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‘Friday’ Favourite. This young adult book by Erin Gough is a wonderful ride. Part thriller, part queer romance, ‘Into the Mouth of the Wolf’ is set in what’s looking like my favourite book setting lately: a dystopian near future. It opens with 17 year-old Iris on the run with her mum who’s a geophysicist. Her mum disappears and Iris contacts - online - a hostel her mum mentioned to her. Her email is answered by Lena who’s panic-studying for Year 12 and helping to run the family hostel. This book has a mysterious death, missing people, a climate-changed world, and an awesome plot twist. Oh, and a love story. Ultimately it tells us that there is still room for love and hope in a time of profound uncertainty and unrest. A balm in these times. @eringoughwriter @hardiegrantkids @pintadoguy @makeitwednesday #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozya #queerya #intothemouthofthewolf #climatechange #climatefiction

‘Friday’ Favourite: What a joy it’s been watching this book take shape. I’m lucky to be in a writing group with Deborah Abela and The Kindness Project - out this week! - is her first verse novel and it’s utterly glorious. It’s about a group of kids doing a school project on kindness. The trouble is, they don’t like each other very much. Until they discover they have much more in common than they thought, including some pretty big worries. This is such an important reminder that everyone is facing sadnesses and challenges we know nothing about - in this case, the mum of one of the kids is dealing with serious mental illness and one of them is losing their grandma to dementia. This is a heartwarming, touching middle-grade novel and I predict there wi�ll be more than a few kindness projects happening in Australian schools this term! A hard recommend from me! @deborah_abela_ @penguinkidsaustralia #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg @loveozmg #mglit #middlegrade #kidsbookstagram #childrensbookstagram #lovethisbook #bookstagram   #childrenreading   #middlegradebooks #authorsofinstagram #kidlit #kindness #kindnessmatters

‘Friday’ Favourite. Bren MacDibble is brilliant at world building. When I read her books, I feel utterly immersed. ‘The Apprentice Witnesser’ – which is out today – is set in a dystopian, climate-change and pandemic-affected world. Twelve-year-old orphan, Basti Scull lives in a small village after cities and most modern technology have been wiped out.      It’s dystopian but not a world without optimism. I finished this book feeling warmed by twelve-year-old Basti and her story.   Basti lives with her guardian, Lodyma who is the local Witnesser of Miracles. Lodyma investigates ‘miracles’ and spins them into stories she tells at the night markets, and Basti – as the title suggests – is her apprentice. She has an old Polaroid camera which she uses to take photos of miracles – but she also secretly takes photos. ‘That’s what my photos are. Little moments. All the good moments, the kind moments, the moments of care and love that, if you add them all together, make a life sweet.’   I raced through this tender story of family and adventure, of a young girl finding a sense of belonging. All of the narrating characters in Bren’s books that I’ve read have wonderfully distinctive, appealing voices and Basti is no exception.   I absolutely loved this and it’s a hard recommend from me.   #sarahsfridayfavourites @macdibble #loveozmg @loveozmg @allenandunwin #theapprenticewitnesser #mglit #middlegrade #kidsbookstagram #middlegradebooks #middlegradefiction #kidsbookstagram #childrensbookstagram   #lovethisbook #bookstagram #littlebookworm   #childrenreading #kidsbookswelove #childrensbookreviews #kidlit

I love this about-to-be-published middle-grade book by Zanni Louise. I read an early draft and she had me hooked at the moment we learn that Cora – the main character – has moved to a new town and is planning to debut Cora 2.0 at her new school.   That got a hard relate from twelve-year-old Sarah who lived with her mum and dad in LA for three months and went to John Muir Elementary School. I remember planning my first day with miliary precision. Like, Cora, though, I learned that you always bring yourself with you and that being authentically yourself is the best and bravest thing to do.   Cora Seen and Heard has all the stuff I know I would have adored reading about as kid. An old, falling-down (possibly haunted) theatre, a room full of costumes, a secret pen pal and great repartee between the characters.   I love the voice Zanni brings to her middle-grades – it’s fresh and funny, insightful, full of heart and a tiny bit tetchy. Perfection!   From the book:   Being yourself like Clair de Lune -       Do the thing you love. -       Wear a feather boa. -       And a fedora. -       Change your name if you want to. Go on, you’re allowed. -       Be the person you need to be. -       Shine as brightly as you can. -       But when you flicker, it’s okay to hide. -       Just remember who you are – all shades of you. -       You are seen. You are heard.     Cora is out on 1 May – and I encourage you to get your hands on a copy. Pic id. Zanni, a smiling, dark-haired woman, holds a blue book with ‘Cora Seen and Heard’ written on the cover. @zannilouise #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg @loveozmg #coraseenandheard @walkerbooksaus #middlegradebooks #lovethisbook #kidlit #ausbookstagram #bookreview

Did you know there’s a sequel to the wonderful #Spellhound by @liantannerbooks? Reposted from fellow uber, @saraharmstrongwriter ‘Friday’ Favourite: One of the joys of being in a writing critique group is seeing the others’ books take shape over the months. And what a joy it has been watching the evolution of this book - Fledgewitch by Lian Tanner (the sequel to Spellbound) which is out this week! Lian is one of the most inventive, funny and clever writers I’ve come across. This book - for readers 8+ - is, as the title suggests about ten-year-old Brim who has tiny feathers sprouting from her elbows - a sure sign she is a witch and something she must hide. She is sent to the Quillian School for Prevention of Witches and there ensues a wonderful tale of bravery, betrayal and one very forgettable (and entirely loveable) horned glob. Highly recommended - although it would be good to read Spellhound first. And soon, there will be a Five Writers Five Minutes where Lian talks us through some of the decisions and struggles she had with Fledgewitch. Stay tuned for that. And how gorgeous is the cover by @martina_illustrates ? That dragon!! (Thanks, @liantannerbooks for the photo! The book may or may not involve knitting. Something Lian is very good at.) Photo id: a paperback book lies beside a bell of blue and white wool. The book has a drawing of a dark-haired girl knitting something purple. At her feet is a cute horned creature. Behind her is a spooky house. The text reads: Fledgewitch: A Dragons of Hallow book. Lian Tanner. Illustrated by Martina Heiduczek. #sarahsfridayfavourites @allenandunwin #loveozmg @loveozmg #lovethisbook #middlegradefantasy #fledgewitch #liantanner

‘Friday’ Favourite: One of the joys of being in a writing critique group is seeing the others’ books take shape over the months. And what a joy it has been watching the evolution of this book - Fledgewitch by Lian Tanner (the sequel to Spellhound) which is out this week! Lian is one of the most inventive, funny and clever writers I’ve come across. This book - for readers 8+ - is, as the title suggests about ten-year-old Brim who has tiny feathers sprouting from her elbows - a sure sign she is a witch and something she must hide. She is sent to the Quillian School for Prevention of Witches and there ensues a wonderful tale of bravery, betrayal and one very forgettable (and entirely loveable) horned glob. Highly recommended - although it would be good to read Spellhound first. And soon, there will be a Five Writers Five Minutes where Lian talks us through some of the decisions and struggles she had with Fledgewitch. Stay tuned for that. And how gorgeous is the cover by @martina_illustrates ? That dragon!! (Thanks, @liantannerbooks for the photo! The book may or may not involve knitting. Something Lian is very good at.) Photo id: a paperback book lies beside a bell of blue and white wool. The book has a drawing of a dark-haired girl knitting something purple. At her feet is a cute horned creature. Behind her is a spooky house. The text reads: Fledgewitch: A Dragons of Hallow book. Lian Tanner. Illustrated by Martina Heiduczek. #sarahsfridayfavourites @allenandunwin #loveozmg @loveozmg #lovethisbook #middlegradefantasy #fledgewitch #liantanner

‘Friday’ Favourites: My almost-14-year-old, in-house reviewer LOVED this book. It’s about an aspiring singer-songwriter, Eva, who has her last shot at entering the Triple J songwriting contest in the hope of launching her music career.   Her friend (and secret crush), Cooper encourages her to form a band to perform the song with and  - full of doubt about her songwriting ability -  she more or less locks the band in a studio for a weekend to get the song done. There’s minimal sleep, a fair bit of pizza and a lot of tension as they race against the clock to get the song written.   Amelia loved Eva’s voice. She also liked how it was set across a couple of days, which meant that every single decision the characters made was documented in great detail. She enjoyed the dynamics between the characters and found the story really picked up pace, with lots of twists, and became absolutely unputdownable in the last third.   Highly recommended by the teenager. @ajbettswrites #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #onesong #lovethisbook @macmillanaus @loveozya

‘Friday’ Favourite: I loved this book, written from the point of view of Anna Chiu who is 16. She’s an entirely appealing, smart and thoughtful narrator and I loved looking out at the world through her eyes. Anna’s hands are very full looking after her brother and sister, helping out at her dad’s Chinese restaurant, while her mum stays in bed all day and all night. This story traverses the painful territory of her mother’s mental illness and Anna’s feelings of responsibility and duty - while her dad spends more and more time away from home, running their restaurant. We also witness the blossoming of Anna’s first relationship with lovely Rory - who’s had his own experience of mental ill health. This is a deeply compassionate book about mental illness, Asian-Australian identity, about racism and micro-aggressions, the challenges of teenage years - and there are also some genuinely delicious descriptions of dumplings. I really want dumplings for dinner now! This book gets a hard recommend from me. #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozya #youngadult @onewpc #thepowerofagooddumpling #chineseaustralian

‘Friday’ Favourite: ‘Stars Like Us’ is an YA novel about 16-year old Liliana who wins a scholarship to a prestigious music high school in England. She joins a secret student band who catch the attention of a major record label. She’s got a crush on the band’s guitarist, Carter – even if she won’t admit it to herself. But she’s also got a girlfriend back home. Complicated. Things take off for the band, they get signed to the label, become super famous – and she’s living in London alone at sixteen.   It’s a story about the pitfalls of fame, about staying true to your music, and about figuring out when people are wrong for you.   My almost-fourteen-year-old in-house reviewer really enjoyed it. She liked the way it explored how life actually is for people in the spotlight, how their music can sometimes end up being the last of their concerns – and that what you see of celebrities is often fabricated or manipulated. She looked up the photo of Justin Bieber eating chicken on a visit to Sydney – surrounded by fans and police (it’s just mind boggling). Apparently the photo partly inspired the book.   My reviewer loved all the musical references – and the way it introduced her to new songs, and gives it the big thumbs up.   #starslikeus #hardiegrantkids #loveozya #youngadultfiction #franceschapman #bookreview #lovethisbook #bookstagram #sarahsfridayfavourites @hardiegrantkids @franceschapmanwriter

