Emily Gale

Emily Gale is a former Readings bookseller and prize manager. She is the author of a number of children’s and young adult books.

Blog post — 26 Mar 2014

New release highlights for children & young adults

There are now a few good sibling-issues picture books that tell it like it is, or can be when a new baby is brought home (The Swap, Bye-Bye

Read more ›

Review — 24 Mar 2014

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Take a pinch of Margo Lanagan and a dash of Jaclyn Moriarty to form an idea of what this debut author has to offer. Her generational saga, spanning 1904 to…

Read more ›

Blog post — 25 Mar 2014

On the problem of gender-specific books

Children’s & YA Specialist Emily Gale muses on the difficulties and debates surrounding gender-specific books, and asks just who is the villain here?

British newspaper, The Independent, recently published…

Read more ›

Review — 27 Feb 2014

The Firebird Mystery by Darrell Pitt

In his steam punk Sherlock Holmes mashup, Melbourne-based writer Darrell Pitt playfully manipulates reality and history to create a fast-paced mystery.

Teenage orphan Jack Mason keenly misses his circus performer…

Read more ›

Review — 2 Feb 2014

Quincy Jordan by Jen Storer

One of the things I recall about being an avid pre-teen reader was my love of Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High books, that widely criticised series – soap opera in…

Read more ›

Review — 2 Feb 2014

A Very Good Idea by Meredith Badger

Fresh material for those growing in confidence with their reading is always welcome, and I think this new series will be popular with parents as well as children.

The Tinkler…

Read more ›

Blog post — 4 Feb 2014

February highlights for children & young adults

For those of you who live and breathe books and consider many of them to be close personal friends, my first pick for February is going to make your hearts…

Read more ›

Blog post — 29 Jan 2014

A reading list for an ideal child (and one for the real deal)

Parents start out with certain ideals: I will never use bribes, I will never raise my voice, I will never use the television as a babysitter…

So, just for fun…

Read more ›

Review — 22 Apr 2014

The Bushranger’s Boys by Alison Lloyd

The Do You Dare? series is the new companion to the highly successful Our Australian Girl books. Judging by the first story, it’s going to be every bit as popular…

Read more ›

Blog post — 14 Jan 2014

Teaching my son to read

There’s a general perception that young boys today don’t enjoy reading as much as girls; that they find it more difficult to learn and are therefore reluctant to do it…

Read more ›