Discover the new kids books our booksellers are excited about this month!
Picture Books
The Train at the End of My Street
Tom Jellett
There is no vehicle that inspires such passionate fans as the train. There are many train lovers of all ages, but this book has been written with the youngest in mind, and with an understanding that, for small children, an encounter with, or excursion on, a train can be a monumentally exciting event! It’s a simple book that feels very familiar and explores all things train from the perspective of a child who can hear trains from their home.
From meeting Mum as she disembarks after work to buying a ticket, checking the platform clock and bringing snacks for a long journey, this book has it all covered! There are many different types of trains and stations, and all are lovingly illustrated with Sydney-based author and illustrator Tom Jellett’s trademark warmth. Jellett has created a delightful celebration of transportation and a perfect book to share with train fans aged 2+.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
Art'bracadabra
Raphaël Garnier
Post Wave is a high-quality independent publishing house whose books are happily now available in Australia. Many of their acquisitions are books that have been translated into English for the first time. A striking example is Art’bracadabra, which is the work of Paris-based graphic designer Raphaël Garnier.
Garnier has created a stylish interactive book to explain the fundamentals of visual art. There are various tactile elements including flaps, tabs, cut-outs and pop-ups. Wonderful contrasts of textures, shapes, colours and patterns invite readers to engage with concepts like contrast, scale, perspective and composition.
Art’bracadabra is suitable to share with kids aged 6+, but it will also make an excellent high school classroom tool and I’m sure it will find plenty of creative-minded adult fans too. It’s never easy to decide on the best section of the shop to shelve unique books like this, but it sits nicely alongside the work of Hervé Tullet. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this exciting publisher!
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
The World We Can Build
Sally Rippin & Eliza Hull, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett
‘It’s not right!’ Carla says. ‘This world is unfair, for people like me who use a wheelchair. We need a new world where we can play, too. I know – we’ll invent it! Yeah, that’s what we’ll do.’
The World We Can Build is the second collaboration between musical artist, writer, and disability advocate Eliza Hull, Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin and illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett. Come Over to My House introduced us to the home lives of various kids and parents who are Deaf or disabled. The World We Can Build follows up by looking outside the home to public and shared spaces.
It’s a simple rhyming story that is inspired by the social model of disability. This model focuses on the barriers the world creates, rather than a person’s impairment. A couple of kids trying to play together recognise some barriers to accessibility, so they team up and creatively brainstorm ideas about how they might change things for the better.
With exuberant, brightly coloured illustrations, this is an excellent book to encourage us all to think about how we can make the world more accessible for everyone, through thoughtful collaborative changes, both big and small. For ages 3+.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
Junior Grade
Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow's Great Race
Eric Huang, illustrated by Phung Nguyen Quang
This exciting junior fantasy adventure tells the story of the creation of the lunar zodiac and the great race that will decide which 12 animals will have a year named after them for all eternity. When the great Jade Emperor – who created the world – is bored, he decides to hold a race. The temple cat, Miaow, is invited to partake, alongside his frenemy, Su, the rat. As they progress through the challenging three-part race they meet others, including Ming, a nine-tailed fox, who befriends Miaow, and Yi Lan, a water dragon, who helps them on their journey. Will they make it to the final temple, or will fire, an avalanche and the legendary Weak River prevent them from completing the race?
Based on Chinese mythology, this is a fun and fast-paced series opener that will captivate emerging readers. Book two, The Year of the Rat, will be published at the same time. For ages 7+.
Reviewed by Angela Crocombe.
Available for pre-order now ahead of 28 May release. Released simultaneously will also be Guardians of the New Moon: The Year of the Rat.
Hairbrain Saves the Ocean
Danny Katz, illustrated by Mitch Vane
The author and illustrator of the popular Little Lunch series have two new books for junior readers that will have them laughing out loud. The first, written in a childish font, complete with spelling mistakes crossed out, is written by Hairbrain (not really their name but what everyone calls them) and describes their amazing invention to save the ocean. When the family goes on school holidays to the beach and end up with plastic rubbish all over them, genius Hairbrain comes up with a machine that can clean up the ocean. But first Hairbrain and little sister Zammy, who is filming the epic invention for posterity, have to get the machine to the beach – and there seem to be a few difficulties.
