Our latest reviews

Douglas by G.N. Hargreaves

Reviewed by Holly Harper, Childrens' Book Specialist

Douglas is a pretty amazing dog – he can do anything. He collects stamps, plays chess and the tuba, goes skiing and takes his shiny red car for a spin when he needs to get out. There’s not a thing…

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No Bears by Meg McKinlay

Reviewed by Holly Harper, Childrens' Book Specialist

Ruby wants to write a book, and she’s determined that it’s going to have NO BEARS in it. She’s tired of reading about bears in everything, and so she sets out to tell a story that has fairies and princesses…

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River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

Reviewed by Kabita Dhara

[[ghosh]]River of Smoke is the second book in Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis trilogy. In the first, Sea of Poppies, we were introduced to a cast of characters who had all, for one reason or another, ended up on the…

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The Warlock: The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel Book 5 by Michael Scott

Reviewed by Nathan Reid, Readings Malvern

The long-awaited fifth book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series is finally here and it’s easily the most exciting book of the series so far! Necromancer ended with twins Sophie and Josh separating. Sophie sided with the…

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The Glass Collector by Anna Perera

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke, Children's Book Specialist, Readings Hawthorn

I have never been to Cairo but having read The Glass Collector I feel as though I was part of a world teeming with life, colour, smells and sounds so foreign and fascinating from my Melbourne world that I was…

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Little Sister by Aimee Said

Reviewed by Julia Gorman, Readings Carlton

Fifteen-year-old Al Miller is counting down the days until her over-bearing, over-achieving older sister, Larrie, finally finishes Year 12 and leaves the school they both attend. This, Al is certain, will allow her to escape from her sister’s shadow, leaving…

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Pig Boy by J.C. Burke

Reviewed by Holly Harper, Childrens' Book Specialist

Damon Styles is angry. Angry at his mother for never getting out of bed. Angry at Andrew Parker and Darren Geraghty who antagonise him at school, making pig noises and calling him Damoink. He’s even angry at his friend Moe…

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Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson & Pamela Dalton

Reviewed by Kathy Kozlowski

Award-winning author Katherine Paterson, of Bridge to Terabitha fame, reimagines the beautiful ‘Canticle of the Sun,’ the poem originally written by St Francis of Assisi in 1224.

The stunning paper cut-out artwork by Pamela Dalton perfectly matches the tone of…

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Me … Jane? by Patrick McDonnell

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke, Children's Book Specialist, Readings Hawthorn

The inspirational Jane Goodall turned a love of nature into a lifetime’s work with chimpanzees in Tanzania. From hiding in the chicken coop so she could understand the miracle of an egg to leading a club called ‘The Alligator Society’…

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The Encyclopedia of My Immaturity

Reviewed by Holly Harper, Childrens' Book Specialist

All you ever hear these days is that kids grow up too fast. Well, the Klutz Encyclopedia of My Immaturity is working hard to combat this problem. Ever get sick of the question ‘What do you want to be when…

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