Emily Gale
Website: http://emilygale.co.uk
Twitter: EmilyGale
Emily Gale has worked in children’s book publishing in a number of roles: editor, reader for a literary agent, and book buyer. In 2014 she was the prize manager for the inaugural Readings Children’s Book Prize. She is the author of a number of children’s and young adult books. Her most recent release is The Other Side of Summer.
Reviews
Figgy and the President by Tamsin Janu
From the moment I turned the final page of Tamsin Janu’s debut, Figgy in the World, I hoped it wouldn’t be the last we heard of the upbeat young girl from Ghana. In her second story, she’s a little o…
The Secrets We Keep by Nova Weetman
As a fan of Nova Weetman’s 2015 YA novel, Frankie and Joely, a perfectly pitched Australian story about the intensity of teen friendship, I was keen to see what was in store for younger readers.
The…
Moondial by Helen Cresswell
Helen Cresswell was one of my childhood favourites. I feel nostalgic at the mere mention of Lizzie Dripping, The Secret World of Polly Flint and, most especially, Moondial. This 1987 classic combines…
Danny Best: Full On by Jen Storer
Jen Storer’s brilliant Truly Tan series has all the child-led outdoor adventure of Blyton but is truly contemporary and truly Australian. New character Danny Best has all the high-jinx and confidence…
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar
Similar to Sachar’s superb novel Holes (1998), Fuzzy Mud has one foot in reality and the other in a world of greater narrative possibilities – in this case, a biochemical leak that creates a revoltin…
Leo da Vinci vs The Ice-Cream Domination League by Michael Pryor
Writing for a younger age group for the first time, here’s much-loved Australian author Michael Pryor with a new series that centres on an inventor – 10-year-old Leo Da Vinci – who is bright and adv…
Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars by Martine Murray
It has been a few years since we last had the pleasure of a novel for 9-12 year olds by Melbourne author Martine Murray, and this story was well worth the wait. Sensitive and wonderfully eccentric, M…
The Worm Who Knew Karate by Jill Lever and Terry Denton
Debut author meets Australia’s bestselling illustrator in this comical story with a great message about resilience.
Brian is a happy-go-lucky worm who suddenly spirals into panic when he learns of t…
Mr Huff by Anna Walker
Beloved Melbourne illustrator Anna Walker melted our hearts with Peggy, the tale of a resourceful hen who has an adventure in the city but is ultimately relieved to return to the peace and quiet of h…
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
Aaron Blabey has made a name for himself with his highly original picture books. His bold humour and eye-popping, mischievous artwork are a perfect foil for unexpectedly tender moments and off-the-wa…
Frankie and Joely by Nova Weetman
This is a novel that, in the current market, might be called ‘quiet’. For me it was as much of a page-turner as anything you’ll find on the YA shelves because it’s a generous, intense study of that m…
The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones byWill Mabbitt
Fond memories of reading Andy Stanton’s inventive and hysterically daft Mr Gum series as a family were brought to mind from the very beginning of this pirate adventure, which hurtles along at breakne…
Son of Death by Andrew McDonald
This novel for tweens and up strikes me as clever in several ways. First of all, it openly tells us what it’s about – death – because as all good children’s authors know there’s no pulling the wool o…
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
Reality and imagination blend seamlessly on every page of this story as a little girl (aged six and the youngest of three) copes with being constantly elbowed out of her siblings' games. Dory’s broth…
The Super Amazing Adventures of Me, Pig by Emer Stamp
This is the second outing for dear Pig and his friend Duck. Although I’d highly recommend starting with their first story, The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig, the follow-up stands alone and wea…
Letters To Leo by Amy Hest & Julie Denos
The hero of Letters to Leo, Annie, is an upbeat girl in Grade 4 who is quietly confident without being precocious, but as children of that age can often start to become she’s a little hard on herself…
Violet Ink by Rebecca Westcott
I came to read Violet Ink with high expectations because it was recommended to me by my 10-year-old. It wasn’t long before I understood exactly why she loved it so much.
