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No! I Can’t … Yet

Jan27
No! I Can't ... Yet

No! I Can’t … Yet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No! I Can’t … Yet

Eva Rivelli & Lisa Fisicchia

Kayla Lee

Little Steps, 2025

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

 9781923306158

Whenever Liva started something new and found that it challenged her or didn’t meet her expectations of success immediately, she gave up. It didn’t matter whether it was painting a picture or playing a sport, if she didn’t nail it straight away, she told herself she was not good enough and it was all too hard.  It wasn’t long before the negative self-talk embedded itself and she stopped trying altogether.  Until the day she saw a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis…

As the new school year approaches, there are going to be many who need to hear Liva’s story and her message – and not just those very little ones who expect that now they are at big school, they will learn to read on the very first day.  There will be many who find the jump in academic expectations challenging, especially those for whom previous years have been “easy”, and who need assurance that  things need to ne new and demanding so they can learn and grow.  There is no expectation that they will master testing situations straight away and that big journeys start with little steps, mostly forward, but there will be some that go backwards or even on another path altogether!

Accompanied by notes to parents and carers (and teachers), this is a book about being willing to persist and persevere, developing resilience and a positive mindset.  Indeed, if we go back to Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning – he said for learning literacy but they apply to everything, IMO –  the fourth is expectation.

Expectation—Set realistic expectations for language and literacy development. Become familiar with the developmental stages of emergent literacy, and support children in appropriate tasks. Expect that they will become accomplished readers and writers in their own time.”.

Not only should the adults in the child’s life show that they expect their children to master things in their own time, but the child needs to do so too.  

Thus this book could be an important introduction to help students begin to create their own philosophy and mantra about learning, perhaps a visual model that they can refer to when needed, along with Liva’s song .

“Don’t go crying, Keep on trying
Practice makes progress,
Practice makes progress. 
I’ve got this.”

Based on Cambourne's Conditions of Learning

Based on Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning

Juniper’s Painting

Nov27
Juniper's Painting

Juniper’s Painting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juniper’s Painting

Catherine Bauer

Jennifer Horn

Wombat Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

Juniper likes nothing better than playing on the beach, but today she is stuck inside in her house tucked into the sandhills, watching a storm whip the sand and the sea into a grubby grey frenzy.  Her mum told her she couldn’t go outside, but Juniper soon exhausted all the inside things that she liked, so, as a last resort, she decided to paint her beloved beach.  But not as it was but as she wanted it to be….

And suddenly, it was!

As storm season rolls in in full swing, there will be many who will relate to Juniper’s frustration at having to stay indoors and watch their sunny landscape turn to more than fifty shades of grey as Mother Nature exerts her authority. And Jennifer Horn’s clever use of colour that echo Juniper’s feelings with just a bright spot of colour and yearning in each illustration will echo their own vexation at having to stay indoors where it is safe. 

For as much as this is a story about a little girl watching a storm thwart her desires, it is also about how we can respond when we are presented with such challenges.  While we might not be able to control or change the weather – or whatever else is blocking us – we can control, choose and change the way we respond to such events. While others might have chosen to rant and rave and yell, “it’s not fair” at the wind and the rain, Juniper is more resigned, and chooses to wait it out, spending her time in other things that bring pleasure.  That doesn’t mean she’s not feeling the big emotions that can overwhelm little people, but she has learned that tantrums and anger don’t necessarily get us what we want. Sometimes, we have to be patient in a world of instant gratification and accept that often the wait is worth it.  And thee may even be some unexpected joys to be discovered while we are waiting. When was the last time you helped a little one build a blanket cubby? 

That bright spot of colour in each picture is a reminder that life will go on, the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel”  – a metaphorical reference that just as the storm passes and the sun shines again for Juniper, so it will for us too.  Perhaps we may even come to realise that there might even be a silver lining – even though the wind and waves may have changed the landscape, what treasures washed up on the sand will Juniper and her mum find as they head out with Juniper’s bucket and spade once the storm has passed? 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Between author and illustrator, this is a masterpiece of words and pictures blending seamlessly and sensitively together to not only tell a story but also guide young readers on their way to managing their emotions, understanding that there are choices they can make and some are better than others,  and patience can pay off..  

