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Down the Plot Hole

Apr19
Down the Plot Hole

Down the Plot Hole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down the Plot Hole

Annaleise Byrd

Walker Books, 2025

192pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781760659059

Imagine if you preferred to be playing any sport in the world on a Saturday afternoon instead of having to stop indoors to practise your reading.  Especially with a kid you have nothing in common with.  Or, on the other hand, you enjoy reading but you’ve been assigned the task of helping someone with theirs, someone with whom you have nothing in common and who wants to be anywhere else instead. 

And then, suddenly, one of the characters leaps from the pages of the book and you are dragged into it and a wild adventure….

That’s the situation for Basil Beedon and Terry Clegg, who are neighbours but the street they live in is the only thing they have in common.  But since Basil’s dad and Terry’s nan got talking and it transpires that Terry will be kicked off the football team if his schoolwork doesn’t improve. Basil has been assigned to helping him with his reading. Every. Single. Saturday. 

Because boys of that age who don’t like reading prefer a bit of action and gore, Basil chooses some of the original versions of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, but neither is prepared for what happens next…

Last time, they found themselves plunged into the fairytale world, where everyone was losing the plot. This time, words – well, chickens – are disappearing! Realising their fairytale friends are in danger of being sucked into oblivion by plot holes, the boys don’t hesitate before diving back into the Grimm world to warn them. It’s up to Basil and Terry to find out what’s going on and how to stop the plot holes from destroying everything … including their way home.

Once again, the author has crafted a fractured fairytale that not only engages Basil and Terry, but also the independent reader who is just discovering the fantasy adventure genre, and still prefers to keep a fingerhold on what they know before immersing themselves in a completely unfamiliar world with unfamiliar characters, situations and magic. With its clever wordplay and humour, and narrated by Basil as the reluctant tutor so the reader feels an integral part of the adventure because they have access to Basil’s thoughts, feelings, actions and responses, with appropriate promotion this is a series that may well capture both the quest for adventure and the fun of reading as it did for Terry.

Perhaps offer the first one to a reluctant reader to ‘test-drive’ to see if this new addition and any subsequent titles should be added to the collection.  Maybe even set a challenge to discover the original titles that feature in the stories, provide access to them so they can read the originals rather than the more common sanitised versions for young children, and see where it goes, and what learning emerges that goes beyond the stories. Who were Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm and why did they write such grisly stories?  After all, the CBCA Book Week theme is Book an Adventure… 

24 Hours Under the Ocean

Mar16
24 Hours Under the Ocean

24 Hours Under the Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 Hours Under the Ocean

Lan Cook

Laurent Kling

Usborne, 2025

64pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781805315988

In this new release from Usborne, readers are invited to “join two scientists as they climb inside a hi-tech submersible and descend into the darkest depths of the Pacific Ocean. Meet strange-looking creatures thousands of miles below the surface and explore alien landscapes. Discover how experiments are performed at the bottom of the ocean, what happens after a whale dies, and what makes extremophiles so extreme>”

But while there have been any number of fiction and non fiction books that have taken the reader to the depths of the ocean to see what exists where the sun doesn’t shine and it is a world of perpetual darkness, this one is written for slightly older readers combining a graphic novel format that follows the journey of Jun and Syl as they join the crew of the RV Abyss, a newly-refitted submarine that has the capability to go deeper than any other with double-page spreads of information about what they discover.  

It reaches out to a slightly older audience with its information using a format that will appeal more readily giving a whole new slant to narrative non fiction, as well as being perfect for booking an adventure, as would the others in this series. 

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Mar12
Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Karrire kundenge karribolknan kunwarddehwardde

Diane Lucas & Ben Tyler

Emma Long

A & U  Children’s, 2024

32oo., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781761067860

Australia is a land of so many different landscapes and landshapes, with its  diverse topography, geology, rainfall and seasonal changes meaning there is an incredible range of vegetation and thus living inhabitants.  Not the least of these is Kunwarddehwardde, the rock country of the Arnhem Land plateau which extends into Kakadu National Park, an area of almost 20 000 km² in  in the far north of the Northern Territory and home of many First Nations clans for 40 000 years and rich in cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites that record the skills and lifestyle of these peoples over the millennia.

