Wylah proved herself in her first adventure, and achieved the near-impossible in uniting the five Guardians, now firmly at her side but her mission continues. She must press on through the Valley of the Spirits, with all its risks and dangers in order to set herself against the Dragon Army, and rescue her people.
Again the narrative is fast-paced, plentifully strewn with humour (a bum fight between a giant wombat and a drop bear can be nothing but-t!) and heavily laced with traditional story aspects and cultural references. There is also excellent explanation of words in language. Wylah and her stalwart companions encounter both friend and foe in their journey, and must even overcome treachery in her own ranks.
Your readers will be gripped by the action and be ready to jump and down and yell at those who work against this fearless young warrior. This has been such a successful formula from these two creators, and such a refreshing new take on First Nations MG literature. It has given me great pleasure to see kiddos in various libraries with the first in their hands and I predict that this will be highly sought after, when it hits your shelves.
I think we will all be waiting for the next instalment impatiently. Highly recommended for your readers from around 8 years up to lower secondary, and a fine way to round off Reconciliation Week 2023.
This ticks all my boxes in one fell swoop and I absolutely loved it. Mudlarking has long been a source of fascination for me and I would truly have loved the opportunity to explore it for myself.
Now Pamela Rushby has combined this iconic London activity with thrilling time slip experiences and at the same time crafted a very real and poignant narrative about family relationships. Nina loves her Aunty Bee, who is an ‘intertidal archaeologist’ living on a restored barge moored near Tower Bridge. What she doesn’t love is the feeling of complete rejection she has when her scientist parents both go to Antarctica for a year and send her to London to live with Bee.
At first fiercely determined not to enjoy anything, nor to communicate with her parents more than absolutely necessary, Nina finds herself drawn into the magic and mystery of the Thames and mud puddling, but with a very unnerving discovery. It appears she has a gift. If she looks too long or intently at one of the artefacts she finds, she is ‘transported’ back to that period of time, and as she finds out from old Molly, Bee’s barge neighbour, who has the same gift, this can be very dangerous.
After some near misses, and ignoring advice, Nina takes one last trip into the past, at the height of the Blitz, with evacuees and the very possibility of never making it back to her own time.
It is a fascinating look at both the history and hobby of mud larking, as well as the rich history of the Thames over centuries, and at the same time is very relatable story of the intense egocentric emotions of a tween girl, how she comes to terms with her parents’ decision, and reconciles her anguish over it.
There is no doubt in my mind that young readers will lap this up, even those who are not necessarily big fans of historical fiction because the very different setting overall (the barge, Nina’s online International School, inner city London) will capture their imagination for sure.
Tired as I was after the house move last Saturday, I managed to read this over two nights because I was thoroughly invested in Nina’s story (and the mud larking!). Pamela Rushby’s research for her historical novels is always impeccable so this will provide much rich fodder for further investigations and discussions with readers.
I highly recommend it for your kiddos from about ten years old.
Fasten your seatbelts for one last rollercoaster ride with the intrepid twin spies, in their most difficult and worrying adventure/mission yet!
When their closest family members begin disappearing – apparently kidnapped – the twins become increasingly isolated and anxious. With no ransom notes or other explanations, the snatching of their relatives seems completely incomprehensible.Then the accidental discovery of a tiny scarab token, and a mention of the meaning behind the Ancient Egyptian symbol, sets in train the unravelling of a most ingenious plot, which is both cruelly calculating but also utterly perfidious, given it has been conceived by someone the Spencer family and Pharos have trusted for years.
Slowly but surely Kensy and Max push aside their fears and intense emotions and, aided by their besties, Autumn and Curtis, begin to piece together the plan that was designed to overthrow the family and the organisation.
Once again Jacqueline Harvey will absolutely enthrall her many fans with this one with its breakneck speed of action, nasty villains and surprising revelations, though I foresee there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth to read that this is the last in the series. Surely JH cannot be so cruel? As always, the solid themes of loyalty, resilience, risk-taking, problem-solving and relationships both family and friendship are very evident. It is, to my mind, these core values that completely resonate with her readers and Jacqueline is able to weave these into her books, effortlessly it seems, without ever sounding preachy or didatic.
