Freedom Ride

Freedom Ride by Sue Lawson (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 17.95

ISBN 9781925126365

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This deeply moving and at times disturbing book is based on real events. It takes us back to the Australian Freedom Ride of 1965. Influenced by the American Civil Rights Movement, Sydney University students formed the Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) with Charles Perkins, the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from university, as their leader. A busload of students decided to travel through country towns to investigate the living conditions of Aboriginal people. It was when they came to Walgaree that is the focus of the story. What took place was the beginning of change within the social and political climate of Australia for Indigenous population.

The story of the Freedom Ride is delicately wound around a parallel story of the brutality of racism and bullying, the abuse of power, and the degradation suffered by whites and Aboriginals alike that stood up for human rights. It is also about having courage to change against all odds.

Robbie lives with his dad and gran, a narrow-minded, bigoted person without kindness or compassion, not even for her grandson. e has been told fro years that his mother diedHHe has been told that his mother died when he was three and she is never mentioned.

Barry takes over the caravan park in Walgaree after his father dies suddenly. Robbie gets a paid job there during the school holidays instead of doing odd jobs for gran’s gossipy friends for nothing. There he discovers the joys of real family life, kindness and interest, and love from both Barry and his mum.

With gossip a raging river in the town of Walgaree, everyone is blaming the Aborigines for all the vandalism and destruction of property. But Robbie knows who’s really doing it. But he dare not speak out.

Robbie’s friendship with the Aboriginal boy Mickey, also employed by Barry, is an excuse for the town’s bully to bash and persecute him mercilessly without any repercussions from his father who happens to be Walgaree’s police chief.

But this is the least of Robbie’s dilemmas. He discovers his dad and gran have lied to him for years. He also witnesses a gut-wrenching act that the two cover up, and he wars with his conscience about keeping silent.

Now that Robbie knows the truth, is he able to stand up for what he believes in and carve a new path in life?

Riveting and unforgettable, Sue Lawson has again created another exceptional piece of historical fiction. Fast-paced with crisp and precise writing, this book comes highly recommended.

Little Lunch: The Off-Limits Fence

Little Lunch: The Off-Limits Fence by Danny Katz, illustrated by Mitch Vane (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 9.95

ISBN 9781742032375

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Little Lunch: The Off-Limits Fence is the sixth installment of this exceptionally popular chapter book series. It is released to coincide with the July release of its television show on ABC3, which will be 26, 15 minute episodes.

With three stories in the book, each story is about what happens during the 15 minute snack break in a primary school playground. In The Bench that Goes in a Circle around the Big Old Tree the five friends play Chinese whispers about why Max and Elsa went home from school that morning.  Language chaos ensues as hearing is distorted then related in a grossly exaggerated form. It is hilarious and gross. Exactly what 8 year olds love to read.

The Equipment Shed sees Max and Elsa having a snail race. Battie is next to the equipment shed watching a cobweb. Manny and Amber are in a pip spitting competition. Melanie Applebum is eating an apple as she watches Battie watching the cobweb, waiting for the spider to come and eat the fly that is caught in the web. All Melanie can think of is saving the fly. This sets off a chain of events that involves all the children with incredible results.

Rory is running with the footy accompanied by a commentary in The Off-Limits Fence. He manages a superb kick but the ball falls beyond the back fence which is off limits. What happens now? Will zombie-aliens get the ball? Has he lost the ball for good? He can’t stop the images going around in his head and certainly can’t imagine the outcome, no matter how many guesses he has.

Mitch Vane’s illustrations are true to the characters, their antics, and the text. There is a seamless unity between the two creators’ work that makes the outcome so successful. The gross bits are really gross. That adds to the fun. This is illustrated fiction at its best. These books are ideal for difficult or early readers, and they’ll be hooked from the first title.