In this stunningly illustrated book, the team behind the CBCA shortlisted Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest, once again take the reader on a wondrous journey through this jaw-dropping country, this time during yekke, the early dry season, to see what is there.  Through commentary that seamlessly incorporates the Kindjeyhmi language (with icons that explain what is being  identified)  interwoven through the vivid, detailed illustrations, the reader not only learns to use their eyes, ears and nose but to really use them keenly for there is much that is there but which is often overlooked.  As well as pointing out these hidden gems like the alyurr that grow in the rock crevices, their ancient stories are also shared – hidden among these tiny plants are tiny grasshoppers  known as the Lightning People’s children, coming out of the soil as the rains begin, gradually shedding their skins and revealing their bright colours so they can find a mate. 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

As well as the explanatory text there is also an illustrated glossary that offers both English translations (and Latin where appropriate) as well as being a sort of “Where’s Wally ” challenge as you return to the page to try to find the things you missed.  Wide-ranging teachers’ notes are available from the publisher’s page, including a link to both a reading of the story, and the glossary – also accessible via a QR code from the introductory page of the book. 

Lucas’s first book, Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu, published 20 years ago led the way to opening up this land to our young readers so they could begin to understand its ancient stories and those who shared them and this stunning book continues the tradition. Like its predecessors, this has also been acknowledged as a Notable for the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award.

Certainly one that will encourage readers to book an adventure.

Turtle Bubbles

Jan31
Turtle Bubbles

Turtle Bubbles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turtle Bubbles

Diane Schaffer

Georgina Hart

Little Steps, 2024

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

97811922833068

Along the river, the creatures are waking up to a new day.  Business as usual really, until Frog spots Mrs Turtle blowing bubbles out her bum!

Written in rhyme with eye-catching illustrations for younger readers, this is a light-hearted revelation that many species of turtles like the punk turtle of the Mary River in Queensland,  breathe through their cloaca enabling them to stay underwater much longer, not only to search for food but to keep safe from predators.  

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

While it is bound to evoke giggles, nevertheless it can lead those readers to other stories  as it is another in a growing collection which includes not only Poppy’s story but also The Turtle and the Flood, Yoshi and the Ocean. and Turtle Moon (for independent readers) that helps young readers understand more about these intriguing creatures and thus, book their own adventure using stories to grow their knowledge.  It might even lead to an exploration of other adaptations that the natural world makes to stay safe and survive. 

 

 

MOOKi vs The Terrible Toys

Jan10
MOOKi vs The Terrible Toys

MOOKi vs The Terrible Toys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOOKi vs The Terrible Toys

Scotty James

Steve Worland & Dave Atze

Penguin, 2024

176pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781761347429

As Mooki the alien does a backflip out of his spaceship to greet his friend Cindy and her dog Ralph as he returns from his Moon home, he spots a sign advertising a gigantic toy called Cog. After Cindy explains what a toy is, they head to the toy shop to see if they can find Cog only to find it closed.  But, suddenly the door opens, and because it is “not breaking and entering if the door opens for you”. they go inside.  

But it is not as easy to find Cog as they expect, particularly as they are pursued through the store by a gang of clowns intent on stealing Ralph.  And if the clowns aren’t scary enough, there are drones stealing toys and taking them to the top floor?  What is going on there?  And will Mooki’s curiosity lead them to deeper trouble or will they escape?

What appears to be a simple story with just a few lines on each page and an abundance of monochromatic illustrations, is actually an intriguing adventure for newly independent readers bridging the gap between basal readers and novels, and which has strong themes of friendship, loyalty, and being both brave and resilient.  While the concept of toys coming to life when adults disappear is not new, the idea that they may actually be mean and nasty puts a new spin on the way children usually view them and suddenly the appeal of being loose in a toy store after hours with no adults is turned on its head! However, they will understand the need to rescue Ralph, whose nervous wees at inopportune moments add the humour for the age group, and so they will want to keep reading to discover if he is saved.  

