It’s a great month for varied and exciting reading – from quirky picture books to stories for independent readers that feature scary monsters, awkward ninjas, dragons and wolves, and an anthology of amazing Aussie women.
You can find some of our best teen reads of the month here.
Go Go and the Silver Shoes by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker
Ellie is devastated when she loses one of her favourite silver shoes, but the loss brings about a wonderful new friendship. Godwin and Walker continue their thriving picture book partnership with this very relatable story about a little girl used to hand-me-downs. Our reviewer Alexa loved this lively and endearing story. For ages 3 and up.
You can read our full review here.
Grandma Z by by Daniel Gray-Barnett
Nothing special ever happens on Albert’s birthday, and quite frankly, I blame his parents who do not understand the un-ordinariness of birthdays. Luckily this year is going to be different. A knock on the door reveals the mysterious Grandma Z, and Albert soon embarks on the birthday to end all birthdays. Illustrated in vivid complementary blues and oranges, Albert and Grandma Z climb enchanted rocks, build palaces and, most importantly, celebrate with birthday cake. For ages 3 and up.
You can read our full review here.
The Yark by Bertrand Santini & Laurent Gapaillard
The Yark – a hairy fanged monster – is quite fond of eating small children, provided they are of the nice sort, and not at all naughty. When the Yark stumbles hungrily into the sweet Madeleine’s bedroom, instead of a meal, he finds himself with a potential new friend. Our reviewer Britt says: ‘Written with dark, dry humour reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s finest work, The Yark is a timeless tale about the power of love to change our perspective.’ For brave-hearted kids of ages 6 and up.
You can read our full review here.
Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja by Anh Do
Nelson Kane’s life changes on his tenth birthday when he discovers that he has inherited his father’s ninja powers and is responsible for the small task of saving the world from an evil scientist. Clumsy Nelson is not at all sporty, but he takes on his new role with help from his gadget-making grandmother and cousin Kenny. With the clear text and black-and-white illustrations that works so well with the WeirDo series, our reviewer George describes Ninja Kid as ‘full of quirky warmth and charming humour’.
You can read our full review here.
Ice Wolves: Elementals Book 1 by Amie Kaufman
Twins Anders and Rayna unexpectedly wind up on opposing sides of the enmity between the shapeshifting ice wolves and scorch dragons in the first middle grade novel by Illuminae Files author Amie Kaufman. Rayna is captured by dragons and flown to the mountains, while Anders finds himself at the Ulfar Academy, where young wolves are trained. Anders formulates a dangerous plan to rescue his sister, but also discovers there’s more to the feud between elements than he first thought. Our reviewer Angela loves the richly imagined world of this thrilling fantasy adventure. For ages 10 and up.
You can read our full review here.
Shout Out to the Girls
Australian women are highlighted and celebrated in this beautifully illustrated book that covers a wide range of achievements and life stories. Those familiar with the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls phenomenon will love to see the spotlight turned on amazing homegrown women such as Rosie Batty, Melina Marchetta, Cate Blanchett, Cathy Freeman, Vali Myers, and so many more.
You can read our full review here.
RECENT NEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Last week we were thrilled to reveal our Readings Children’s Book Prize shortlist for 2018! This Prize celebrates exciting new voices in Australian children’s literature, and this year’s six shortlisted titles are all for readers between the ages of 8 to 12.
The shortlist included Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile by Jo Sandhu, Nevermoor: The Trial of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Lintang and the Pirate Queen by Tamara Moss, The Boy, the Bird and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty, and Home Time by Campbell Whyte.
You can read more about the prize and the six shortlisted books here. Writer and editor Davina Bell has joined the panel as a guest judge to help select the winner from the shortlist – look out for this announcement in late April.
Also looking to local literature, the Children’s Book Council of Australia have named their notable books of 2018, and we’re very excited that Morris Gleitzman has been named the new Australian Children’s Laureate. He succeeds Leigh Hobbs, Alison Lester, Boori Monty Pryor and Jackie French in the role. Find out more about the Australian Children’s Laureate initiative here. And overseas, the 2018 winners of the Caldecott, Newbery & Printz awards were announced. These prestigious awards are run by the American Library Association.
This past month, we asked our children’s specialists about their experiences and thoughts regarding the curly topic of gender, children and bookselling. Their responses were thoughtful and illuminating – you can find them here.