Howzat Pat! Money Mystery

Nov24
Howzat Pat! Money Mystery

Howzat Pat! Money Mystery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howzat Pat! Money Mystery

Pat Cummins & Dave Hartley

Serena Geddes

Harper Collins, 2025

192pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781460764701

I’m Pat Cummins and I love playing cricket. I love it so much that I sleep with my bat!

This is the third in this series co-written by Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, and released just in time for the 2025-26 season and the much-anticipated Ashes series.  (And given the results of the first test in Perth, interest will be even greater now!) 

This time, as with the first two, we are taken back to the time when  young Pat Cummins is playing for an under-11 mixed-gender cricket team and they have a chance to win this year’s competition. That, in itself, is exciting, but the chance for their cricket club to host the first regional game of the the Big Bash League and for the young players to see their heroes in action in live play really has them fired up. But they need lights to play under and so it’s up to the local community, including Pat’s team to raise the $40 000 needed. They decide to contribute by cleaning up the bush where everyone dumps their rubbish and recycling it, but there are stories about a mysterious creature who lives there.  But while he is doing his bit, Pat finds something that poses a serious dilemma for him…

There are  a lot of young independent readers who are going to find this in their Christmas stocking just because it’s about cricket and Pat Cummins in particular, but the difference between this series and a lot of others with famous names on the cover is that there is actually an engaging story woven through it.  In fact, while there are plenty of cricket references throughout, the story is actually more important and there are many who might ask themselves, “What would I do?” As well, there are characters whose back stories will resonate with many so that this is going to appeal to a wider range than just cricket fans, and they will eagerly await the next episode Cricket Champs which is due in tomorrow!!!  

Christmas reading sorted!! 

The Table Cape Crusader

Nov18
The Table Cape Crusader

The Table Cape Crusader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret Detectives Club

The Table Cape Crusader

Kate Gordon

Riveted Press. 2025

144pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781764007153

Having solved the mystery of  The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall, shy, introverted Rocko Davis is feeling very pleased with himself and is planning an afternoon of doing whatever he pleases – playing Scrabble against every bot in the world or reading an entire fantasy novel or even dancing around the house in his boxer shorts to the best synthesiser music of the 80s – because he has the house to himself.  Or does he?  

Because sitting on the kitchen bench is a large, cream envelope addressed to him that was not there when he left the house an hour ago!

Inside it is a letter that tells him to meet the writer on the bench outside Fred’s Café because the whole town of Table Cape is about to be swept up into a mystery and the Secret Detectives Club (formerly the Scrabble Club) are the only ones who can help.  Intrigued by something that promises to be bigger than Bruce’s missing milk jug (which was the SDC’s current commission) Rocko calls his bestie Cosmo, who dwells in the world of superheroes, and together they head for Fred’s Café. But when they get there, all they see is a goose bite a lady on the leg – and another envelope!

Suddenly, strange and silly accidents start happening. One by one, people in Table Cape are being targeted, and no one knows who’s behind it—or who’s next. As the clues pile up, Rocko starts to worry: what if it’s his mum, with her big art show coming up? Or his sister’s band, The Capers, right before their big festival gig? Or worse… what if he’s the next target?

And just when things couldn’t get weirder, strange symbols begin to appear on the town’s walls. Are they connected to the pranks? Or something even more mysterious? Rocko, Cosmo, and Mingus must crack the case before the next prank goes too far. And through it all… Bruce’s milk jugs are still going missing!

What is going on?

Building on the first in the series in which Rocko and Cosmo who desperately want to be cool, meet up with Mingus who is, Kate Gordon has crafted another intriguing story for younger readers who are ready for novels that still support their developmental needs but are slightly more complex than others that bridge the gap. While the reader may well put themselves into Rocko’s  shoes, when the perpetrator and their motives are finally revealed, there are questions they might ask themselves about their own beliefs and behaviour – Are people always who they seem or is there a public face that masks the private one, and we make assumptions based on what we see?  Are there other, better ways we can do things to get what we want that don’t alienate those we want to help us?  – building on the themes established in the first book. And for those, like Rocko, whose brain is “a little different sometimes” there is affirmation that that’s okay. 

