Review: Colin Cockroach Goes To Caloundra

10 Quirky Questions with author Sue Lawson

1. What's your hidden talent?
That’s a tricky one. I’m pretty open about everything, so not sure I have any secrets, or hidden talents. Actually, I LOVE cleaning out and organising cupboards, drawers, etc. Drives my family nuts as they can’t find anything, but I love it. And I love following organisers on Instagram.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
For sheer terror, IT from Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time. Our Grade 4 teacher Mrs Phillip read it to us. While I couldn’t remember the name of the book, I have always remembered IT. Then as an adult I stumbled across A Wrinkle In Time and met IT again. That thing still disturbs me. As an adult, my favourite villain is Lady Macbeth. I love how she changes from a ruthless manipulating wife into a tortured soul.

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Hmmmm. That’s a toughie. There are so many authors I admire. These are the first to spring to mind for all kinds of reasons: Tim Winton, Helen Garner, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, John Irving. How is that for a mix? They’ve all written books I’ve loved and have stayed with me well after I turned the last page.

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Hermoine Granger’s Time Changer. There’s so many places and eras I’d love to visit.

5. What are five words that describe your writing process?
Messy – I throw ideas all over the place and wrangle them into a story.
Absorbing – the rest of the world disappears when I’m in the flow.
Distracted – When I start a new project I’m easily distracted, especially when researching.
Magical – there’s something magical and fantastical about writing.
Supported – I have the most incredible support crew - family, friends and my publisher.

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
That’s a really tough one, as none of us can know how we will be remembered. I guess I hope my words will have an impact in some small way.

7. Picture your favourite writing space. What are five objects you would find there?
At the moment, loads of technology as I have updated my computer system. I’d have my NUC computer and backup system (no more manual back-ups. Phew!), my Sonos (a speaker that plays my music via wifi.), a router, a scented candle – my current favourite is vanilla. And pens and notebooks. I know that’s more than five, so let’s say stationery. Oh, and if we’re having perfect writing spaces, an uninterrupted view of the ocean.

8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
Were you hoping for a more interesting word than were?
(I had Davina Bell’s The End of the World Is Bigger than Love on my desk as I am editing my interview with her for Portable Magic. The book is completely fantastic.)

9. If you could ask one author one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
I would ask George R R Martin if he will ever finish the final books in the Songs of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones) series. I am desperate!

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write another story or never read another book'?
The first. I’d rather give up writing than give up reading. Reading is my escape, delight, release and inspiration. 

Sue Lawson writes fiction and non fiction books for children and young adults. Her books have won and been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Family Therapists Award, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards. Her latest young adult novel Freedom Ride was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards and longlisted for the Davitt Awards. For more information, see www.suelawson.com.au.

 

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Review: Be An Artist Every Day

It's early in a new year, and if you're looking for something to do, something to encourage yourself or your children to explore creativity and imagination, then look no further.

Be An Artist Every Day has a whole year's worth of activities to keep you occupied, and help develop the artist within.

It's appealing right from the front cover and endpapers. 

An introduction reminds you that being an artist is about having fun, and that there is no right or wrong in creating art.

There are 365 activities in this compact paperback activity book. They're created by Susan Schwake who is an artist and art educator and Charlotte Farmer who is an illustrator.

Drawing and collage. Patterns and doodles. Word art. Faces. Nature. Food. Abstract art. It's all here, and lots more.

Some of the activities are expected. Others, not so much. There's one that asks you to imagine 'What if cats went to school?' and then draw them!

You'll design your own car on one page, and on another design a book cover. Imagine and illustrate a new planet.

Try drawing different textures, or connecting dots to create a picture. 

Other activities might ask you to write something and then decorate it, or make a tiny model of a human.

Not all the activities stay just within the bounds of the book (one will ask you to go outside and find a leaf to draw), but all will be recorded in it.

By the time you finish all 365 of the art activities, you will have a colourful and creative journal.

Although the activities are all numbered, and you can start from one and work your way through in order, you could also dip in and out of them freely as you feel like it.

Be An Artist Every Day will inspire and encourage artists of varied ages and experiences. It's a journey you can take without leaving home, and one the whole family could enjoy together.

Title: Be An Artist Every Day
Author: Susan Schwake
Illustrator: Charlotte Farmer
Publisher: Ivy Kids, $ 19.99
Publication Date: 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781782408321
For ages: 8+
Type: Activity Book

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Review: A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth

A scintillating debut novel by Francesca Gibbons, A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth, is the first in a middle grade trilogy, that launches an amazing fantasy adventure.

A stunning cast of characters and settings have been created. Incredible reveals add tension and mystery to a fast-paced, multi-layered storyline.

Chris Riddell’s amazing illustrations fuel the imagination, leaving us longing to know what happens next.  Sisters Imogen and Marie have wild imaginations. They don’t like each other, or their mother’s boyfriends. 

