Athina Clarke
Athina Clarke works as a Children’s & YA Book Specialist at Readings Malvern.
Reviews
Nevertell by Katharine Orton
This compelling debut novel is full of surprises; it starts like a historical fiction set during Stalin’s reign of terror but quickly morphs into a breathless life and death struggle with a powerful …
The Curious Case of Cora Bell (Jinxed!, Book 1) by Rebecca McRitchie and Sharon O'Connor (illus.)
Cora is a foundling. She has no memory prior to her life with Dot and Scratch the cat in the city of Urt. Their survival is dependent on scavenging and trading amidst fierce competition. Life takes a…
The Last Balfour by Cait Duggan
I do love a good witch story: there’s something exhilarating about a young woman drawing on an unknown mystical force and discovering her potential. This story surges at a breathless pace and is unre…
Dear Grandpa by Kate Simpson and Ronojoy Ghosh (illus.)
This delightful picture book celebrates the powerful bond between a child and their grandparent, as chronicled through the long-distance exchange of letters between the imaginative young Henry and hi…
Zanzibar by Catharina Valckx and Antony Shugaar (trans.)
When renowned journalist (and lizard) Achille LeBlab goes looking for exceptional characters to feature in his newspaper, it inspires a wonderful crow, Zanzibar, to attempt a feat so remarkable that …
Pog by Pádraig Kenny
There’s so much to enjoy in this clever story with its overlay of enchantment. But at its heart, it’s a story of a family struggling to overcome its grief at their mum’s sudden death.
When he moves…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
I was probably eight when I was first captured by Charlotte’s Web. Our teacher read a few chapters aloud every afternoon and each day we longed for more, our excitement growing as story time neared. …
Winston and the Wondrous Wooba Gymnastics Club by Tamsin Janu
Winston and his mum live in the country town of Wooba, home of Big Bread, a towering monument to local wheat farming, currently listed as one of Australia’s Twenty Ugliest Statues. Winston is proud o…
Asha & the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan
One of the great gifts of fiction for children is that it offers them the challenge and adventure of other worlds within the safety and comfort of a book. Asha and the Spirit Bird is a mystical and m…
Alex and the Alpacas Save the World by Kathryn Lefroy
There’s much to enjoy in this exciting adventure with its magical twist! There’s an ancient spirit imprisoned in a forest for a thousand years awakened and determined to destroy the world, a prophecy…
Swimming Against the Storm by Jess Butterworth
Set in a tiny fishing village of Southern Louisiana, Swimming Against the Storm effortlessly captures the slow, humid atmosphere of the bayou, the tidal rhythms of life built on shrimp fishing and th…
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Sabina Radeva
I’m excited by beautiful, informative books that inspire young minds to wonder and ask questions. Sabina Radeva’s inspired retelling of Charles Darwin’s seminal work On the Origin of Species is just …
Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway
The Hotel Flamingo, once the sunniest hotel on the boulevard but sadly past its heyday, is uninhabited, save for its concierge (a lemur named Lemmy) and the doorman (a bear named T-Bear).
But when …
The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth
The journey from childhood to adulthood can be challenging; beyond the physical transformation of our bodies and the rollercoaster of our emotions awaits the struggle to understand who we really are,…
The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty
Not since Jaclyn Moriarty’s last book have I been so immersed in a wickedly adventurous story brimming with quirky characters, bravado and irreverent humour.
The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispe…
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters: The Questioneers
Andrea Beaty and David Roberts – the minds behind such wonderful picture books as Rosie Revere, Engineer; Iggy Peck, Architect; and Ada Twist, Scientist – now bring us this delightful chapter book fo…
Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure by Alex T. Smith
Mr Penguin of Cityville is a clever and spirited penguin looking for adventure. Everyone knows that any self-respecting professional adventurer has a trusty side-kick; in Mr Penguin’s case it’s Colin…
What a Wonderful Word by Nicola Edwards & Luisa Uribe
Exquisite in design and presentation, What a Wonderful Word celebrates words from around the world which defy simple, one-word English translation. These are words that give voice to the beauty of la…
George Parker Goes Global by David Metzenthen
In the good fun department, Georgie Parker Goes Global has it all: an unlikely friendship, a worldwide rescue mission, silly disguises and heroic escapes by treacherous villains using every form of t…
Under the Canopy: Trees Around the World by Iris Volant
Flying Eye Books produces some of the most beautifully designed and illustrated, and informative children’s publications I’ve ever seen.
Under the Canopy is no exception, but it’s an unusual mix. I…
The Marzipan Pig by Russell Hoban & Quentin Blake
What struck me immediately about this little treasure was I couldn’t help reading it aloud. There’s a magical rhythm, almost a poetry, which sings off the page. Russell Hoban has distilled the explor…
Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
Have Sword Will Travel is a hilarious and exciting adventure set in a fantastical ‘medieval like’ time where gender equality is the norm – ‘brave knight’ is a job description for anyone capable, whet…
Good Night Sleep Tight by Kristina Andres
In this idyllic world, Fox and Rabbit live in perfect harmony. Their only troubles are finding more creative ways to say good night, and getting to sleep!
Each of the short, eleven-and-a-half stori…
Whimsy & Woe by Rebecca McRitchie & Sonia Kretschmar
Reading this book, I felt like a child immersed in a good old-fashioned stage melodrama, barracking for the dauntless Whimsy and Woe and heckling the fiendish villains; through the magic of this stor…
Swimming on the Lawn by Yasmin Hamid
It’s a real eye-opener spending time with Farida and her lively family. Told from the perspective of the responsible and acutely perceptive young Farida, Swimming on the Lawn chronicles life in the S…
The Boy, the Bird and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods
When a devastating plague sweeps through his little town, Alberto loses his whole family and the once happy and successful furniture-maker now applies his care and skill to making coffins. But when a…
The Tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond
Betty and Burt are a perfectly ordinary couple, leading a quiet life, until a tiny angel magically appears in Burt’s pocket. The angel’s existence brings unimaginable joy. And when Betty takes him to…
Summerlost by Ally Condie
Together with her mum and brother Miles, 12-year-old Cedar is trying to make sense of her life, a year after the accident that took the lives of her father and little brother. Summer in a new home in…
Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Almost Entirely Unplanned Adventure by A.L. Kennedy
Badger Bill is kidnapped by the diabolical McGloone sisters who plan to involve him in a boxing match with vicious dogs. Meanwhile, four llamas are held hostage by the equally reprehensible McGloone …
The Beast of Hushing Wood by Gabrielle Wang
Ziggy Truegood is a true child of nature; where most people in the small town of Dell Hollow avoid the surrounding forest of Hushing Wood, she is drawn to its strange beauty and life force. But her a…
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The best junior fiction books of 2019
When renowned lizard journalist Achille arrives seeking amazing ch…
Meet the bookseller with Athina Clarke
The best junior fiction books of 2018
This little gem is three stories,…