Our Stories: Australian Writers of Influence

Our Stories: Australian Writers of Influence by Bernadette Kelly (black dog books)

PB RRP $17.95

ISBN 978122179937

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

From the outstanding Our Stories series, come a compilation of influential Australian writers’ lives that left far more for history to relate than their writing. Free thinkers with strong views and at times radical in their approach, these ten people shaped Australian history with their contributions in and outside their writing lives.

Its 32 pages are jam-packed with information, pictures, and little info blocks that cover historical facts bound to, and surrounding the same era as the person profiled.

When Pen and Paper Ruled the World has an info box on Charles Tompson whose 1826 collection of poems, Wild Notes from the Lyre of a Native Minstrel were the first publication of poems by an Australian-born writer.

Introduced is the life of Adam Lindsay Gordon which refers to his battle with depression and sad end that came soon after the publication of his Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes.

Included is Marcus Clarke, famous for his work, For the Term of His Natural Life and the dynamic Louisa Lawson, mother of Henry Lawson who founded The Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women. It was the first magazine edited and printed entirely by women.

William Lane was known as one of Australia’s most radical journalists, a convincing public speaker with powerful ideas on how man should live, and the creator of the Cosme Settlement in Paraguay. Mary Gilmore was a staunch supporter of Lane’s ideas, and she left her teaching career to go to Paraguay where she married William Gilmore. Her life changed design with the failure of the Cosme colony, for Mary returned to Australia. She became the first female member of the Australian Workers’ Union and editor of The Women’s Page in its publication, The Worker.

Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson, May Gibbs, CJ Dennis and Miles Franklin are all included, along with a few miscellaneous chapters. With a rich Glossary and Index, most of the image credits go to the SLV. This is an interesting and valuable reference book and teaching tool for children, aimed at the 8+ years age group. 

Alexander Altmann A10567

Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 18.95

ISBN 9781922179999

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Alexander Altmann at fourteen years old loses his name and becomes a number at Birkenau. Separated from his mother and sister by the wire fence, he pretends to be sixteen and is put into the men’s section to work.

Shattered at learning his young sister has gone to the gas chambers, and not knowing what became of his parents, he clings to ‘just get through the day’ as a lifeline. He watches as other boys get shot or kicked to death and he is determined not to be next.

When Alex is moved to the extermination camp at Auschwitz, his farm life and experience with horses, places him in the Horse Platoon to care for the animals. The decision to keep to himself and feel nothing for no one is fuelled by the smoke, smell and sight of death that constantly surrounds him. Even the friendship offered to him by the persuasive Isidor, another young horse-handler, is totally rejected.

It takes a new horse, a wild, frightened being, very much like himself, ‘to teach him how to be human’ again. As the Russian troops draw nearer and freedom is in sight, Alexander Altmann reclaims his name, along with many other things that were taken from him.

This deeply moving novel is based on the real life story of a Holocaust survivor. Suzy Zail has built powerful, heartbreaking images of the brutal life in concentration camps. The hunger, inhumanity and deprivation are presented in strong visual narrative. Suzy’s previous novel, The Wrong Boy, set in the same era, was short-listed for the 2013, CBCA Book of the Year Award.  

Maxx Rumble Book 3: Grand Final

Maxx Rumble Book 3: Grand Final by Michael Wagner, drawn by Terry Denton (Walker Books)

PB RRP $9.95

ISBN 9781922244826

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The Soccer Knockout Grand Final is here at last. The other teams that played the Stone Valley Saints were pretty rotten with their tacky tactics, but the Plankluvin Pirates are the ‘rottenest’ of the bunch. They look and are big and tough with their crayon moustaches and pirate chant that’s sung to the tune of the ‘drunken sailor’ song.

Arriving at the park, Maxx and his team are amazed at the amount of spectators. But they are there only for the Plankluvin Pirates. Everything reflects their pirate preference from their outfits to their nasty placards. But the Saints won’ be intimidated. 