Thank you for this nuanced review @saraharmstrongwriter Responses like this mean even more when they come from fellow writers 🙏🙏 Posted @withregram • @saraharmstrongwriter ‘Friday’ Favourite. I read this young adult book in one day and really loved it. The main character, 15-year-old Finn lives alone and isolated in his coastal home town - now effectively a ghost town - after a virus swept the country, killing many and leading to looting, violence and societal collapse (and the death of his parents).   I really loved dystopian and survival fiction as a kid and I felt transported back to my teenage self. Finn is a resourceful, thoughtful and very capable young person. He encounters 19-year old Rose, who is a siley, or asylum seeker, and needs his help to escape the Wilders who are hunting for her. It’s wonderfully action-packed but not without passages of beautiful descriptions – of surfing, of landscape and memories of Finn’s mum and dad.   Even before the virus hit – asylum seekers were given to farmers as slaves, and the weather was violently affected by climate change. This was published in 2016 and I can only imagine Mark Smith felt some déjà vu once COVID arrived with the same masks and supply issues and lockdowns that he describes.   Highly recommended for the teen reader – but be aware there’s menace as well as some violence, death of parents, racist and misogynistic slurs and a pregnancy from a rape (which is not described and only alluded to) that does not end well. This is part of a series and I’ll definitely be seeking out the others. #sarahsfridayfavourites @marksmithauthor #loveozya #roadtowinter #dystopianya #dystopianfiction #youngadultfiction

‘Friday’ Favourite. I read this young adult book in one day and really loved it. The main character, 15-year-old Finn lives alone and isolated in his coastal home town - now effectively a ghost town - after a virus swept the country, killing many and leading to looting, violence and societal collapse (and the death of his parents).   I really loved dystopian and survival fiction as a kid and I felt transported back to my teenage self. Finn is a resourceful, thoughtful and very capable young person. He encounters 19-year old Rose, who is a siley, or asylum seeker, and needs his help to escape the Wilders who are hunting for her. It’s wonderfully action-packed but not without passages of beautiful descriptions – of surfing, of landscape and memories of Finn’s mum and dad.   Even before the virus hit – asylum seekers were given to farmers as slaves, and the weather was violently affected by climate change. This was published in 2016 and I can only imagine Mark Smith felt some déjà vu once COVID arrived with the same masks and supply issues and lockdowns that he describes.   Highly recommended for the teen reader – but be aware there’s menace as well as some violence, death of parents, racist and misogynistic slurs and a pregnancy from a rape (which is not described and only alluded to) that does not end well. This is part of a series and I’ll definitely be seeking out the others. #sarahsfridayfavourites @marksmithauthor #loveozya #roadtowinter #dystopianya #dystopianfiction #youngadultfiction

‘Friday’ Favourite. Zanni Louise lent me this book yesterday - and I read it in twelve hours. It’s the story of 12-year old Annabelle who lives on a farm in Pennsylvania in 1943. A new girl comes to town - Betty - who is a cruel, cold bully. Annabelle must deal with the bullying and also find the courage to protect Toby, a traumatised WWI soldier who lives alone in a ramshackle hut, and who becomes the target of Betty’s cruelty. The book tackles some difficult terrain: war trauma, bullying and violence by children, death, and moral dilemmas around justice and punishment. Apparently, Lauren Wolk originally wrote it for adults before deciding it was for younger readers and I think it shows in some of the beautiful language and sophisticated ideas. The publisher says it’s for readers aged 10+. It doesn’t solve things too neatly - the ending falls on Annabelle’s side but it’s complex and sad. Not an easy, happy ending. A powerful book for those who enjoy heartfelt historical fiction such as that written by Katrina Nannestad. I plan to give this to my mum to read: I think she might relate to some of it: she grew up on a farm in the Riverina area during WWII, where, like Annabelle, they were largely self sufficient. Her dad and the other farmers around were soldier-settlers from WWI, all of them traumatised. I’m pretty sure that she was a smart, determined kid like Annabelle with a strong sense of justice. I’ll let you know what she thinks of it. #sarahsfridayfavourites #middlegrade @zannilouise #wolfhollow #lovethisbook #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram #middlegradehistoricalfiction

‘Friday’ Favourite: ‘Dancing Barefoot’ by Alice Boyle got 10 out of 10 from 13-year-old Amelia.   This YA novel is about sixteen-year old Patch who lives with her dad above his Melbourne record store. She’s a scholarship kid at a fancy school called Mountford and has a crush on Evie, a star basketball player and very popular. Evie has friends Patch really doesn’t like and she must navigate friendship stuff with them and with her friend Edwin who is transitioning. As well – of course - as the budding romance with Evie. Amelia loved Patch’s laid-back and funny voice, and says she’ll definitely read it again.   I read it too, a while back, and loved it soooo much. So Melbourne, so teenage, so inclusive, so uplifting. BTW Patch’s real name is Patti and her surname is Smith. And of course, Dancing Barefoot is a song by Patti Smith. Highly recommended.   #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #dancingbarefoot @alicebwrites @text_publishing #bookstagram #yabookstagram #yabookreview

‘Friday’ Favourite: I really enjoyed this book by Fiona Lloyd. It’s the story of Jimmy who’s living with his mum in a small town, hiding from his dad. This book tackles some difficult topics - domestic abuse, drinking, his mum’s depression - but from Jimmy’s youthful, at times naiive point of view, which makes the content easier going for a young reader. (More than once, it brought to mind Sofie Laguna’s tour de force, ‘Eye of the Sheep’ which has a similarly naiive narrator.) Jimmy is a wonderfully memorable character - resourceful, funny and sweet - and his voice is strong. And there are many kind and helpful people around him. And there’s a good dose of Elvis in the book too. Highly recommended for readers 10 up. #sarahsfridayfavourites @fionalloydauthor @penguinkidsaustralia #middlegradebooks #loveozmg @loveozmg #lovethisbook #beingjimmybaxter #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites. I recently responded to a question on a Facebook page about what my thirteen-year old has loved reading lately. My response was the ‘Heartstopper’ series by Alice Oseman, graphic novels about two teenage boys in Britain who fall in love and must navigate first love, even as they deal with coming out and homophobia from some quarters.   She’s not normally a big reader of graphic novels but absolutely loved these. As she says, she liked the way that they create a world of pictures and leave space for the reader to fill the gaps.   She especially enjoyed the friendship dynamic between the tight-knit group of friends who have similar values. And she liked reading about the class’s trip to Paris and could imagine how chaotic and annoying her own class would be on such an excursion. (If only!)   There are gay characters, trans characters, bi characters, straight characters and an aroace character. This lead to some good conversations about why it’s important to have inclusive representation.   The books were made into a Netflix series – which we all watched and which felt age appropriate and wholesome. We liked how they animated some of the illustrated effects from the novel (swipe to see Amelia’s embroidery of the leaves which are one of the animated elements - Edited to add: Oops! That didn’t work. Check out my Stories for the embroidery)   The Facebook group I answered the question for is Your Kids Next Read which I highly recommend (and the podcast and newsletter is fantastic too). On the FB group there is an incredible wealth of knowledge and generous recommendations from librarians, teachers, parents, writers and booksellers. If you want some suggestions for your young reader, check it out. #sarahsfridayfavourites #heartstopper #graphicnovel #aliceoseman #queerbooks #yourkidsnextread @allisontaitwriter @childrensbooksdaily #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourite: This is a great read about learning to be yourself, accepting your family and finding true friends.   Doris in in Year 6 and thinks her family is weird. Her grandmother Babcia makes delicious, stinky lunches, her brother is best friends with a potato, and her mum is an actress who plays kale and broccoli on tv ads. To top it all off, Doris’s best friend abandons her.   It’s funny, it’s sweet, and of course, Doris ends up celebrating her family’s weirdness.   I suspect that many people feel like they and their family are weird at that age. I certainly remember it growing up on the Central Coast of NSW. My parents were both therapists (it was not always easy to explain what they did over dinner at a new friend’s house), my mum didn’t shave under her arms (egads!), my brothers had long hair and drove an olive-green rattly old Wolseley car and we lived not in a brick veneer but in a big old, draughty timber house.   Now I think all that’s very very cool – but I do remember really wanting to fit in. I wish I’d read this book back then. It’s a beauty.   #sarahsfridayfavourites @affirmpress @jodabrowski #loveozmg #middlegrade #kidlit #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram #bookreview #middlegradebooks

‘Friday’ Favourite: It’s taken me far too long to read this YA novel – the debut book by Biffy James, ‘Completely Normal and Other Lies’. It finally leapt to the top of my TBR pile after winning yet another award.   It’s the story of Stella – who falls for Isaac, who falls for her. He’s the hot, cool guy at school – who already has a girlfriend, the gorgeous Grace.   Then Isaac dies – and Stella must navigate her secret grief, and a slow, painful re-assessment of who Isaac was and who she is.   Stella – in all her self-consciousness, her sense of being an outsider, and inability to speak up for herself – is an entirely relatable teenager character (at least for teenage Sarah) and I was so bloody relieved when she finally took a stand and set some boundaries.   I love too that the ‘year’s most beautiful’ girl, Grace, is big and curvy, and happy with her body (although I wanted to kill her fat-shaming mother, and wish she’d been given a little less airtime and ammunition).   Stella (like Biffy James, I suspect) is very funny, sarcastic and a keen observer of human nature.   There’s also some funny (and true) descriptions of being in therapy – which I related to, having seen (possibly more than) my share of therapists, and coming from a family of them.   Hard recommend. All those short-listings and wins were on the money. Can’t wait to see what Biffy James writes next.   @hardiegrantkids @biffy_james #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #youngadultbooks

My favourite thing about verse novels is how they throw sentence and paragraph structure out the window. (see what I did there?) Anyway, I’m not great at verse, but @karen__comer is, so you should read her new #LoveOzMG book, #SunshineOnVinegarStreet 🌞 Another wonderful review from, @saraharmstrongwriter ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourites: The good thing about being sick in bed is all the reading time. Yesterday my brain could do nothing, and tomorrow might even be up to writing. In the meantime: reading.   I really enjoyed this verse novel for readers aged 8+ written by Karen Comer. Released in a couple of weeks, it’s set in Melbourne and is about twelve-year old, basketball-playing Freya who moves with her mum from Eltham to the inner city.   The book feels wonderfully Melbourne with lots of fascinating basketball detail and explores having a donor-dad and being conceived by IVF. And friendships and navigating mean girls. I found it hard at times to read about girls being mean to Freya, remembering mean girls from my childhood and then imagining my own girl encountering them.   I’m trying to figure out why I like verse novels so much – maybe cos so much can be left out or left implicit, leaps can be made in time and place between each verse, there are no excess words and I think I simply enjoy all that white space on the page.   Anyway, a strong recommendation from me. I loved it. And what a pick-upable cover by Jessica Cruickshank, eh? It’s cool (if people my age are even allowed to use that word) and fun and slightly retro.   Karen also has a YA verse novel just out - ‘Grace Notes’ – which I’m looking forward to reading too. Image. On a dark rust coloured rug lies a paperback book with cover featuring a drawing of a girl bouncing a basketball down a city street. The colours are warm and earthy and the text reads: Karen Comer, Sunshine on Vinegar Street.   #sarahsfridayfavourites @allenandunwin @karen__comer #loveozmg #middlegradeversenovel #versenovel @jesscruicky