When the girls escape from a boring afternoon with Grandma into the teahouse gardens, they find a door in a giant tree trunk and enter the magical Kingdom of Yaroslav.

Confronted by houses with skulls and bones of skret built into their framework, the girls, filled with fear, are unable to find their way back.

They are taken in by the lonely future king, twelve year old Prince Miro, whose uncle King Drakomor rules in his place. 

But Drakomor is as mysterious as the Kingdom.

The girls don't know what will happen from one moment to the next. Nor does the reader. They meet Andel, the one-eyed clockmaker, creator of the powerful clock of stars, which is tuned to the rhythm of the stars, allowing its motions to foretell the happenings in Yaroslav. The clock plays a pivotal role in the story.

The children become pawns in a continuing game of greed, treachery, lies, murder and deceit within this once harmonious place. Although Miro’s loyalty to his uncle keeps him ignorant of what he really is, the truth remains ugly.

Secret treasures and stones are part of Drakomor’s hoard hidden throughout his castle chambers. The most valuable of these is the Sertze Hora, the heart of the Klenot Mountain which he’d stolen long ago, and whose absence has caused the slow death of the forests and the skret that escaped and now live there. It is this theft that caused the schism which darkens the Kingdom.

Personal growth occurs in the girls as they discover a strength and resilience which otherwise they would never have known on the other side of the door. They are also transformed by the quest they undertake up the fierce mountain to the Maudree Kral, leader of the skret, and the only one who can guide them to the door of return.

But there is an extraordinary bargaining price for this information. Can it be paid?

Title: A Clock of Stars
Author: Francesca Gibbons
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
Publisher: Harper Collins, $ 29.99
Publication Date: 7 October 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780008355036
For ages: 8+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Be More Vegan: The Young Person's Guide to A Plant-based Lifestyle

Giveaway: Picture Book Magic Pack: There Is No Magic In This Book and How To Make A Bird

Do you love magic? Have you ever wanted to fly? Perhaps a special magical ability is all that's required. The magic of Christmas and the joy of creativity live on in these two marvellous new picture books. There Is No Magic In This Book, by Michelle Macwhirter and Sophie Beer is a vibrant interactive story, readers are told by the insistent Bookkeeper that there’s no magic to be found in its pages, but eagle-eyed readers can discover enchanted surprises on every spread. Perfect for fans of interactive classics like Do Not Open this Book, The Book with No Pictures and Press Here, this story encourages young readers to look for magic in even the most ordinary places.

From award-winning author Meg McKinlay and celebrated artist Matt Ottley comes a moving and visually stunning picture book that celebrates the transformative power of the creative process from inception through recognition to celebration and releasing into the world. How to Make a Bird shows how small things, combined with a little imagination and a steady heart, can transform into works of magic.

Thanks to the magical people of Walker Books Australia, we have a copy of each of these glorious books to giveaway.

For the chance to win this doublebook prize, in 25 words or less, tell us what would you most like the magical ability to create? 

Email your answer along with your name and postal address to dimity. The response we like best will win a copy of this amazing new release. Competition is open to anyone, worldwide, so long as they have an Australian postal address for delivery of the books. Please note, we cannot deliver to PO Boxes. Entries without a name and street address will be ineligible. Winners will be announced right here on our website on  18 January 2021.

Competition runs from 5.00 am 9 January 2021 to 5 pm 16 January 2021. Adults can enter for those aged 17 and under. This is a game of skill, not chance. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

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Review: Counting Creatures

From the creators of Animalphabet, comes a similar, beautifully designed counting book. Beginning from the exquisite cover, Counting Creatures is interactive, educational and a feast for the eye.

Award-winning illustrator Sharon King-Chai has magnificently translated Julia Donaldson’s text. Together they have created a book of extraordinary beauty that facilitates learning.

Cut-out pages, flaps and fold outs are used to hide and introduce a variety of animal families.

 

 

Creatures of the day and night, loud and quiet ones, all wait to be discovered and counted.

Clusters of gorgeous baby animals are presented with their collective name in rhyming verse, alliteration and assonance, and unique artwork.

Foxes, frolicking, frisking, bushy tales whisking. Very sound-effective, the language and the repetitive sounds demand they be read aloud for full appreciation.

Stunning colours play a major part in making even the shadows of night seem exotic and breathtaking. Leaves appear alive and crispy in their autumn shades. Butterfly wings cover baby caterpillars. Cut-out forests reveal hidden baby poults.

Language and learning become a slideshow of beauty and detail.

There is so much in this book to love. It is a collector’s dream and will fit well with other standout picture books that children, and adults love to call their own.

Title: Counting Creatures
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Sharon King-Chai
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $29.99
Publication Date: 13 October 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781529040517
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker

Review: An Amazing Australian Road Trip

The family – two kids, their parents and aunt, set off on a trip around Australia, with a huge birthday cake precariously perched on the roof (as you do).

