Site Content

   What kids or young adult books have you read recently?  Like to let people know your recommendation?      

Email me the following details to be in the running to have your book review posted. The book you have read's title and author, the name of the most important character and a description of the plot or story.   

Include what you liked about the book. What was funny, moving, or interesting?    Who would you recommend the book for?      Please include the ISBN and name of the publisher too.   

It doesn't need to be long. Three or four sentences is all that's needed.     

    In 1942 much of the world was at war. Pearl Harbour had been attacked and Americans were being called up and encouraged to volunteer for the armed services. That call was answered by the four women who make up the main characters of this book.

Rio Richlin, Jenou Castain, Frangie Marr, and Rany Schulterman are pulled into war for their own reasons. A sister killed at war, a family about to go hungry and lose their house, deaths of thousands of Jews, an ugly home life, loyalty to a friend and boring small-town life.

Army life comes as an awful shock and active service is more frightening than any of them dreamed off. How do these women motivated by personal circumstance, far away from patriotic fervour cope with army life and war?

I found the characters spell binding and their internal dialogue powerful. How they coped with the army and active service provides powerful insights into service life warts and all.

Recommended for YA 15+ and adults.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books and imprint of Harpercollins Publishers 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  This 31 page non-fiction book addresses the changes associated with puberty in young girls. The illustrations present a diversity of people with a range of body shapes stating that all are okay.

The book presents very brief information about bodily changes, emotional changes, the sign of puberty and periods. There is detail about the bleeding associated with and the management of periods. The book is aimed at young girls.

The book provides hints for parents, schools and teachers.

I enjoyed the simple and clear messages the book contained.

Recommended for MG, their parents, carers and teachers. A great read together book.

Published by SGB Publishing 2003 reprinted 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  Sabrina and Daphne are orphans. They have moved far too many times and always run away back to the orphanage. Sabrina knows that is the only place her parents will be able top find them. The orphanage however does not want the girls there forever and places them with an old woman.

Granny claims she is the girl’s grandmother. Sabrina will have nothing of it, but Daphne believes her. Sabrina’s attempts to run away from Granny results in her and Mr Canis being kidnapped. Puck tried to help. Sabrina doesn’t believe him. Jack has a plan, but it gets the girls into even more trouble. Will they be able to rescue the old woman? Is she their grandmother?

I enjoyed the world of fairy tale characters.

Recommended for 10+

Published by Amulet Books 2005, 2017

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Lumikki wants to be as fit and strong as she can be invisible and not afraid anymore. No perfumes, no remarkable clothes, quiet movements. Not noticed, not remembered and not interfering in other people’s issues.

30000 Euros brings a lot of attention even when you want nothing to do with it. That is until you hear the name Polar Bear. Who or what is Polar Bear? Lumikki wants to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I enjoyed the mysterious motivation for Lumikki. Why did she want to be so unremarkable?

Recommended for YA and adults who enjoy a good murder mystery.

Published by Hot Key Books 2014

Translated from Finnish by Owen F. Witesman

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Astrid hates winter and being couped up in the family hall. She heads off on her horse after the first melt in Spring. She rides past the Yelling Stones – stones that history tells were witches caught up in their own magic. Wolves stalk her and she’s rescued by a strange boy who shouts meaningless words while in a trance. He saved her so he can’t be that bad.

The King is ill and failing fast, his two sons jostle for a place after the King’s death. A missionary from Saxony adds a strange and frightening element to the political manoeuvring. Astrid and Leif find themselves pawns in a very dangerous game. How will they wrest control of their lives and escape the danger?

I enjoyed the Scandinavian location of the story.

Recommended for Tweens – 10-15 years who enjoy a Viking murder mystery.

Published by Piccadilly 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

This non-fiction 195-page book is aimed at young people, their parents and carers. It includes up-dates addressing new technologies and contemporary issues.

The book starts with the bodily changes associated with puberty. Darvill and Powell recommend that children know about these changes before they happen. This book provides this information.

Break out boxes and tables present the key points and help with knowing what the key for information is. The book includes questions from children and young people who are experiencing puberty or about to. The questions and answers make key points young people are interested in accessible.

The book addresses mental health, sexuality and sex, and sexual abuse and rape. Topics that often elicit strong divergent views such as abortion are addressed with the statement that people hold strong views about them.

The book is an excellent source of factual information about puberty. 

Recommended as a shared reading between young people about to begin puberty and their parents and carers. Recommended for older MG and young Tweens.

Published by Hachette Australia 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Ash can’t believe what he can see and hear. Where is he? Why is he in pyjamas? Where’s Mum? Who is the girl? Mum and Isabell’s father are trapped behind a glass wall. A dead security guy fills the hallway. The shutters are coming down on the whole building something evil is happening. Escape and get the antidote and survive are Ash and Isobel’s only option.