#Repost @saraharmstrongwriter ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourite: How I loved this book for readers aged 8+ by the Australian Children’s Laureate, Gabrielle Wang. It’s 1955 Melbourne, and Zadie Ma lives with her mum and dad and little brother over their corner store. Her dad has returned from WW2 and suffers ‘shell shock’ and spends most of his time in his room; her mum is overwhelmed and grumpy, and Zadie longs for a dog of her own.   The book is dotted with stories that Zadie makes up, some of which come true – in a kind of way. One day she writes a story about rescuing an unwanted dog called Jupiter …   I felt entirely in the hands of a master writer – the pacing, the careful unfolding of the painful aspects of the story (racism, loneliness, dad’s trauma, mum’s scoldings), and the heart-warming resolution.   Gabrielle has spoken of what a personal story this is, one that she’s carried with her almost all her life. It’s a love letter to her very first dog, Rusty who her grandfather found wandering, lost, at the Victoria Market in Melbourne and who was later lost on a family holiday. There’s a photo of Gabrielle and her grandpa and Rusty in the front of the book and the dedication of the book is ‘For Rusty and all the dogs who never found their way home.’ 😢   I really enjoyed entering Zadie’s world, including glimpses of Chinese culture and language. We learn that her mother says ‘mo gong’ when she wants something to be secret. I can imagine ‘mo gong’ finding its way into the vocabulary of some readers! I reckon it would be a great book for a classroom read. Hard recommend from me!   Image: a paperback book stands on a white tabletop, greenery in the background. The book cover is blue and white and features a drawing of the moon, a dog and a black-haired girl. The text reads: ‘Zadie Ma and the dog who chased the moon’.   #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg @loveozmg @gabriellewangbooks @childrenslaureate #gabriellewang #zadiemaandthedogwhochasedthemoon #kidlit #kidsbookstagram #middlegradehistoricalfiction #middlegradebooks #kidsbookswelove #kidsbooks #chineseaustralian

‘Friday’ Favourite: How I loved this book for readers aged 8+ by the Australian Children’s Laureate, Gabrielle Wang. It’s 1955 Melbourne, and Zadie Ma lives with her mum and dad and little brother over their corner store. Her dad has returned from WW2 and suffers ‘shell shock’ and spends most of his time in his room; her mum is overwhelmed and grumpy, and Zadie longs for a dog of her own.   The book is dotted with stories that Zadie makes up, some of which come true – in a kind of way. One day she writes a story about rescuing an unwanted dog called Jupiter …   I felt entirely in the hands of a master writer – the pacing, the careful unfolding of the painful aspects of the story (racism, loneliness, dad’s trauma, mum’s scoldings), and the heart-warming resolution.   Gabrielle has spoken of what a personal story this is, one that she’s carried with her almost all her life. It’s a love letter to her very first dog, Rusty who her grandfather found wandering, lost, at the Victoria Market in Melbourne and who was later lost on a family holiday. There’s a photo of Gabrielle and her grandpa and Rusty in the front of the book and the dedication of the book is ‘For Rusty and all the dogs who never found their way home.’ 😢   I really enjoyed entering Zadie’s world, including glimpses of Chinese culture and language. We learn that her mother says ‘mo gong’ when she wants something to be secret. I can imagine ‘mo gong’ finding its way into the vocabulary of some readers! I reckon it would be a great book for a classroom read. Hard recommend from me!   Image: a paperback book stands on a white tabletop, greenery in the background. The book cover is blue and white and features a drawing of the moon, a dog and a black-haired girl. The text reads: ‘Zadie Ma and the dog who chased the moon’.   #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg @loveozmg @gabriellewangbooks @childrenslaureate #gabriellewang #zadiemaandthedogwhochasedthemoon #kidlit #kidsbookstagram #middlegradehistoricalfiction #middlegradebooks #kidsbookswelove #kidsbooks #chineseaustralian

As recommended by, @saraharmstrongwriter 🌬️💸🍁 About the book, from, @harperkidsau Sometimes feeling bored is just the beginning ... Hi, I'm Milo, and right now I'm chasing $105 as it flies down my street. The wind is blowing it towards Evie Watson's house, which is very bad news. It's also making for some pretty awkward running. My neighbours, Rocco, Luisa and Zak, must be laughing their heads off. And who knows what's happening with the new kid next door. His name is Frog and he's invented his own type of martial art, which he's not very good at even though he made it up. Finding this much money should have been a good thing, but it's turning into a disaster! ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourites. I picked up this book after hearing Matt Stanton interviewed on the excellent Your Kids Next Read podcast. I loved it! The set up for the story is that bored and lonely Milo finds $105 dollars on the road in the cul-de-sac where he lives. This discovery leads – as you can imagine – to a flurry of ideas about what to do with the money and a bit of an ethical dilemma.   Matt Stanton has said that he wants this series to honour the complexity of being a kid, and acknowledge that everyone is carrying a weight we can’t see. He achieves this fantastically, with humour and a pacy, utterly relatable story.   It’s part of a series, and each book is from the perspective of a different kid in the cul-de-sac. I love this kind of shifting point of view - such a great reminder that others have complex inner worlds we know little about. This is the first in the series and the latest -and third - book ‘Bored: Evie Dreams Big’ is just out.   I reckon it’s perfect for readers aged 7 to 10-ish. And for people like me who love being taken back to the days of riding a bike around a cul-de-sac. Pic id in alt text @itsmattstantonhere @allisontaitwriter #bored #mattstanton #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #lovethisbook @harperkidsau #milofinds #ireadmg #bookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: The good thing about being sick in bed is all the reading time. Yesterday my brain could do nothing, and tomorrow might even be up to writing. In the meantime: reading.   I really enjoyed this verse novel for readers aged 8+ written by Karen Comer. Released in a couple of weeks, it’s set in Melbourne and is about twelve-year old, basketball-playing Freya who moves with her mum from Eltham to the inner city.   The book feels wonderfully Melbourne with lots of fascinating basketball detail and explores having a donor-dad and being conceived by IVF. And friendships and navigating mean girls. I found it hard at times to read about girls being mean to Freya, remembering mean girls from my childhood and then imagining my own girl encountering them.   I’m trying to figure out why I like verse novels so much – maybe cos so much can be left out or left implicit, leaps can be made in time and place between each verse, there are no excess words and I think I simply enjoy all that white space on the page.   Anyway, a strong recommendation from me. I loved it. And what a pick-upable cover by Jessica Cruickshank, eh? It’s cool (if people my age are even allowed to use that word) and fun and slightly retro.   Karen also has a YA verse novel just out - ‘Grace Notes’ – which I’m looking forward to reading too. Image. On a dark rust coloured rug lies a paperback book with cover featuring a drawing of a girl bouncing a basketball down a city street. The colours are warm and earthy and the text reads: Karen Comer, Sunshine on Vinegar Street.   #sarahsfridayfavourites @allenandunwin @karen__comer #loveozmg #middlegradeversenovel #versenovel @jesscruicky

Want a new #LoveOzMG read? 🦏 @saraharmstrongwriter has the best recommendations! ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourites: This is a heart-warming book about a grieving girl who befriends a rhinoceros she finds washed up on a beach. The novel - for readers 8+ - is based on the true story of a ship wrecked off the Victorian coast in 1891, a ship carrying animals bound for a zoo – including a rhinoceros.   I loved entering the wild landscape around Breamlea where ten-year-old Evie lives with her grandfather after her parents’ deaths. It’s a gentle story but doesn’t shy away from her grief for her parents, which has lead her to stop speaking. There are wonderful supporting characters including Cook, Evie’s grandpa and a couple of cheeky monkeys. But best of all is Rhino. I loved the moments we entered the rhinoceros’s point of view and will never think of rhinoceroses the same way again.   Evie is deeply comforted by her friendship with Rhino and must fight to prevent him being taken to the zoo he was originally travelling to.   This book by Neridah McMullin – which has been shortlisted for the prestigious CBCA awards - touches on the ethics of keeping animals in captivity and explores the deep connections between humans and animals. I found it uplifting and touching, and especially recommend it for the animal and nature lovers.   There are interesting notes at the back of the book about the true story that inspired it and on the coastal setting – known as Shipwreck Coast. There are also lovely internal illustrations by Astred Hicks. Photo id in alt text     #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #lovethisbook #evieandrhino #rhinoceros #shipwrecks @neridah.mcm.author @walkerbooksaus #bookreview #kidlit #lovethisbook @astredhicksdesigncherry

Friday Favourite: Will Kostakis’s latest novel – out this week – has two storylines. One is the story of seventeen-year old Harvey who ends up living with his grandmother and great-grandmother on top of their Sydney café. The other is Sotiris’s story – he’s also seventeen and just had a novel published.   I absolutely loved it for many reasons:   1. The writing. Will is just a great wordsmith which I’ve known since I read his novel, ‘Sidekicks. (Which is a fave in our house - Alan chaired a panel with Will at the last Byron Writers Festival and was wandering around the house for days exclaiming what a great writer Will is.)   2. Being taken back to Darlinghurst where I spent a lot of time in my late teens and early twenties, hanging out at the houses and apartments of friends.   3. Being taken inside a big Greek-Australian family, and inside the world of a café (which also made me wonder how much caffeine was consumed in the course of the research).   4. It’s about being a writer with all the compromises and navigations made (or asked of him) . Like Sotiris, Will was published in his teens. In the Acknowledgements, Will writes that the book began as a memoir project. ‘The plan was to free myself from auto-fiction, and well … you don’t need me to tell you how that went.’   5. It’s a queer love story and includes a family with two dads. In short, it’s a great pacy, humorous, heartfelt read, and I really recommend it. The publisher suggests it for readers aged 14+. I’d reckon more like 15+ but that’s probably splitting hairs. @willkostakis @allenandunwin #loveozya #wecouldbesomething #willkostakis #sarahsfridayfavourites #queerya #queeryabooks

‘Friday’ Favourite. My guest reviewer, Amelia, tells me that this book by Lili Wilkinson is completely gripping. She read it quickly and in fact, spent half the day in bed yesterday, reading it.   It’s about a group of people trapped on a self-driving bus in the tropics, with no memories of their past lives. A series of tests confronts them with high-stakes ethical choices and they must uncover a larger mystery at play.   Amelia loved that it felt fresh and surprising. It’s YA and my thirteen-year-old reviewer tells me she that skipped a couple of romantic scenes and apparently there’s a scene where someone chops off their hand. But she highly recommends it as a pacy,, suspenseful, entertaining read that makes you consider your own response to the moral dilemmas the characters face. Now I’m going to hand her Lili’s latest, ‘A Hunger of Thorns’ which looks like a witchy tale of forbidden, dangerous magic (in other words, right up my alley). Photo id in alt text   @liliwilkinsonauthor #theerasureinitiative #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #bookstagram #yathrillers

