Aussie Kids Books

Book Reviews

Welcome to my blog! This blog is a celebration of Australian children's fiction - including young adult, middle grade, junior fiction, and picture books.

Read on for my reviews!

EFFA5CEC-E02C-44E4-867C-37DAB85830F0%20(

Completely Normal (and other lies), by Biffy James

Sandy

Sep 28, 2022
2 min

Completely Normal (and other lies), by Biffy James

This is a young adult novel you won't want to put down! I was immediately invested in the protagonist, 16-year-old Stella, whose conversational, witty voice drew me in from the first page. We learn that the hottest guy in school, Isaac Calder, has been killed in a car accident and everyone is grieving - most of all Isaac's popular girlfriend Grace. We also learn that Stella and Isaac had been more than just friends before his death - but because it was a secret relationship,

25 views0 comments

Sandy

Mar 12, 2022
2 min

Anything But Fine, by Tobias Madden

This story starts with a life changing incident, with ballet dancer Luca missing a step on a flight of stairs and shattering his foot, instantly crushing his dreams of auditioning for the Australian Ballet School. Not only that, but Luca is suddenly forced to change schools. The shiny light-filled future he thought he was going to have is suddenly full of uncertainty as Luca struggles to cope with his feelings of loss and grief. A welcome distraction arrives in the form of at

9 views0 comments

Sandy

Mar 1, 2022
1 min

CBCA 2022 Notables

The 2022 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable books have been announced. These are a big deal in the Australian children's book industry, and I feel like we all wait with bated breath for the announcement each year. The awards are a wonderful way to celebrate some of our amazing children's books (which of course is what I aim to do via this blog!) Here are just a selection of the books that were included in the Notables list. These have all been reviewed/featur

20 views0 comments

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection, by Maura Pierlot

Sandy

Jan 25, 2022
2 min

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection, by Maura Pierlot

Highschool can certainly be challenging - with that constant juggle of friendship issues, worry over studies and achievement, and search for identity. But adolescents now are facing more stress and anxiety than ever - add in global warming, the onslaught of messages from social media, and a global pandemic - and mental health issues can spiral to new heights. Fragments, written by Canberra playwright Maura Pierlot, enjoyed a sell-out season at the Street Theatre in Canberra

3 views0 comments

Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale & Nova Weetman

Sandy

Jan 15, 2022
2 min

Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale & Nova Weetman

I love a good timeslip/body swap novel - and this one by acclaimed middlegrade authors Emily Gale and Nova Weetman is truly captivating! Elsewhere Girls follows the story of Cat and Fanny, who both live in Sydney...but more than a hundred years apart. While they live in completely different times, the connection they share is their talent for swimming. But it quickly becomes clear that while Fanny is passionate about swimming, Cat is starting to feel less and less enthusiasti

17 views0 comments

Sugarcoated (Leftovers #1), by Sarah Epstein

Sandy

Jan 5, 2022
2 min

Sugarcoated (Leftovers #1), by Sarah Epstein

I adored this young adult novel written by multi award-winning author Sarah Epstein (whose novel Small Spaces - a YA psychological thriller - I've previously reviewed on my blog). I must admit I have quite a sweet tooth, and so the setting for this novel - a fictional sweet shop in the Australian coastal town of Leftover Bay - definitely caught my attention! Sixteen-year-old Sophie is the teen protagonist of Sugarcoated, and as the story opens she's still reeling from the fac

13 views0 comments

Courageous Queens, by Angela Buckingham, Illustrations by Debora Islas

Sandy

Dec 24, 2021
2 min

Courageous Queens, by Angela Buckingham, Illustrations by Debora Islas

Courageous Queens brings us ten previously untold stories of fearless, resilient and clever women throughout history who have held positions of leadership and power around the world. These women have fought for their people, made ground-breaking discoveries, and persevered through tumultuous times. Each story is breath-taking - filled with adventure and action, kindness and humanity. I imagine young readers will be spellbound while reading about the remarkable achievements o

20 views0 comments

Sandy

Dec 16, 2021
2 min

YA novels set during Schoolies Week

Before the Beginning by Anna Morgan is a beautifully written story full of mystery and suspense. Four friends have gone on a trip to celebrate the end of Year 12 during Schoolies Week. While everyone else is partying in the traditional way, the four friends meet the charmingly elusive Sierra on their first night away, who convinces them to come camping with her on a forbidden island. Friendships are frayed, secrets are revealed, and new connections are made on this uninhabite

13 views0 comments

The Opposite of Disappearing: Short Stories in Uncertain Times, edited by Laura Norris & R.A Stephen

Sandy

Dec 7, 2021
2 min

The Opposite of Disappearing: Short Stories in Uncertain Times, edited by Laura Norris & R.A Stephen

I am so honoured to have my short story, Between Spaces, included in this collection of contemporary short stories for young adult readers, written by various authors of young adult fiction during the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020. My story in this anthology is called Between Spaces and is about a teen who has just moved into a run-down apartment complex with his mum. The teen narrator – Tiger – is feeling a sense of disorientation - he’s had to leave his home and

11 views0 comments

How To Repaint a Life, by Stephen Herrick

Sandy

Nov 9, 2021
2 min

How To Repaint a Life, by Stephen Herrick

I was fully immersed in this young adult novel from the very beginning. It's a story of friendship, family, kindness, and courage. Isaac is on the run from something broken, and has no intention of looking back. He finds himself stepping off a bus into a small town, and only plans to stay for a short time as he finds his feet, but somehow becomes immersed in the kindness and warmth he encounters there. It's when he is offered a job at a café, serving coffee to the locals, tha

