I often read about books that are great favourites of someone, and go straight out and get a copy. It can be a great way of finding new books to love, but not in this case. It’s a teenaged werewolf romance, and I am up for the occasional journey into this genre, but I am completely unmoved. Not enough character development, not enough action, not enough anything to make me care.
Month: June 2016
Suri’s wall by Lucy Estela
Nominated for the 2016 Children’s Book Council’s Picture Book of the Year Award.
This story is about how one young girl’s imagination is awakened and shared with the children around her, suffusing them with hope for a better future. A story about being different, feeling safe, imaginations and the nurturing of hope. Parents and teachers will enjoy sharing the visual smorgasbord created by illustrator Matt Ottley blended with the tantalising words of author Lucy Estela.
I hope everyone has the wonderful opportunity to experience this book. It will be so hard to pick the best out of all these fantastic books on the shortlist for the Children’s Book Councils’ Book Week Picture Book of the Year Award.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London has been described as what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the police and I think that is a fair assessment. It is lots of fun, the characters are amusing and engaging, the plot is interesting and the setting is London, which does it for me. The first in an awesome series.
Ollie and the wind by Ronojoy Ghosh
Nominee for Children’s Book Council Early Childhood Book of the Year Award during Book Week 2016 –
What an awesome book to introduce children to the power of wind… why can’t we catch it? Why doesn’t the wind take my toy truck? Read it with your child and open your own eyes to the wonder of nature. This is Ronojoy Ghosh’s first picture book and it is an amazing debut; the story is told with wonder and the images are simple yet an effective accompaniment.
The trap by Melanie Raabe
Linda Conrad is a famous reclusive author who recognises her sisters killer twelve years after her brutal murder. The case goes unsolved and Linda decides to set a trap for the killer by writing a thriller about the unsolved murder of a young woman.
This is a great psychological thriller full of twists and turns, that will have you questioning till the end. I thoroughly enjoyed Melanie’s debut novel, and highly recommend it.
The lost girl by Ambelin Kwaymullina
The connection between Aboriginal people and the land is beautifully told in this story. The illustrations are bright and bring the bush alive for the reader.
The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Four and a half stars for this great, heroic, high fantasy novel. With an engrossing, magical world and engaging characters, The Name of the Wind is clever, mysterious, tender, wondrous and only the first in the series!
The mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart
Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance are four gifted children chosen for a dangerous mission where the world’s freedom to think is at risk. Definitely a book for voracious readers 10+ years who enjoy flexing their minds with challenging words and a puzzle or two. And if you enjoy this you will be pleased to know that it is the first in a series so you can enjoy adventure after adventure. And the fun doesn’t stop there because Trenton Lee Stewart has created online games at www.mysteriousbenedictsociety.com/.
Rivertime by Trace Balla
Nominated for the 2015 Children’s Book of the Year awards in the picture book section, Rivertime is a lovely, graphic novel style book about the joy of nature. Clancy and his bird-loving Uncle Egg head off for a ten day trip down a river in a canoe. At first Clancy misses his TV and all the fun things he had to leave behind, but he ends up having a magical time in the great outdoors. The illustrations are beautiful and each page is packed with Aussie wildlife to discover.
A walk in the woods by Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods is the journey of two old high school friends who reunite to challenge themselves to hike the legendary Appalachian Trail.
Based on the acclaimed bestseller by travel writer, Bill Bryson, the movie follows Bryson (Robert Redford) and Katz (Nick Nolte) as they set off into the wilderness and encounter one misfortune after another.
Just like the book, the movie made me laugh out loud – attributed mostly to Nick Nolte’s comedic performance of Katz, a dishevelled, Continue reading
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