‘Friday’ Favourites. I picked up this book after hearing Matt Stanton interviewed on the excellent Your Kids Next Read podcast. I loved it! The set up for the story is that bored and lonely Milo finds $105 dollars on the road in the cul-de-sac where he lives. This discovery leads – as you can imagine – to a flurry of ideas about what to do with the money and a bit of an ethical dilemma.   Matt Stanton has said that he wants this series to honour the complexity of being a kid, and acknowledge that everyone is carrying a weight we can’t see. He achieves this fantastically, with humour and a pacy, utterly relatable story.   It’s part of a series, and each book is from the perspective of a different kid in the cul-de-sac. I love this kind of shifting point of view - such a great reminder that others have complex inner worlds we know little about. This is the first in the series and the latest -and third - book ‘Bored: Evie Dreams Big’ is just out.   I reckon it’s perfect for readers aged 7 to 10-ish. And for people like me who love being taken back to the days of riding a bike around a cul-de-sac. Pic id in alt text @itsmattstantonhere @allisontaitwriter #bored #mattstanton #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #lovethisbook @harperkidsau #milofinds #ireadmg #bookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: I’ve been soooo looking forward to getting my hands on ‘The Garden at the End of the World’. Partly cos I’m a keen seed saver (slightly keener in intent than practice, it must be said), plus I wanted to see Briony Stewart’s illustrations after reading that she used cyanotype prints (sun prints) of plants and silhouette photographs, but mostly because this is Cassy Polimeni’s first book. Cassy and I met twelve years ago when she came to a writing and yoga retreat Alan and I taught in Byron Bay and it’s been so lovely re-connecting with her over Insta in the last couple of years, and seeing this gorgeous picture book take flight. It tells the story of Isla who finds a seed pod, and with her mum, takes it to the Global Seed Vault in Norway. As Cassy’s note at the of of the book says: ‘The first withdrawal was made in 2015 to replace seeds lost when a gene bank near Aleppo, Syria, was destroyed by civil war. In a rapidly changing world, the vault helps promote food security and crop diversity by providing protection for the earth’s most important natural resources. So there will always be a garden at the end of the world, waiting to be planted.’ Congratulations, Cassy and Briony. This is a beautiful and wonderfully hopeful story. Highly recommended for all ages. (Somehow I added a pic of the gorgeous endpapers twice. That’s how much I love them!) Pic id in alt text @cassy_polimeni @briony_stewart @uqpbooks #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozpicturebooks #seedvault #thegardenattheendoftheworld world #lovethisbook #seedsaving #picturebooklove

‘Friday’ Favourites. Life is tricky for almost-thirteen year old Matthew. His dad is in jail and his mum can’t afford the rent so they must move from the city to his late grandpa’s old shack on the coast.   I wasn’t sure if this was a middle-grade or young-YA book at first, because the main character, Matthew, is turning thirteen. It’s marketed as YA, and I think that’s because Matthew’s dad - once he’s out of jail - is abusive. Some of the scenes with his dad are really unsettling – and ring very true. On the flip side, the scenes where Matthew learns to fish from Old Bill and connects with nature at Crawley Point are wonderfully positive and uplifting.   Via the character of Old Bill, Bradley Christmas touches on the indigenous connection to Country. Bill is the perfect support and guide for Matthew, a sensitive young man finding his way. It’s a powerful exploration of father-son relationships and the importance of wise mentors for young men.   It’s not a pacy book – but I felt pulled through, and completely drawn into the setting of Crawley Point (which I couldn’t help but picture as Bawley Point). I think it would be good for mature readers of 11+   I have one minor quibble: Matthew’s best friend is a girl, Asha (which is great). A few months after Matthew moves away to Crawley Point, Asha comes to visit and he notices that she’s lost the ‘pudge’ around her cheeks and chin, and her hair is straighter and shinier. ‘I realised for the first time that she was really quite pretty.’ I just wish – in a book for young readers - that losing ‘pudge’ was not tied to suddenly appearing pretty. : ( To be fair, this is not mentioned otherwise: he notices (and appreciates) that his mum doesn’t seem to care about conforming to appearance norms. A highly recommended read. @bradley_christmas_author #sarahsfridayfavourites @walkerbooksaus #saltwaterboy #fishinglife #loveozya #australianyoungadult #loveozmg #lovethisbook

‘Friday’ Favourites: This is a heart-warming book about a grieving girl who befriends a rhinoceros she finds washed up on a beach. The novel - for readers 8+ - is based on the true story of a ship wrecked off the Victorian coast in 1891, a ship carrying animals bound for a zoo – including a rhinoceros.   I loved entering the wild landscape around Breamlea where ten-year-old Evie lives with her grandfather after her parents’ deaths. It’s a gentle story but doesn’t shy away from her grief for her parents, which has lead her to stop speaking. There are wonderful supporting characters including Cook, Evie’s grandpa and a couple of cheeky monkeys. But best of all is Rhino. I loved the moments we entered the rhinoceros’s point of view and will never think of rhinoceroses the same way again.   Evie is deeply comforted by her friendship with Rhino and must fight to prevent him being taken to the zoo he was originally travelling to.   This book by Neridah McMullin – which has been shortlisted for the prestigious CBCA awards - touches on the ethics of keeping animals in captivity and explores the deep connections between humans and animals. I found it uplifting and touching, and especially recommend it for the animal and nature lovers.   There are interesting notes at the back of the book about the true story that inspired it and on the coastal setting – known as Shipwreck Coast. There are also lovely internal illustrations by Astred Hicks. Photo id in alt text     #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #lovethisbook #evieandrhino #rhinoceros #shipwrecks @neridah.mcm.author @walkerbooksaus #bookreview #kidlit #lovethisbook @astredhicksdesigncherry

This has made my day, so I had to share (obviously). Thank you so much Amelia and Sarah 🌻 Posted @withregram • @saraharmstrongwriter ‘Friday’ Favourites with a guest reviewer: I have a lot of YA books lying around the house at the moment, and my almost-thirteen-year old picked up this book: Triple Threat by Katy Warner. I reckon it’s aimed at an older readership than almost-thirteen but after reading two pages she was completely hooked, so I let her at it. She loved it!   It’s about a girl – Edie – who is on a scholarship to a prestigious performing arts high school. She can dance, sing and act (ie she’s a triple threat). She lives with her nan and pop (and there’s a bit of mystery about her mum) and she faces school issues, friendship issues, and has to deal with an awful director.   Amelia tells me that she really enjoyed Edie’s voice – especially the humour. She says the plot was very well thought out, and kept her interested the whole way through.   I asked her to come to me if there was anything that felt too old or confusing. She wasn’t remotely worried by a bit of swearing and some kissing. We did however have a good  discussion about what ‘a misogynistic, narcissistic buffoon’ is. (And, quite frankly, it’s not a bad phrase to have up one’s sleeve.) Pic id in alt text   @hardiegrantchildren @warner_katy #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #lovethisbook #yabooks #performingartsschool #triplethreat

‘Friday’ Favourites with a guest reviewer: I have a lot of YA books lying around the house at the moment, and my almost-thirteen-year old picked up this book: Triple Threat by Katy Warner. I reckon it’s aimed at an older readership than almost-thirteen but after reading two pages she was completely hooked, so I let her at it. She loved it!   It’s about a girl – Edie – who is on a scholarship to a prestigious performing arts high school. She can dance, sing and act (ie she’s a triple threat). She lives with her nan and pop (and there’s a bit of mystery about her mum) and she faces school issues, friendship issues, and has to deal with an awful director.   Amelia tells me that she really enjoyed Edie’s voice – especially the humour. She says the plot was very well thought out, and kept her interested the whole way through.   I asked her to come to me if there was anything that felt too old or confusing. She wasn’t remotely worried by a bit of swearing and some kissing. We did however have a good  discussion about what ‘a misogynistic, narcissistic buffoon’ is. (And, quite frankly, it’s not a bad phrase to have up one’s sleeve.) Pic id in alt text   @hardiegrantchildren @warner_katy #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites #lovethisbook #yabooks #performingartsschool #triplethreat

Authors supporting authors. Is there anything sweeter? Review from wonderful #LoveOzMG author, @saraharmstrongwriter ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourites: ‘The Jammer’ is possibly my favourite Nova Weetman book – which is, you may know, is quite a big call given how great her other books are.   The characters just leapt off the page at me: twelve-year old Fred, whose mother has just died, her dad, her step-uncle, her friend Sammy …   As ever in Nova Weetman’s books, the main character’s voice is strong and engaging. The author doesn’t dodge Fred’s painful, isolating experience of grief, but there’s enough warmth and kindness throughout to make the book an entirely hopeful read.   I loved Uncle Graham (and could have done with more of him); he was so beautifully depicted, this gentle, particular, kind man with his hand drawn, quirky maps he gives Fred to find her way around, and to learn about her mother’s past.   And of course – there is the roller derby at the heart of the book. The descriptions of the passionate, accepting derby community made me wish I’d tried it when I was younger (the descriptions of the physical nature of it and injuries also made me sure that my window of opportunity has closed)   I read an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and in it, Nova Weetman writes a letter to booksellers and mentions her partner’s death in 2020 and how she wanted to tell the story of finding your place when your family has been cracked by loss. I loved this story of a girl discovering the shape of her new family. I’ll be steering readers aged 10 and older to this book at the @thebookroomcollective. Pic id in alt text. @novaweetman @uqp #loveozmg #sarahsfridayfavourites #rollerderby #rollerderbygirls #bookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: Let’s be honest, I was pre-disposed to love this book because it was written by my friend, Zanni Louise. She’s written heaps of wonderful picture books and books for younger readers but ‘Queenie in Seven Moves’ is her first for middle-grade readers.   Even if I didn’t know Zanni, I would absolutely LOVE this. I (re)read it in those lazy days just after Christmas, and it completely swept me away. It’s uplifting, funny, touching and evocative. And explores one of the key issues affecting many communities, but especially my community, at the moment: homelessness.   ‘Queenie in Seven Moves’ is the story of Queenie who lives with her mum and must move after their rented house is sold by their landlady. They bounce around from place to place, desperately seeking somewhere affordable to settle. As they drag their posessions from place to place, Queenie – a talented singer-songwriter – is also finding her voice and learning to share her music with others.   This story is set in the northern rivers where I live – although the places names are made up – and is a powerful snapshot of the very real housing crisis here, exacerbated by last year’s floods. People are paying $350 a week for a simple room in a share house. Families are sleeping in cars. Mouldy caravans are going for hundreds of dollars a week.   While the background of Zanni’s story is that very real social crisis – ‘Queenie’ offers a warm and thoughtful insight into a girl finding her way in the world. I finished it feeling light and inspired. I really recommend it for readers aged 10+. As a total bonus, Zanni’s husband Greg wrote a song – one of Queenie’s songs from the book – and it’s been recorded and you can listen to it on Spotify. I will definitely be recommending this to young readers at The Book Room. Picture id in alt text.     #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #middlegrade #middlegradebooks @zannilouise   #mglit #kidsbookstagram #childrenreading #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram #queenieinsevenmoves #childrensbooksreviews #kidlit #authorsofinstagram #childrenreading #byronlife #housingcrisis