This is a series best read in order. not only because the characters and their relationships develop, but because each leads into the next with a teaser about what the next case the SDC will be working on.  So readers are left waiting for the next episode in 2026 which remains mysterious even on the publisher’s website! 

 

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

Nov7
The Cockatoo Crew (series)

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cockatoo Crew (series)

Elif’s Itchy Palm

9781760803148

Sambu Won’t Grow 

9781760803155

Lora Inak

Kruti Desai

UWAP, 2025

90pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

As this school year draws to a close, we all recognise the gamut of feelings some students are experiencing as they face a move to a new school, whether it’s because it’s the natural next step in their education, family circumstances or something else that is uprooting them from their comfort zone. Anticipation, expectation, trepidation, anxiety, fear  – all underpinned by the common concern about will they be liked and will they make friends.  Then compound those feelings by being in a new country, knowing no one except your family and scarcely speaking a word of English.  All you know are the few words you learned in school in Türkiye and yet, here you are, in a new country, quieter, greener, wider, bigger  and cleaner than what you are used to with no familiar sights, sounds or smells .

It’s Elif’s first day at Cockatoo Hill English Language School and despite her dede reassuring her that it won’t be long before she feels she belongs, Elif is very nervous.  She meets her special helper who speaks both Turkish and English and who will be by her side at school helping her until she has the confidence to cope but how long will that be? And then she meets the Cockatoo Crew, her eight classmates each from a different part of the world, and each with different beliefs, perspectives and stories. Could these be the friends she has been craving?

This is the first in this new series that is for those who are newly independent readers, whether they are like Elif and just mastering this new language, or just mastering reading or both,  And from the get-go where the front pages greet you with a range of “portraits’ of kids welcoming you in their own language, you know that this is going to be a stand-above series because it is filling a gap in the collection by putting the reader directly into the shoes of Elif and Sambu and the others so they can view the world through the lens of those not born here, who don’t speak the language, are unfamiliar with the food and games, and don’t necessarily understand  the quirky things that Australians do.  Yet, at the same time as learning to appreciate the challenges such children face, it is soon clear through the stories that despite the differences all children share the same hopes, aspirations and fears.  Elif is worried that she has lost the special $2 coin here dede gave her; Sambu that even though he is about to be 10 he is not tall  like his Kenyan Massai Warrior ancestors… And just as the English-speaking child learns that, so too, the non-English speaking child sees a story about themselves and their first experiences as they put their foot in the door of the Introductory English Centre for the first time… and learn that you do not have to be the same as everyone else to fit in and belong.  

With all the supports these children need, including familiar characters and situations, uncomplicated storylines,  shorter chapters, larger fonts and plenty of illustrations to illuminate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, the production crew has nailed the formatting, while the critical issue of a well–written, engaging story remains central.

Throughout my time in schools, including an IEC, and particularly on a gazillion playground duties,  if I’ve learned anything, it is that despite any differences they might have on the surface, kids will find a work-around so they can play together, enjoy each other’s company, and have fun.  Everything else is irrelevant because after all, we all smile in the same language.  And this series captures that perfectly, making it a must-have in any school where there is anyone from elsewhere who needs some support and reassurance – with the language or otherwise.  

A simple way to welcome all out students and their families - the kids had to dress themselves in one of the variations of our school uniform! The chatter to ensure they had an original combo was exciting to eavesdrop on...

A simple way to welcome all out students and their families – the kids had to dress themselves in one of the variations of our school uniform! The chatter to ensure they had an original combo was exciting to eavesdrop on…

Sundays Under the Lemon Tree

Nov1
Sundays Under the Lemon Tree

Sundays Under the Lemon Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundays Under the Lemon Tree

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Myo Yim

Scribble, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761381485

On Sundays, our family gets together to eat good things under the lemon tree in the backyard.” 

