Recommended kids books, news & events for March
This month in children’s books we have inventive historical fiction, Pippi Longstocking’s successor, atmospheric fantasy novels and intriguing mysteries galore.
Find our March picks for YA books here.
KIDS BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Ghost of Howlers Beach by Jackie French
Butter O'Bryan lives in a small but comfortable castle with his father and three aunts. When a scruffy three-legged dog drops a human skull at Butter’s feet, everything changes. Suspecting foul play, Butter’s mission to uncover the truth and solve the mystery leads him to an extraordinary and disturbing discovery. Set during the 1930s and the Great Depression, this first book in a brand new mystery series for readers aged 10 and up tackles challenging themes – poverty, starvation, racism, and Indigenous dispossession. Our reviewer Athina says it’s a ‘moving yet extremely funny adventure with a gratifying ending.’
For ages 10 and up.
RECOMMENDED PICTURE BOOKS OUT THIS MONTH
What an apt time to inspire a love of our environment with the beautifully illustrated Dear Earth by Isabel Otter and Clara Anganuzzi. A loving grandfather (and former explorer) encourages his granddaughter Tessa to write a love letter to Earth. Tessa has a wild imagination and takes young readers to oceans and rainforests and sand dunes and the sky for a glorious adventure with whales, turtles, butterflies, birds and more. Our reviewer Claire praised the way this picture book ‘reminds us about the wonder, but also the fragility of our planet.’ For ages 4 and up.
Explore deep connections with the natural world in Maree McCarthy Yoelu and Samantha Fry’s Brother Moon. Beneath the dark sky of the Northern Territory, Hippy-Boy is captivated when Great-Grandpa Liman tells him the mysterious story of his brother, the moon, and how it guides his connection to Country. Great-Grandpa’s brother keeps him safe from predators, and helps him find food and navigate the land. Readers will be delighted to feel as if they are sitting in on an intimate storytelling session, and the hushed nighttime illustrations are truly beautiful. For ages 4 and up.
All brains are special. All brains are smart. All kids have big thoughts. And all kids have big hearts. Nelly Thomas continues her fantastic series of picture books with Some Brains: A book celebrating neurodiversity. This is a colourful, inclusive and positive celebration of the wonderful and varied ways kids brains work. For ages 3 and up.
Anisa’s Alphabet by Mike Dumbleton and Hannah Sommerville takes a compassionate look at the experience of a refugee girl as she flees her country and copes with uncertainty and displacement. Using the alphabet to frame the journey, and with exceptional illustrations, this is a book to inspire discussions. For ages 7 and up.
Plus, look out for…
Other picture books you should check out this month include… a funny and subversive story of a dog finding its freedom in Such a Good Boy, from staff favourite Marianna Coppo; the latest collaborative book from the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Hello, Hello; and a celebration of NZ Prime Minister, Taking the Lead: How Jacinda Ardern Wowed the World.
RECOMMENDED JUNIOR FICTION BOOKS OUT THIS MONTH
If you’re after a funny, lively and sympathetic chapter book, please enjoy Hattie by Frida Nilsson, which is translated from the original Swedish. Hattie is six, lives in a tiny country town and is about to go to school for the first time. She gets her first swimming badge, falls madly in love with a hermit crab and meets a best friend, but she also winds up in a fair bit of trouble due to her charmingly impulsive nature. Our reviewer Jeremy loved this spirited story, saying: ‘Frida Nilsson is a worthy successor to the great Astrid Lindgren, and indeed Hattie could very easily be this generation’s Pippi Longstocking.’ For ages 6 and up.
We also recommend the first book in a brand-new series with conservation themes: Agents of the Wild: Operation Honeyhunt by Jennifer Bell and Alice Lickens. When eight-year-old Agnes is signed up for SPEARS (the Society for the Protection of Endangered and Awesomely Rare Species), she has no idea of the adventures that lie ahead with her elephant-shrew mentor Attie (short for ‘Attenborough’). Operation Honeyhunt sends them to the Atlantic forest, on a mission to save an endangered, dance-loving bee named Elton. Animal lovers and amateur adventurers will love this one! For ages 7 and up.
