Review: Mia Megastar

Mia and her family live above their fruit shop. Their extended family are always around with lots of Greek food at the centre of their gatherings. 

Mia loves to sing, dance, and entertain at every opportunity.

She is excited because her stylish, beloved aunty - theia Athina who lives in Paris, is coming to visit. (Mia is her theia’s ‘one’ and ‘only’. That’s what her name means in Greek).

The family is preparing a party to welcome her, with lots of traditional food.

Review: A Small Collection Of Happiness

Hettie is a smallish girl with a biggish imagination. She also has a biggish personality, that much is evident from the first pages of this new very different, somewhat off-beat new Zana Fraillon middle grade novel. 

She lives in a very unprepossessing block of flats, which look out over an equally unprepossessing yard, in an even more unprepossessing part of town. 

The whole town has an unloved, unkempt and barren look and feel about it, despite its ironic name of The Gardens. Yet, within this dreary landscape, there is still life and colour, certainly to Hettie’s mind, and as the narrative unfolds, that life begins to revive and restore the colours and happiness it was once designed to hold.

Announcement! New Junior Reviewer

Fear not, you are not seeing double. We are super excited to introduce another new Junior Reviewer into our illustrious KBR family. 

Last week we met the delightful, Elle Freestone. Now it's time to put your hands together for the utterly fearless and fabulous, Asha Freestone. 

Like her sister, Asha will be sharing her enthusiastic love of all things literary with us in the months to come. 

We simply can't wait to read more, Asha! Meanwhile, welcome! Discover more about Asha via her 12 Curlies, below.

Review: How To Find A Rainbow

One of the first things that is apparent with this stunning picture book, is the slightly subdued nature of the divine illustrations. Set on a rainy day, these pencil drawings are anything but gloomy – rather, they have an air of magic and mystery about them. Indeed, they are totally compelling in all the best ways.

Reena hates rainy days. She hates the way the dark clouds make everything look so dull.

Rekha loves rainy days. She loves the way the rain makes the earth smell.

Review: Saturday Is Pancake Day

It’s hard not to wonder, with the visual riot and chaos of cooking pancakes in this fabulous book, whether there have been spies in my household for years...

Saturday is Pancake Day is a gorgeous, messy and delectable (I use that word loosely) rendition of a family tradition taken to extremes. The huge pancake on the cover is tactile with those little holes that signify the very best of pancake-dom. Fancy.

Milo makes the best pancakes, but today, Henry doesn’t feel like them. What? Why? Who in their right mind doesn’t like pancakes?

Meet The Illustrator: Blithe Fielden

Name: Blithe Fielden

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Fun, playful, colourful, scribbly, imaginative, narrative, child-like, nostalgic

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
If there is one thing I have learnt since my move from England to Australia 18 months ago, it is that it's possible to work almost anywhere as an illustrator. As long as I have a sketchbook on hand, a pencil case filled with an assortment of colourful pencils and somewhere to sit down - whether that is a table in a park, a blanket on the grass or a bench in the city, I can happily sit for hours, scribbling away.

Sometimes, I love to listen to music or have a TV series on in the background (admittedly, I watched all six series of Gossip Girl whilst working on ‘Dinosaur in my Pocket’ over the two and a half month time frame).

Review: Her Majesty's League Of Remarkable Young Ladies

Move over MacGyver, there’s a new Queen of Improv in town and her name is Miss Weatherby; that’s Winnie to you and I. 

Young teen, Winnie rocks as an inventeress. Yes, the gender specification is acceptable because the time period Winifred rocks in is the late 1800s as in the latter part of Queen Victoria’s reign, which adds a delicious extra layer of richness to Alison Stegert’s first middle grade fiction, Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies.

This astoundingly long-titled novel is an extravaganza of remarkable indeed. An exciting mash-up of Nancy Drew come Famous Five sporting the Victorian era qualities of A Little Princess. Somehow, Stegert sews it all seamlessly together in a gripping tale of espionage, mystery and for want of a better word, MacGyverness.

12 Curly Questions with author/illustrator Ryan Abramowitz

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

Waddling around the north end of Albert Park Lake are a pair of black-and-white ducks. I am obsessed with watching them and how in-sync they are.

2. What is your nickname?
Abro, or as my high school jumper had embossed FABROLOUS.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Snakes - yikes! Or, not having access to a waterway for an indefinite period of time. I need my oceanic fix.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Whimsical, heartfelt and harvested by metaphors of the natural world.

Junior Review: The Sun Is Also A Star

A touching story based on the author’s real-life, features Natasha, a Jamaican teen facing imminent deportation in the next 24 hours, and Daniel, who has been living in the shadow of his older brother his entire life. 

When they cross paths at a bookstore, neither of them knows that this is the start of a unique and heartwarming love story.

Both Natasha and Daniel have their own demons to fight, with each of them living in homes that feel broken as they dream of a way to escape their reality. 