‘Friday’ Favourites: While reading ‘Ottlile Colter and the Narroway Hunt’, I had that lovely feeling of a book hovering at the edge of my thoughts, calling me back to it.   Thirteen-year old Ottilie lives a life of neglect and hardship in the Swamp Hollows until - while tracking down her kidnapped younger brother - she finds herself in the remote Narroway, at a secret school where young boys are trained to hunt monstrous beasts who, if they are not kept at bay - will threaten life as they know it.   To get to the school – where her brother has been taken - she must disguise herself as a boy. This leads to some interesting ruminations on what she must change about herself to appear like a boy. The girls in this place are the Sculkies, or housemaids. Because girls are not seen as brave or strong enough to be hunters.   The book had lots of things to really satisfy me. For instance, a neglected kid finding a place where she was fed, clothed, and given a room of her own  (only as long as she was a boy, though). I loved seeing her strength and courage, proving their ridiculous rules wrong. I loved all the kid allies she encountered and the descriptions of battle (I was watching Top Gun Maverick around the same time and the flying scenes from both book and film kind of merged in my head!). The world building is really excellent and I recently heard the author, Rhiannon Williams, speak on Zanni Louise’s Sunshine House podcast about how much she loves world building. It shows!     Ottilie is a feisty, smart, curious character who I was more than happy to spend time with. I’m very glad that all three books in the series are now published because this first one left quite a few threads left hanging and I’m desperate to know what happens next!   A new edition of all three has just come out – with gorgeous new covers. Photo id in alt text.   #sarahsfridayfavourites @rhilliams @hardiegrantkids #loveozmg @zannilouise #middlegrade #bookstagram #middlegradefiction #kidlit #kidsbookstagram #lovethisbook #kidsbookswelove #middlegradefantasy

‘Friday’ Favourite:  ‘Cop and Robber’ is the fourth of Tristan Bancks’s books aimed at the 10 to 14 age group – all of them wonderfully pacy, thrilling and with a moral question at their heart.   Nash’s mum is a cop and his dad is a crook. Dad needs Nash’s help to steal some money – and if they can’t pull it off, it could cost them their lives.   Cop and Robber has one of the most exciting opening chapters I’ve read. Tristan – who is a friend and critique group buddy - really is a master of writing lean, tight prose that still conveys all the emotional complexities of Nash’s situation.   There’s a scene of threatened violence that might not be for the more sensitive reader, but otherwise perfect for someone who wants a fast-moving, coming of age story. Really recommended. And it’s clearly beloved by the independent book sellers as it’s just been shortlisted in the Indie Book Awards.   It’s listed in the Young Adult category of the awards – even though I suspect you’ll most often find it in the middle-grade sections of bookshops. I’d probably say it’s in the Teen category, that fits between middle-grade and young adult, but whatever the category, it’s an awesome read for anyone. Photo id in alt text   #loveozmg @tristanbancks #sarahsfridayfavourites #copandrobber #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #bookstagram #kidlit #loveozya #yabookstagram #middlegradebookstagram #kidsbookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: ‘Waiting for the Storks’ is the third of Katrina Nannestad’s books for young readers about children in war. Her first (and possibly my favourite) is ‘We Are Wolves’, about the children who survived in the forests of East Prussia after being orphaned or separated from their parents.   ‘Waiting for the Storks’ which was published in November, is about Lebensborn, the Nazi program of stealing Polish (and other Eastern European) children who were blond and blue-eyed – perfect Aryans to help grow the ‘pure’ German population. These children were assessed and examined to determine if there were ‘racially valuable’ or ‘undesirable’.   This powerful, beautifully written novel follows the story of eight-year old Zofia (her name later changed to Sophia) who is taken from her parents in Krakow and ends up with the family of a Nazi officer.   Katrina Nannestad is incredibly skilful in how she writes about utter heartbreak and the evil of Nazism, about loss and grief, in a way that (I think) makes it appropriate for the younger reader. There’s a happy ending, although as she points out in a note at the back of the book, many children did not find their way back to their original families, and the few that did had often lost their language, their memories and sense of connection with home. Some were taken from German families to end up in an orphanage in their country of origin.     The publisher suggests that this is for readers aged 12+. I’d say a mature 10 or 11 year-old could handle it. It’s a powerful, moving story for older readers, too. A hard recommend from me.   #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #middlegradewarbooks #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #katrinanannestad @katrinanannestad   #mglit #kidsbookstagram #childrenreading #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram #waitingforthestorks #childrensbooksreviews #kidlit #authorsofinstagram #childrenreading @thebookroomcollective

‘Friday’ Favourites is back after a very busy time with very little reading! ‘How to be Prime Minister and Survive Grade Five’ by Carla Fitzgerald is a fun, light-hearted take on that perennial question: What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?   I found it ideal for that post-Christmas hazy, exhausted zone. It’s the story of eleven-year-old Harper whose dad was recently thrust into the job of Prime Minister after heroically rescuing two kids (and a labradoodle) from a shark attack.   He’s finding the top job pretty overwhelming and when he disappears to a ‘conference’, Harper and her sister Lottie more or less take over running the country using his mobile phone.   I initially had a bit of trouble suspending disbelief at some of the plot details and larger than life incidents. But I suspect a young reader would not have the same problem!   I loved all the detail about life in Kirribilli House and what it might be like being the PM’s daughter going to a new (swanky, private) school.   Harper must learn to speak out about what she believes in and really finds her voice by the end of the book. This story touches on notions of democracy and the responsibility that comes with power. Perfect for readers 8+   #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #carlafitzgerald #australianprimeminister #howtobeprimeministerandsurvivegradefive carlafitzgerald   #mglit #kidsbookstagram #childrenreading #bookstagram #kidsbookstagram #childrensbooksreviews #kidlit #authorsofinstagram #childrenreading

‘Friday’ Favourites: This is the utterly heart-warming story of 11-year-old Annie who gets about wearing an old leather tool belt and whose family farm is under threat from their dastardly neighbour. The story has Craig Silvey’s usual beautiful writing, with a slightly larger-than-life, quirky quality that’s perfect for this tale about being true to who you are. It features a talented dog called ‘Runt’ (and in the pic you can see my wee runt having a peruse) as well as championship dog trials and oodles of family love. Oh, and lovely, spare illustrations from @saraacton_illustration. A really enjoyable, funny, tender-hearted romp. I reckon it’s for age seven up. It might not have the edginess that some 12+ year olds want (speaking from observations close to home). But it’s highly recommended for adults! I loved it and my mum is about to read it. (She grew up on an orchard, so I think she’ll especially relate to Annie’s farm childhood.) Hard recommend from me. @craigsilveyauthor @allenandunwin #sarahsfridayfavourites #craigsilvey #loveozmg #middlegradebooks #bookstagram #kidstagram #kidsbooks #middlegradereads #mglit

‘Friday’ Favourites: ‘The Jammer’ is possibly my favourite Nova Weetman book – which is, you may know, is quite a big call given how great her other books are.   The characters just leapt off the page at me: twelve-year old Fred, whose mother has just died, her dad, her step-uncle, her friend Sammy …   As ever in Nova Weetman’s books, the main character’s voice is strong and engaging. The author doesn’t dodge Fred’s painful, isolating experience of grief, but there’s enough warmth and kindness throughout to make the book an entirely hopeful read.   I loved Uncle Graham (and could have done with more of him); he was so beautifully depicted, this gentle, particular, kind man with his hand drawn, quirky maps he gives Fred to find her way around, and to learn about her mother’s past.   And of course – there is the roller derby at the heart of the book. The descriptions of the passionate, accepting derby community made me wish I’d tried it when I was younger (the descriptions of the physical nature of it and injuries also made me sure that my window of opportunity has closed)   I read an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and in it, Nova Weetman writes a letter to booksellers and mentions her partner’s death in 2020 and how she wanted to tell the story of finding your place when your family has been cracked by loss. I loved this story of a girl discovering the shape of her new family. I’ll be steering readers aged 10 and older to this book at the @thebookroomcollective. Pic id in alt text. @novaweetman @uqp #loveozmg #sarahsfridayfavourites #rollerderby #rollerderbygirls #bookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourite: My guest reviewer, Amelia, really enjoyed this novel – which, the blurb tell us, is about twelve-year old Mike, who just wants to fit in. He wants to be a star athlete. He wants his dad to stop embarrassing him. He wants his first kiss. He also wants his mum to survive advanced cancer. He has to move in with his African dad and contend with the school bully all while navigating puberty as a late bloomer and trying to deal with a serious phobia of jellyfish.   12-year old Amelia says there are so many little treasures in it, in other words, little moments that work perfectly. She loved the layers in the story -  that Mike has not one problem - but multiple problems. There’s not just one resolution but many. She says it’s about death and grief and is sad at times, but not depressing. In fact, she says, it’s very funny in a relatable, not try-hard way. (Being try-hard is the ultimate insult from Amelia. As I have found out.)   This is the ‘teen’ version of the novel (ie language and content has been toned down), which, apparently, is loosely based on stand-up comedian Matt Okine’s own experiences as a teenager. A hard recommend from my guest reviewer.   @mattokine @hachettekidsanz #beingblackandchickenandchips #loveozya #sarahsfridayfavourites

Friday Favourites. So I just read ‘The Sugarcane Kids and the Red Bottomed Boat’ by Charlie Archbold and really enjoyed it. There’s a mystery to solve, there’s friendship and interesting, well-drawn characters (loved the wildlife-caring step-mum, and small but fierce Indonesian-born grandma, and Washington, the sausage dog!) And I loved the depiction of far-north Queensland with its humidity and rain, mangroves and crocs. So beautifully done. My sense is that it’s a good fit for the younger end of middle grade. 7-8 to 10-11. @charlie_archbold @text_publishing #loveozmg #sarahsfridayfavourites #thesugarcanekidsandtheredbottomedboat #bookstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: I was primed to love this book because Anna Branford’s series for slightly younger readers, ‘Violet Mackerel’, is one of my all-time favourites. Happily, I love this book too – it has Anna’s trademark thoughtful, tender, honest approach to story-telling. We meet ten-year old Hazel who starts at a new school, and must navigate all the trickiness of being The New Person. There’s a lovely friendship with an older neighbour, Veronica, which reminded me of Violet’s friendship with Iris McDonald in the Violet books. And then, lo! Iris makes a tiny cameo appearance at the end of How To Be The New Person. ❤️ This gorgeous novel is basically a guide on how to be the new person and how to help a new person. I also loved that Hazel likes to pretend she is making instructional videos about things, eg. Eight important tips for successfully buttering your toast!  Putting your hair in a ponytail: a step-by-step guide! At the same age, I used to conduct pretend cooking shows, and like Hazel, prepared all my ingredients ahead of time and put them into small bowls.   My only complaint is that the book was not longer.  I would have happily hung out with Hazel and Veronica for many more pages. Highly recommended. For readers 8+ #sarahsfridayfavourites @annabranford @walkerbooksaus #howtobethenewperson #violetmackerel #loveozmg #annabranford #bookstagram #lovethisbook #bookrecommendation

Friday Favourites. A group of teenagers head into the forest on a school-organised, overnight hike, without adults - something apparently known as a ‘dropping’. ‘A Walk in the Dark’ by @janiegodwin is a great, gripping read for anyone 11 and up (it feels like it occupies that ‘teen’ territory that some people speak of). I really enjoyed reading about the dynamics between the various characters. It was especially great being taken into the point of view of the most ‘difficult’ person in the group and getting a sense of their back story. Also - and not least - there are beautiful descriptions of the forest in Victoria’s Otway Ranges. #sarahsfridayfavourites #awalkinthedark @hachetteaus #dropping #loveozmg #loveozya @hachettekidsanz #bookstagram #publicationday