RECOMMENDED MIDDLE FICTION BOOKS OUT THIS MONTH
If you like maps, magic, dangerous adventures and strange icy worlds, you must absolutely read Jessica Miller’s The Republic of Birds. After her father’s failure, Olga and her family are exiled from the capital of Tsaretsvo and sent to the remote Imperial Centre for Avian Observation, close to the enemy territory, the Republic of Birds. When Olga’s sister Mira is kidnapped by the birds, Olga must find a deep well of courage, and understand the nature of her own powers, in order to save her. Our reviewer Natalia highly recommends this Russian folklore-inspired fantasy, confident that ‘readers will be awestruck by Olga’s daring and her bold, adventurous heart and will rally behind her.’ For ages 9 and up.
For more exciting and atmospheric fantasy, pick up a copy of Alison Croggon’s The Threads of Magic. Pip lives on his wits in the city of Clarel. When he pickpockets the wrong man, he finds himself in possession of a strange object - a heart in a silver casket. What’s more, the heart seems to be trying to communicate with Pip, and the royal officials who lost it will stop at nothing to get it back. Pip has unwittingly broken an ancient spell, and his theft will have far-reaching consequences for the whole city. As the ancient war between the Spectres and witches of Clarel reignites, the heart prepares to seek revenge for all it has suffered… Our reviewer Bianca describes this book as ‘a rich, dark adventure full of twists and turns’. For ages 9 and up.
In The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour by Ally Carter, eleven-year-old April accidentally sets a museum exhibit on fire and ends up living with a group of fellow orphans living at Winterborne Home. It soon becomes clear that her new home is full of secrets, some of which might have something to do with her own family history. The ragtag group of five kids must unravel the riddle of a missing heir, a supposed phantom and a secret key, so that they can save their new home. Our reviewer Dani thoroughly enjoyed this book, saying that: ’It felt like all the books I used to read and love when I was young: full of good (but often trouble-making!) kids defeating evil, nasty adults and it has a mysterious phantom to boot!’ For ages 10 and up.
Curly mysteries also abound in The Highland Falcon Thief by Beetle Boy author M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman which is a good old-fashioned jewel thief mystery on a very special train trip. Hand this one to train-obsessed readers aged 9 and up (honestly, the attention to detail about the train and its route is second to none), or any kids that want to get their Agatha Christie on. For ages 9 and up.
If your young reader prefers realism, they may like In the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido. Sixth-grader Emmy and her musician parents have moved to San Francisco and Emmy is looking for a way to fit in at her new school. Even though she loves music, Emmy has no talent for it, but when she is enrolled in an Introduction to Computer Programming she finds a new best friend Abigail, and a type of music in programming language. This highly original verse novel uses JavaScript (!) in its telling, and is written by a software engineer who advocates for girls and STEAM. For ages 10 and up.
For an interesting take on a little-told part of Australia’s history, turn to Sandy Fussell’s Red Day. Contemporary teen Charlie has synaesthesia and hence sees and hears differently. But when Charlie meets Japanese exchange student Kenichi, she experiences flashbacks that pull her back to the town’s violent past. This unique novel is set against a backdrop of the 1944 Cowra Prisoner of War Camp breakout. For ages 9 and up.
RECOMMENDED CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION BOOKS OUT THIS MONTH
We quietly celebrate every time there’s a new addition to the fabulous Little People, Big Dreams series of picture book biographies, and this time around, it’s Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong! Evonne grew up on a hot, dusty farm in Australia. She was the third of eight children, and descendant of the Wiradjuri people, who have lived on the land for more than 60,000 years. Her talent for tennis was discovered at a local tennis club, and before she knew it, the girl dreaming about the place called ‘Wimbledon’ was playing on centre court. This book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the brilliant tennis player’s life. For ages 4 and up.