Some will recognise Scotty James as being Australia’s leading snowboarder and he has revealed that his childhood nickname was Mooki and that the challenges in the stories – the first in the series is Mooki vs The Big Scary  – represent the sorts of things he has had to face and overcome on his own way to the top, with Mooki himself being a symbol to always dream big, reach for the moon, take advantage of opportunities and faces obstacles head on. 

The final page clearly demonstrates there is more in this series to come and young readers are going to be looking forward to them.  

 

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

Jan9
Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

Sheena Dempsey

Bloomsbury, 2024

240pp., graphic novel, RRP $A17.99

9781526662804

Pablo and Splash are two penguins, and even though they are very different in that Pablo loves his icy home and Splash is sick of the cold, they both agree that a holiday would be a good thing.  But it’s tricky when you live at the bottom of the planet in Antarctica and warm places are too far to swim and without wings, you can’t fly.

But Antarctica means there are scientists nearby and surely they have a solution…  And that’s how they discover Professor O’Brain and her Timebender machine who sent them to the sunny beach they craved but they found themselves sharing it with dinosaurs.  In this second episode of the series, they decide to visit Professor O’Brain again to see if she has mended the machine, but both are determined that they will not end up in some weird destination this time, especially as this time they know where the secret hole takes them.  

However, instead of finding her in her lab as they expect, they discover the time machine has misbehaved again and this time it is the professor, herself, who has been stranded in the Ice Age.  Clearly, Pablo and Splash must help her  and so the brave penguin buddies set out on a rescue mission – destination 68,000 years ago! When a Neanderthal man accidentally wanders into their time machine, it’s not just the professor who is stuck in the wrong time period. But luckily a scientific breakthrough for Pablo and Splash’s endlessly upbeat approach to life’s challenges helps save the day!

Graphic novels, time travel and familiar, appealing creatures on a rescue mission are the right ingredients for a story that will engage young readers and with its bright, full-colour illustrations that carry the story along with just speech bubbles as text there will be many who could be enticed to pick up a novel-length book for the first time. 

As with the first one, it’s an opportunity for the reader to think of where the next adventure might take place, who or what Pablo and Splash might encounter and perhaps research and write their own story.  Perfect for the CBCA Book Week 2025 theme of Book an Adventure. 

 

South With the Seabirds

Sep5
South With the Seabirds

South With the Seabirds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South With the Seabirds

Jess McGeachin

A & U Children’s, 2024

40pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781761068645

Far to the southeast of Tasmania, halfway to Antarctica, where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate meets the Pacific plate, a tiny island pokes its head above the windswept Southern Ocean, pounded by waves on their relentless westward journey.  Two hundred years ago, it was discovered and named by a sealer to impress the Governor of New South Wales and for another century it was known only to the sealers and whalers who prowled the southern seas in search of prey rich in the blubber that kept them warm and made oil for humans; one hundred years ago Sir Douglas Mawson established the first scientific station to study its unique flora and fauna; and fifty years ago it was added to the World Heritage List. 

Just  34 kilometres long and 5.5 kilometres wide at its broadest point, nestled amongst its peaks, unique in themselves because  it is only place on earth where rocks from the earth’s mantle are being actively exposed above sea level are four lakes – Gillham, Bennett, Macpherson and Ingham – each commemorating the women who are the subject of this new book from Jess McGeachin.

Just a generation ago, just being a female scientist was cause for comment if not concern,  but being one who wanted to break the “petticoat ban” imposed on the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic by the male-dominated thinking of the time was unheard of and so it took many letters and much patience for Mary Gillham, Isobel Bennett, Hope Macpherson and Susan Ingham  to independently campaign and then collectively be successful in getting permission to join the 1959 Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) – now the Australian Antarctic Program -expedition south on the MV Thala Dan, one of four ships especially built for the program to navigate and survive the conditions but offering little creature comforts.  (My mum also broke the petticoat ban going south to the Antarctic mainland itself in 1968 in the  MV Magga Dan.)

