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Pip doesn’t want to go home. Mum’s boyfriend is unpredictable and mean and had stopped her mother from working, criticises everything she does and scares both Pip and her mother.  

Pip spends as much time exploring around Mt Isa as possible and on one of her expeditions, she finds a small, nearly dead scaly thing in a dried creek bed. Her decision to take it home makes her life suddenly much more complicated. What did she find, who ends up helping her and what happens at home? 

I enjoyed the characters and Queensland setting. The background tension around the domestic violence adds richness to the story. 

Recommended for middle-grade readers. 

Published by Allen & Unwin 2021 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Maki, Jed, Tommy and Stick are tight. They live on the same street, go to school, and play and write the video story, Screen Savers, together. They have a huge online following.  

The foursome imagines and writes the scenes together—each of them a different character in the video stories; Hispeed, Skydrop, Wiki and Filter. 

Maki has moved way too many times. Jed has parents who want him 'to reach his full potential, which is code for him having to do every outside-school activity thinkable. Tommy lives with his grandmother. His parents are dead. Stick has a brother who beats her.  

All they want to do is spend time together, but it all starts to crumble when Tommy's grandmother dies. Stick, Jed and Maki decide to take things into their own hands and trigger a massive police hunt. How does it all get sorted? 

I enjoyed the pace, mix of formats and the dilemmas the characters experienced. 

Recommended for reluctant readers, middle grade and readers aged 10-13 years. 

Published by Puffin Books 2022 

Art by Mike Barry 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin  

Stevie is dealing with heavy stuff at home. Her mother has depression bought on by the unexpected and violent death of her father three years ago. Living on benefits is a struggle, keeping her mum’s depression a secret adds to Stevie’s burden. Making and keeping friends with all the secrets is impossible.  

Hafiz has been alone for two years. He made his way across Europe from refugee centre to refugee centre leaving his parents and grandmother behind in Syria. Finally living with his aunt and uncle in England, can he settle? 

What do Stevie and Hafiz find? Can they help each other? 

I enjoyed the alternating chapters with each main character sharing their story. The complexities of living with someone with mental health issues and being a migrant seeking a safe haven make this a gritty and rich story. 

Recommended for readers aged 10 plus years. 

Published by Walker Books 2018. 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin. 

Layla’s life is not as simple as she would like. She’s not sure if she’s Lebanese like her dad and all his extended family or Australian like her mother or something in the middle. She feels different from both groups and not always accepted by either. 

Trouble over the Summer holidays results in Layla finding herself being asked to be a go-between for both her Lebanese family and friends and her other friends. Layla feels more isolated and excluded from both groups based on her dual loyalties. How does she sort both her place and the trouble over the Summer? 

I enjoyed the insights into the characters’ lives. 

Recommended for readers 10 years and above. 

Published by Angus & Robertson an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 2021 

Marisol and her cousin Jake have gathered with their families to clear out their recently deceased grandmother’s house, ready for sale.  

Marisol is heartbroken that the family isn’t keeping the house. It’s where all the fun family holidays happened. It is her grandmother. 

Marisol convinces Jake they should try and find the treasure their grandmother always talked about. 

After ‘borrowing’ a boat, they struggle up into an abandoned lighthouse. Things flicker, and Marisol and Jake find themselves in a different world. What has happened? How do they get back? What is the link to their grandmother? 

I enjoyed the complexity of the story and the mix of characters. 

Recommended for readers aged 10 years plus. 

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2021 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Bridget is Bee to friends. Her best friend Leon called her that when they were little kids, and it stuck. High school is tough, and home life has its moments too. Dad’s partner Kath tries hard to do the right thing, but Bee finds it annoying. Mostly because it’s not her mum doing it. Mum lives in India and makes choices that Bee struggles with. 

High school struggles are compounded as Bee’s body changes, periods start, and the girls around her compare their bodies, boys and what they are doing. Even swimming training has its moments. Boyfriends, dates, and changes confuse her. Bee is lonely at school until Claire arrives. What does Bee discover about friends, family, and adolescence? 

I enjoyed the realism of the characters’ struggles. 

Recommended for readers 10 – 14 years. 

Published by Lothian Children’s Books 2021 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Gus was back in the car with her mother, brother and sister. They’d had no time to gather their stuff as they made their getaway in the middle of the night. Only this time it was different Mum kept driving for days. 

A random job vacancy finds the family living in a tiny caravan in a run-down drive-in movie theatre. Gus wonders how they’ll manage. Mum can’t cook, and the three siblings share a double bed. Much to her surprise, Gus loves the drive-in. She learns to be the projection operator from an unusual older man. Mum learns to cook, and life looks good. 

Ghosts turn up, again and again. The owner of the drive-in causes trouble and Gus’s sister goes away. What is happening? 

I enjoyed the family dynamics and the drive-in setting. 

Recommended for middle grade and 10-12-year-old readers. 

Published by Angus & Roberston, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Blunderbeard struggles to fit in. His family are successful pirates, and everyone he knows is a successful pirate, but Blunderbeard keeps messing up. 

It haunts him in his dreams, his brother hassles him when he’s awake, and his parents are so disappointed. 

Blunderbeard decides winning Pirate of the Year will set things right. He must win three events, Pirates’ Skills, Kraken-wrestling and Treasure-hunting on the Island of Death. He sucks to start with, but something happens. What does the chicken do? 

I enjoyed the humour of the adventure. 

Recommended for middle-grade readers. 

Published by Harpercollins Children’s Books 2017 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Helen has her friend of many years come to stay. Nicola has cancer and is seeking alternative treatments in Melbourne. 

The pair struggle with the terminal nature of Nicola’s diagnosis, the use of alternative treatments that don’t offer any real hope and their need for hope. Nicola’s failing body, combined with her endless smiling and faking-good drives Helen to the edge. Their friendship is tested. 

This fictional account of the end of life is challenging and insightful. 

Recommended for young adults 15+ and adults.  

Published by Text Publishing 2008 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

Ben Creedy’s life is good. He’s got a job he likes growing prime beef, a good boss and a sweetheart. He’s not so sure Joanna’s views on him, match his on her. 

Life out West, when the railways are coming, and beef is money is tough. It can get wild. Money, power and influence lead to corruption, murder and theft. Businessmen pay killers and cowhands wanting a hefty pay packet to rustle cattle. 

Ben, his boss, Joanna and the men working on the ranch find themselves in big trouble. How do they survive? 

I enjoyed the characters and setting—a fun read. 

Recommended for young adults and adult readers. 

Published by Damon Yerg 

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin 

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