Children & young adult books highlights for August

I’m passionate about picture books and this month there are several stand-outs. From Bob Graham, a story with plenty to say in a few carefully chosen words and his trademark style: Vanilla Ice Cream. The worlds of a tiny sparrow from India and a little girl in Australia collide in slow motion to show us the beauty of a big wide world and the joy of tiny connective moments within it.

Melbourne artist Tai Snaith gave us one of last year’s picture book bestsellers: Family Hour in Australia, a staff favourite, about native animals and their diverse family set-ups. With the same highly accomplished and original style we now have Sticks and Stones, Animal Homes, which looks at unusual animals and the unique homes they build. Tai manages to anthropomorphize her characters very stylishly.

I love the mixture of humour and breathless fairy-tale peril in Use Your Imagination by Nicola O’Byrne. A naïve rabbit finds his imagination not just running away with him but running after him, and there’s a fun fold-out surprise at the end. Playful names and quirky art will delight children as you read Gaston – the story of two dogs who are accidentally swapped at birth. When the logical response – to swap them back – fails miserably, what follows is a lovely message about having the courage to listen to your heart, and of unconditional love.

It’s a departure from Young Adult literature for Australian writer Ananda Braxton-Smith as she writes for a slightly younger reader in Plenty, which is about a ten–year-old girl who moves from inner-city Melbourne to a small regional town. This was a particular favourite of Athina Clarke, our children’s buyer at Malvern: “Beautifully written and wonderfully insightful, this story will definitely strike a chord with confident independent readers.”

Several Readings’ staff have recently acquired new puppies or kittens and the stories of early morning wake-ups and rascally behaviour have been hilarious (for me…maybe not so much for them), so they’ll be among the many readers who’ll identify with the main character in My Dog Doesn’t Like Me by Elizabeth Fensham. The dream versus reality of owning a dog for the first time is carefully and amusingly explored.

Filling a gap in the market for easy-to-read stories about contemporary life for young Australian boys is a new series called Stuff Happens. I really enjoyed Tony Wilson’s first book in the series, entitled simply Jack, which is about the fallout from a game at recess that goes wrong and has results that no one intended. These are fast reads that deal with every day issues – serious but not at all dry, keeping up a terrific pace with a strong, direct narrative voice. Also out this month is Andrew Daddo’s Ned, which is about getting the teacher you dread and feeling like you’ll never live up to the reputation of your older siblings.

Our young adult book of the month is E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. This is such an interesting book because it seems to divide people so energetically. Half of our staff passionately loved it and it has legions of fans already with a very successful social media campaign. Those who didn’t feel the love were just as enthusiastic about their reasons. It’s that sort of book. The writing is extremely good so I recommend you read it and find out where you stand.

Another young adult title that I expect to do very well is Darren Groth’s Are You Seeing Me? This is about siblings, Justine and Perry, who are spending a final holiday together before Perry moves into supported living. Current young adult reading-machine Kushla Egan, who works at the Carlton store, says: “This is mature young-adult writing that doesn’t rely on an all-consuming love-interest plot. I think fans of Melina Marchetta – and basically anyone with a beating heart – will love this journey.”

Two more notable additions for Australian young adult. Sibling bonds and loss are also explored in Claire Zorn’s second novel, The Protected (her first, The Sky So Heavy, has been very successful). And Rebecca Lim’s Melbourne-set The Astrologer’s Daughter deals with the mysterious disappearance of a parent, and gives us a very memorable main character in Avicenna Crowe.

Finally, Australian Children’s Laureate Jackie French, who is one of the most powerful public speakers on children’s literature that I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, has written a fantastic tool for parents and teachers: I Spy A Great Reader. Jackie has drawn on her own experiences of childhood dyslexia and gives lots of ideas for how to kickstart a love of books.


Emily Gale

Cover image for I Spy a Great Reader: How to Unlock the Literary Secret and Get Your Child Hooked on Books

I Spy a Great Reader: How to Unlock the Literary Secret and Get Your Child Hooked on Books

Jackie French

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