They’re on a quest to find the perfect picnic spot to celebrate Auntie’s sixtieth birthday.

This rhyming picture book is Jackie Hosking's love letter both to Australia, and to the Australian tradition of the mega road trip.

In this story, nobody whines about the great distances, numb bottoms or the weather; it’s a tribute to the amazing places to see and the wonderful things to do.

Along the way, the family stop and take in the sights that make Australia a truly fascinating place to see. From Uluru to Ningaloo, and Sydney Harbour to Port Arthur, the family have an absolute ball. Notes are included on each page so that whoever is reading the book aloud can respond to the inevitable questions that will arise from the text. Many of these notes were also respectful to the First Nations people whose lands are depicted in the scenes, and I commend the author for that inclusion.

Lesley Vamos’s glorious illustrations include lots of hilarious detail that depicts the family’s wonderful misadventures at each of the sites they stopped at ...I particularly liked the penguins abducting the aunty in Tasmania.

Hosking is is the author of both non fiction and rhyming picture books, such as The Croc and the Platypus.

My only quibble would be that they maybe need to have another look at where they placed Coober Pedy on the map - -poetic licence, maybe?

Title: An Amazing Australian Road Trip
Author: Jackie Hosking
Illustrator: Lesley Vamos
Publisher: Walker, $24.99
Publication Date: 6 January, 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760650766
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: There's Only One Friend Like You

A celebration of friendship, There’s Only One Friend Like You explores all the ways friends care for each other, through thick and thin, through good and bad.

Lots of friends or just a few, friends for a short time or friends forever, our friends are there to love and cherish when we need them most. 

Written in delightful rhyme, with some lovely surprise pages turned on the side, this is a beautiful picture book to read with loved ones and classrooms. 

Jess Racklyeft’s illustrations are blooming with love, with vibrant colours, soft water colour splashes and lots of glorious details to spot (like the peacock with the fabulous pair of red boots!). 

This is one of those amazing books that works for lots of different ages. Read a beautifully flowing bedtime rhyme for the little ones, have fun spotting funky details with toddlers and learn about feeling, emotions, empathy and friendship with your classrooms. 

Beautiful to look at and beautiful to read, There’s Only One Friend Like You is a picture book stunner.

Title: There's Only One Friend Like You
Author/Illustrator: Jess Racklyeft
Publisher: Affirm Press, $19.99  
Publication Date: 24 November 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922400390
For ages: 3 - 6 
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Monty's Island #3: Elvis Eager and the Golden Egg

A storm has swept debris onto the shore on Monty’s Island. Whatever is reusable is collected and loaded onto Monty’s sled for  reuse. The extraordinary find of a golden egg brings with it more than just curiosity.

The egg hatches to reveal a strange and also golden creature that eats the shell and immediately grows bigger with every mouthful.

A stranger arrives, his canoe having been washed up by the storm. Claiming to be an explorer, Elvis Eager is accepted as that by Monty and his friends, Tawny the lion, Sir Wise the owl, Bunchy the elephant, and Clink the one-legged pirate parrot.

Swooping winged creatures appear in the sky and threaten the group. Their shelter beneath the canoe helps them reach Marigold’s café. Elvis recognises them as Giant Red Winged Oragoths.

What are these creatures and why are they on the island? The book that holds these answers meets a tragic end. Another stranger and storm victim, Ranger Katz from the Rare Beasts Division, turns up.

Things lost are found. Questions are answered and the mystery of the golden egg needs to be solved. 

Can the group escape the wrath of the Oragoths? Monty comes up with a brilliant idea and the friends band together to make it work. But will it?

This is the third book in this adventure series by Emily Rodda for younger readers. With four animal characters personified, it makes for a terrific read as they have abilities that the human characters lack. This spices up the plot and adds interest and excitement for the reader.

Not having read the previous two books, it was easy to read this as a stand alone book, for the characters were depicted and named at the beginning, creating recognition for the reader.

Fantastic illustrations by Lucinda Gifford reinforce the text beautifully in a perfect collaboration between two highly talented artists.

Title: Monty's Island #3: Elvis Eager and the Golden Egg
Author: Emily Rodda
Illustrator: Lucinda Gifford
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 14.99
Publication Date: 5 January 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760876999
For ages: 6 – 8
Type: Junior Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Helen Castles

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I always wanted to be an actress. I'm convinced if I had followed that path I'd have an Academy Award by now!

