Alexa Dretzke
Alexa Dretzke is a children’s & YA book specialist at Readings Hawthorn
Review — 28 Jan 2015
Beyond The Laughing Sky by Michelle Cuevas & Julie Morstad (illus.)
This is a small gem of a novel which, with graceful, sensitive prose, opens up the possibilities that come with difference. It champions being true to yourself and learning to…
Review — 28 Jan 2015
The Door That Led to Where by Sally Gardner
Sally Gardner’s stories step right into to your imagination and don’t leave until long after the final page and The Door That Led to Where is no exception.
Sixteen-year-old AJ…
Review — 25 Nov 2014
Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies
This is a tale that parents in particular will identify with.
A very tired bear settles down for some serious sleeping but a pesky duck neighbour is very much awake…
Review — 25 Nov 2014
A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton
As the wise Mark Twain said: ‘There are two sides to every story and then there is the truth.’
A funny little creature is rescued by an enthusiastic girl who…
Review — 29 Oct 2014
My Father The Great Pirate by Davide Cali & Maurizio Quarello (illus.)
When you read a Davide Cali book it is always an unforgettable experience. His stories explore universal themes of love, war and belonging with sensitivity and empathy. My Father the…
Review — 29 Oct 2014
Little Elliot Big City by Mike Curato
Good things come in small packages and Elliot is a cute little elephant who lives in the big city of New York. His tiny stature has its challenges but he…
Review — 25 Apr 2016
Blueback by Tim Winton
I fell in love with Tim Winton when I read That Eye the Sky many years ago, however, children need not wait until their twenties to form a relationship with…
Review — 23 Sep 2014
Little Dog and the Christmas Wish by Corinne Fenton & Robin Cowcher
I know it seems a little early to talk about Christmas books, but you may want to catch the overseas Christmas mail and send this to a homesick Victorian –…
Review — 24 Aug 2014
On Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah and Benji Davies
A box is a wonderful thing. Of course, it’s useful for transporting things, but its most charming uses are when it’s a robot, house or a spaceship, really anything your…
Review — 24 Aug 2014
Hello from Nowhere by Raewyn Caisley and Karen Blair
Eve and her dad live on the Nullarbor Plain and she loves it ‘in the middle of nowhere’. She loves the wildlife, the ever-changing tourists, the locals and the freedom…