I enjoyed the pace of the story. It moves rapidly from set up, terrifying journey to final confrontation.

Recommended for tweens 10-14 who enjoy suspense, terror, and survival stories. The rapid pace makes it accessible for reluctant readers.

Published by Chicken House 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Conor is a servant. His father got into debt and Conor’s working it off – for years. Turning eleven years old is a big deal. It’s when children participate in the Nectar ceremony and a lucky few summon their spirit animal. Conjuring up his spirit animal would solve all Conor’s problems. 

Conor knows he doesn’t have a chance, an unknown son of a shepherd. That is until a wolverine appears after he tastes the nectar.

Conor’s life changes for ever. He meets up with three other eleven-year-olds who have summoned animals – Abeke summoned a leopard, Meilin a panda and Rollan a hawk. What is it they must do? How will their animals help them? What powers will it give them?

I enjoyed the mix of characters and their different animals. The story leads into the series.

Recommended for MG and Tweens 10-15 years who enjoy fantasy.

Published by Scholastic 2013

Read and reviewed by Judy Wolli

Tommy has an important puzzle he must find the answer to. Is Origami Yoda real? Tommy needs to know if he should believe Origami’s advice. It’s too important. He’s doomed if he gets it wrong.

Dwight is the kid who carries Origami Yoda around on his finger. Dwight is unusual and definitely not cool. Origami Yoda on the other hand had made some pretty amazing predictions and given some really great advice.

Tommy sets out to scientifically test whether Origami Yoda is real or not. What does he find? Will his life be worth living?

I enjoyed the humour and laughed out loud.

Recommended for MG 8+ particularly reluctant readers wanting a short funny book.

Published by Amulet Books London 2010

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

    Cole knows what’s going down is dangerous. Why doesn’t the girl leave? What have the three men got planned?

Coles knows it’s not his business, but he is pulled to intervene, to help the girl. It’s clear she’s not leaving without the monkey.

What is it about the girl that mesmerises Cole? What will they do now? Nobody crosses Darnell Bliss and gets away with it. Where to now?

I enjoyed the rich characters. I could picture them, and their personalities shone through. The descriptions of the environment were vivid too. The font and lay out helped with the fast pace of the story.

Recommended for Tweens 10+ and YA particularly reluctant readers.

Published by Barrington Stoke. 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

   Twelve-year-old Sylvie, lives on the railway siding in outback South Australia with her parents and younger brother and sisters. It’s a tough and isolated life.

Sylvie has never enjoyed school much until the current teacher, Clive Scott, came to town. He’s caught her interest and she loves learning. This one room school caters for all the local children. Many from poor families who do not value education. The school is vandalised by local children including Sylvie’s brother Reg.

They ran away, Reg to avoid the police and being sent to a reform institution and Sylvie to seek advice about her future. What do they learn?

I enjoyed to strong characters and the vivid descriptions of life in a railway siding town in the 1960’s.

Recommended for MG 10+ particularly those interested in how life used to be.

Published by Lansdowne Press 1966

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

  Miju and Kai were kidnapped and sent to Australia. They were contracted to a cruel ex-convict market gardener and ran away to the Gold Fields. They hope to find enough gold to go home to Korea.

Sam and his father are invited to celebrate Kai and Miju’s younger brother’s third birthday. The boy is in Korea. Sam works for Kai as a delivery boy. He likes both Miju and Kai. During the celebration racist riots erupt and Sam’s father is badly injured defending Kai and Miju. Kai is injured and ran into the nearby bush with Miju in order to escape the thugs.

Sam is torn between helping his injured father and finding Kai and Miju. Sam’s father is conflicted and struggles to decide whether to let the racist thugs get away with their reign of terror or to speak up. He fears they might be killed. Kai and Miju don’t want to trust any Europeans again. Somehow, they must survive and get back to Korea.

I enjoyed the children’s perspective of the riots on the gold fields. Sam asks the questions adults struggle to deal with.

Recommended for MG 8+

Published by Angus & Robertson 2006

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  This non-fiction book presents a comprehensive history of the Muslim cameleers who played an important role in European exploration of inland Australia from the time of Burke and Wills until the early 1930s.

The cameleers travelled vast distances with their camels carrying suppliers for isolated communities, explorers and traders. Some settled, made Australia home and helped build communities.

This book presents the political impetus for their coming to Australia, their lives and lifestyles and the enormous contribution to Australian life in the post-colonial era including the building of the first Mosque in Adelaide in late 1880s. It includes bibliographical details of 1300 Muslim pioneers.

Recommended for MG, YA and adult readers particularly those interested in this often-neglected aspect of our history.