The publication of Time’s Up this week, marks Jacqueline’s 50th book for young readers and each and every one has been a resounding success. Her work not only brings wholesome but fun reading to kiddos , it is always up to speed with latest trends, ideas and technology (voice cloning is one such tech trick in this book), and the voices of her characters always ring true. She really does ‘get’ kids, how they think and act, what makes them fearful and what they are capable of when challenged.
As always, I will say, I really do not need to recommend this as copies will literally fly off shelves all over the place but I do strongly suggest you order multiple copies for a collection as they are going to be in hot demand.
IF this truly is the last of Kensy and Max, I just want to say a big thank you Jacqueline for taking us all on this fabulous creative and Bond-esque ride! Highly recommended of course for your readers from around 10 upwards – stand back when you put them on the shelf though!
These days The Kid and I have beach days that look like her surfing and me sitting, enjoying the view or reading but in the past, from the time she was toddling, exploring the beaches at low tide was one of our favourite pastimes. We especially loved the hermit crabs of all sizes, the wiggly worms, the shiny sea jellies, the (thankfully) rare sighting of a blue-ringed octopus (!!!!!!!) and of course, the occasional glimpse of a sea cucumber.
I think Neil might make a good point. These are, seemingly, not the most interesting of creatures. [However, there are around 80-100 species MANY OF THEM EDIBLE -with their outer layer, bêche-de-mer, considered a real delicacy in many cuisines.] I don’t think that’s a consideration that should be raised with Neil, the hero of this adventure.
I say adventure because, for a sea cucumber, it is indeed that. Neil’s true love, Sandra (hehe) has been swept away – not off her feet, because obviously she has none – but more like a ‘go with the flow’ moment and carried away on a tidal surge. In a case of mistaken identity Neil sees, away in the distance, a Sandra look-alike (which is actually a discarded party pickle) and in his own cu-cumbersome way he races to her rescue.
The accompanying illustrations of this epic journey across the seabed had me in fits of the giggles. With deadpan delivery worthy of Neil Pye (The Young Ones – for whom I do hope this Neil was named) this boring amazing (if slimy) critter will endear himself to young readers from Prep upwards.
In my experience, young kiddos are really good at subtlety, and making inferences from illustrations that expand on text, and any adult reading this aloud will have difficulty in restraining themselves from snort laughs (or is that just me?). I love a good pun and there are some here that will provide a perfect introduction to this form of word play for youngsters. Lucinda’s clever cartoon style artwork is the ideal accompaniment to this narrative – which might seem sparsely written but is actually teeming with vibrant expression. And full marks to the designer for the absolutely superb binding – the gold foiling and Neil’s texture on the front cover is just a brilliant finishing touch!
Highly recommended for kids (and big kids) who love some understated humour and hilarious illustrations.
Well, if there’s anything more exciting in MG fiction than a new Cressida Cowell title, it’s a new Cressida Cowell series and this one is going to skyrocket I can assure you.
K2 O’Hero (yes, he is named after the mountain) would appear, to all intents and purposes, a very ordinary little boy. He and his twin, Izzabird, are from a very extraordinary family it’s true, but that’s a deep secret which is not revealed outside said family – and especially not, to the Stepfather and the world’s most irritating stepsiblings, Theo and Mablel. But not even Izzabird knows that K2 has an incredibly rare and powerful gift. In fact, K2 doesn’t know he has this particular gift but that’s all going to change.
K2 knows he can draw amazing maps of strange, marvellous and, at times, frightening places but he has no idea that he can in fact create these maps as portals to the worlds he believes are just his own imagination.
When bizarre happenings start to accelerate around them: a weirdly creepy faux Geography teacher, a robot assassin, a very odd and seemingly magical person named Horizabel, and their mother and great- aunts (all witches) taking off into the night on a secret mission – and that’s all before baby Annipeck is abducted! – the four children must somehow work together to figure out the Alternative Atlas and conquer the obstacles they face including the vile and ravenous beast, the Abhorrorghast.
I loved this from start to finish. It has all of Cressida’s fantastic creativity: her wonderful skill with humorous secondary characters (the ones that almost steal the show) and an ability to weave a spellbinding adventure with heart-stopping moments, truly horrible villains and children who, in spite of any talents or gifts, are very normal in their ferocious loyalties, their unswerving determination, their sniping and bickering and their persistence.