2. What is your nickname?
When I was a child my family called me 'Bub' because I'm the youngest of seven children but thankfully that petered out when I entered adulthood.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Inadvertently stepping on a snake. Actually, having a snake within a one kilometre radius is enough to terrify me.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
My editor calls it quirky yet sophisticated and I agree.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Dedicated, humourous, colourful, driven and responsible.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Matilda from Roald Dahl's Matilda. She was a resourceful and intelligent girl who found her own way to a happy ending.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I'd go back to 1989 when I was a 17-year-old living in the USA. It was kind of like my last hurrah as a carefree teen. A year later I was at university and had to be all 'adulty'.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
I can't believe you have a mortgage. We were supposed to be rich by now!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My father passed away when I was nine, and everything I do as a writer, I hope would make him proud. He loved books and would be thrilled to know his daughter is a writer.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I had some wonderful teachers as a child who always encouraged my love of writing, but I was influenced to make storytelling my living by the works of screenwriter John Hughes. I wrote screenplays for many years before switching over to children's fiction.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Actually. I love the way it sounds, I love the way it looks and I love how it can be used. I'm a self-confessed 'word nerd'. One of my favourite pastimes as a child was reading the dictionary and learning new words.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My favourite childhood book, The Wind in the Willows. There's something really comforting about that book.

Helen Castles lives in southern New South Wales and is a newspaper journalist and children's author. Her loves include coffee, chocolate, cuddling puppies and holidaying near the ocean. When she's not chasing up a real-life news story, she's writing about the adventures of feisty detective editor, Scoop McLaren. For more information, see www.newfrontier.com.au.

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Aussie STEM Stars: Fiona Wood, Inventor of Spray-On Skin.

This is a well-written piece of non-fiction that is as compelling a read as any fiction.

It captures the reader from the start, as Fiona Wood's strong personality and humor immediately burst from the page. 

Fiona Wood is a beautiful example of the power of sticking to your dreams and never taking ‘no’ for an answer, despite the odds against you.

Born into a poor mining family in a village in Yorkshire, where the opportunity for further education for girls was very limited, Fiona’s family encouraged all of their children to work as hard as they could and take advantage of any chance to better themselves.

In fact, a government decision in the early 60s to change the catchments for schools in their local area resulted in Fiona and her sister having no school to provide them with an education beyond Year 10. 

When their mother wrote to the government to point out the unfairness of this, a bureaucrat wrote back to say that he did not believe that these girls were university material.

Disgusting!

But the sisters were very fortunate! Their mother got a job at a local private school and the girls could therefore enroll at heavily discounted prices. It makes me sad to think of all the other village girls who would have missed out on completing their high school education.

Once there, Fiona worked hard and played hard. She excelled both academically and on the sports ground. Her initial dream was to become an Olympic sprinter. And although she worked very hard at running she did not achieve that particular ambition.

Which is just as well! The world’s burns victims are probably grateful for this. Not only did Fiona end up going to university, she was accepted into a prestigious medical college where, in her usual way, she threw herself into her studies, determined to be the very best she could be.

On the way she fell in love with a fellow doctor and they migrated to Australia. Despite being told that women with families could not be surgeons, Fiona proved them wrong and not only worked as a surgeon, she developed a passion for helping burns victims and led the field in breakthrough research. 

Her compassion for burns victims combined with her never-give-up mentality resulted in her making huge advances in the area of skin grafting. She was determined to reduce the time required to grow usable skin from the patient’s own cells, until she reduced the time from months to a few days. Her innovations led to the invention of spray-on skin. This saved hundreds of lives, including those of the Bali bombing victims.

Overall, a compelling and fascinating read.

Teachers’ notes are available.

Title: Aussie STEM Stars: Fiona Wood
Author: Cristy Burne
Publisher: Wild Dingo Press, $14.95
Publication Date: October, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925893281
For ages: 8-12
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure

Greg Heffley of Diary of a Wimpy Kid fame has a best friend called Rowley Jefferson. 

Rowely is imaginative and creative, and he’s just decided to write his own book about a character named Roland and his best friend Greg the Barbarian.

Rowley just wants to write the story he wants to write, but much to his annoyance, his best friend Greg is determined to help. 

And Greg has some very specific ideas about what makes a good story.

This is a brilliantly fun book for all fans of the Wimpy Kid series, plus all fans of fun and entertaining stories.

The book is written in an ongoing pattern, with a chapter of Roland and Greg’s adventure (as written by Rowley) and then a debrief chapter where Greg tells Rowley all the things he did wrong and all the things he needs to fix in the next chapter.

The result is a hilarious peek into friendship and the inner working of what does and doesn’t make a story work.

It’s great fun and filled with hilariousness all the way through.

In true Jeff Kinney (the actual author/illustrator) style, there are loads of illustrations throughout, making it an easy read for junior readers. A new series for wimpy kid fans to sink their teeth into, and others to discover, I highly recommend this one for all fans of fun.

Title: Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure
Author/Illustrator: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Puffin, $14.99  
Publication Date: 4 August 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760897888
For ages: 7 - 12
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: October, October