Published by Wakefield Press 2010

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Clare is twelve years old and has always lived on a farm. Her horse is her best friend, and she loves riding. She hasn’t seen a lot of foxes on her farm in England. When she tells her father about having seen one on a road, he tells her foxes are nothing but vermin and trouble. A good fox is a dead fox. 

The fox hunt rides through and Clare hears an unusual noise. It’s a fox cub. She tucks it into her jacket and takes it home. Can she keep it? Will it survive?

I enjoyed the quandary Clare find herself in. This short story moves along quickly and has an unusual plot. The illustrations provided a lot of detail.

Recommended for 8+ and reluctant readers who enjoy horses, farm life and English stories. The spacing and font makes it easy to read.

Published by Barrington Stoke first in 2005, this edition 2017

Illustrated by Joanna Carey

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  Alex can’t believe it his uncle is dead. MI6 question him but Alex wants to know what they’re really up to. He climbs out onto the window ledge and into the locked room. What are they hiding? 

Alex is employed by MI6 and sent to see what Sayle is doing. He’s giving free computers to every school in England and seems too good to be true. Danger comes at Alex from hidden doors, dark corners and a raging dune buggy and he must take swift action to survive.

I enjoyed the James Bond actions of the teenage Alex.

Recommended for Tweens 12-15. The action and fast pace will keep reluctant readers engaged.

Published by Walker Books Ltd 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Nora Seed decides she wants to die. She takes a lot of pills, decides she’s done a stupid thing and seeks the help of her nearest neighbour.

Nora finds herself in a twilight zone. Memories, thoughts, lives lived, lives that might have been flood her consciousness. What does she discover?

I enjoyed the rich characters and unusual plot. This book tackles real life problems; suicidal thoughts and life expectations as fiction.

Recommended for YA and adults.

Published by Canongate 2020

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

 When Pasta Man knocks on the door asking for help, the protagonist of this story feels he’s out of his depth. But with the help of some unconventional superheroes, we are swept along for an outlandish adventure. Will Pasta Man renew his powers?

I loved the unlikely characters - Muscle Mums, Gadget Grannies and Stretchy Stepdads, to name a few.  This one can be read over and over with more detail revealed in each read, especially by paying attention to the illustrations.

Recommended for 2 year olds and above (when read aloud) but equally to independent junior primary school readers who will surely enjoy the humour and rhyming text.

Published by Hodder Children’s 

Books ISBN 9781444945935

Read and reviewed by Danielle Szczepina 

 Giant stomping legs disturb some eggs which start rolling off towards a cliff. Dinosaurs of every size, shape and colour work together. Will they stop those eggs?  

This brightly coloured rhyming text introduces kids to descriptive vocabulary with illustrations to assist meaning-making. 

I would recommend this book for 2-4 year olds as a read aloud.

Published by Little Simon ISBN 9781534418707

Read and reviewed by Danielle Szczepina 

Arie couldn't believe how his life turned out. Diana Clare picked him, loved him and filled his life with happiness. A pianist who didn’t play music but created it. Dead, gone, killed in a plane crash.

Beatrix, a clever, musical daughter. Felix a musical son and brother. Evie a lost soul. Diana a heartbroken mother. A date gone wrong, a wedding and a chance lost. Travel might help. What draws all these people together?

I loved the rich complex characters and the finesse with which the characters are linked.

Recommended for YA and adults.

Published by Michael Joseph an imprint of Penguin Books 202

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Gym Girls book club really enjoyed this read.

Cassidy is sick and tired of girls not being allowed to wear trousers to school. She discovers that an e-petition that gets enough signatures gets discussed in parliament, so she starts a petition to get the school uniform changed. That gets her invited onto the school newspaper team. Journalism is going to be her thing. That is until it all turns ugly.

I enjoyed the humour and laughed out loud. The dilemmas Cassidy finds herself in will be familiar to most high school kids.

Recommended for MG 10+

Published by Usborne books 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  Jesse is the middle child with four sisters, two older and two younger. He loves drawing and isn’t sure his dad thinks he’s the boy he should be. School is a boring, lonely experience. That all changes when Leslie Burke moves in next door.

Lesley doesn’t seem to worry about fitting in. She loves adventure. Together they build a secret world shared with no-one. Jess has never been so happy. Disaster strikes.

I loved the rich, powerful characters. This is a special book too. Not many MG books risk having a sad and rich ending. This book does and it’s great.

Recommended for MG 10+ 

Published by Puffin 1977

Newbery Medal (1978), Lewis carroll Shelf Award (1978), Zilveren Griffel (1983), Dorothy Cabfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1979), California Young readers medal Nominee for Middle School/Junior High (1980).

Reread and reviewed by Judy Wollin

A beautiful wedding on a secluded island. The couple look perfect together. How could the best man forget his suit? Who had left the note? What was it with the best man’s speech? Why is Olivia being so weird? Who has the deadly secret?