‘Friday’ Favourites: I admired the skilful way this novel for kids tackled some tricky issues. The book is narrated by two characters – twelve-year old Hero and her new school friend, Aria, a refugee from Iran who is selectively mute. Hero’s dad seems to have mental health issues and we learn about Aria’s dangerous escape from Iran and his mother’s death. Aria is an award-winning poet, and Hero is a funny, kind kid. The book includes lots of word play, reflection on words and speaking out, and fun playing around with format and font. And at the end of the book, we finally read Aria’s prize-winning poem – an ode to his beloved mother and her fight for women’s rights in Iran. The sections about Aria’s family fleeing Iran were utterly gripping and I found myself wishing they were longer. A powerful book for the ten plus reader. #sarahsfridayfavourites @maryammasterauthor #loveozmg #panmacmillanaustralia #bookstagram #bookreview #nowords #refugees #lovethisbook #youngpoet #kidlit

‘Friday’ Favourite: What a gorgeous book this is. It opens with Gus and her mum and siblings on the run from a difficult domestic situation. They clearly live with poverty and itinerance but very soon they are trying to make a go of it as caretakers at a drive-in movie theatre in a country town. Quirky and charming are words often used (over-used?) in descriptions of middle-grade books but this book really is both. Victoria Carless has a light, deft touch and I was swept along in the story and loved the slightly supernatural element (her mum can see and talk to ghosts and it's passed down from mother to daughter). I especially loved being taken back to a drive-in movie theatre (the Starlight) - what a thrill they were when I was a kid. And I loved revisiting the old movies that Gus selects to screen. Life affirming, funny and highly recommended as an easy and heartwarming read when you have COVID! We bought this book in Melbourne at @collinsbooksellers_mooneeponds. Thanks for the awesome recommendation! #sarahsfridayfavourites @victoria.carless #loveozmg #middlegradebooks #driveinmovie #loveozkidlit #gusandthestarlight

‘Friday’ Favourites: My in-house reader sent this mini review from her (not very) sick bed. Amelia loved ‘Green Rising’ by Lauren James and describes it as very pacey – she literally couldn’t stop reading it. A blurb tells us that it’s ‘set in a near-future world on the brink of ecological catastrophe …. a gripping, witty and romantic call to arms.’ Amelia agrees that the plot is gripping and says the writing’s very good. For example: ‘The descriptions of the characters are just enough,’ she says. ’But with not so much detail that you are held hostage over what you have to think of them.’ [Ed: interesting ...] She also found the characters’ reactions to things realistic – that they were quite freaked out by plants growing from their skin (the ‘greenfinger’ effect that’s central to the plot)  rather than barely reacting, which apparently happens in some other books. [Ed: also interesting] She also liked the diversity of characters, including a non-binary person and gay couple. The ‘green rising’ at the end was very satisfying she says. She’s really keen to read another Lauren James STRAIGHT AWAY, so I have reluctantly let her use Kindle to get ‘The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker’ as it’s not at our local store. I’m a fan of real-life books. In the author’s note, Lauren James writes, ‘While magic is fantastical, the ability of humans to fix the climate emergency is not.’ Amen to that. It’s listed as for readers 12+ so actually a YA book. Younger YA. Photo id in alt text #sarahsfridayfavourites #greenrising @walkerbooks #yabooks #bookstagram #yabookstagram @laurenelizjames #clifi #climatechangebooks #readersofinstagram

‘Friday’ Favourites: Nell, who’s in year 6, is a catastrophe expert – something I can relate to, although I am not quite as expert as Nell. Her lists of potential catastrophes and how to deal with them are both amusing and touching (and actually, very informative at times, thank you). This novel explores anxiety with humour and heart - helpful, I would imagine, both for those who deal with anxiety and those who don’t. Fiona Wood – in her first middle-grade novel after writing (prize-winning) YA – has created a wonderful self-aware character in Nell. She must deal with her mum’s new relationship and a looming blended family and some tricky friendship dynamics.  I thought the exploration of friendship was very well done especially the desire to be friends with the cool but slightly mean new girl (which made me feel slightly queasy remembering similar interactions of my own). The biggest catastrophe of course is the climate crisis and luckily Nell has a Scottish climate-activist grandma, who helps her with plans to get permission for her class to attend the School Strike 4 Climate rally. This book is filled with loveable characters: Nell’s mum, her spunky grandma, her best friend and her teacher who’s plain lovely. Everyone ends up being loveable by the end. Also, there’s a spelling bee thread. I was a brilliant speller in year 6, like Nell, (learning Spanish at 15 destroyed this ability, sadly) so I really loved the spelling bee moments. We bought this book at @readingskids in Carlton on our recent Melbourne trip. I’ve taken on my partner Al’s habit of making a note in the front of a book about where and when it was bought. ❤️ #SarahsFridayFavourites #HowToSpellCatastrophe @f_i_o_n_a_w_ @Macmillanaus #AnxietyInKids #loveozmg #KidsBookstagram #MiddleGradeBooks #MiddleGradeReads

‘Friday’ Favourites: I imagine this book would be very affirming and helpful for a child who’s experiencing depression or anxiety, or who has someone in their life who is.   It’s a deceptively simple story about eleven-year old Matt. As the blurb says, ‘The pieces of his life just don’t seem to fit together anymore and he doesn’t understand why.’   The first three-quarters of the book spends a lot of time in Matt’s head – with his circling thoughts. Then he learns what the bravest word is – and talks to his dad, who helps him talk to his mum, and he opens up to his friends.   There’s a really touching parallel story of Matt and his dad rescuing an abandoned and injured pup.   In an author’s note at the end, Kate Foster, writes of her own depression and how asking for help saved her. ‘Being afraid is okay. Bravery is acting despite your fear. And asking for help is bravery in its purest, most vulnerable form.’   I think this is an important book for all of us to read – not least to learn the signs of depression in young people. #sarahsfridayfavourites @kfosterauthor @walkerbooksaus #loveozmg #depression #thebravestword Photo id in alt text

‘Friday’ Favourite: My twelve-year old, in-house reviewer absolutely adored ‘The Way of Dog’ by Zana Fraillon. She loved the voice of the dog narrator and said it reminded her a bit of the BFG’s voice, only sweeter and quirkier. Scruffity the dog - who’s been deserted - meets a manpup who’s also been deserted. Apparently there’s a sad middle but happy ending. This is Amelia’s second ever verse novel and she loves the layout, ‘the way words float and have more meaning than usual.’ She also really enjoyed the illustrations throughout by Sean Buckingham. (How touching is that cover?) Highly recommended and her dad has put dibs on reading it next. #sarahsfridayfavourites #loveozmg #dogsofinsta @zanafraillon @uqpbooks #thewayofdog @raisedbyothers #kidsbookstagram #middlegradebooks #lovethisbook #raisingreaders #bookreccomendation #bookstagram Photo id in alt text.

‘Friday’ Favourites: ‘The Year the Maps Changed’ by Danielle Binks has already been a Friday Fave of mine. But that was after I read it. Amelia’s just read it and loved it so I thought I’d do a wee reprise. Amelia kept pausing reading to talk to me about things coming up in the book. We had a bit of a chat when the refugees entered the story. Given that we’ve talked about the people fleeing Ukraine at the moment, she found it uncanny to be reading about the experiences of the Kosovar-Albanian refugees arriving in Australia in 1999. She was also gripped by the fact that Fred was ‘doing stuff behind the government’s back’  - perhaps it appealed to the twelve-year old sense of growing independence and rule breaking ... In fact so much of the book was pitch perfect for her as a twelve-year old. Fred gets her period, they’re studying geology (which Amelia was at the very same time), and there are powerful moral and family issues to resolve. We also had a few discussions about maps literal and figural and how we fit on them. She read it really quickly and it’s moved to her top shelf of favourite books. Every week (not always on a Friday) I do a mini review of a middle-grade book I love.   Here's the blurb: Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land-grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 Kosovar-Albanian refugees arrive in the middle of the night to be housed at one of Australia's 'safe havens' on an isolated headland not far from Sorrento, their fate becomes intertwined with the lives of Fred and her family, as she navigates one extraordinary year that will change them all. Photo id in alt text. #loveozmg #sarahsfridayfavourites #theyearthemapschanged @dbinks #kidlit #bookstagram #middlegradebookstagram

I'm beginning to think I need flowers on all my book covers in future - because I love what reviewers are doing, styling Snail. This is so beautiful, thankyou @saraharmstrongwriter. And your words are precious, too. Reposted from @saraharmstrongwriter ‘Friday’ Favourites: I confess I had a little weep at the end of this touching, delicately told story: ‘What Snail Knows’ by Kathryn Apel and illustrated by Mandy Foot.  Lucy lives with her dad in a caravan, and is used to moving often. The book starts with a new van park, a new school (where she’s in Year Two), and Lucy’s first pet: Snail. We’re given a powerful and moving first-person insight into the life of a child struggling with poverty and isolation. Some way into the book, we learn that her mother has died. There is also much kindness and love in Lucy’s life, from her dad, her new teacher Miss Darling, Mei Hui who runs the van park and from the family of her new friend, Tahnee – and there’s a tender, happy ending.   It’s a verse novel and I think the space on the page and the spare quality of the storytelling - and the truly beautiful writing - make this potentially tricky territory easier to read. Indeed, a joy to read! And all the more joyous for the gorgeous illustrations by Mandy Foot. I bought this at @bookwarehouseballina when I popped down to see how they were going after losing their Lismore store to floods. * Every week (not always on a Friday!), I review a kids’ book, mostly middle-grade (for readers aged 8 - 12) which is what I write. * #SarahsFridayFavourites @Kat.Apel @MandyFootIllustrator @UQPBooks #LoveOzMg #middlegradebooks #Kidsbookstagram #MiddleGradeReads #Bookstagram #ChildrensBooks

‘Friday’ Favourites: I confess I had a little weep at the end of this touching, delicately told story: ‘What Snail Knows’ by Kathryn Apel and illustrated by Mandy Foot.  Lucy lives with her dad in a caravan, and is used to moving often. The book starts with a new van park, a new school (where she’s in Year Two), and Lucy’s first pet: Snail. We’re given a powerful and moving first-person insight into the life of a child struggling with poverty and isolation. Some way into the book, we learn that her mother has died. There is also much kindness and love in Lucy’s life, from her dad, her new teacher Miss Darling, Mei Hui who runs the van park and from the family of her new friend, Tahnee – and there’s a tender, happy ending.   It’s a verse novel and I think the space on the page and the spare quality of the storytelling - and the truly beautiful writing - make this potentially tricky territory easier to read. Indeed, a joy to read! And all the more joyous for the gorgeous illustrations by Mandy Foot. I bought this at @bookwarehouseballina when I popped down to see how they were going after losing their Lismore store to floods. * Every week (not always on a Friday!), I review a kids’ book, mostly middle-grade (for readers aged 8 - 12) which is what I write. * #SarahsFridayFavourites @Kat.Apel @MandyFootIllustrator @UQPBooks #LoveOzMg #middlegradebooks #Kidsbookstagram #MiddleGradeReads #Bookstagram #ChildrensBooks

Friday Favourites: How I loved this gentle novel - a story of birds and boats and brothers  - for readers aged 9+. Luke and his brother Ben dream of having their own boat to explore their creek, and enter a competition to win a boat.   It’s not super pacey or driven along by lots of narrative tension. There is the boat competition and there is Luke’s anger at his dad after his parents separated recently (which is handled with a very light touch), and there’s some brotherly conflict, but mostly it’s a gentle, almost dreamy story of a boy who is drawing every single bird in his ‘hood. How I looked forward to reading it each evening after a busy day! Scattered throughout the book are bird drawings by the author Peter Carnavas. There’s a particularly lovely relationship between Luke and Maggie, a magpie they saved. I was a wildlife carer for a while and the first animal I cared for was Colly the baby currawong. We released him once he was old enough but he hung around, and I completely understand the love Luke has for Maggie. Reading this book now has been perfect timing for me as I’ve vowed to notice more about my local natural environment. I want to know who every bird calls belong too, I want to know every plant – native or not, ‘weeds’ or not. As Damon Gameau, who I respect for his thoughts on the climate crisis, says, ‘There are many of us who care deeply for this planet and worry about our children’s future, yet cannot name the trees in neighbourhood or in our local park … How can we really expect to save the planet when most of us remain disconnected to the tiny piece of it we inhabit.’  ‘My Brother Ben’ has firmed up my intentions to connect more deeply with my own natural environment.   #SarahsFridayFavourites #LoveOzMG #PeterCarnavas #MyBrotherBen #MiddleGrade #MGBooks #MiddleGrade #KidsBooks #KidsBooksWeLove #KidsBookstagram #Bookstagram #Birdwatching #BirdsOfAustralia I really recommend this book, for all readers aged 8+.

