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!

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Sandy

Aug 15, 2020
1 min

Beyond Belief, by Dee White

Everybody should read Beyond Belief by Dee White, which shines a light on the horror experienced by Jewish children in Paris in WWII. I found it impossible to put this book down, immediately immersed in 11 year old Ruben's fight for survival as he seeks shelter in a Mosque along with other Jewish children hiding from the Nazis. As he tries to pass himself off as a Muslim, Ruben clings to the hope that the mysterious Fox will come and rescue him so that he can reunite with his

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Sandy

Jul 19, 2020
2 min

Please Don’t Hug Me, by Kay Kerr

I really loved this own voices book, the highlight of it being the voice of seventeen-year-old narrator Erin, who shares with us, through a series of letters she writes to her brother Rudy, her inner-most thoughts. While all her school friends are going on about how much they are looking forward to schoolies, Erin just wants to get though each day without too having too many moments to add to her ‘cringe-list.' Other priorities include finding a new job after losing her job

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This is how we change the ending, by Vikki Wakefield

Sandy

Jul 14, 2020
2 min

This is how we change the ending, by Vikki Wakefield

Sixteen-year-old Nate is struggling to stay afloat as he attempts to avoid getting beaten up at school and tries to fly under the radar of his dad's quiet menace at home. He quietly observes the way his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers, without finding a way to outwardly voice his concern. Nate writes his thoughts in a notebook, which provides some solace amongst the raw confusion of his daily life. Through his writing he creates for himself a kind of alternative r

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Sandy

Jul 10, 2020
3 min

Sunshine yellow books

I felt like I needed a splash of sunshine yellow during these cold winter months - and this stack of yellow books from our home collection makes me think of summer. If you also feel like a burst of yellow cheer then grab a copy of one of these books! HotDog 2: Party Time!, by Ahn Do My kids all love this series of books about the friendly and funny sausage dog Hotdog and his two best friends Kev and Lizzie. Perfect for new readers, with lots of humour, colourful storylines wi

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Family by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson; illustrated by Jasmine Seymour.

Sandy

Jul 7, 2020
2 min

Family by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson; illustrated by Jasmine Seymour.

Published by : Magabala Books This exquisite picture book takes us on a journey of the heart as it illuminates the various ways in which family is our ‘heart and home.’ This is a gentle book with a powerful message about the ways in which family keeps us connected – to the people we love, and to the place we live. We are reminded of the importance of being attuned with nature, and of having respect for family and country. It is through our deep connections with family and pla

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Real Pigeons Peck Punches, by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood

Sandy

Jun 28, 2020
3 min

Real Pigeons Peck Punches, by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood

I like the Real Pigeons because they are funny and the stories keep me interested – I want to know how the crimes are solved! (Ari, 7). I bet you always thought pigeons were calm mild-mannered birds that spent their days gently cooing and pecking for crumbs…but here’s the truth... Real pigeons are actually part of a worldwide network of pigeons that fight crime! Readers are launched immediately into the chaotic, colourful, crime-fighting world of the Real Pigeons Network. The

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YA Classic: Came Back to Show You I Could Fly, by Robin Klein

Sandy

Jun 12, 2020
1 min

YA Classic: Came Back to Show You I Could Fly, by Robin Klein

This is a compelling story of friendship between two unlikely characters. Angie is undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable and enduring characters you will encounter in YA fiction. We view her through the eyes of 13-year-old Seymour, who is lonely and bored and quickly becomes captivated by Angie – who is all confidence and sparkle, with her silver lace and satin and a little flying horse tattooed on one shoulder. In Seymour’s eyes, it seems possible that she could “reach h

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Sandy

Jun 9, 2020
2 min

The Vanishing Deep, by Astrid Scholte

If you enjoy a fast-paced read, set against the background of a beautifully constructed world, then you will love this young adult novel! The reader is immediately drawn into a future landscape, where global warming and flooding has forced the population to construct islands to live on, and to scavenge flooded cities under the sea just to survive. The most compelling feature of this future world is that the dead can be revived for 24 hours, and our protagonist, seventeen-year

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Sandy

Jun 9, 2020
2 min

A Day at the Zoo, by Cassie Roberts

Illustrated by Judy Richards. My three boys and I love A Day at the Zoo, both for the engaging storyline about being brave and trying new things, and for the fun and vivid illustrations. Young readers will delight in following Rose and William’s day of adventure at the zoo, as they observe the zoo animals performing all sorts of tricks. But this is a zoo with a difference – we encounter a tiger on rollerskates, a zebra climbing a rope, and a bike-riding elephant! The animals

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What Zola Did on Monday, by Melina Marchetta

Sandy

Jun 3, 2020
3 min

What Zola Did on Monday, by Melina Marchetta

Hooray for a new quality series of chapter books for newly independent readers! It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Melina Marchetta since I fell in love with Looking for Alibrandi, a YA novel which so beautifully and honestly portrayed the Italian family in Australia experience, and the rawness of adolescence, in a way nobody had done before. And now Marchetta has produced a new series for younger readers (5-7 years) about the high-spirited Zola, who lives with her mum a

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Sorry Day, by Coral Vass and Dub Leffler.

Sandy

Jun 1, 2020
2 min

Sorry Day, by Coral Vass and Dub Leffler.

This beautifully written and illustrated picture book tells two alternating but linked stories about loss, which work together to convey the powerful message of the need to acknowledge the past before moving forward. The story opens with Maggie and her mother waiting in the crowd to hear the Prime Minster Kevin Rudd make a public apology to the people of the Stolen Generations and their families. Maggie is filled with fear when she is briefly separated from her mother in the

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Willy-Willy Wagtail: Tales from the bush mob, by Helen Milroy

Sandy

May 24, 2020
2 min

Willy-Willy Wagtail: Tales from the bush mob, by Helen Milroy

This beautifully illustrated book, comprised of three linked short stories, is multi-layered. On one level it can be read as a story about the way in which the curious and friendly Willy Wagtail, through learning the different languages of the animals living in surrounding bushland, encourages the ‘bush mob’ to work together to save the community when devastating bushfires hit. On another level, this story illuminates the importance of learning about and preserving First Nati

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Aussie Kids Books

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