28 views0 comments

Hometown Haunts: Flash Fiction challenge

Sandy

Oct 17, 2021
3 min

Hometown Haunts: Flash Fiction challenge

To celebrate the upcoming release of Hometown Haunts (a collection of spooky stories for YA readers published by Wakefield Press), the #LoveOzYa gang are running a flash fiction challenge over on their Insta page. They're releasing a series of writing prompts linked to each story - and the challenge is to write a piece of flash fiction incorporating the three components included in each prompt. Here is my story which incorporates these three prompts: outside toilet, cricket

25 views0 comments

Sandy

Oct 1, 2021
2 min

Tell Me Why, by Archie Roach

Tell Me Why is a raw, heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting account of singer/songwriter Archie Roach’s life. Archie was forcibly removed from his family as a young child and placed in various foster homes, until he came to live with the Cox family. Here Archie came to know love and stability – but everything changed one day when he was 14 and received a letter that would tear apart everything he had believed to be true about his life and his identity. This memoir takes us

9 views0 comments

Sandy

Sep 18, 2021
3 min

Half My Luck by Samera Kamaleddine

This own voices book for young adults is an engaging and enjoyable read from debut author and winner of the Matilda Prize Samera Kamaleddine. I love the setting for this book, which takes place on Lame Beach during one unbearably hot summer. The protagonist is sixteen-year-old Layla, who has been told by her Tayta that when she was a baby she was cursed by the evil eye. As a result, Layla has grown up feeling like luck is never on her side. With a Lebanese father and Australi

14 views0 comments

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals, by Sami Bayly

Sandy

Aug 14, 2021
3 min

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals, by Sami Bayly

So I might be a little (ok, a lot) obsessed with this beautifully designed encyclopaedia, which is a 2020 CBCA shortlisted book. There is something so captivating about it - the front cover alone inviting an immediate tactile response with its shiny green embossed lettering (I can't stop stroking it actually!) My kids love non-fiction books – there is something they find endlessly fascinating in learning real facts about the world around them. They are also drawn to researchi

21 views0 comments

Sandy

Jun 29, 2021
2 min

Henry Hamlet's Heart, by Rhiannon Wilde

This young adult novel by debut author Rhiannon Wilde broke my heart in the best possible way. I loved it from the very first page - where we meet the narrator, Henry - who is about to start back at school for term three of Year 12. Henry is preoccupied with studying for his exams, trying to work out what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and fulfilling his final obligations as school captain. Luckily Henry has a solid group of friends he can count on (The Boiyss); a

22 views0 comments

Sandy

Jun 13, 2021
2 min

The Coconut Children, by Vivian Pham

Set in Sydney's southwest suburbs in the 1990s, this is a raw, beautiful and heartbreaking story of love and coming-of-age. At the backbone of this gently uncurling love story is the pervasive and haunting narrative of the migrant experience. We are reminded of the way in which trauma can be passed along from one generation to the next - so that the children of migrants often feel burdened with their parent's pain, even before they fully understand it themselves. The trauma e

29 views0 comments

The Boy From the Mish, by Gary Lonesborough

Sandy

Jun 1, 2021
2 min

The Boy From the Mish, by Gary Lonesborough

'The Boy From the Mish' by debut author Gary Lonesborough is a beautifully articulated and heartfelt own voices story that will stay with you long after the closing pages. I was reluctant to leave this world behind, I cared so much about the characters - which is, of course, the marker of a compelling story. I absolutely adored the raw and engaging voice of the 17-year-old narrator Jackson, who lives on the NSW South Coast, and is anticipating the arrival of his Aunty Pam and

17 views0 comments

The Girl in the Sunflower Dress, by Katie Montinaro

Sandy

May 20, 2021
2 min

The Girl in the Sunflower Dress, by Katie Montinaro

I absolutely adored this young adult coming of age novel from debut author Katie Montinaro. I loved this book for its gripping storyline, the romance, the characterisation and the fabulous dialogue - including snappy conversations via various social media platforms, which no doubt young adult (and adult!) readers will readily relate to. Chelsea has just finished high school and it's the summer holidays. Chelsea's plans are to relax with family and friends, do a few shifts at

12 views0 comments

Sandy

Apr 26, 2021
2 min

When We Are Invisible, by Claire Zorn

A huge thank you to UQP and @ausyabloggers for hosting a book tour of this fabulous young adult novel, and for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. When We Are Invisible is the follow up to the very popular and award-winning dystopian book The Sky So Heavy. This book, however, can be read as a stand-alone - I must admit I haven't read The Sky So Heavy, but didn't feel like I'd missed anything as the author expertly inserts some backstory without dragging down the

12 views0 comments

Sandy

Apr 10, 2021
2 min

Metal Fish Falling Snow, by Cath Moore

This is a beautifully articulated #loveozya own voices story about grief, family and identity. There are so many reasons why I love this book. The writing is breathtaking - so lyrical and raw and full of astonishing insight. The stand-out for me is the unique voice of the protagonist, 14-year-old Dylan. Her voice is captivating, it sparkles with humour and energy, while at the same time resonating with something lost. Dylan's mother has died, and Dylan is grieving. Her mother

5 views0 comments

Aussie Kids Books

Join my mailing list