Our latest reviews
Molly by Rosalie Ham
We already know that women change everything: from laws to attitudes and even the style of underwear. Much-loved author Rosalie Ham is back with the story of Molly Dunnage, a corset designer and mother-to-be of Myrtle, the star of the…
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Krestser
The narrator of Theory & Practice relocates to Melbourne from Sydney in the mid-1980s to take up a place in the Masters program in the English Department at the University of Melbourne. She’s going to write a thesis on Virginia…
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
I can’t remember when I first read this wonderful historical adventure set in Roman Britain, but it must have been six or seven years after it was published in 1954; I would have been 10 or 11. You all know…
Cloud Atlas: Everything You Need to Know About Clouds by Sarah Zambello & Susy Zanella (illus.)
This award-winning guide to the fluffy inhabitants of the skies will educate and delight as it unlocks the mysteries of clouds: why they form, what effect they have, and their place in our cultural history.
With evocative language that builds…
The Midwatch by Judith Rossell
Orphans are not uncommon in children’s literature. The absence of parents allows freedom from restrictions and watchful eyes; adventures and misdemeanours can blossom unrestrained. Midwatch is an institution where the most wayward young female orphans are sent. Maggie Fishbone is…
Landovel by Emily Rodda
Some authors only need a couple of pages to convince you that their newest book will be great. Emily Rodda can do it with a map. From the moment I opened the first book in Emily Rodda’s new fantasy epic…
The Lost Book of Magic by Amelia Mellor
There was once a magical arcade in Melbourne, full of books and life and imagination and lollies and monkeys. Most of the arcade has been gone for nearly 100 years now, except for a piece of it at the museum…
The Graveyard Gift (Fern’s School for Wayward Fae, Book 1) by Fern Forgettable
Just in time for Halloween, Piper C.J., writing as Fern Forgettable, has crafted the perfect read for children who are inclined towards creepy tales. They can spend the spooky season following Rosemary as she finds herself at Fern’s School for…
The Hotel Balzaar (A Norendy Tale) by Kate DiCamillo & Júlia Sardà (illus.)
The idea of a little girl living in an expensive hotel might conjure to mind the childhood classic Eloise, but Marta in The Hotel Balzaar is not a privileged guest. She is the unwelcome child of one of the…
Willow’s Gumboots by Beverley McWilliams & Hélène Magisson (illus.)
Take a joyous journey through nature’s seasons with Willow – in her gumboots! Willow loves to wear her beloved boots everywhere: in the garden, on her bicycle, while she is dancing, at the beach. But over time, she finds them…
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