But before they eat, there is the cooking to be done and everyone pitches in to help- except for the littlest one, also the narrator, who  is deemed too small to help.  But when Dad can’t carry three buckets at once to collect seawater which is the secret ingredient to making ricotta, things change and the reader is taken on a journey that not only takes them through the park, up and down a big hill, across a busy street down the 67 wooden steps to the beach (and back again) but also involves them in the making of a special handed-down-through -generations recipe that becomes the hit of the meal. 

Drawing on her Maltese heritage and her broad experience as a cook and a cookbook author, this is one that will reflect the experiences of many of our students, not only as they gather for family dinners but also learn those traditional foods and recipes that bind and bond families together in unique ways.  While some of the budding cooks might like to try making the Apple, Lemon and Ricotta cake from the recipe supplied, others might like to share their own family events that bring them together regularly and the foods they share, especially as the upcoming celebrations seasons, in all its manifestations, is almost upon us again.  It offers the opportunity to share what happens in their families and why, investigate the origins of the observances, discover those passed-on recipes so strengthening intergenerational relationships,  but also engage in instructional writing as they share recipes, maths as they make them and developing a general awareness of the ties that bind us no matter where we are from.

Not to mention the memories it evokes and makes!

At a time when “Peace on Earth” seems to be the catchcry – although not the reality – stories and activities that bring people together can only help to promote it.  

And to kick start proceedings, here is my family’s recipe for pavlova, passed on through six Kiwi generations so far and eaten at every Christmas dinner I can recall… even when sugar was in short supply, post-war. It’s taken from the Edmonds Cookery Book that has been passed through the family since my Great-Gran got a copy for my Nanna in the early 20th century! (And my Nanna only had a wood stove till the 50s, as did we –how posh we were when we moved to Christchurch in 1960 and had an electric one.  And a fridge!!!) 

Ingredients

  • 3 egg whites
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup  caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 tsp Edmonds Fielder’s Cornflour
  • whipped cream and fresh fruit – kiwifruit, strawberries and passionfruit

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 150˚C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and draw a 20cm circle on it.. Flip the baking paper so that the pencil line doesn’t transfer to your pavlova. Make sure there is enough baking paper to be able to grasp the edges to flip the pavlova when cooked.
  2. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff, add cold water and beat again.
  3. Add the sugar very gradually while still beating. Keep beating for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. (My Great-Gran and Nanna swore by doing it by hand but my mum had an electric mixer. All mod cons in the 50s.)
  4. Slowly add the vinegar, vanilla and cornflour.
  5. Pile the meringue in the centre of the circle and gently spread it out to the edge of the circle keeping it as round and even as possible. (The littlest one gets to lick the bowl, and the next in line the beaters. )
  6. Bake for 45 minutes, then leave to cool and dry in the oven overnight. That gives it its crusty shell.
  7. Gently place  a serving plate on top and flip the tray over so the marshmallow side is uppermost.  Peel away the baking paper. Cover with whipped cream  with whipped cream and fresh fruit.  (Or you can leave it crunchy side up and just decorate the top.)
Our family pavlova recipe.

Our family pavlova recipe – but not my photo because the resident chef (son) was too busy to cook for me this weekend.

Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Oct1
Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millie Mak Makes Her Mark

Alice Pung

Sher Rill Ng

HarperCollins, 2025

240pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781460767009

Millie Mak is back in the final instalment of this series for younger independent readers who enjoy contemporary realistic fiction that reflects both their lives and their relationships. 

Now she has settled into her new life in a new school,  her family having moved to a new neighbourhood to be closer to her mother’s parents, and made new friends, each as individual as she is yet sharing a love for creating, particularly with fabric, the Fru-Gals are trying to start their own online business.  But, even though it’s school holidays,  it’s tricky when you have to take care of younger siblings who seem intent on squabbling all the time.  But a chance encounter with a family who are on a temporary visit to town shows them that not only can you have fun with your brothers and sisters but you can have your own adventures too, and the girls discover the magic of dyeing plain fabric with natural materials and then creating something really special with the squares. 