‘Friday’ Favourites: My friend @tristanbancksbooks has mentioned ‘Hatchet’ to me many times. I finally read it and really enjoyed it. It’s deceptively simple: thirteen-year old Brian is flying to visit his father when the pilot has a heart attack. Brian must crash land the plane in the remote Canadian wilderness. As a kid – and now – I loved survival stories. Part of me is very into notions of living off the land and growing my own food. I loved reading about Brian figuring out how to start a fire, and trap fish and build a shelter. In an introduction to this thirtieth anniversary edition, Gary Paulsen writes of having learnt his craft writing for a men’s magazine where he had absolutely brutal editors. At the start of ‘Hatchet’, I found some of his writing a little mannered, with unnecessary repetitions - but either I got used to it, or that faded away. He could have easily amped up the drama by bringing in more terrible dangers – but I’m so glad he didn’t. Instead he focused on the ways Brian changes and grows during his experience, and his relationship with the natural world. Now I really want to visit the Canadian wilderness. I recommend this one for readers 11+ depending on how sensitive they are to things like an adult in charge dying and moose attacks. Image: a pale hand holds a paperback book against a leafy background. The book cover features a drawing of a roaring bear and a plane and trees silhouetted against a sunset. The words, ‘Gary Paulson’ and ‘Hatchet’ are in silver. #SarahsFridayFavourites #GaryPaulsen #Hatchet #MiddleGradeFiction #BookReview #MiddleGradeBooks

‘Friday’ Favourites: ‘Wolf Wilder’, for readers aged 10+, is by the talented writer Katherine Rundell. It’s set in the period before the Russian revolution and is the story of Feo, who, with her mother, works to re-wild wolves that were taken as pups into wealthy St Petersburg homes, then abandoned when they finally bit or scratched a human. (Apparently this really happened, and it was seen as bad luck to kill a wolf, hence the re-wilding.) Feo and her mother clash with the local general, Rakov, who arrests Feo’s mother and carts her off to prison. The book is about Feo and the wolves and her friends, and their mission to rescue Feo’s mum. There’s much beautiful detail about the wolves and the snow and many dramatic, if occasionally improbable, moments. It was particularly poignant reading of Feo’s battle against a Russian general at a time when Ukrainians are bravely standing against the Russian invasion of their homeland. I wish for the Ukrainians the happy ending that Feo has. I definitely recommend this book, but a warning that it does include the death of a wolf and some violence against the evil General Rakov. Image: A paperback book lies on a timber table. The words ‘The Wolf Wilder’ are in red, and above them the words ‘Katherine Rundell’ in white. The background is a green pine forest and three wolves running over snow. A person in a red cape rides on the back of the one of the wolves. #SarahsFridayFavourites #MiddleGradeFiction #KatherineRundell #TheWolfWilder #AuthorsOfInstagram #BookReview #MGBooks

‘Friday’ Favourites: Rebecca Stead’s ‘When You Reach Me’ is one of my all-time favourite novels for young readers. So I was pretty keen to read ‘First Light’ which was her first book. I was not disappointed. Set in New York and Greenland, there are two seemingly separate story lines, that come together in a most satisfying way. The two narrating characters are Thea whose people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret matriarchal world they've built deep inside the Arctic ice. Peter travels with his scientist parents to Greenland where they live in a big blue tent and use dogs and sleds to get around. Rebecca Stead’s writing just really works for me – she’s awesome at world building, she sustains narrative tension so well, but she has a light touch even as she tackles hard topics. She’s also great at writing real life with a supernatural or fantastic edge. I should really sit down one day and pull apart what she does and exactly how she does it. ‘First Light’ is classed as a Young Adult novel but I think it would be fine for a mature reader 10+ Image: a white hand holds up a paperback against a rainy green background of foliage. The book’s cover has a big orange-yellow sun painted with watercolour. There’s a small husky-looking dog in the bottom left corner. The text on the cover is ‘rebecca stead, first light’. #SarahsFridayFavourites #RebeccaStead #FirstLight #MiddleGradeFiction #YABooks #AmReadingYA #AuthorsOfInstagram #MGBooks #BookReview

I’ve fallen (back) in love with children’s books (they were my deepest passion as a kid). I read heaps of them now that I write novels for young people. And what extraordinary books today’s children have access to – books offering thoughtful, diverse and complex views of the world. And one thing most of them offer, too, is a sense of hope. ‘Don’t worry, Mummy,’ Amelia once said to me when I expressed concern about a character’s fate in a book we were reading. ‘Books always have a happy ending.’ I’ve needed that hopeful ending the last couple of years. Too often I pick up a novel (for adults), get a few chapters in, and think, ‘This is not what I need right now. Too grim.’ I should say that I have written (adult) novels that traverse some pretty grim territory but right now I need books that perform that delicate dance between reality and hope. And kids’ books reliably do it so well. If you are someone who hasn’t read kids’ books since you were a kid, I urge you to check out some of my favourites from my feed or go to #sarahsfridayfavourites - and see if they might be the perfect addition to your reading. Image: on a rust-red background are the words: ‘There are good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children.’ WH Auden #WHAuden #MiddleGradeFiction #MiddleGradeBooks #KidLit #MGLit #ChildrensBooks #KidsBooks #AuthorsOfInstagram #MGBooks

‘Friday’ Favourites: I think Bren MacDibble is one of the most exciting, most interesting writers around of novels for readers aged ten and up. This is the third of her middle grade books I’ve read – and like the others is set in a dystopian future - this one at a time when a fungus has wiped out grasses/grains leading to loss of livestock and terrible food insecurity and civil unrest. As a writer, I really admire Bren’s skill with voice - the voice of the young narrators in her books are so distinctive, so strong, so believable. In this one, Ella and her half-brother Emery are alone – and set off to try and reach to Emery’s mum’s place – on a sled pulled by their pack of dogs over a desolate landscape. They are starving and encounter all sorts of dangers, foraging for food and water as they go. At times it’s a pretty bleak picture of a possible future – not sure if I feel that more as an adult than a kid would. This kind of scenario is something that I’ve thought about more than once. But the ending is positive and I put the book down with a feeling of hope. Emery and his grandpa – who are First Nations – had some time ago grown and stored native grains and this was another source of hope. Bren acknowledges Bruce Pascoe’s book, Dark Emu – which has educated a whole generation of Australians about indigenous farming before colonisation. As Bren MacDibble says in her Acknowledgements, she hopes the book will get young people talking and thinking about the ways we currently manage our environment, where we source our food and what we eat. There is some violence and animals are killed for food (but a note that all the dogs survive). Overall a hard recommend from me for readers aged 10 or 11 up. Image: a paperback book lies on a wooden tabletop. On the cover is the silhouette of two dogs in rust-red colours. Inside the silhouette is the image of two kids riding behind five dogs, in a bare landscape. The text reads: The Dog Runner, Bren MacDibble.

‘Friday’ Favourites. The voice of the narrator, eleven-year-old Addie, grabbed me right from the first page of ‘A Kind of Spark’. At school, Addie learns about the women once tried and executed as witches in her Scottish village, which sets her off on a mission to convince the village to memorialise these women. As an autistic person, she can imagine all too well what life might have been like for those women who were persecuted because they didn’t fit in. This book offers incredible insight into the experiences of an autistic young person. The masking (and how tiring it is), trying to read people, being labelled, misunderstood and bullied. This is an easy read in that the story really moves along – with lots of great subplots - but it’s also a profound and powerful story, and a great example of why Own Voices stories are so important. The author, Elle McNicol, is autistic and as I read her debut novel, I kept feeling so grateful that she wrote this and helped this nuero-typical person understand more about the experience of being nuero-divergent. Highly recommended. (And I see that she has a new book out today! I’ll be seeking out ‘Like A Charm’, for sure. ‘People aren't like books. A familiar book is always the same, always comforting and full of the same words and pictures. A familiar person can be new and challenging, no matter how many times you try to read them." Image: a paperback book is held up beside a girl’s face. Her face lines up with the drawn face on the cover which is in hot-pink, blue and white. Text in the cover reads: ‘A Kind Of Spark, Elle McNicoll’. In the background is a brown brick wall. @BooksAndChokers #AKindOfSpark #SarahsFridayFavourites #Nuerodivergent #Autistic #MiddleGradeFiction #OwnVoices #KidLit #AutismAwareness #KnightsOf #KidsFiction #NuerodivergentBooks

Posted @withregram • @macdibble #Repost @saraharmstrongwriter with @withregram ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourite: I found this an incredibly powerful and transporting novel. As I read, I kept thinking how much my ten-year old self would have adored it, especially the tough girl narrator and the striking images of how humans have adapted post-climate change. Bren MacDibble’s world building is extraordinary. The narrator, Neoma, and her community live a simple, gentle life on a small island, fishing and scavenging from the long-abandoned skyscrapers at the edge of the inland sea. But Neoma must leave her home on a daring solo mission - sailing their small catamaran - to save a friend. This is where the story really took off for me and I was gripped. As I writer, I loved clocking all the turning points; there were so many delicious moments of surprise. ‘Across The Risen Sea’ is probably for the more mature reader aged 10+ because there is significant danger at times (Sharks! Pirates!) and because of the overarching question of the climate crisis and what it will mean for humans. Highly recommended. Image: a paperback book rests on some beige fabric. The cover is a stylised painting of blue waves and a small sailing boat, on which you can see the silhouettes of three people and a crocodile. In white are the words: Across The Risen Sea, Bren MacDibble. #SarahsFridayFavourites @Macdibble #CliFi #LoveOZMg #LoveOzYA #MiddleGradeFiction #MiddleGradeBooks #KidLit #AuthorsOfInstagram #BookReview #AcrossTheRisenSea #Bookstagram #brenmacdibble

