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Life is not easy for Amal. As the eldest daughter, she must help her mother with her younger siblings and household chores. She usually manages this and school, but her mother has not recovered from the birth of her youngest sister, and Amal must stay home.

Amal dreams of being a teacher and finds staying home very frustrating. For peace and quiet, she goes to the market alone, where she is hit by a car, and the driver not only says it was her fault but tries to take her prized pomegranate too. Angry overwhelms Amal, and she tells the man off.

Amal's world implodes. The man is the local landlord's son, who uses debt to control everyone. Amal was taken into servitude as punishment for speaking up. How does she manage? Will she ever become the teacher she dreamed of?

I enjoyed the richness of the characters.

Recommended for readers ten years ad older.

Publisher by Text Publishing 2018

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Tom lives in Hay in western NSW with his family. His two older brothers have volunteered to join the Australian armed services in response to WW2. Tom aims to win a scholarship and go to university. This comes crashing down when he must stay home from school and help in the family bakery.

Max is in school in Bockhurst, Germany, when his mother arrives and pulls him out of class. She then tells him to go, run, meet a truck and get to England to live with his uncle. Germany is no longer safe for many people, including intellectuals. 

Months later, in England, Max and his uncle are declared aliens and a risk to national security and shipped off to Australia. The internees travel by train to Hay, where a prison has been built for them.

Tom and Max meet, a friendship develops, and they help each other. What happens to both Tom and Max?

I enjoyed reading about Australia’s response to internees during WWII, the dilemmas it presented for locals and how ordinary people responded.

Recommended for readers aged ten years and above.

Published by Omnibus imprint of Scholastic Australia

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Rosie can’t swim, but somehow, her mother thinks that trying hard and grim determination are enough. No, that’s not the case. Humiliation at the school swimming carnival is the only outcome when Rosie enters the compulsory novelty race.

Jake Tran is a champion swimmer and insists that he teach Rosie how to swim to avoid the guilt of reading sometime in the future when she has drowned, and he could have done something about it. Rosie slowly gets the idea of swimming, but Jake tells her that it is not all about her. What does Jake have to deal with?

I enjoyed the pace and characters in this short story.

Recommended for readers 10-14 years

Published by Pan Macmillan Australia 2021

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Sam is overwhelmed. Dad is dead, killed in action in Afghanistan and Sam’s world is shattering. The funeral and wake will never end, and he needs to escape.

Roaming the hills, he finds a stone. Stressed, isolated and confused, Sam sees visions. Now he thinks he’s going crazy. What is happening to Sam? Can he find his way to safety?

This is a powerful book dealing with the overwhelming impact of grief. While it deals with death, it is not morbid but provides essential insights into the effects of grief.

Recommended for readers 12 years and older and adults looking for insights.

Published by Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus 2022

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Aaron Falk, Australian Federal Police fraud investigator, was surprised to be asked to be godfather to his friends, Rita and fellow policeman Greg Raco. Not religious himself, Falk begins his journey as a godparent with the view that is it an honour to be invited, but he isn’t sure what he can offer baby Henry.

The disappearance of Kim, a Raco family member, a year earlier had delayed the christening and still casts a cloud over life in Marralee. When Falk realises that Raco has compiled a comprehension file on the case, Falk wonders if Kim’s disappearance has more to it than depression and suicide.

Two teenagers are determined to find Kim and persist, questioning and following up on whatever clues they can find. They ask Falk for his opinion. What does Falk discover?

I enjoyed the rich characters, vivid story world and subtle complexities of the story.

Recommended for young adult and adult readers.

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Elizabeth Zott is a talented leader in the scientific field of abiogenesis, the origins of life in the 1960s. Women were not recognised as equal in scientific, research or academic abilities. Their papers were signed off by the men they worked with.

Elizabeth chooses not to marry the love of her life, also a world-renowned scientist, and this further complicates her professional life. It is assumed that his work and influence won her what recognition she got. On his unexpected death, she finds herself pregnant. How does Elizabeth survive, thrive and win recognition for her work?

I enjoyed the insights into the difficulties early women scientists experienced. 

Recommended for young adult and adult readers.

Published by Doubleday New York. 2022

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Grace loves swimming and is thrilled to win a place in the girl’s relay team at school. She can’t work out why not everyone on the relay team isn’t friendly.

After being accused of making the team lose, Grace is nervous about the upcoming swimming meet. What is the problem in the group, and how does Grace set out to solve it?

I enjoyed the realism of the story in the graphic novel.

Recommended for middle-grade readers.

Published by Stone Arch Books 2021

Text Katie Schenkel, art by Lelo Alves, and lettering by Jaymes Reed.

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

All Chloe’s friends live in The Shallows, well, they used to. Henry’s gone missing, and Chloe is determined to find out what happened to him.

Clues are confusing, and threats start arriving at Chloe’s home. She knows she must be onto something but what? After chasing down useless clues and jumping to conclusions, Chloe’s frustrated, and Henry’s still missing. The false leads are made worse by the secrets Chloe and other people are trying to keep hidden. What happened to Henry?

I enjoyed the complexities of the story.

Recommended for young adult readers 13+ years.

Published by Allen & Unwin, 2020

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

George uploaded a video clip of his friend Charlie Parker singing, and she began her singing career. Touring takes Charley and George to Europe, and they have a London concert and a USA tour planned. George films Charley’s performances and manages her social media presence. No marketing managers, direct links with fans via social media.

Sam, Charley’s mother’s cousin and ex-rocker, manages the tours, but things don’t run smoothly. Artwork is stolen from the galleries and museums Charlie and George visit in their free time while on tour. It looks like Charley and George’s dream careers will come crashing down unless they can solve the mystery of the stolen art.

I enjoyed the pace and mix of singing and media careers and the mystery.

Recommended for readers aged eight years and above.

Published by Puffin 2022

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

I read and I write.            

If you read why not write?            

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