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  If you enjoy reading share what you read.  If you want other people to know which books your children and grandchildren enjoyed share a review.  

All you need is a brief overview of the story, the main characters and insight into the plot. You can add spoilers if you wish. 

Say what you enjoyed and who you think would enjoy the book.  

email me on  judy.wollin@gmail.com

Include the book title and author/s, publisher and year of publication and your review may be displayed here.  

Keep reading.  

Judy  

Summer and Winter are identical twins left to survive on a remote island. Their father stockpiled a mountain of food. He was taken away by ‘the enemy’.

Edward, the bear arrives mysteriously. Love blossoms between Winter and Edward and Summer doesn’t like it. She’s left out, pushed aside and worried that Edward is not all he says he is. He’s a bear. That makes him dangerous, but Winter is blind to the that.

The stockpile of food runs low. Summer and Winter must get help. The flare they had been instructed to use to bring rescuers is missing. Where has it gone to? Who took it?

I enjoyed the rich characters.

Recommended for YA

Published by Text Publishing 2020

Winner NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2021, Shortlisted Book. The Children’s Book of the Year Awards, Winner of the 2021 CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Mum and Dad would never have left Akeal, Huda, Omar, Kholoud, Suha, Layla and baby Raheed in the care of Aunt Amel if she’d realised how horrible she would be to the children. Driving Auntie about, baking for her, endless cleaning and worrying about baby Raheed who she kept with her all the time.

Something had to be done. Huda had a plan. Akeal had to help her. He was her older brother. Huda headed next door to get help from Mr Kostiki. He’d know what to do. All that fell apart when Auntie caught Huda out of bed.

Huda was determined to get help and if that meant flying to Lebanon then that’s what she had planned.

I enjoyed the humour and the antics of Huda and Akeal.

Recommend for MG

Published by Allen and Unwin 2021

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Alana enjoys the stardom she and her friends won with last year’s Original Song Contest at school. She is also happy to be in Year Eight. No longer at the bottom of the food chain at school.

She has made the decision to try something new every day. Shakespeare week looks interesting. New boy Flynn turns her friends’ heads. He’s clever, good at gym, speaks French and is in kickboxing class – reserved for boys in trouble. What is his story?

The more Alana tries to discover Flynn’s story the more she learns about Miller. Maybe not everyone is as they appear.

I enjoyed the humour and characters in this story.

Recommended for Tweens 10+

Published by Big Sky Publishing 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating.

What I enjoyed about this book was the large amount of information concerning light and the many illustrations provided to help me understand the explanations. I found there were plenty of subtitles to aid my navigation around the book and to answer some questions I had. (For example, how we use light to make amazing modern inventions.) 

What I found tedious though was the excess of too much complex and technical information that may not appeal to a person who enjoys quick and simple reading.

Recommended for People, (aged between 10-22 years) who are needing to research on the topic or are finding extra information about light and what it is used for, will find this book interesting and helpful. 

Published by Redback Publishing 1stOctober 2020

ISBN: 9781925860825

Read and reviewed by Benjamin Year 5

Thank you Benjamin Judy Wollin

Ellie looks far too much like her twin brother Fred for her own comfort. Both Fred and Ellie are geeks and love playing video games. Her hairstyle, braces and glasses were the focus of bullying at school. An accident results in Ellie’s games controller being broken.

A new controller arrives mysteriously, it talks to Ellie. She can’t resist it. What it can do is a surprise to Ellie and Fred and their nemeses at School. The controller has all sorts of abilities and Ellie and Fred love it to begin with. What triggers them to worry about their controller?

I enjoyed the humour.

Recommend for MG.

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2015. 

Illustrated by Jim Field

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin.

This collection of short stories Terry Pratchett wrote early in his writing career are funny.

Pirates, dragons, a time-travelling bus and carpet people all have adventures and stories to tell.

I enjoyed the humour.

Recommended for 8+. Suitable for reluctant readers looking for short stories. Great for reading to a class.

Published by Corgi books part of 

Penguin Random House 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin.

  This first book of the Elementia series sets up the world and characters. Stan finds himself in the Minecraft game and is attacked in the first moments. Charlie finds a book of instructions. Stan and Charlie join forces and try to find safety together. They encounter zombies, dying flesh and bones dropped by  mysterious mobs. Kat attacks the boys. She offers to ‘help’ the noobs, and they set off for the Adorian village, which is friendly to noobs.

The king sets the Minecraft game on the path to war when he banishes all lower-level players from the kingdom. Stan is so cross he tries to assassinate the king. This does not go well. The rest of the book is about survival and winning justice for the people killed by the king.

I enjoyed the humour and adventure.

Recommended for MG and reluctant readers

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2015

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin.

  Infinity Drake, Finn, is tiny. He has to hang on tight or he’ll fall out of his companion’s hair. Carla has never seen Finn any bigger than 9mm.

The thugs that have captured take them to an off-grid monastery high in snowy mountains. Finn and Carla discover the building is not so off-grid as the bad guys have convinced their slave children. A monstrous cavern filled with massive computers and machines that can shrink people will be used by evil Kaparis to make him the ruler of the world. First however,  he must cure his spinal injury. What does he have planned?

Halfway around the world Finn and Carla’s secret agent bosses and families are desperately searching the world for any sign of life. Are Finn and Carla dead? How can Finn and Carla contact their rescuers? 

I enjoyed the tension in the story.

Recommended for 10+

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2017

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Dot and Beans are detectives. They are very good at keeping it top secret. McClusky is Top Dog.

McClucky starts acting weird. Barking, sitting beside the linen cupboard, making a nuisance of himself.

It has to stop. Mum is getting cranky. Dot and Beans are onto it.

What does Dotty discover?

I enjoyed the humour and problem solving.

Recommended for MG 8+

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2016

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

In November 1095 Pope Urban II called for crusaders to travel to Jerusalem and claim it back for Christendom. It was the beginning of the crusades that lasted hundreds of years.

Conte de Falconi and his nephew are going. Luca, the eldest son of the Conte is to stay behind in Tuscany and keep the farm and family safe. Luca however must undertake the pilgrimage.

Luca has a secret, he sees demons. He’s sure others see them but don’t acknowledge it. His sanity has been called into question and he now keeps what he sees to himself. The family codex and demons tell of great loss of life and the end of civilisation if Luca doesn’t travel to Jerusalem.

Suzan is escaping from a convent and a cruel priest who intended to cut out her tongue. 

Luca shows Suzan the codex and both their lives change forever.

I enjoyed the rich history intertwined with the story.

Recommended for YA, particularly those with a love of history.

Published by Text Publishing Melbourne 2018

Read and reviewed by Judy wollin 

  Keep reading. Encourage others to read and never stop reading to children.