Kids

Bigfoot, Tobin and Me by Melissa Savage

Reviewed by Kim Gruschow

Lemonade Liberty Witt is a sweet-toothed, sassy, ten-and-three-quarters year-old who has been sent from the city to live with her grandfather in the small, Bigfootobsessed town of Willow Creek following the death of her mother.

Lemonade is angry and sad…

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The Tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond

Reviewed by Athina Clarke

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 school, children are delighted. This angel transforms…

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D-Bot Squad: Dino Hunter by Mac Park

Reviewed by Dani Solomon

It’s Book Week at Hunter’s school – and while everyone else is dressed as a superhero, Hunter is dressed as his favourite thing in the world, a Dinosaur Hunter. Two of his classmates think that’s dumb. And no one believes…

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Two Rainbows by Sophie Masson & Michael McMahon

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

Two Rainbows is an exploration of colour that works by juxtaposing how it appears in the city and then the country. A little girl finds highlights of colour in an often-grey city, whereas her farm and the wide expanses of…

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The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Reviewed by George Munn

On re-reading The Call of the Wild, I was struck by how powerful and evocative Jack London’s prose is. At times, I could almost hear the freezing wind whistling by the window: a chill, as if snow was on…

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To the Lighthouse by Cristy Burne

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

When opposites meet, the chances are that things will come unstuck somewhere along the way.

Emmy and Isaac meet on a holiday island. Emmy is a dare-devil and Isaac is cautious, due to an over-protective mum. Slowly but surely their…

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Is Bear Here? by Jonathan Bentley

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

The boy and the bear are back. Having delighted us in Where is Bear?, this companion volume sees the little boy returning home with a full shopping trolley, only to exclaim, ‘What happened to bear?’

He retraces his steps…

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Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

This is a delightful ugly duckling story about Kelp the unicorn, who is born in the ocean and believes himself a narwhal, but just can’t get the hang of swimming and doesn’t like the taste of octopus.

When Kelp pops…

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Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

Twelve year-old Tash lives in Tibet, where her village has been overrun by Chinese soldiers and everyone lives in fear of being thrown in jail. After a man sets himself on fire to protest the repressive regime, her parents are…

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The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster by Sally Rippin

Reviewed by Dani Solomon

Polly is not very good at being a witch: she muddles up spells and has trouble reading her potions book, because the letters dance around the page. After a particularly disastrous day at school, Polly knows there is only one…

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