 3647, Rundle Mall SA 5000.

A Cardboard Palace

A Cardboard Palace written by Allayne L Webster, (Midnight Sun Publishing) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN 978-1-92-522725-3

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

The back cover blurb claims this novel to be a humbling story about one boy’s desperation to escape a life of crippling poverty. And yes, the book is definitely this. But it is also so much more. A Cardboard Palace is a deeply engaging, thoughtful and ultimately life-affirming book that captures the reader from the very opening lines where action and characters are instantly present on the page. We meet eleven-year-old Jorge as he’s being clipped over the ear by his nasty boss Bill, while preparing to rob an old man with smiling eyes and a walking stick.

Jorge lives on the outskirts of Paris in a cardboard house, along with an army of child thieves. Stolen from their faraway homelands with the promise of making money for their struggling families, Jorge and the other children from this shanty town are under the control of Bill. Bill lives in an apartment with running water and a soft bed, while the children are forced to spend their waking hours stealing money and wallets from the millions of people who pour through the city centre.

The Paris of Jorge’s childhood is markedly different to the Eiffel Tower tea-towels and glossy travel brochures. The children’s Paris is harsh, dynamic and tinged with danger.

I love that we travel alongside Jorge; feeling the challenge and conflict of hunger, of criminal activity and of being unsafe. We laugh at his wonderful capacity for humour (especially sarcastic one-liners) and broader observations, and marvel at the dreams he manages to hold. We are drawn into this harsh yet remarkably human community where we’re not asked to feel sorry for Jorge, but rather to appreciate the world from his point of view. We see the obstacles in his way and hope that he’ll overcome them.

This is a captivating story that will transport both girls and boys into the action-packed and often seedy underbelly of Paris, a city that holds great sway in the collective imagination. This book is highly recommended.

King of the Outback

King of the Outback written by Kristin Weidenbach, illustrated by Timothy Ide (Midnight Sun Publishing)    HB RRP$26.99   ISBN 9781925227246

Reviewed by Stefan Nicholson

King of the Outback is a jewel of an Australian children’s book with many facets to contemplate.  It is also a picture book, a book of Australian history, a biography, obviously a non-fictional work but absolutely a delight to read.

It is the life story of Sir Sidney Kidman who left home at thirteen with five shillings and a one-eyed horse, then ended up owning the largest cattle station in Australia.

It is tempting to imagine how primary school children will approach this book. 

Some will look at the first few pages and then work through the book admiring the stylised pen and ink illustrations of people and animals surrounded by the colours of the bush. The watercolour palette is perfect.

Other children will read the unravelling story on each page and immerse themselves into the story through the corresponding illustration.

The expressions of the people and the brown landscape match the late nineteenth-century Australian country with its harsh dusty ground, the solid civic buildings and the fashionable clothing evident on the streets of the town.

King of the Outback is also an ideal reader for parents and teachers to read to younger children whilst showing them the illustrations – I like looking at some of the people hidden in the crowds!

You can almost hear the sounds emanating from the illustrations, enhanced by the use of an unusual selection of fonts and embellishments – font size, bold, curved, etc.  I think that this arrangement of text is designed to keep the readers’ attention away from staring at the illustrations for too long instead of moving along with the story. 

The text is simple and effective.  It gets the story told interspersed with many interesting facts and events like the impressive rescue of the town’s people from scared, rampaging cattle during Sid’s seventy fifth birthday rodeo. 

This book should make for excellent classroom discussions as this era of Australian history comes to life in thirty two pages. But don’t let any child walk out of the classroom with fifty cents and a ‘see you all later’.

Olivia’s Voice

Olivia’s Voice written by Mike Lucas, illustrated by Jennifer Harrison (Midnight Sun Publishing)    HB RRP$26.99   ISBN 9781925227192

Reviewed by Stefan Nicholson

Olivia’s Voice is a beautiful combination of photo-realistic art accompanied by simple storytelling to describe one day in the life of a young and obviously happy girl named Olivia. It is clear she is happy because her face radiates an enthusiasm and inwardly happy nature that shines through in all the outstanding illustrations.  The brief story line describes her daily activities and interaction with her mother, her friends and her music teacher. Her life appears normal, but the reader knows that all is not as it seems: Olivia is not like many of her friends.

So, what’s the catch?  No, I’m not giving that one away to spoil the end of the story or indeed the reader’s careful unravelling of the plot by observations, which eventually lead to the answer. There is also the warm feeling you will get reading Olivia’s Voice.

This book shows children accepting differences between each other and within oneself through simple observation and acceptance. Did I mention that Olivia plays the drum? She does but that is only another small clue.  

This book is suitable for readers over the age of six years. The superb illustrations are created using crayons are photo-realistic which is why this book is marketed as a children’s picture book. 

Stefan Nicholson is a writer, composer and book reviewer with an MA in writing from Swinburne University. www.stefannicholson.com  and may be contacted by email:  stefannicholson@bigpond.com