#Repost @saraharmstrongwriter with @make_repost ・・・ ‘Friday’ Favourite: I found this an incredibly powerful and transporting novel. As I read, I kept thinking how much my ten-year old self would have adored it, especially the tough girl narrator and the striking images of how humans have adapted post-climate change. Bren MacDibble’s world building is extraordinary. The narrator, Neoma, and her community live a simple, gentle life on a small island, fishing and scavenging from the long-abandoned skyscrapers at the edge of the inland sea. But Neoma must leave her home on a daring solo mission - sailing their small catamaran - to save a friend. This is where the story really took off for me and I was gripped. As I writer, I loved clocking all the turning points; there were so many delicious moments of surprise. ‘Across The Risen Sea’ is probably for the more mature reader aged 10+ because there is significant danger at times (Sharks! Pirates!) and because of the overarching question of the climate crisis and what it will mean for humans. Highly recommended. Image: a paperback book rests on some beige fabric. The cover is a stylised painting of blue waves and a small sailing boat, on which you can see the silhouettes of three people and a crocodile. In white are the words: Across The Risen Sea, Bren MacDibble. #SarahsFridayFavourites @Macdibble #CliFi #LoveOZMg #LoveOzYA #MiddleGradeFiction #MiddleGradeBooks #KidLit #AuthorsOfInstagram #BookReview #AcrossTheRisenSea #Bookstagram #brenmacdibble

‘Friday’ Favourite: I found this an incredibly powerful and transporting novel. As I read, I kept thinking how much my ten-year old self would have adored it, especially the tough girl narrator and the striking images of how humans have adapted post-climate change. Bren MacDibble’s world building is extraordinary. The narrator, Neoma, and her community live a simple, gentle life on a small island, fishing and scavenging from the long-abandoned skyscrapers at the edge of the inland sea. But Neoma must leave her home on a daring solo mission - sailing their small catamaran - to save a friend. This is where the story really took off for me and I was gripped. As I writer, I loved clocking all the turning points; there were so many delicious moments of surprise. ‘Across The Risen Sea’ is probably for the more mature reader aged 10+ because there is significant danger at times (Sharks! Pirates!) and because of the overarching question of the climate crisis and what it will mean for humans. Highly recommended. Image: a paperback book rests on some beige fabric. The cover is a stylised painting of blue waves and a small sailing boat, on which you can see the silhouettes of three people and a crocodile. In white are the words: Across The Risen Sea, Bren MacDibble. #SarahsFridayFavourites @Macdibble #CliFi #LoveOZMg #LoveOzYA #MiddleGradeFiction #MiddleGradeBooks #KidLit #AuthorsOfInstagram #BookReview #AcrossTheRisenSea #Bookstagram #brenmacdibble

Every good review is a HUGE buzz, but there’s something special about a thoughtful, positive review from an accomplished fellow author. Other authors know what’s under the bonnet and what it takes to get the the engine running, so this lovely, considered review from @saraharmstrongwriter means the absolute world. Thank you Sarah, and thank you @bookishbron for the rec! 😍🙏🏻💙 Posted @withregram • @saraharmstrongwriter ‘Friday’ Favourites: As soon as I read that this Young Adult book is set in London and in a secret shadow city – I was in! I love parallel worlds. Karen Ginnane does a wonderful job creating a complex and sensory depiction of London in 1858, as well as Donlon – the darker, mirror world – which has some very interesting differences. I enjoyed the strong fourteen-year old protagonist, Ava, as well as the fascinating exploration of time as commodity, and comment on the role of women in Victorian London. There’s lots of intricate plot and character detail to remember, so I’m glad I read it quickly over a couple of days, so I could hold them in my head. It’s got wonderful steampunky, feminist edges, and there are very satisfying revelations and a drawing together of threads at the end. This is the first book in a two-book series, the sequel out in 2022. The publisher suggests that it’s for ‘teens’. I think it’s good for 11+ especially those readers who love historical stories and mystery. Thanks @bookishbron for the recommendation! Image: a pale hand holds a paperback against a green background. The book cover is in blues and black and features a silhouette of a long-haired girl running through old-fashioned gates. The words on the cover are: ‘Time Catchers: When Days Tilt, Karen Ginnane.’ #SarahsFridayFavourites @KarenGinnane #WhenDaysTilt #MiddleGradeFiction #YABooks #LoveOzMG #LoveOzYA #AmReadingYA #AuthorsOfInstagram #MGBooks #BookReview #ParallelUniverse #HistoricalLondon #HistoricalFantasy #mglit #steampunk @penguinteenaus #whendaystilt #timecatcherseries #karenginnane

‘Friday’ Favourites: As soon as I read that this Young Adult book is set in London and in a secret shadow city – I was in! I love parallel worlds. Karen Ginnane does a wonderful job creating a complex and sensory depiction of London in 1858, as well as Donlon – the darker, mirror world – which has some very interesting differences. I enjoyed the strong fourteen-year old protagonist, Ava, as well as the fascinating exploration of time as commodity, and comment on the role of women in Victorian London. There’s lots of intricate plot and character detail to remember, so I’m glad I read it quickly over a couple of days, so I could hold them in my head. It’s got wonderful steampunky, feminist edges, and there are very satisfying revelations and a drawing together of threads at the end. This is the first book in a two-book series, the sequel out in 2022. The publisher suggests that it’s for ‘teens’. I think it’s good for 11+ especially those readers who love historical stories and mystery. Thanks @bookishbron for the recommendation! Image: a pale hand holds a paperback against a green background. The book cover is in blues and black and features a silhouette of a long-haired girl running through old-fashioned gates. The words on the cover are: ‘Time Catchers: When Days Tilt, Karen Ginnane.’ #SarahsFridayFavourites @KarenGinnane #WhenDaysTilt #MiddleGradeFiction #YABooks #LoveOzMG #LoveOzYA #AmReadingYA #AuthorsOfInstagram #MGBooks #BookReview #ParallelUniverse #HistoricalLondon #HistoricalFantasy

Friday Favourites: I think few people expected RJ Palacio to follow up the mega-best-selling ‘Wonder’ (about Auggie, a boy who has a facial difference) with an historical/Western/ghost story. I’m so glad she did. It’s absolutely brilliant. I read ‘Pony’ in a day and the characters and mood of the book are lingering with me in a most delicious way. Set in the mid-1800s, ‘Pony’ is the story of twelve-year old Silas Bird setting out on a mission to find his beloved father, who was kidnapped in the middle of the night by three men. Ghosts feature, including Mittenwool who is Silas’s best friend. RJ Palacio has said: ‘I love ghost stories, not in a sensational way, but in an ordinary ‘people are here with us, all around us’ kind of way. I wanted the ghost element and the sort of afterlife element to be very casual, not be the reason for the story but just be part of the story.’ I felt I was in the hands of a master storyteller at every beat, every sentence. It’s lyrical, thoughtful and poignant. Being a Western, there is - of course - a gunfight and Silas suffers a terrible loss. But the book finishes on an entirely positive and uplifting note. As RJ explains in the fascinating Author’s Note, every chapter opens with a (real) old photograph – a daguerreotype or ambrotype - that inspired the various characters. Silas’s dad is a photographer and the detail in the novel about early photography is fascinating. The pony of the title is a magnificent Arab horse but not as central to the story as the cover and title might lead you to think. So if you, or a young person you know, is not into horse stories (as some people are not, apparently) then please don’t pass over ‘Pony’. I recommend it for all readers over about 10 years old, depending on the reader’s tolerance for shoot outs. BTW: That quote above is from an interview on Shondaland that’s worth reading after you read the book; she talks about ‘Pony’ and about her writing process. Just Google ‘RJ Palacio and Shondaland’. (They are various family photos scattered about the book. My late dad is the littlest in the photo of three kids in a row.)

‘Friday’ Favourite: The first thing that struck me about ‘Julia and the Shark’, written by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and illustrated by Tom de Freston, is the beautiful design and artwork. Whole pages are given over to illustrations, text and illustrations are woven together, and there’s the striking use of the occasional opaque page. Visual motifs are woven throughout, some of which make sense right at the end. At first it seems to be the story of 10-year old Julia, a girl who doesn’t feel like she fits in, who is off on a summer adventure with her parents while her father works to repair an old lighthouse on a remote Shetland island (closer to Norway than Edinburgh, as we learn), and her mother (a marine biologist) hopes to sight the elusive Greenland shark. Then it becomes clear that her mother is unwell and things get dramatic. At the end, Julia learns that her mother has Bipolar illness, and the depiction of her mother’s building mania is very powerful. The book offers an uplifting resolution but doesn’t shy from how hard things are for Julia, and is an important contribution to the normalising of discussions about mental illness. Be aware that there is brief mention of the fact that – in the grip of her illness – Julia’s mother tries to end her life. Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a poet, and the writing is both lyrical and simple. Her husband, Tom de Freston’s artwork is moody and beautiful. In a Guardian article, the writer explained: ‘I’ve written books where the child saves the day entirely - and absolutely, a hugely important part of writing children’s literature is giving children agency, but I really wanted to say in this book that it’s not your responsibility to fix things. You don’t have to save your mum. She’s a grownup,’ she says. ‘Julia tries to be a saviour. But that’s not her job. She’s a kid.’ During the writing of the book, Tom de Freston’s studio burned down, and he created many of the illustrations using the ash and fragments of the artworks which were destroyed. A beautiful, powerful book for 10+

‘Friday’ Favourites: My eleven-year-old reviewer loved Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, so she picked this out the other day at our local bookshop @thebookroomcollective. Riordan’s latest book, ‘Daughter of the Deep’ is an epic sea adventure based on the classic sci-fi book, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea’ by Jules Verne. My reviewer, Amelia, tells me that the main character, Ana, goes to an amazing school for marine researchers. She and her classmates have headed out to sea for a planned test of their survival skills when there’s a terrible attack on their school by arch rivals from another school. Ana must battle their enemies and solve a few mysteries, and while she’s not really cut out to be captain of a submarine, happily, by the end of the book she does it very well indeed. Excitingly (for Amelia, not me; it’s my idea of nightmare) lots of the action happens in a submarine. Amelia tells me the book is funny and a real page turner and that the characters have heaps of personality. ‘There are not many cliches in it,’ she made of point of telling me. ‘If he even uses a cliche, he makes a joke out of it.’ She liked that there’s an autistic character and culturally diverse characters (for instance, Ana is Indian and speaks to the sentient AI submarine in Bundeli). Amelia also commented approvingly on the open discussion of Ana’s period and her cramps. My trusty reviewer read this very quickly, and is praying that Rick Riordan writes a sequel, if not a series. Image: A paperback books lies on a rust-red rug. The book cover is in watery greens with a prickly looking device of some sort in the grip of a huge orange octopus. Two divers swim nearby. #SarahsFridayFavourites #MiddleGradeFiction #MiddleGradeBooks #KidLit #MGLit #ChildrensBooks #KidsBooks #AuthorsOfInstagram #MGBooks #BookReview #BookWorm #RickRiordan #DaughterOfTheDeep #TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea #SeaAdventures