Your readers from around Year 4 will adore this – particularly those who loved The Wizards of Once – and my suggestions is that you order more than one copy!
Highly recommended for boys and girls who are able readers from mid-primary upwards.
This is just utterly fantastic from first page to last. So good that I gobbled it up in just two sittings in fact. Why is it so dangerous being Trilby Misso you may wonder? Well, because she finds herself in a unique position – inheriting the singular role of Time Keeper.
A truly strange illness has befallen much of the general population, causing people to do some very bizaare things such as bake ancient cakes or speak dead languages, but it is when these give way to just continued and unceasing sleep that situations become dire. When Trilby’s mother becomes ill she knows it won’t be long before she will also become one of the never-ending sleepers so she decides that she and Trilby must seek out their only living relative, an elderly great-aunt of some kind. Whatever Trilby expected, it was not the incredibly ancient and eccentric Thumbelina, who lives in an intriguing antique shop, full of curiosities, at the edge of a lake which appears to more of an inland sea. And she certainly didn’t expect her lively aunt to just drop down dead and leave her in what turns out to be, a hugely overwhelming and dangerous role – that of Time Keeper on the very edge of Time.
As Trilby tries desperately to make sense of who, what and where she is, the situation becomes even more fraught and definitely more dangerous when the villain of the piece, the Night Manager, Mr Colin. Evil personified, and the relentless pursuer of Trilby, Mr Colin, has been thwarting the members of the Time Guild at every turn. Now that Thumbelina has passed the Time Keeper’s responsbilities to Trilby, he is determined to rid himself of what he thinks is merely an annoying young girl. Little does he know that Trilby is both resourceful and courageous.
The entire lively adventure is peppered with the author’s trademark humour and the completely off-the-wall interjections and asides are hilarious. Middle school readers are going to love it – for both the suspenseful adventure and the wacky wit – as well as the extremely nasty baddies.
Highly recommended for your kiddos from around Year 4 upwards.
My friends are all very aware of my penchant for penguins. Surely, they are one of the cutest creatures in the world? Although, if you have ever participated in the penguin spotting research via live stream, you will appreciate that the little darlings are very hard to distinguish one from another…but now there’s Plume. And there can be absolutely no doubt at all that Plume is most charming and delightful penguin ever to waddle the pages of a book.
Tania McCartney has a genius for creating picture books that not only engage young readers with their narrative and exquisite illustrations but which also teach, whether about geography or history, people, or places. To my mind she has an absolute gift for her unique style of ‘travelogue’ books and children of my acquaintance return to these over and over, and with Plume she takes this virtual travelling experience to a whole new fun and entertaining level.
Plume made his first appearance as a global traveller in the first book World Explorerand readers fell in love with this quirky little citizen of Antarctica, who is just a bit different to all the other penguins with his love of very non-PC (Penguin Culture) activities such as sky-diving, knitting and cooking. It is Plume’s great interest in cooking that sparks his newest adventure.
The little gourmet with the distinctive yellow feather has tried in vain to interest his fellow penguins in trying out new taste sensations as he savours his latest online purchases gathered from around the globe. Seemingly, his mates are far too set in their plain fishy ways so Plume conceives of an idea to tempt them.
Enlisting the assistance of the lovely Ava, from Albatross Express, after her super suggestion that he should host cooking lessons, Plume takes off for a round-the-world gastronomic experience that is bound to set your tastebuds tingling. From Japan to Italy, Iran to Mexico, Morocco to Sweden, Plume and Ava sample and savour tastes and treats. Some of these your little readers will know such as tacos or kebabs but others will be new words and dishes to roll around their tongues: torshi, kanelbulle, fika, meskouta or flautas are just a few.
As always, Tania’s illustrations are simply divine, and her characters completely charming, especially their facial expressions. Throughout her fun with wordplay, onomatopoeia and descriptive language will provide much rich and fruitful discussion. And – oh my goodness! – the gorgeous endpapers, frontispiece and the scrumptious textured cover elevate this to a work of real art.
