The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat
Title: The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat Author: Charlie Archbold Publisher: Text Publishing Publication date: 31 May, 2022 Themes: Friendship, environment, stereotypes, good versus evil Comprehensive teaching notes are available at Text Publishing here The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat by Charlie Archbold is a suspenseful middle grade mystery novel that sees Andy, Eli and […]
Losing the Plot
Losing the Plot by Annaleise Byrd and published by Walker Books is such an inventive, clever, creative and humourous middle grade fantasy story. This fractured fairytale will have readers laughing out loud as they adventure with two polar opposite male protagonists, Basil Beedon and Terry Clegg, into a fairy tale world. Once plunged into this […]
Wurrtoo: The Wombat Who Fell in Love with the Sky
Title: Wurrtoo: The Wombat Who Fell in Love with the Sky Author: Tylissa Elisara Illustrator: Dylan Finney Publisher: Hachette Australia Publication date: March 2024 Themes: First Nations culture and storytelling, wombats, wishes, bravery, diversity, friendship, environment Comprehensive Teachers’ resources are available on the Hachette Australia website here Two new characters that have weaved their way into my […]
Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan
Pearly Woe’s tummy bubbles with worries and she grapples with this as an Adventurologist in training. Self-doubt and pestering worries have no place when you are accompanying your experienced Adventurologist parents and grandpa to the fictious Kingdom of Anachak in a mountainous, dense jungle beside the Mekong River to the remote village of Ban Noa […]
Runt
Runt by Craig Silvey, illustrated by Sara Acton and published by Allen & Unwin, recommended for readers 8-12, is a fast paced, witty, highly memorable, engaging and ruminative read that I shared with my daughter. Craig Silvey includes many meaty themes such as family selflessly coming together to overcome obstacles, true friendship, grit and resilience […]
Read Aloud Books for Children in Middle Primary School (Years 3 and 4)
The following books are ones I have read aloud to my children and some of our favourites from the past two years. This collection is by no means exhaustive. As always please read the books yourself to assess suitability for the children you intend to share the book with. The personal experiences and histories of […]
The Callers
The Callers by Kiah Thomas is a gripping, nuanced fantasy read (for 9-12 year olds) with such a unique, thought provoking storyline. This is a story which entices readers to question how they would respond to the moral dilemmas the main characters face as the protagonist has to unlearn all that he has ever known […]
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief
‘Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief’ by Katrina Nannestad, award-winning author of ‘We Are Wolves’, is one of our family’s favourite read aloud books of 2021. ‘Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief’ has been responsible for many later than usual bed times as we were utterly captivated by this story. This historical fiction book is inspired by real people […]
My Brother Ben
Title: My Brother Ben Author: Peter Carnavas Publisher: University of Queensland Press – UQP Publication date: September 28, 2021 Themes: Trust, hope, acceptance, brothers, family, boats, birds, Additional notable information: Teachers’ Notes can be downloaded from the UQP website My Brother Ben by Peter Carnavas is a glorious book to dive into, it will pull […]