In the second story, Veesa is caught in a dilemma.  While the Fru-Gals pride themselves on recycling, repurposing and upcycling,  Veesa’s mother earns her living by sewing “fast fashion” –  cheap, mass-produced clothing which replicates  current trends, encouraging frequent purchasing and discarding of items due to their low cost and rapid obsolescence – and this is in direct contrast to what the Fru-Gals believe, particularly the impact on the environment.   Not only does the issue give Veesa food for thought, but it could spark conversations amongst the readers. 

As usual, each story is followed by instructions to make some of the things that the girls do, encouraging both creativity and problem-solving as well as trying something new.

In this series, Alice Pung nails the issues of young girls straddling being the “little girl” and the one finding her identity as independence and the double-digit years loom, complicated by the physical differences and expectations as puberty kicks in.  Millie expresses a lot of those inner thoughts and concerns that most have while trying to negotiate the ups and downs of relationships that involve others with similar insecurities, particularly those who might not as confident in standing up for themselves, but by realising that their feelings are not unique, might gain the courage to keep following their own path. But one of its strengths is that from that shy, new-girl-in-school, Millie has grown and matured – as have her friends, each having found their niche in both the group and the community – just as the regular readers will also have developed. 

Interestingly, when I reviewed Millie Mak the Maker in 2023, my friend had just offered school-holiday sewing classes for young children and had been swamped by the response; and once again, she is finding the same thing.  There is definitely an interest in these traditional crafts and a demand for those who can pass them on.  Who knows where this series might take the reader… 

Hannah Backwards

Sep11
Hannah Backwards

Hannah Backwards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Backwards

Kim Rackham

Heidi Cooper Smith

Riveted Press, 2025

96pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781764007139

Hannah loves the familiar rhythm of her days—walking to school with her best friend Izzi, spending afternoons with Nana and Pop, and cosy weekends with her parents. She is one who prefers predictability, routines  and the regular rhythm of her life, but for those times when there is disruption that makes her anxious, she has a secret in her pocket.  Her Nana has given her a special worry stone to rub and trace its spiral to bring calm in those uncertain moments and although she doesn’t realise it, Hannah is really going to need it because big changes are coming. 

First, her beloved teacher Mr. Spicer leaves. Then, the unthinkable—Izzi is moving away. As Hannah struggles with the idea of goodbye, her worry stone is always in her hand, but it can’t stop the storm of emotions building inside her. A moment of anger threatens to shatter everything they’ve shared, and Hannah is left to find a way to make things right.

And can endings really be beginnings, like Mr Spicer says?

This is a verse novel for younger readers, many of whom will have faced similar upheavals as the certain becomes uncertain and threaten to turn their lives upside down.  Because its verse novel format is entirely in the first-person exposing all Hannah’s thoughts and emotions, it is easy for the young reader to become Hannah and relate to what is happening and understand that when you’re young and living in the here-and-now, it’s hard to see the bigger picture and the opportunities and silver linings that disruptions can open up. They will empathise with her anxiety, and feel her confusion about the future as they have experienced similar feelings, focusing on what they  are going to lose and miss rather than being able to look forwards to what could be.  It’s not that they, or Hannah, are pessimists – it’s just where they are at in their emotional development. 

This is an ideal book to read together with someone (or a class) for whom change is coming to reassure them that their feelings of grief and uncertainty are real and natural, but also helping them realise that there is life after loss and that just because a favourite friend or teacher or someone is not physically there, it is possible for the connections to continue, regardless of who makes the move – which is likely to be the theme of the sequel Izzi Upside Down coming 2026.

At a time when it seems some parents are intent on protecting their children from any sort of adversity so they don’t develop the natural resilience to setbacks that we expect, this is an opportunity to discuss the inevitable and how to deal with it, for while a worry stone can be a comfort, it can’t be a solution. Mr Spicer was right – endings can become beginnings.

For those who want to dig deeper, there is an insightful interview with the author here. 