MV Thala Dan (left) and MV Magga Dan, ships specially built for ANARE to withstand the Antarctic conditions.

MV Thala Dan (left) and MV Magga Dan, ships specially built for ANARE to withstand the Antarctic conditions.

Each with a common but specialised interest in the wildlife that abounds on the island, they explored the cliffs, beaches and rockpools as they studied the seals, seabirds and other creatures, particularly the hundreds of thousands of penguins, that sought refuge there. Yet, even though they would contribute significantly to the knowledge of the wildlife, including the eradication of introduced rabbits that were creating so much destruction (a project that took another 50 years to get started), their return to Australia was more about their being women in a man’s world.

However, they paved the way for other women to follow, and in this book, McGeachin has not only introduced the reader to four remarkable women whose stories need to be known, but also laid the groundwork to inspire today’s young girls to aspire to similar heights starting by being curious, having a keen eye, and simple tools.  Even more importantly though, it reinforces that gender should not be a barrier to following your dreams, wherever they may take you.  

Perfect for the 2025 CBCA Book Week theme of Book An Adventure! 

For those wanting to know more about Macquarie Island itself, seek out the award- winning One Small Island by Alison Lester and for those wanting to know more about my mum’s own ground-breaking trip you might be able to find a copy of her book The Abominable Snow-Women.

Find out more...

Find out more…

The Daredevil Princess (series)

Aug22
The Daredevil Princess (series)

The Daredevil Princess (series)

The Daredevil Princess (series)

Golden Unicorn

9781761340437

Goblin King

9781761340451

Fire Dragon

9781761340468

Grumpy Giant

9781761340475

Belinda Murrell

Rebecca Crane

Puffin, 2024

144pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mathilda Amalia Charlotte Adelaide Rose – known to all as Tillie except for Mr Grimm the pompous stickler-for-manners royal steward – lived a relaxed life with her parents, Queen Cordelia who ruled the queendom of Blumenfeld, King Edwin her absent-minded inventor father and Prince Oskar, her younger brother, a would-be, swashbuckling knight. 

When she discovers that the royal roses are being eaten by a sassy unicorn called Honey Blossom, they form a friendship that has seen them encounter goblins, dragons and, in the latest, a grumpy giant disturbed from his sleep helping to solve problems, soothe feelings and keep the peace while still remaining compassionate tempered with a bit of her own  feistiness and independence.

Belinda Murrell who gave a previous wave of newly independent readers the wonderful Lulu Bell series, has created a new collection for the next generation of young girls who are consolidating their skills, this time building on that recurring dream of being a princess, but being bold and brave and independent and encouraged to do so despite the presence of Mr Grimm and Miss Prim. With all the supports that these emerging readers need including short chapters, larger font, and a few strategic illustrations, this series is one that will have wide appeal, not the least because there is no long wait between episodes. 

For those who are viewing the current CBCA Book Week theme of Reading is Magic through a fantasy lens, this is an ideal introduction to that genre with its traditional fantasy characters  maybe even encouraging them to imagine themselves as Princess Tillie and create their own adventure with someone or something from the imaginary world or perhaps developing a visual glossary of them to be shared with others venturing into that realm.  Research, reading for purpose, creating information… reading is, indeed, magic.  

 

The Magic Callaloo

Aug9
The Magic Callaloo

The Magic Callaloo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Magic Callaloo

Trish Cooke

Sophie Bass

Walker Books, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781529504880

Long ago and far away, a magic callaloo plant grew in a village square. Whoever ate one of its leaves was granted a wish. But a greedy selfish man wanted all the wishes for himself so he stole the callaloo. With only one leaf left, Mister and Missus, desperate for a child, pluck it to make their dream come true. But the greedy man wants everything and he kidnaps their beloved daughter, who will ultimately make the most remarkable escape.