See into daily life during World War I with the picture book Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft. It was 1914 when Sister Alice Ross-King left Australia for the war. Nursing was her passion - all she had ever wanted to do. But Alice couldn’t have imagined what she would see. She served four long years and was brave, humble and endlessly compassionate. Using extracts from Alice’s actual diaries kept in the Australian War Memorial, Simpson has written the true story of her great-grandmother, capturing the danger, the heartache and the history of the young nurse who would one day become the most decorated woman in Australia. For ages 7 and up.
CLASSIC OF THE MONTH
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
On Midwinter’s Eve, the eve of his eleventh birthday, Will wakes to a silent house. Unable to rouse his still-sleeping family, Will ventures out into the snow, where he enters the world of the Rider and the Old Ones. His destiny, as the last of the Old Ones and the Sign seeker, has awoken. But the Dark is rising, the Walker is abroad, and Will must learn his powers quickly and embark on a quest to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark. Our reviewer Bec found that this Seventies fantasy classic ‘stands the test of time and will delight readers looking for a magical tale to help them find their way through an uncertain world’.
For ages 9 and up.
THE READINGS CHILDREN’S PRIZE SHORTLIST 2020
We’re very excited to reveal this year’s shortlist for the Readings Children’s Book Prize. This prize celebrates exciting new voices in Australian children’s literature for readers aged 5 to 12.
The six shortlisted books for 2020 are:
- Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
- The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble
- Wombat, Mudlark & Other Stories by Helen Milroy
- Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery by Renée Treml
- The Girl, the Cat & the Navigator by Matilda Woods & illustrated by Anuska Allepuz
- The Secrets of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt & illustrated by Katherine Quinn
You can read the judges’ full comments for each shortlisted title here.
NEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its Notable Books for 2019. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers! You can find all the notable books in each category here.
The 2020 longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced. The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people, and the Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people. Find out more about this year’s longlisted titles here.
In honour of the success of Bruce Pascoe’s Young Dark Emu: A Truer History, and National Sorry Day, we recently put together some of our favourite books to help explain Australian history to kids, focussing on true and balanced accounts of Australian history.
In the latest addition to our Meet the Bookseller column, we chatted with Alexa Dretzke, the Children’s Book Buyer for our Hawthorn shop. Despite falling into bookselling by accident, Alexa has worked at Readings for more than 17 years, and she has some great books to recommend – read more here.
Have you listened to the Readings Kids Podcast yet? In our most recent episode we talked about books and bushfires, the new Australian Children’s Laureate, Ursula Dubosarsky, the Readings Children’s Book Prize shortlist, and (of course), what kids and YA books we’ve been loving this month. You can also find a list of books here that will help you discuss bushfires with kids.
KID-FRIENDLY EVENTS
Penny Harrison is hosting a gratitude workshop as Readings Kids on Saturday 14 March which will be suitable for children aged 3–10 years old and their carers. It’s free to attend, but please book your place here.
Over at our St Kilda shop, storyteller Bernard Caleo is celebrating St Patrick’s Day on Sunday 15 March with a special event featuring stories, art-making, a four-leaf clover hunt, and costumes. There will be a morning and afternoon session, and both are suitable for ages 3 and older. This event is also free but please book for the morning here or for the afternoon here.
Look out this month also for two new picture book launches at our Hawthorn shop! Caz Goodwin will launch Daisy Runs Wild on Saturday 14 March – find out more here. And Katrina Lehman will launch Izzy and Frank on Sunday 15 March – find out more here.
Finally, are you a mature adult grown-up person who loves classic children’s literature, perhaps the Moomins?
On Monday 23 March, our Carlton shop will be celebrating Finnish author Tove Jansson as part of our 2020 Speaking of the Dead event series. Jansson began her career as a cartoonist and went on to write and illustrate many books for adults and children, ultimately becoming world famous for her Moomin books. Join author Andrew McDonald, entertainer Bernard Caleo and cartoonist Jo Waite to discuss the wonders of living well, celebrating nature and why a family of Moomins have resonated with readers across the world. This event is free, but please book here.