Playing in the Grand Final is a special moment in time for Maxx and his team. But the cry of all-out attack from Blackbeard has the Pirates stampeding across the field. Mr Nuffin the referee is unable to blow his whistle because he’s being water cannoned by the crowd. It’s a free-for-all and the Saints have to come up with something bigger than the Pirates.

Mr Nuffin refuses to be intimated also. He finds a spare whistle and doesn’t spare the blows. The ever-optimistic leader Maxx digs deep to find that little bit more and calls all-out-attack as the pirates make a wall.

Can the Saints find enough energy to stay in step with the Pirates? Can a ball to the face again for Rexx be the Saints’ saving grace? If so, how? And can Maxx Rumble bring his team to victory and take the trophy?

Outrageously entertaining, with its clever word play and with the round-up of the series the best of all, this series is a winner. Michael Wagner’s smart prose teamed up with Terry Denton’s amazing translation of the text guarantees that.

These chapter books are not to be missed by parents searching for reading matter for their reluctant reader. Highly creative with strong optimistic messages in every book, kids who loved the Crazy Relief Teachers series by Matt Porter will love these as well. 

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 2: Shocker!

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 2: Shocker! by Michael Wagner, drawn by Terry Denton (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 9.95

ISBN 9781922244819

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The second round of the Soccer Knockout Competition begins after the Stone Valley Saints manage to defeat the Kreepy Crawlies. Now they are up against the Outhouse Rodents and need to win this match to get into the Grand Final. The Rodents’ captain, Boofa, is a subversive captain of cheats. But his twin sister Jennifer takes the cake.

Rexx’s tummy is telling him that things are going to happen. He has no idea that they are going to happen to him, as his heart betrays him when he catches sight of Jennifer. Her flattering ways debilitate Rexx and her rocket kick has the Rodents ahead and the game almost won.

Can Maxx shake Rexx out of his love spell before they’re destroyed? How can the Stone Valley Saints catch up, with Boofa and Jennifer wearing them down emotionally? What tactics are left to them with the minutes ticking away?

More laughs, action, and deviousness as the teams battle to get into the Grand Final. The names of the characters in this series are entertainment in themselves. The point-to-point descriptions of play are fantastic, and the language clever. Again Terry Denton has surpassed himself with the characters and their expressions that add humour and mischief to the story. Look out for Book 3 – Grand Final.

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 1: Knockout

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 1: Knockout by Michael Wagner, drawn by Terry Denton (black dog books)

PB RRP $9.95

ISBN 9781922244802

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Round one of the Soccer Knockout Competition is at hand. It’s Maxx Rumble’s team, the Stone Valley Saints against the Kreepy Crawlies - said by coach Beckham to be geniuses. But these geniuses use crafty ideas and secret weapons like Peli the pelican. He seems to be classed as a part of nature and there’s nothing the Stone Valley Saints can do about it.

Rexx gets the ball in the face right at the start and needs his good luck charm, teddy, which he stuffs up his jumper. Peli scores and the Crawlies are ahead. Can Rexx’s brilliant idea be the game-saver they need? Will teddy be the secret weapon Maxx’s team needs to get into the next round?  

Terry Denton’s drawings are priceless! The language is spot on, and the laughs are endless.

This is a no-holds-barred soccer game full of excitement, devious shots, brilliant brain work and lots of fun. Aimed at boys of the 8+ age group who are interested in physical activity, this chapter book series will crack them up and draw in reluctant readers easily. The first of three books, I advise parents to buy all three together  as they will be digested quickly.

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour by Nicholas Brasch (black dog books)

PB RRP $17.95

ISBN 9781742030258

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

With an entirely unique approach to presenting the Gallipoli campaign, Nicholas Brasch has broken down the information into easy to understand divisions. He asks a question, and then answers it in comprehensive detail.