Childish

Sep4
Childish

Childish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childish

Morris Gleitzman

Penguin, 2025

176pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761343759

When his new friend Dot breaks her leg when she is chased by Year 9 bullies and crashes her bike into one of the many potholes that litter the road, Arkie decides to do something about the dangers these lurking dangers pose – particularly when he discovers that they are both preventable and fixable if only the city authorities would talk to each other…

With idealism and focused purpose that is typical of eleven-year-olds but not the street-smarts of city kids because he has only lived there with his Nan for two weeks, Arkie sets out to find who is responsible for ensuring that AAICs (Access and Inspection Covers, formerly known as manhole covers) are flush with the road’s surface so they are not the hazards they currently pose. And regardless of the human roadblocks they meet in the kingdom of bureaucracy and red-tape, and becoming the targets of trolls online, both Arkie and Dot press on even though the threat of Arkie having to return to the country because his parents’ farm hasn’t sold looms larger and time becomes important.

While both Arkie and Dot are relatable characters in a relatable situation – they see a problem and want it fixed NOW, and, despite their determination being seen as “childish” by some of the adults they encounter, they have the tunnel vision and tenacity of children without the outside distractions that adults have to continue their campaign to its conclusion, albeit an unexpected one – this is more than just an engaging read for younger independent readers because it opens the door to Gleitzman’s remarkable body of work For forty years, Morris Gleitzman has been enchanting readers with his stories that focus on big issues seen through a child’s lens including the iconic Two Weeks with the Queen , his series about Felix and Zelda, Jewish children in Nazi Germany as well as Boy Overboard and Girl Underground written at a time when families risked so much to escape to Australia and he has lost none of his touch in being able to treat serious subjects with acerbic humour that engages the reader from the get-go because his characters are so real that we want to know what happened in the end – even Limpy the cane toad who is my personal favourite with his own series.  (All of his books are shown on his website, and a tap/click on the cover offers lots of information about how they came to be.)  

Gleitzman has gifted generations of children with stories of hope and courage, determination and resilience in a way that only a master storyteller who knows what kids are like and what they want to read, spotlighting issues that they face and exploring them with well-drawn characters who grow, change and mature as the story unfolds, can,  and IMO, it is our responsibility as librarians to ensure the gift keeps giving.  After all, what more can we do when he writes, “She is friendly and helpful and brave about protecting books so she must be a librarian.”  (Childish, p55)

 

The Amazing Spencer Gray

Aug20
The Amazing Spencer Gray

The Amazing Spencer Gray

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Amazing Spencer Gray

Deb Fitzpatrick

Fremantle Press, 2025

176pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781760996338

Spencer Gray could be almost anyboy, anywhere… he’s 12, lives in the suburbs with his mum, dad and sister Pippa, loves soccer, enjoys cross-country running, rides his bike everywhere, and has a great group of mates. But not every boy has a dad like Spencer’s – as well as being a country doctor, his dad loves flying in his glider, Drifter.  Spencer’s mum says  his dad is a ‘fanatic” although his dad says that’s a bit harsh. But whatever adjective might describe his dad’s passion, Spencer himself has been waiting for the day that his dad says he is old enough to fly with him.  And now it’s come.

His mates are very envious but Spencer is the most excited.  And as he and his dad soar above the landscape, he understands the buzz his dad gets – until the weather suddenly deteriorates and they don’t make it back to base in time…

In a week that has its focus on Book an Adventure, this is truly an adventure that young independent readers are going to relish as they get involved in the action and relate to Spencer’s fear that his dad is dead, his relief when he finds he is just unconscious and his resolve and resilience that he will get them out of this mess.  But does a 12 year old boy have the cool and the courage to keep his head, particularly when he realises that it will be hours before anyone realises that they haven’t returned home? Does he stay with his dad or leave to find help?

Shortlisted  for the West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards.in 2016, this is the re-release of this 2013 title in advance of the imminent re-release of The Spectacular Spencer Gray  making an engaging mini-series that will offer readers a story in which they may well put themselves into the role of Spencer and perhaps even move on to the classics Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (and its sequels) or The Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.