-
The 113th Assistant Librarian – Stuart Wilson
Penguin Australia When you get an ARC all wrapped up pretty just like a birthday present, you can be pretty sure it’s going to be an exciting surprise inside and so it was. I mean to say, how could they possibly go wrong sending me something called this with a stern warning about the magic…
-
Like a Curse – Elle McNicoll
Walker Books Australia August 2024 Imprint: Knights Of ISBN13:9781913311377 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 I absolutely loved Like a Charm and so, I naturally started to gobble this one up as soon as it arrived two days ago and now as I start to write the review, realise it’s not released till August 🤦 (started…
-
Pearl and Friends #3: The Flower Fairy – Sally Odgers. Adele K. Thomas
Scholastic Australia March 2024 ISBN 9781761203046 RRP: $9.99 There is absolutely no sign of the Smalls’ fascination with unicorns, magic, and fairies abating – thank goodness!! We have enough trouble in the world without our Littles losing their love of all things sparkly. Sally Odgers has long proven her skill in writing highly engaging and…
-
Ivy Newt series
New South Books Ivy Newt and the Storm WitchDerek Keilty, illustrated by Magda Broll Apr 2023 | Scallywag Press | 9781915252180 | AUD$18.99, NZD$21.99 Ivy Newt and the Time ThiefDerek Keilty, illustrated by Magda Broll Sep 2023 | Scallywag Press | 9781915252333 | AUD$18.99, NZD$21.99 Yes, quite right – both of these were released last…
-
Bad Martha – Wendy Orr. With illustrations by Carol McLean-Carr
Angus & Robertson 1991 A chance remark from Wendy Orr prompted me to say, I’d never seen this one, and I said I would look out for it. Being an extremely generous and kind person, Wendy posted me one of the few remaining copies she has (signed and all!) and what an absolute little treasure…
-
Wonka – Sibéal Pounder: Roald Dahl, Paul King and Simon Farnaby
Penguin Australia When I first found out about Wonka I was a little apprehensive, I admit. How could Dahl’s anarchic magic possibly be recreated? And then I saw that Timothée Chalamet was cast as Wonka, and I relaxed quite a bit. Then I saw the first official trailer, and knew it would be alright. We haven’t…
-
The Box of Delights – John Masefield
Masefield was the Poet Laureate from 1930 to 1967 and his two children’s books, The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, were both great favourites of mine as a child. I was hugely excited when The Box of Delights was adapted by the BBC into an absolutely marvellous TV series and even moreso, when…
-
The Christmas Wish (The Wish Sisters series) -Allison Rushby. Illustrated by Karen Blair.
UQP October 2023 ISBN: 9780702266362 RRP: $12.99 The Wish Sisters series has already established a following among those young newly independent readers who respond well to everyday family life with an added twist of fantasy and humour. These stories have a flavour that strongly reminds me of E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It, in which…
-
The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet [a Kingdoms and Empires book] – Jaclyn Moriarty. Illustrations by Kelly Canby.
Allen & Unwin October 2023 ISBN:9781761067570 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $22.99 Confession: this was the first Kingdoms and Empires book I’ve read 😳 but in my defence, this series has been so very popular with the readers in my libraries, that they were never on the shelf long enough for me to…
Just So Stories 
You must be logged in to post a comment.