This is a wonderful reference book for young readers, and others of any age who are looking to understand the main structure of why WW1 was declared, and what happened next. It explains in easy to follow fact boxes, the main points of how and why Australian soldiers were sent to Gallipoli, why so many died, and what the outcome of the campaign was. It also tells us why Anzac Day is commemorated on April 25.

The contents are visual as well as informative. With photos and images from the Australian War Memorial, there are maps, posters and a glossary of terms for clarification. Other words highlighted within the text are also included in the glossary.

Aaron Pegram from the Australian War Memorial has done a fact check of this book, which is beautifully designed with an excellent layout of information and visuals.

Hey Baby!

Hey Baby! by Corinne Fenton (black dog books)
PB RRP $16.95
ISBN 9781922179180
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Hey Baby! celebrates the uniqueness of every living being with the focus on babies -animal and human.  Using photographed images and beginning from the cover depicting a racoon and her baby, every picture is a testimony to the singularity of new life and its precious worth.

The impressive images include a baby duck standing upright in her shell with the head and legs sticking out; the profoundly gentle and moving image of a baby gorilla lying on its mother’s back with its eyes closed in utter peace and contentment, and the delightful picture of a baby seal. There are twenty-eight pictures in all, not including the ones on the covers.

Coloured text in large font accents the important words such as ‘unique’ and ‘precious’, and the facial and body features that mothers delight in and gush about. This is a book children and adults will love and take pleasure in sharing. It will be reopened time and time again.

You Don’t Even Know

You Don’t Even Know by Sue Lawson (black dog books)
PB RRP $ 18.95
ISBN 9781922179715
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This intensely moving novel reflects the sadness ad overwhelming emotions that conglomerate into pain during the grieving process.  Its themes cover loss, coping with death and dying, bullying, and the destructive results of parents’ expectations on their children.

An incredible journey of the Self is told through the character Alex from the Neurological Unit of a hospital in a before and after the accident sequence. He reflects on the way things are in his life and the way they are perceived to be.

Struggling to overcome his injuries, Alex also battles with guilt over his little sister’s death and the imminent passing from cancer of his room mate, Mackie, whose life and dreams are revealed through her journals. Alex also lives with his father’s blame for his sister’s death, and for not conforming to parental expectations as his brothers have. His mother escapes the grief of a dysfunctional family behind the pretentious façade of her wealthy lifestyle, rigidly determined to keep up appearances.

Additional themes of identity and sibling rivalry flow throughout the story. The extremely gifted Sue Lawson has again captured the voice and thoughts of youth with great insight.

Pan’s Whisper

Pan’s Whisper by Sue Lawson (Black Dog Books/ Walker)
PB RRP $ 18.95
ISBN 9781742032061
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Perfectly constructed with sparse prose, Pan’s Whisper is another of the shortlisted titles for the Children’s Peace Literature Award for Older Readers. Sue Lawson’s magnificent portrayal of the damaged teenager Pan, her placement within a caring foster home environment and journey towards inner peace, is a meticulous piece of writing.

Deeply moving although extremely painful to read in places, this book is a prime example of showing not telling. The point of view changes and what Pan believes to be true conflicts with her sister Morgan’s telling of the same situation. How misunderstandings cause inner conflict and what one sees or hears is not always how things are the story’s dominating themes.

Some scenes are tragic and the reader becomes Pan; feels her suffering and is torn by the same feelings of loss, grief, and lack of self worth. The supporting characters are a fine construction, perfectly synchronized with the message the writer is trying to convey. There is so much in this glorious read that this reviewer cannot do justice to this compelling piece of work that will not be forgotten. That is what a writer lives for and Sue Lawson has accomplished this.

A Little Election

A Little Election by Danny Katz, illustrated by Mitch Vane (Black Dog Books)
PB RRP $ 16.95
ISBN 9781922179654
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Do children ever understand anything about elections and election campaigns? Probably not! This story, another published to coincide with our Federal Elections, will give them some basic points about this complex procedure.