I cannot wait to share this with some hungry little readers and would love to follow it up with a virtual trip around the world, concluding with a feast – of course!
This will easily be incorporated into a teaching program focused on geography or cultural awareness but makes for such a superb personal reading time share as well. I would highly recommend anyone to add Plume to their collection for readers as young as Prep right up to later primary, and I am definitely looking forward to Plume’s next adventure.
As we all eagerly anticipate the new forthcoming Netflix adaptation, what better way to feed our love of Enola and her adventures than by reading this newest in the series? (In this house we are both fans of not only Enola but definitely Millie Bobby Brown!)
Nancy Springer’s series following the adventures of Sherlock Holme’s ferocious young sister has been a smash hit and created a huge following, mostly among girls from around Year 6 to Year 9. In this latest episode our favourite sleuth is determined to rescue her friend Lady Cecily Alastair, an unfortunate young woman who is being cruelly treated by her nasty and domineering father.
After the success of the initial ‘spring’ from her family home, Enola is relieved that she has secured Cecily’s safety but her relief is short-lived when Cecily disappears from the secret office Enola maintains. For many this would not be such a disaster but Cecily is hampered by her dual personalities – one left-handed, confident and resourceful and one right-handed which has been forced upon her and rendered her meek and helpless. With no money nor resources, no skills or friends to call upon – how can this young woman possibly survive the streets of London?
Of course, Enola’s adventures would not be complete without snarky intervention from older brother Sherlock (who always feels himself to be superior- wrong). The banter between the two is highly entertaining as always but Enola’s superior female intellect is more than a match for Sherlock’s rather more prosaic kind of intelligence.
This series hardly needs any ‘selling’ – suffice to say your kiddos from around Year 6 upwards will just gobble it up and just in time for the new Netflix adaptation!
A couple of years back I enthusiastically endorsed The Silver Arrow and I am very pleased to say that this second instalment is equally as enchanting for your middle school readers.
A year after they first encounter The Silver Arrow and begin their mission to save the world’s endangered animals via the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway, Kate and Tom are back on board as conductors, but this time things are different. The pair come across a very different train on the secret railway – The Golden Swift – which is also dropping off animals at stations. The problem is that these other conductors are delivering animals to the wrong stations and Kate is determined to find out the whole story.
The ensuing adventures range across the globe from the outback wilds of Australia to the depths of the Bering Sea in a magical submarine and once the identity of the rival conductors is known, Kate feels that they have formed an undeniably positive partnership – one which will change the course of nature for the better. But there’s a huge realisation coming their way – insights into themselves and their new friends, but also a deeper understanding of the complex intertwinings of the natural world – past, present and future.
Like the first, this is not simply about the exciting adventure and quirky characters (where else would you encounter a bossy cassowary who is the dispatcher for the railway or indeed a completely crazy wolverine?) but offers up much food for thought with rich discussions on ethics, brainstorming possible solutions to the terrible castrophe with which the world is faced, and strategies to avoid further damage.
Beautifully imaginative once again, this is a must to add to your collection and your astute readers from around ten upwards will adore it.
There is something quintessentially English about a group of children who are into bird-watching I think, especially when combined with all the other great things going on in this series. A diverse cast of characters, an appealing setting where the kids can roam in their own private forest at will, navigating the sometimes not clear-cut avenues of friendship, thrilling adventures and a mystery to solve, all combine to make this an irresistable read to middle school kiddos.
We know that mystery and crime stories for younger readers are booming at present but the point oif difference with the focus on children who care for nature and apply their knowledge in a positive way makes for a thoroughly charming twist.
When Jack comes across a badly hurt cat he suspects that the injury is deliberate – but who could be responsible for such a cruel act? He knows this is another opportunity for the Twitchers to do some investigating but there is soon even more to investigate when the expected arrival of one of the most rarely seen birds is threatened by a local wildlife poacher. The children rally their full force and put their minds to a well thought out plan that will, with any sort of luck, save both the local cats and the magnificent lammergeier.
This is a top notch adventure for readers from around Year 3ish upwards especially those that like their stories action-packed! It would be best read after the first so that your kiddos know the characters and backstory but this is not completely necessary.
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