Aussie Kids Books

Books, of course, make the best gifts! If you're stuck for ideas, try one of these fabulous reads: Metal Fish, Falling Snow, by Cath Moore - this is a beautifully written own voices story about grief, family and identity. The voice of the 14-year-old protagonist is captivating - it sparkles with humour and energy, while simultaneously resonating with something lost. Both tough and fragile, this is a read you won't forget. Published by Text Publishing. Music for Tigers, by Mic

This picture book, in the style of a graphic novel, is an engrossing account of young Clancy’s adventure with Uncle Egg, around Gariwerd (the Grampian mountains in Victoria) to find the source of the Glenelg River. The story flows in a meandering way, much as a river might – at times reflective and gentle, at other times rushing ahead. At first Clancy is distracted by external discomforts, such as his heavy backpack, and sore feet – but eventually, as he adjusts to the physic

The Quest Diaries of Max Crack bristles with energy, action and adventure. As the story opens, our young protagonist, Max Crack, has moved with his family to a new town. In order to help with his adjustment to being the new kid, Max sets himself a series of quests, including making a new friend, winning a trophy and solving a mystery. The reader is immediately launched into the action as Max starts to explore his new surroundings. The town has flooded, so what else is there t

This collection of 13 stories was developed during a series of writing and illustrating workshops with children from remote communities across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The workshops were run by children’s author Andy Griffiths. Children at the workshops were given the freedom to create stories based on their own life experiences. The stories included in this collection are at turns humorous, dramatic, playful and scary! Each story reflects, in some way, l

This beautifully crafted #ownvoices novel follows the story of Alba, who is in fourth grade at school, and wants nothing more than to compete in her first cross-country race. For most kids this doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary – but for Alba it’s a big deal. She was born with her left foot (which she calls Cleo) twisted in the wrong direction, which has meant Cleo being strapped in a brace for most of Alba’s life. As Alba awaits her final cast to come off, she

The enduring power of friendship, and being kind and helpful to others, are themes that link the eight stories in this book together. The animal protagonists in these stories show kindness, creativity, connection with community, and courage. Dingo and Moon help each other find their way in the darkness of night; Mudlark helps the Sun grieve the loss of his grandmother; the Sky and the Penguin help the Whale find his family. The animals and nature rely on each other, illuminat

This is a beautifully written and researched novel which will appeal to readers from middlegrade upwards. The highlight of this book for me is the voice of the narrator, eleven-year-old Fred (also known as Winifred or Freddo), which is at turns knowingly wise and achingly vulnerable. Fred shares the story of a year in her life in which she learns to navigate change – both in her family, and in the wider world. Her Pop and her adoptive father Luca have raised her since her mot

Published by Scholastic Books Australia Anyone else's Minecraft-crazy kids loving these books? Admittedly I was a little dubious when my boys started bringing these Minecraft diary books home from the library, unsure what the literary quality would be like. But I actually found that they are fun and enjoyable to read, and any book series that hooks kids in and keeps them engaged and reading gets my tick of approval. The books are visually appealing with large text font, highl

Undercover Llamas is book number three in the engaging and hilarious League of Llamas series by Aleesah Darlison. Ari (8) and I loved the first in this series (the Golden Llama) and were very excited to read the rest of the books in this series. Undercover Llamas is just as funny, fast-faced and fabulous as it’s predecessors. Ari and I loved that in this book the LOL’s were going under cover as rock stars (give me a book about rock stars/bands and I’ll read it – even if the r

Illustrated by Scott Edgar. Derek Dool is one of the most quirky and unique anti-heroes you will come across in middle grade fiction. Derek thinks he is completely cool and fashionable and deserving of adoration. But the reality is somewhat different. Derek wears lime-green skin-tight pants to school and wonders why no one appreciates his fashion sense. His classmates have made a rule that if one of them should hit Derek on the head while playing handball, then that kid autom

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

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