I have often wondered what these books were like. I assumed they were drivel because some of the bigger publishers grab a name, a marketing strategy and churn out rubbish; however, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. Full credit to the author and editors.
There were plenty of twists and turns and excitement in this early-reader book. It is perfect for children just starting to read longer books. Year 3 children and some early Year 4 readers would enjoy it.
I enjoyed this book. It was published in 2000, and all the references are modern. It is less than 20,000 words so is suitable for a competent Year 4 reader through to a Year 6 reader. It is a story of a young girl; however, the story would appeal to both boys and girls.
I actually thought the story was about crossing the Blue Mountains on the east coast of Australia, until mountain lions were mentioned. I was disappointed it was not Australian. Perhaps I can get the children in my class to write an Australian version.
A girl has a journal account written by her great, great, great grandfather and becomes obsessed with his own obsession to see what is on the other side of the mountain range. (Perhaps google earth could have helped here.) Anyway, she goes on an adventure with her grandfather. I would have liked the mountain lion attack to have been described in greater detail. Kids will enjoy this – it is well-written.
I hate the cover of this book – yuck!
This is a straight forward adventure story – nothing special but well written none-the-less. Pub 1988, reprinted 92. Suitable for boys and girls in years 4 to 6. Less than 30,000 words. A brother and sister get a bad horoscope and then everything bad happens to them. Almost killed in a plane crash. Almost attacked by a shark. They stumble across abalone poachers. They help save a diver who has the bends. There are some obvious parts where the author wanted to include some of his research – apart from that it is good.
I enjoyed this book. It is suitable for years 4 – 6. (marketed as ages 9 – 11) The book has between 60000 and 70000 words There were a stack of old books at the back of a classroom, and some teachers were talking about possibly throwing them out. I said I’d read the books and give some feedback. First off the rank is Aquila. Two boys find an alien spaceship and slowly find out its capabilities. Realistic. Funny. Recommended. The main message is that you can do whatever you want as long as you have determination and strong support. ‘A man can fly anywhere, if he rides on the back of an eagle.’
Published 1997 – still topical (Just) with references to mobile phones and the internet.
I loved this. I highly recommend it for upper primary and older children – adults too. All the illustrations are done using small plastic soldiers and the mood is captured beautifully. The book is really amazing. And the narrative is based upon a true story – it is so sad. I must emphasize that it is NOT for younger readers.
The book is heavily illustrated, full of dragons, so I think kids will love it. I found the characterization quite difficult to get a handle on. I loved the illustrations. This is a fantasy story of a young boy who gets taken into another land, and his journey back to his real life. I found the actual story okay. I would recommend it for primary school children from Year 4 to Year 6.
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I read this quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the story of 2 children (boy and girl depend on each other) surviving after society crumbles. This is also a story of the need to care for the environment, food security, family, strength and survival. How the land was managed prior to European settlement. Also about dogs. 2 children set off across the country in a cart pulled by dogs. It is about 40,000 words maybe. I’d highly recommend it for Year 5 to lower secondary. I enjoyed this.
What a super book for Years 5 – 9. Meg writes so well. This story is about a young girl dealing with her father’s death, and the effect it has had on her little family. There is no swearing or fighting or adventure, as such, but there is the loving relationship of a sister to her younger brother, and a healthy friendship between two girls. The book is well over 50,000 words so the read is for upper primary and lower secondary kids. I have read many young adult books recently and there is so much crud printed nowadays – Meg’s book is of superior quality. I highly recommend the book.
This book is hard to read because there is so much baseball terminology. I persisted and I enjoyed the book, but would only recommend it to baseball fanatics. It is for 10 – 13 year old children. It is a story about a young boy who gets hit twice by pitched balls. Now he is spooked and must overcome his fear.
I read this book on the recommendation of an advanced reader in Year 4. I enjoyed it. It is the story of a Defence forces dog in Afghanistan. It is full of facts about the Australian forces in Afghanistan. I did NOT make a connection with the dog or its owners. Loads of facts but not much emotional connection. Still, I recommend it for upper primary and lower secondary readers.
I liked this book. It is about 13 000 word long maybe? Quite short, but well written and quite an easy read. Maybe kids will be hooked in by the mystery! If so, they will enjoy it. There are other books in the series – A Different Dog, and A Different Boy. I’d recommend the book for Year 4 to Year 6. And probably enjoyed more by boys.
I am in the middle of this book and throughly enjoying it. Highly recommended for a competent Year 5 reader upwards. About 25000 words or less. Very funny book.
I read this a week ago and even though I loved it, I cannot recommend it for any reading age because I cannot remember the word count or the sentence length or the suitability of the content. There is a nice twist at the end.
This is a graphic novel for teenagers and young adults. I recommend it to them.
About 60,000 words long. I loved it. The book is more of a girl’s book. Recommended to competent readers in Year 6 upwards.