The patchwork quilt timelines added to the puzzle of this murder mystery.

Recommended for YA and Adults murder mystery fans.

Published by Harper Collins Publishers 2020

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

The families knew, the children knew, that the government took Aboriginal children from their families. 

Some white men visited the shores, some left, others stayed. The last arrivals stayed. Traditional food gathering lands were closed with fences. Indigenous people were not able access their traditional food and took sheep. Death followed and everyone learned the awful power of guns. Some people left their traditional way of life as they meet more and more resistance and violence when they tried to maintain it. Others moved further into the desert.

The Mardu people knew these stories and lived near and in Jigalong, a government depot set up in 1907. Contact with fencers, stockman and government men occurred. The government decided the children born to these mand and Aboriginal women would be better off in homes set up for them near Perth. Families were powerless to stop the children being stolen.

Molly, Gracie and Daisy were taken from their families to Moore River Native Settlement, North of Perth. Molly would have nothing of the degrading and inhumane conditions even if they were being taught to read and write, she escaped with her sisters Daisy and Gracie. The second half of the book recounts the girls awe inspiring walk across 1,600 kilometres from the Moore River Native Settlement to Jigalong along the rabbit fence.

I was moved by the girls’ story of being stolen and the subsequent removal of their children by a terrible policy that persisted for far too many years, generations, and families.

Recommended for tweens, YA and adults.

Published UQP 2003 with multiple reprints

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  Joss dreams of becoming a paladero, riding his raptor and conquering evil doers threatening his home, Thunder Realm. Desperate to help his only friend, Joss finds himself disguised as a drunk knight. The notoriety that comes from this substitution brings unexpected opportunity and torment for Joss.

Joss gets his wish of an attempt at The Way. The only path to becoming a paladero. Four prentices are sent on the quest. All, however, have a secret they will go to extraordinary lengths to keep hidden. Who sets out to the sabotage the prentices? Is Joss successful?

I enjoyed the mix of fantasy and prehistoric animals. The mix of knights and shining armour, cowboys honour and dinosaurs is great fun.

Recommended for Tweens and YA 10+

Published by hardie grant EGMONT 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Amari’s brother vanished, she’s angry and wants to find him. She’s in trouble at school, at home and then weird stuff happens. Her brother nominates her for Summer Camp. It’s in a supernatural world of magic, fantastic creatures, evil, deceit, mystery and death threats. Amari decides no matter what, she’s going to find her brother, magic or not. Amari is up against the evilest minds in the supernatural world. 

I enjoyed the coming of age, developing belief in self journey Amari experienced. The story addresses prejudice in many of its forms.

Recommended for YA 13+

Published by Hardie Grant 2021

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  This picture book tells the life of one of Australia’s greatest tennis players Evonne Goolagong, a world number one player. 

It starts with her family, the Wiradjuri people, and goes on to tell how she dreamed of being a tennis player. Her family supported her dreams, but she had to move first to Sydney and then travel to world to achieve her dream. Evonne played at Wimbledon and won. She became number one in the world.

I enjoyed the way the story portrayed the dream, the determination, and the success of Evonne Goolagong.

Recommended for all primary schools and for MG children. A great book to read aloud.

Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Book 2020

Illustrated by Lisa Koesterke

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

  Vivian is going to the Olympics. She hasn’t decided which event yet, she tried lots, but she’s definitely going. Running training is part of her plan. She runs to school, at school, and after school. She wishes the sports teacher at school would recognise her potential.

All Vivian’s training pays off, she won the school cross country. The sports teacher offers extra training. Success. Vivian is a runner. Mum came to watch but fainted. Vivian’s seen it before. Mum always faints. This time it’s serious. Mum ends up in hospital. It’s her heart. All the family are tested. What does this mean for Vivian?

I enjoyed the fast pace, the vivid characters and the detail around Long QT waves, a heart condition, and living with it. 

Recommended for MG 10+

Published by UQP 2020

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Noora lived in the Emirates in the 1950’s. Life is harsh for everyone except the richest families. She finds herself married to a much older wealthy man she doesn’t know. 

Life as a third wife does not run smoothly. Her husband has been married many times and has no children. Her role is to have a baby. Noora must learn to live with Lateefa the first wife who is the same age as her husband and Shamsa, wife number two, who has been married to their husband for three years without a pregnancy. Can Noora fall pregnant and if she does, does she have any more security in life?

I enjoyed the insights on life in the Emirates in the 1950’s just as the English were finding oil there. The day-to-day detail of life reflects the stories the author has been told by family and friends.

Recommended for YA and adults

Published by Harper 2009

Reread and reviewed by Judy Wollin