Who will rescue Hairbrain when it all goes wrong? This is hilarious fun for readers aged 5+, with another book from the author/illustrator team, Dog People, Ugh!, due early June.
Reviewed by Angela Crocombe.
Middle Grade
Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow: Nevermoor 4
Jessica Townsend
It has been nearly five years since Hollowpox, the previous instalment of Sunshine Coast author Jessica Townsend’s fantastic, and fantastical, Nevermoor series. The excitement around this release has been building, as has the tension. What took so long, will it live up to expectation? I am here to tell you – it lives up to it all! For those who have not read Nevermoor, some readers consider it the Australian alternative to Harry Potter, but it is set in a wholly fictional land, and is, dare I say it, better!
In Silverborn, the people of Nevermoor gather to see if the Age will turn from Morningtide, a time of relative peace and stability, to the Basking, a time of turmoil and challenge. We jump back four months, to our 13-year-old protagonist, Morrigan Crow, who is preparing to walk the Black Parade. However, things do not go as planned and Morrigan is thrown headfirst into early turmoil, both externally and internally. She must grapple with a giant secret that may blow up all her relationships; meet her Nevermoorian family, who have secrets of their own; and attempt, along with her friends, to solve a murder. For those who love the series, you will love this; for those who haven’t started – what are you waiting for? For ages 10+.
Reviewed by Rosalind McClintock.
The Surface Trials
H.M. Waugh
It’s reductive to say The Surface Trials is like The Hunger Games with competitive empathy instead of murders, but I just said it so let me justify it. Outside of the fact that yes, The Surface Trials is about a wildly popular annual televised event in which children are forced to compete against each other in dangerous situations, the two books are really nothing alike.
First, the kids in The Surface Trials are actually volunteers. The application process is long and involved, especially if you come from an exploited mining planet with a history of producing Mindbreakers – individuals with a dangerous, illegal mental mutation that allows them to read and manipulate emotions. Secondly, the prize for winning isn’t just a slightly more luxurious (and traumatised) life. The winners of The Surface Trials are granted entry into Starquest Academy, an exclusive institution dedicated to training future Planeticians. Finally, as the name suggests, the danger doesn’t come from other contestants. The real threat comes from the surface: the partially explored planets where the kids find themselves, navigating treacherous landscapes with their survival and teamwork skills to reach the pick-up point in time. Elimination can be triggered by medical emergencies or poor teamwork, and occurs when a shuttle arrives to whisk them back to the main ship.
The Surface Trials is exactly what I want in a science-fiction book. Like the best works of Arthur C. Clarke or Becky Chambers, it leaves you excited for what could be out there in our galaxy and our future. I can’t recommend it enough. For ages 10+.
Reviewed by Dani Solomon.
Graphic Narrative
Creature Clinic
Gavin Aung Than
Gavin Aung Than’s newest book, Creature Clinic, is a clever and funny hospital drama packed with mythological creatures and fairytale references. When an injured human arrives at the creature clinic, trainee doctor Kara Orc decides to treat him even though it’s against clinic rules and the wishes of her mother, Dr Orc. After Kara helps heal the human, he in turn offers emotional support to some of her patients. He teaches a unicorn to use relaxation techniques, to endure the pain of her horn being straightened after an accident. The human also helps a Griffin find the courage to fly again after a wing transplant.
Gavin Aung Than created Zen Pencils in 2012, which is a series of creative, inspirational cartoons that were first published as webcomics, then books. He is also the author of the Super Sidekicks graphic novels. Creature Clinic draws from both of these works; it’s an exciting, accomplished tale for young readers with great characters and plenty of inspiration embedded into the story. This full-colour graphic novel has many positive wellbeing themes: it celebrates kindness and doing the right thing, and is highly recommended for ages 8+.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