Ironically, 'dream' is not a word in Natasha’s vocabulary as she only sticks to the facts and science. On the contrary, Daniel fantasizes about saying his poetry out loud, a thought he keeps hidden from his Korean parents. The reader gets to dive into each of their perspectives with chapters alternating between the two.

Review: The Bird Art of William T. Cooper

The images in The Bird Art of William T. Cooper are of immense beauty.

 They are accompanied by valuable information on bird life.  

The text is presented by his wife, Wendy Cooper, botanist, author, and explorer.

This is a companion volume to The Botanical Art of William T. Cooper, and is made up mostly of unpublished artwork, with a few exceptions.

A stunning collection, the book is perfect for older children interested in learning about Australian and other magnificent birds and the areas that they frequent.

Review: A Room for Ryel

Ryel and his dad officially become a blended family when they move into Lonnie’s house. 

Luckily, her twins Harry and Darcy, are already close friends with Ryel as they go to school together.

Sharing a room has many challenges and becomes something Ryel can’t come to terms with after having his own room for so long. 

Darcy talks and shouts in his sleep, while Harry’s breathing noises are epic, and keep Ryel awake all night. Half asleep through the day, his performance at school drops.

The only solution to the problem is the storeroom that houses the twins’ sports equipment and other stuff not currently being used.

Ryel comes up with a plan that could work.

Review: Alphabetter

An alphabet book with a difference, Alphabetter is here to teach you more than just your letters. 

It’s a book to inspire and support you, providing 26 ways to be the best you.

Like being friendly (the word for the letter F), which the book goes on to describe as sharing and being kind, like when you team up with someone new in class.

Book Lists: Peace and War

We’ve grouped together some of the many book lists we’ve shared over recent years, in case you missed them the first time around.

We hope they inspire you to pick up a book you’ve not read before, or find a book to help explore and better understand a particular subject with readers of all ages.

Peace and war feature in many books, from picture books for preschoolers and older readers to YA fiction. 

Over the years we've shared more book lists on this topic than any other. While non-fiction can teach us about historical events and people who have had an impact on the world, fiction gives us stories with new and different perspectives, and helps develop empathy. These books are a window into history and a prompt for a better future.

Je suis tolérante - Stories representing different historical and contemporary cultures, and encouraging peace and tolerance. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/01/book-list-je-suis-tolerante.html

Anzac Day - Remembrance - Ten picture books use stories to help remember those who have served in wartime. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2017/04/terrific-10-anzac-day-remembrance.html

Anzac Day - Experiences of war - These books explore what war is and the impact of the experience of war. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2017/04/terrific-10-anzac-day-experiences-of-war.html

Picture books about Gallipoli and Anzacs - Stories that are narrative and stories with a strong focus on facts about World War I. These titles include some based on true stories. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/04/book-list-picture-books-about-gallipoli.html

Picture books about peace and hope - Amidst conflict it's important to have hope and seek peace. These stories help children understand these concepts. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-picture-books-about-peace-and.html

Young adult novels about war and conflict - A selection of stories that provide insight into the impact of war, particularly on young people. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-young-adult-novels-about-war.html

Middle fiction novels about war and conflict - Stories told using narrative fiction can help young readers to understand the experience of war and its ramifications on a personal and global level. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-middle-fiction-novels-about.html

Picture books about war and conflict - The complexity of war can make it a difficult subject to talk about. These books are helpful in raising and exploring the concept of war with young children. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-picture-books-about-war-and.html

ANZAC books worth knowing - Five picture books about experiences of the ANZAC soldiers, told from different perspectives. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2012/04/anzac-books-worth-knowing.html

More books and lists with stories looking at the experience of war http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2016/04/anzac-day-2016-book-list-books-about.html

Review: Dinosaur in My Pocket

We all make mistakes and on the day that James visited the museum, he made a big one that came with consequences.

One toy was missing from the shelf of James’ miniature collection. When he saw the dinosaur in the museum shop, he didn’t have any money.

As no-one was looking, he popped the toy into his pocket.

He didn’t feel himself about doing something dishonest. He was uncomfortable and felt the dinosaur was a heavy weight that he carried with him.

Announcement! New Junior Reviewer

The thing about children is that unless they are Peter Pan, they grow up. Unfortunate for us if one of them happens to be a Junior Reviewer. 

Fortunately, there are still plenty of kids who love reading and love sharing their thoughts about a great read with others. Ellissa Freestone is one of them. 

Elle read and wrote stories from a very young age. Creative writing has always come easily to her with a poetic writing style that often invokes intrigue. Novels are binge read between her other passions of drawing, basketball, and singing, both privately and choral. Elle also studies piano to a current grade 4 AMEB standard whilst excelling in her high school studies. Discover more about Elle from her 12 Curly Questions responses below. Meantime, welcome Elle!