Rory is a boy who wants to be Prime Minister so he can do what he likes, which is mostly being naughty. His teacher takes hold of the situation and sets up a mock election campaign with Rory and Debra-Jo as candidates. She aims to teach her class, and Rory, that the role of PM is not one of freedom and self-indulgence, but one of great responsibility. They work through a little election covering voters, electoral seats, speechmaking/campaigning, voting and the Leader of the Opposition.

This is a subtle breakdown on what elections are and how they are carried out disguised within funny and cheeky childhood antics. This story will give young children some basic points with a lot of laughs along the way.

Mitch Vane’s free-spirited illustrations break loose again to unite perfectly with the superbly clever Danny Katz’s highly entertaining text.

So You Want to be Prime Minister?

So You Want to be Prime Minister? by Nicholas Brasch, illustrated by David Rowe (Black Dog Books)
PB RRP $ 18.95
ISBN 9781922179258
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

What an interesting, revealing book this is, published to coincide with the elections. It gets right into the nitty-gritty of the lives of Australia’s Prime Ministers with information about them that surpasses a trivia contest, and includes the history of Kirribilli House.  There are statistics: on the PMs’ names with John being the most popular name, which State the most popular PMs came from, nicknames and why they were given them, and how many were former lawyers along with other tasty morsels that one would not expect to  learn. We discover their foibles, preferences in clothes and food and lots of other areas, and who died while in office.

Also revealed are the former occupations of the PMs. So if any reader aspires after the top job and thinks they are too poor, too uneducated, too anything, this book will give them the encouragement they need, for it disproves all notions of impossibility regarding credentials for becoming PM.

This book is highly entertaining with remarkable statistics, told with such humour that the reader laughs all the way through the book. Nicholas Brasch, who has written over 350 books for children and YA, has excelled again in another of the Our Stories series, making politics simple for children and adults.

The illustrations by political cartoonist David Rowe are clever and imaginative
 His caricatures of the PMs are priceless images in literal translation of the text.

The book ends with a Timeline. Each era is accompanied by an original photo of the relevant PM and the world events that took place while each was in office.

Our Stories: Life on the Goldfields

Our Stories: Life on the Goldfields by Doug Bradby (Walker Books)
PB RRP $17.95
ISBN 978-1-742032-13-9
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

From the wonderful series Our Stories from black dog books, comes another historical book, this time about life on the goldfields. It covers the period from 1851-1891 and focuses on the Victorian diggings.

In 1852 when six ships returned to Britain from Australia carrying eight tonnes of gold, people rushed to procure tickets on the next ship back to the goldfields. The poor were unable to pay for their ticket, so the British Government paid the fare for 90,000 workers. They also chose farmers so the migrating thousands could secure a source of food.

And so begins an interesting and informative narrative concerning life on the goldfields. The chapters are set out with main headings with sub-headings following, accompanied by supporting images. Under The Voyage to Australia we read about life on board the ships, how the accommodation and food differed between the classes, what they ate, who they shared sleeping quarters with, and what the routines of their daily life held. Why women and children were rare on the goldfields and how men managed without their families for such long stretches of time. What did they do on Sundays when nobody worked, and on Holy days and Holidays?

Dangers and Disasters exposes the difficulties encountered by the emigrants at sea, such as storms and shipwrecks, including the fate of the 546 assisted migrants on the Guiding Star’s maiden voyage which were never heard of again.

There is a chapter on all the different ethnic groups that joined the diggings, and how and when the Chinese arrived, and their contribution there. It also addresses the environmental price paid when trees were destroyed to make way for all the tents and living quarters demanded by the increasing arrivals.

The chapters have been carefully compiled to cover as many areas and as much information as possible within the thirty-two pages.