A much as this is an intriguing story with a familiar theme of a greedy person stealing the magic of a particular item to have all the wishes for themselves, and even moving beyond the vibrant, detailed illustrations, for me it is the back story in the author’s note that is so interesting.  While she says she has always loved the fairy tale of Rapunzel (and, indeed, she is known for putting an African spin on many European-based fairytales), the theme of captivity and freedom stretches back to her African ancestors (her parents are from Dominica) whose forced relocation is very real.  So when the wise old lady plaits Lou’s hair in a complex pattern of cornrows, Originally used as a way to signify your tribe, your marital status, your wealth, religion, and more. during the period of the slave trade they had even more significance because slaves plaited their hair as maps to escape, including pathways to follow, obstacles to expect, even the number of plaits themselves indicate how many roads they needed to walk of the place to meet someone to help them.  

As a quilter, I have heard of the Underground Railroad stitched into the intricate patterns of quilts that were hung on clotheslines as maps to freedom, but this concept of using a hairstyle is very new to me, and I suspect, many other readers offering a new pathway to explore as well as considering how critical freedom is to every human being, perhaps even offering a glimpse into why so many put so much at risk to escape oppression.   Once again, “reading is magic” and opens up new doors and paths to explore.   One to read aloud as a story from another land, as well as one to encourage older readers to delve deeper. 

Scar Town

Aug1
Scar Town

Scar Town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scar Town

Tristan Bancks

Puffin, 2023

256pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9780143791812

Imagine watching your old town emerge from the depths of a lake – a town that was drowned seven years ago taking untold secrets with it, secrets that were thought to have been hidden forever but now, as the water drops,  are rising and threatening to reveal mysteries, crimes and their perpetrators.  

Buildings and bridges rise from the depths of Lake Eucumbene as water levels drop during the severe drought in 2007. Taken on the Old Snowy Mountains highway near Anglers Reach. What secrets did they divulge? (My photos taken while we were living in Old Adaminaby, 2007)

Buildings and bridges rise from the depths of Lake Eucumbene as water levels drop during the severe drought in 2007. Taken on the Old Snowy Mountains highway near Anglers Reach. What secrets did they divulge? (My photos taken while we were living in Old Adaminaby, 2007)

Will,  and twins J and Dar are fascinated as an old house starts to appear and despite Will’s misgivings, they decide to swim out to explore it.  But when they discover a large stash of cash in the walls and then human remains, they expose old secrets that were presumed buried forever.  Could the bones be those of Will’s dad who, along with eight others, disappeared seven years ago? Should they keep the money a secret because J sees it as the twins’ path to financial freedom from their deadbeat, alcoholic, broken dad and Will sees it as a ticket to somewhere else for his mum and him, away from the memories and their current money problems? And who else wants it so badly they are willing to beat up kids, kidnap Dar and trash houses? 

The title Scar Town has a lot more meaning than just being short for Scarborough as old wounds that have thin scars are opened up.  

As with his other suspense thrillers like Cop and Robber  and Detention, Bancks has again written an un-putdownable read that races along and puts the reader firmly in the position of having to consider what they would do if they were in that situation. By creating characters that are, in so many ways, just like them, Bancks hooks the reader into being more than just an observer, and places them in the position of having to take a stance.   Would they go to the police, which is what Will wants to do, because, after all, his father was the local policeman before his mysterious disappearance, or would their loyalty to their friends persuade them to follow the belligerent, seemingly fearless J?  Can kids outsmart crooks or would adult help be better?  But which adults can you trust? 

Apart from sheer entertainment, one of the purposes of contemporary realistic fiction is to place the reader in situations where they can experience life vicariously and consider their own responses, and although they might not be exactly in Will’s situation, there will be times when they are torn between friendship and doing what they know to be the smart thing. Thus, this is a perfect example of this year’s CBCA Book week theme of Read. Grow. Inspire.