Our latest reviews
American Adulterer: Jed Mecurio
The modern obsession with the private lives of public figures has become retrospective. Jed Mercurio’s third novel, American Adulterer, which purports to be historically trustworthy, is an account of John Fitzgerad Kennedy’s affairs, flings and lustful ruminations during his…
Why She Loves Him: Wendy James
Novelist Wendy James won critical acclaim for her debut, Out of the Silence, and last year’s The Steele Diaries. In this compulsively readable collection (much of it originally published in publications such as Meanjin and The Weekend Australian…
Do Dogs Dream?: Geraldine Taylor
The subtitle for this book is: real questions that children ask about the animal kingdom, and that’s a very good description of what’s between its covers! This book answers all sorts of curly questions about animals, such as, do birds…
How Weird Is That?: Gyan and M.S. Dawson
This is a really gorgeous little hardcover book full of the weirdest creatures you could ever hope to meet in the Tasmanian forest. Illustrator M.S. Dawson has a fascination for extinct and endangered creatures, and has dreamt up all sorts…
The Composer is Dead: Lemony Snicket
I love Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, so I was very excited to get my hands on this new picture book that weaves a murder mystery around the different sections of an orchestra. The book starts with…
Arrival: The Phoenix Files #1: Chris Morphew
Welcome to Phoenix: a brand new, custom-built town in the middle of nowhere for the employees of the Shackleton Cooperative. When his mum is employed by Shackleton, Luke must leave everything behind to move to Phoenix. But not everything is…
My Driver: Maggie Gee
I must admit I was sucked into this book by the effusive Doris Lessing cover endorsement – others by Hilary Mantel and Rose Tremain helped. Maggie Gee was a joy to discover; she brilliantly inhabits her characters with an expert…
Hocus Pocus Versus The Stinky Pong: Laura Milligan
This book is about people called Wizzle Wizards who live on animal-shaped islands in peace, until a gas called stinky pong takes over the elephant island. Lucy the young witch and her friend Joe are the two heroes in the…
Cicada Summer: Kate Constable
An interesting story about a girl that goes back in time and makes a friend.
She goes there everyday to play with her friend. Here, she finds out some mind-boggling answers … and even more questions. This is what kept…
The Amazing Mind Of Alice Makin: Alan Shea
This is a fabulous story. It’s about a very imaginative girl called Alice Makin and a boy called Reggie who is new to the school and becomes her friend.
There’s also a mean step-dad and her real father who is…
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