The book is a great teaching and learning tool about life on the goldfields of Victoria and the strains and pressures, loneliness and deprivation experienced by the men, women and children that lived there. The chapter on Little Diggers addresses the high rate of child death during those years from scalding and burning, when children were left alone in the tents for long hours during the winter. 376 children died by drinking contaminated water. Such facts are simultaneously interesting and heartbreaking. The outstanding images chosen and used in the book bring us visually closer to the facts which have been checked by the Education Officer of Sovereign Hill.

Love Notes from Vinegar House

 Love Notes from Vinegar House by Karen Tayleur (black dog books)
PB RRP $18.95
ISBN 978142032191
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis


This well-crafted and compelling mystery incorporates family secrets, misunderstandings, teenage dilemmas and a ghostly presence. It is told in first person narrative by Freya, who speaks directly to the reader; a device that works extremely well with this style of writing. 


Freya’s parents have gone to visit her ailing Nanna and Freya must go and stay at Grandma Kramer’s house close to the sea where all the family gatherings have taken place throughout her lifetime. Unfortunately her bossy and manipulative cousin Rumer is also staying there. Since childhood, no love has been lost between the two girls for Freya uncovered Rumer’s failings early. Since then they have merely tolerated one another for the sake of common courtesy within the family circle.


Freya’s long, close friendship with Luke is on the rocks because of a Facebook prank.  His interest seems to have turned to the attractive and flirty Rumer. He has also turned up to work in the garden at Grandma Kramer’s house and Freya’s agony at seeing him interested in her awful cousin, churns inside her like the rough sea that surrounds them. Quite out of character, Freya finds herself taking notes left under Rumer’s door supposedly from Luke. These lead to an even more disturbing discovery which is linked to the mystery the house holds tightly to within its walls.


But the old house holds more secrets than anyone is prepared to talk about and is said to be haunted. But by whom and why?  During her stay there, Freya starts to notice that the bath tub fills with water by itself. There are sounds which have no logical explanation. The lights in the house stay on during a power blackout and the attic is always kept locked and out of bounds.

Freya is also troubled by the fact that nobody ever talks about Rumer’s mother, especially Rumer herself. Even crabby Grandma Kramer keeps quiet about her daughter. She is determined to find answers at any cost. This search brings about astonishing results and closure for more than one person.


This is a moving story that weaves through many sub-stories and plaits themes together beautifully. It is a book will be read in one sitting for there’s no putting it down once you start.

The Wrong Boy

 The Wrong Boy by Suzy Zail (black dog books, an imprint of Walker Books)
PB RRP $18.95
ISBN 9781742031651
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

The Wrong Boy is a fictional account of a girl and her family struggling to survive one of history's most horrific events, the Holocaust. It is compelling reading. Written in first person, I felt I was there with Hanna every step of the way as her family is deported from their comfortable middle-class home in Budapest to the atrocities of Auschwitz concentration camp.

As the Mendels arrive at Auschwitz, Hanna, her sister Erika and mother are separated from her father. She never sees him again. Hanna finds solace in her music and eventually finds herself as pianist in the commandant's house. Hanna is ignored by all there. She is the invisible provider of the classical music. She feels the particular disdain of the Karl, the commandant's son, but later discovers that Karl's distance is not due to anti-Semitism but rather his own disgust towards his father and the Final Solution.

Life in Auschwitz is not glossed over: how the need to survive drives divisions within the Jewish women prisoners, the decline in the physical and mental health of Erika, and the relative health of Hannah are marked.

The romance between Hanna and Karl is delicately handled and not overplayed. Internal and sibling conflicts over the relationship simmer throughout. I thought it brave to introduce this element but Zail uses a deft hand and it adds to the poignancy of the story right to the very last line.

Queenie: One Elephant’s Story

Queenie: One Elephant's Story by Corinne Fenton, illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe (black dog books)

PB RRP $17.95

ISBN – 978-1-742032-15-3

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

Excellent storytelling and beautiful variety in illustrations pull readers inside this historic tale. Without over dramatising elements of animal cruelty surrounding our past ignorance and disrespect for animal rights, Queenie’s story tells how an Indian elephant was hunted down, taken from her home and family, and shipped to Australia so she could be ridden for tuppence at Melbourne zoo. People came from miles around to enjoy the riding experience.

