In October, I read eighteen books, and reviewed sixteen of them. Most were by Australian authors, and all were aimed at children or young adults. I had hoped to read more but travel and a few other things meant I didn’t get through everything I wanted. I also worked on some posts about my visit… Continue reading October 2023 Reading Wrap Up
Category: Australian literature
Stuck Up and Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice
Title: Stuck Up and Stupid Author: Angourie Rice and Kate Rice Genre: Romantic Comedy, Retelling Publisher: Walker Books Published: 1st November 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 384 Price: $22.99 Synopsis: The only thing worse than cleaning up after celebrities was having to watch her own family trying to impress them.The quiet coastal community of Pippi Beach… Continue reading Stuck Up and Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice
Miss Penny Dreadful and the Mermaid’s Locks by Allison Rushby
Title: Miss Penny Dreadful and the Mermaid’s Locks Author: Allison Rushby Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction Publisher: Walker Books Published: 1st November 2023 Format: Paperback Pages: 160 Price: $15.99 Synopsis: The final exciting instalment in the Miss Penny Dreadful series from acclaimed author Allison Rushby.Searching for a new story idea for her aunt’s famous penny dreadfuls,… Continue reading Miss Penny Dreadful and the Mermaid’s Locks by Allison Rushby
Ayla’s Christmas Wish by Pamela Jones and Lucia Masciullo
Title: Ayla’s Christmas Wish Author: Pamela Jones and Lucia Masciullo Genre: Christmas Publisher: NLA Publishing Published: 1st November 2023 Format: Hardcover Pages: 32 Price: $24.99 Synopsis: Christmas is coming, and Ayla wants a snowman just like in her book, but there is no snow to be found in her drought-stricken town, not even a drop of rain.… Continue reading Ayla’s Christmas Wish by Pamela Jones and Lucia Masciullo
The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet (Kingdoms and Empires #5) by Jaclyn Moriarty
Title: The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet (Kingdoms and Empires #5) Author: Jaclyn Moriarty Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Allen and Unwin Published: 31st October 2023 Pages: 544 Price: $22.99 Synopsis: A magical book in the rich and whimsical world of the Kingdoms and Empires about a girl, a threat and a pickle jar filled with gold… Continue reading The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet (Kingdoms and Empires #5) by Jaclyn Moriarty
Completion of QBD Reading Challenge 2023
I have completed the 2023 QBD Challenge. My last prompt was a funny memoir, which in some ways was hard to find, but I settled on Paul Jennings’ memoir, Untwisted, which was funny in parts, and I enjoyed the way he told the stories – with humour and empathy throughout. I reviewed twenty books for… Continue reading Completion of QBD Reading Challenge 2023
Completed: Dymocks Reading Challenge 2023
This year, I took on the Dymocks Reading Challenge again. This time, we got our prompts season by season, which made it more challenging to plan what to read, but in the end, I managed to do it. The prompts were fairly flexible as well – there were ones anything could fit into and ones… Continue reading Completed: Dymocks Reading Challenge 2023
Dymocks Spring Reading Challenge
The final set of prompts for this year’s Dymock’s Reading Challenge for Spring are completed now too – a couple of them took me a while but I got there. One of the things I have liked about this challenge is how open to interpretation some prompts were, because a prompt will always have a… Continue reading Dymocks Spring Reading Challenge
Rarity of Reviews of Australian Children’s Books
I have ‘some more thoughts’ – this time, about the rarity of reviews of children’s books in mainstream media, magazines, and newspapers – the media that most people would consume or have access to. Whilst they may review books, it’s always adult books and often the very literary ones. And whilst any book coverage is… Continue reading Rarity of Reviews of Australian Children’s Books
Visiting the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature
My connection to the Centre I have been working as a remote volunteer with the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature for about six months. First, creating profiles on my blog for their various online databases, and after I finished that, as the Clipper for New South Wales, sending whatever ephemera about Australian Children’s Literature… Continue reading Visiting the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature
