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Autumn is a servant, a beast keeper, at the wizard school. Her parents were, and her grandmother still is a beast keeper. She wishes she could go to school, but that’s never going to happen for a servant. Tragedy strikes, and Autumn’s brother Winter vanishes. None of her other brothers believes her when she tells them he is there, around the school, hidden, maybe trapped. Her only friend is her shape-shifting Boggart. 

The burden of saving the gentle wood and the wizard school falls on the shoulder of 12-year-old Cai. He turns to Autumn for help. She agrees as long as he helps her find Winter. What do they discover?

I enjoyed the mix of fantasy and mystery.

Recommended for 10 to 14-year-olds.

Published by Allen and Unwin 2021

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

This story is narrated by a 15-year-old boy. He tells of his family’s escape from the war in Sierra Leone. It begins with the narrator as a six-year-old boy witnessing rebels entering first the small town and then his home, killing as they go.

The father and son escape when a bomb destroys their house. Days later, they find his mother and infant daughter barely alive. The family begin their escape to Guinea. From there, they travel to Australia.

Their life in Australia is hard, they struggle to settle, and trouble comes their way. They battle to find work, schooling is difficult, and the racism they experience adds to their trials. How do they go forward?

The insights from a refugee settling in Australia are harsh and tell a sad tale of a country welcoming migrants and refugees.

Recommended for readers 12 years and older.

Published by Balboa Press 2014

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

The biography Ed had written about his life intertwines his lifelong love of music and his acceptance of being transgender and taking the decision to transition. 

The detailed descriptions of young and old musicians coming to grips with their instruments and playing music provides enlightening insights for non-musicians.

The journey of recognising he is transgender, finding acceptance and living as the person Ed found is skilfully woven into the book. It, too, provides important insights for cis men and women.

Recommended for young adults and adults, particularly those with a love of music and those who want to explore and learn about the world of music. 

Published by ABC Books 2021

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Elizabeth was born in 1766 in Devon. Her young sister died shortly after birth, to be followed by he father not long after that. After moving in with her grandfather, Elizabeth's mother struggled to cope with her losses, but her grandfather loved and accepted Elizabeth.

The kindly Reverend Kingdon and his wife took Elizabeth in, and her best friend became her quasi-sister. A brief liaison with John Macarthur brought her whole world crashing around her ears. Elizabeth found herself pregnant, married to Mr Macarthur and on a boat to Gibraltar in no time.

Mr Macarthur was a talented, ambitious man who could read people, identify their weaknesses, and take the long view about when to use it to achieve what he wanted. The Macarthurs sailed to the colony of New South Wales in 1789 and found a settlement on the brink of starvation. How did Elizabeth carve a life for herself?

I enjoyed reading what Elizabeth Macarthur's life might have been. The complexities around women's roles and how Elizabeth found herself were intriguing. The detailed descriptions of life in the early years of New South Wales, including the interactions with first nation peoples, made a page-turner. 

Recommended for young adult and adult readers.

Published by Text Publishing 2020

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Ying and her brother Lai Yue are in far North Queensland, searching for gold. Impoverished by their father’s gambling, they set out to find enough riches to rescue their mother, the farm and buy back two siblings sold to pay debts in China.

Finding gold is elusive, starvation a near friend and the dangers of the gold fields are ever present. Ying is disguised as a boy to keep her safe but overwhelmed by hunger and sickness Lai Yue takes Ying to the closest town, a long day’s trek away. There she finds work in a store, but Lai Yue starts gambling and smoking opium to drown his sorrows. Lai Yue goes inland with an exploratory team and is left to her own devices. Ying explores Maytown, curious about the Western people she lives so close to. What does she find?

I enjoyed the richness of the characters and the detailed insights into a harsh life and times.

Recommended for young adults and adult readers

Published by UQP 2020

The Stella Prize shortlist 2021. Historical Novel Winner 2020.

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin.

Jonah lives in a small, nearly beachside town. The loss of direct ocean access in a recent storm does not bode well for the town’s fortunes. There are the locals and the weekenders in the expensive holiday homes that a bigger and flashier than Jonah’s or his friend Manx’s.

Manx has a mullet and loves fishing for mullet too. Jonah spends all his time with Manx, avoiding the shouting and tension at home. Mum leaves, and Dad is a long-distance truck driver, so Jonah finds himself alone. How does life in Turon turnout for Jonah?

I enjoyed the verse style of the novel, the rich characters, sparse wording and loads of white space.

Recommended for readers aged 10 years and above. An excellent choice for reluctant readers or those who avoid crowded pages.

Published by UQP 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Christy was born in 1932 after a difficult labour for both himself and his mother. 

His mother was the first to notice something wasn’t as she expected. A mother of many children she thought something wasn't right. 

Brown’s autobiography tells the story of his life from childhood to young adult. His realisation that he was different and his efforts to break down the barriers surrounding him. He could not talk, feed, dress or toilet himself. How did he find his life?

A moving and and very personal account of living with a disability. I enjoyed the insights from Christy’s point of view. His frustration, what motivated him and the answers he found for himself.

Recommended for readers aged 10 years and older.

Published by Mandarin paperback 1954 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Polly is a witch, and her best friend Buster is a monster, but everyone knows witches and monsters can’t be friends. But Polly and Buster are friends. Friends on the run with nasty witches searching for them. Mrs Holloway is determined to destroy Polly and Buster.

Who will help them? Why are the stones in Polly’s pockets glowing warm and pulling her towards the mine where her father was killed?

I enjoyed the adventure the main characters must undertake to find safety.

Recommended for middle grade.

Published by hardie grant egmont 2018.

Read and review by Judy Wollin.

This collection of short stories about the Outback is the result of the seventh writing competition for the Outback Writer's Festival held in Winton on 21-23 June 2022.

All royalties go to the Festival to assist in attracting great Australian authors to the festival in Winton, Queensland, Australia. 

Grandma's Bottle Collection by Judy Wollin was published in this anthology.

Gussy is holidaying with her Grandparents on a sheep station in rural Queensland Australia. She's bored, has no friends to play with, and has nothing to do. Grandma suggest she see if she can find a bottle she likes in amongst the hundreds stacked up near the house since before Grandma came to live there. Gussy finds the bottlers are magical and she time travels and finds herself as a tar boy amongst a shed full of shearers including gun shearer Jack Howe.   

This short story is aimed at Middle-Grade readers.

Published by Boolarong Press 2022. ISBN 9781922643391

Written by Judy Wollin

Lara Zany has an important job to do at school. She’s the official friendship matchmaker: lonely newcomers, friends who have fallen out, fellow students trying to find that special friend. Lara’s the answer. She’s the one to find you a friend. She is writing a manual about it so others can learn from her expertise. 

Lara is so busy linking up the lonely and lost at school that she doesn’t have friends. She doesn’t mind. They would take her away from her important work. New girl Emma is sat beside Lara, who knows she has a big task to help the new girl make friends. Emma is wearing glitter nail polish, a Dora hair tie and dolphin earrings. She needs immediate rescuing to avoid being bullied and ostracised. 

The only problem is Emma doesn’t think she needs rescuing and challenges Lara to prove that changing yourself to fit in is the best way forward. What do both girls discover? 

I enjoyed the daily school yard issues and ethical dilemmas the girls uncovered and addressed. 

Recommended for middle-grade readers. 

Published by Omnibus Book, an imprint of Scholastic Australia 

Read and reviewed by Judy wollin 

I read and I write.            

If you read why not write?            

More reviews coming from me and you.