Gouldthorpe’s thin line drawings of dark ink on creamy-yellowed pages, with central parts in colour, either in circles or rectangles with rounded corners, pull the reader’s eyes right into the action. The scenes reflect Queenie’s character, as well as Australia and its people in the early part of last century. When Queenie crushed her keeper to death, believed to have been an accident, thousands wrote asking that she not be put down. Due to the war and a shortage of fodder, she was destroyed on 3 July 1945.

The acknowledgements at the book’s end are testament to the vigorous research needed to build the story. It is what brings truth and life together to show how a wild animal can become tamed by humans and how the results, despite our wish to treat the animal well, are not always to the creature’s benefit. While Queenie was treated fondly by her keeper Wilfred Lawson and many visitors, some people teased and taunted her. In great spirit, she would tease back by squirting a trunk full of dirty water at them.

First published in 2006 it is not surprising to see this CBCA Honour Book rereleased. It is delightfully Australian and while Queenie’s life ends tragically, the book honours her memory. It ends with a poignant request to readers who visit Melbourne Zoo today, where they can see the Trail of Elephants along which the zoo elephants are now able to roam and swim more freely; ‘Close your eyes and you will feel Queenie’s spirit with them – playing in hideaway places, just as she did all those years ago in India.’

Oh Baby! The A to Z

Oh Baby!: The A to Z (black dog books, an imprint of Walker Books Australia)
PB RRP $16.95
ISBN 9781742032306
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Oh Baby! is an A to Z with a difference. The photographs are extraordinary (and extraordinarily cute) and the animals featured include some I have never seen in a alphabet collection before such as upland geese and x-ray fish. Animals from across the globe appear including many from Australia (and no, the 'k' is not a kangaroo or koala but a kookaburra).

Some of the animals also have descriptions or actions added in the text and these were the best pages of all. It was hard to decide on my favourite. Was it the hedgehog which 'has a very spiky hairstyle!' or the chicken which 'is curious about flying'?

Oh Baby! is a delightful book to share with young children and for those eager to learn the alphabet. Children will be sure to return to the book time and time again.

Diva 6: Girls at Sea

Diva 6: Girls at Sea by Sue Lawson (black dog books: an imprint of Walker Books)
PB RRP $7.99
ISBN 9781742031729
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Mickey, Skye and Coco head out whale watching for an episode of Girls' Stuff TV. Skye loves whales and is super-excited. But she has a problem - she gets seasick and has left her ginger tablets at home. As in previous books, Mickey is always thoughtful and helps her friend solve her problem and the girls head out to sea. Coco's snobbery sees her come unstuck and patience with her antics is running thin with all.

Mickey Farrell and the Diva series is welcome relief from the deluge of fairy books for girls of this age and reading level. Mickey sings and dances and loves cool clothes. She is also smart and sassy and committed to her friends. Girls will be sure to lap up this instalment and be wanting more.

Girls Stuff

Girls Stuff by Sue Lawson (black dog books)
PB RRP $7.99
ISBN 9781742031712
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

The Dream Diva contest is over and Mickey Farrell now has the gig of co-hosting Girls Stuff TV with Dream Diva winner and friend Skye. The girls' excitement is tempered with the discovery that Coco, or Mini-Freak as Mickey has dubbed her, arrives on set due to legal shenanigans.

Girls will love following Mickey and Skye through the process of recording their debut TV program. the clothes, make-up, filming at a theme park and the 'diva-ish' antics of Coco as she attempts to upstage Mickey and Skye at every opportunity.

Mickey Farrell is a wonderful heroine who loves singing and is always supportive of the other girls. This series for younger readers is fun and easy to read and comes recommended.