With a story told from the …
Cooper Bartholomew is Dead by Rebecca James
Australian author Rebecca James writes with the sort of sharp, unpretentious style that makes her books seem straightforward when actually this is a difficult story to pull off. In her third novel – …
Nona & Me by Clare Atkins
The ‘me’ of the title is Rosie, a Year 10 girl who lives in the Northern Territory and is going through some familiar trials: separated parents, a confusing friendship group, and a crush on her frien…
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
This book took me by surprise. My instinct is usually to pass on anything with an elaborate dress on the front cover, but this was thoroughly entertaining melodrama. The premise has a hint of The Han…
Use Your Imagination by Nicola O'Byrne
I love the mixture of fairy-tale peril and playful humour in Use Your Imagination. Rabbit falls into the familiar trap of not being careful what he wishes for during a moment of boredom, and soon it …
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio and Christian Robinson
Mrs Poodle adores her four children. Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La are dainty creatures no bigger than teacups. Gaston, however, is tea-pot sized. With his different build and rough voice, Gaston puts in…
Vanilla Ice Cream by Bob Graham
By cleverly imagining the chain of events that might lead to a small child accidentally having their first ever taste of vanilla ice-cream, this new picture book by Bob Graham will have wide appeal. …
The Boy’s Own Manual to Being a Proper Jew by Eli Glasman
Here’s a fine response to the call for more diverse YA books: the story of a gay teenager growing up in the Orthodox Jewish community of Melbourne.
Yossi is a devoted, intelligent member of the clos…
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
Razorhurst is set in a place and time that may be unfamiliar to readers when they begin – Surry Hills, Sydney, in the 1930s – but a strong opening chapter places our feet firmly in the grotty backstr…
The Minnow by Diana Sweeney
I like the way that YA fiction tackles the overwhelming events that scar each passing year, offering young readers a way in through a character they may identify with. The Minnow, which won the Text …
Figgy in the World by Tamsin Janu
Figgy has the most fantastic outlook on life. She really only has one complaint, and that’s her unusual name. The rest of her considerable energy is spent pondering the big wide world, until one day …
Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain by Steven Herrick
This school-based novel is a story of many contrasts: from the excellently bold cover and the whimsical title, to the two main characters – thoughtful Bleakboy and school bully Hunter – who share the…
The Bushranger’s Boys by Alison Lloyd
The Do You Dare? series is the new companion to the highly successful Our Australian Girl books. Judging by the first story, it’s going to be every bit as popular. These books are sure to attract boy…
Stay Well Soon by Penny Tangey
The cover of Stay Well Soon hints at only one side of this wonderful contemporary story about an Australian girl who has just begun Year 5, because although there is certainly sadness and loss for St…
News
Emily Gale on writing about death for young readers
It struck me that parents could have concerns about my new book when my publisher and I were writing the back cover blurb. Blurbs capture the beginnings of a story so it was impossible to avoid…
The 10 best books I shared with my children this year
When I told my children I was leaving my job at Readings, they were shocked. “But where will we get our books from?” they said, which sounds a bit dramatic unless you’ve seen the volume of books I’ve been bringing home since I started the job. I’ve felt very lucky these past four years to have access to such a huge array of beautiful books to test-drive with them. So you can be assured that my fa…
10 picture books we really love right now
Some things never change, and the tradition of a certain type of kid keeping a collection of sticks, stones and other found items in their pocke…
August round-up of children’s and young adult books
This month is a treasure trove for all ages.
You’ve probably heard about the new Dr Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get?, which Children’s Book Buyer Angela Crocombe wrote about in this blog post. The publisher’s notes at the back of the story are a very worthwhile addition as they cover the author’s life as well as the process of creating this book posthumously. Do I think it’s up there with The …
On maps in children’s books (and how much we love them)
What it is about maps in children’s books that we love so much?
For me it’s the very immediate suggestion that this author has created an entire, detailed world for the reader. They’ve thought of everything, from the twists and turns of a river, to the shape of mountains. How far we are from seas or rival lands, how we might get to Rabbit’s house, or the way to walk from the nice white cottage w…
Fictional bookshops in children’s books that we’d love to visit in real life
They bought Harry’s school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books …