It is the story of a family living on a remote, rugged and beautiful Scottish island. When the Lord of the Island dies, the family must deal with the new landowner.
The description of the island, and the characterisation is handled superbly. I highly recommend this book.
This is probably quite a nice little book for Grade 3 children, and the advanced Grade 2 reader.
The book is heavily illustrated and the illustrations are consistent and of a high standard. The font is large and the chapters are short. In total, the book is about 15,000 words, so a beginning reader will have success.
It is a simple storyline which the kids will like. Vampires and fairies are subjects which kids enjoy. The book cover is appealing.
Gee, Michael Morpurgo tells a good story. Twist of Gold is about 70,000 words. It is a long read for a competent reader in upper primary and high school. When their mother is close to death, two young children travel to America to find their father. On their journey they have many adventures, but never give up hope, after all, they have their family’s golden torc, which keeps them safe!
This book is highly recommended. It is too long for a Year 4 reader, or even an average Year 5 reader.
This is a simple book and some parts needed better editing, but it is light and easy to read, with plenty of examples of good behaviour. I actually enjoyed the book and I think a Year 3 or Year 4 child would as well. With so many black line illustrations inside, it is difficult to determine the number of words, but maybe there are 14,000.
A young boy has a pet dragon, which he keeps hidden from the adults; however, most kids seem to know about it.
The story is about two dads, a bunch of kids, and a dragon who go on a camping trip.
I think books which start with only two characters are so much easier to continue with. In the first chapter we have a ‘nice’ old man asking his grand daughter to bring him a disposable boy.
I was hooked.
The book was well written and boys and girls in Year 6 upwards would enjoy it. I think it is about 70,000 words long, so a competent Year 4 or Year 5 child would also enjoy it.
The Rogues is part of The Keepers series. A clever young girl and a painfully trusting young boy are given magical gifts, which they use to battle the evil spirit, who is trying to kill the Heir of Neuhalt.
I read Run, Pip, Run last year and had forgotten how good it was. When I approached Pip and Houdini, I wasn’t keen, but I persisted and was rewarded for the effort. These books are excellent middle grade readers – no wonder they feature in the CBCA awards. Highly recommended for a good Year 3 reader to a Year 5 or Year 6 level.
Pip is on the run from the authorities again, this time heading up the coast in search of her mum. She has a big heart, and is accompanied by a goofy dog.
About 40,000 words long so a bit of a task for a Year 3 reader. I think this would be a good book for a Year 4 class to listen to.
The book starts quickly and it is a good read. It is the story of a young boy and his community who survived the Tsunami of 2011. What a powerful story.
66 000 words – I would have thought more.
There are many wonderful themes in the book : entrenched corruption and the power of teenagers to overcome it, taking leaps of faith, friendship, persistence…
Highly recommended for competent readers in Year 6 upwards. It is quite a lengthy book at 220 pages x about 300 words per page =
Even though I was quite tired when I read this, it still appealed to me. Therefore, it must be good.
It is a verse novel, so it is an easy read, and one which would enable a struggling reader to have success with a long book. The characters in the story are in Year 2. I felt that many of their actions were more of a Year 4 ability.
The issues dealt with are typical amongst young girls. I’d recommend the book for advanced Year 2 readers, up to Year 5 readers, and it is mainly written for girls.
I quite enjoyed this book because I learnt about Ghana. The dialogue was strange and I see this as an accurate portrayal of children’s speech in Ghana.
I learnt about the slums in Ghana as well. The only thing I question is “Would a child get a scholarship JUST because she has lost an eye?” I wish this issue was addressed. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers in Years 4 to 6.
The first time I read ‘The Elephant’ I must have been in a rush, and I didn’t think much of it. After rereading the book I appreciate it so much more. I think it is excellent, with delightful images and gentleness which adults will particularly enjoy when reading to children. It is a story of a little girl dealing with her father’s depression after her mother dies. Plenty of messages in the book, some of which come to you in a second reading. There is a nice little twist in the tail which will make you smile.
(Copy copyright: West Australian Author – Grey things can be colourful. )
It goes without saying that Rodda writes well.
The Shop at Hoopers Bend is well written but it didn’t grab me. I suppose the theme is something along the lines of ‘Everything is connected’. Rodda even gives a magical explanation of why this may be the case. With the magic alluded to, the reader believes in all the strange coincidences. The story is complete and everything has its place. The story is also warm and gentle, revealing the value of family, friends and place. Emily Rodda is a clever storyteller.
I found it hard to believe in the amazing increase in rental opportunities that suddenly arose for the shop. I also couldn’t believe that a stranger would take a girl in off the street without at least speaking to her parents/aunt? These two crucial aspects of the novel are what put me off.
I recommend the novel for a good Year 6 (and upwards) reader. It is between 60,000 and 70,000 words long. All main characters are female, and the baddies are the guys. Ha! It is definitely more of a girls’ book than a boys. It was shortlisted for the 2018 CBCA.
What makes this book so valuable is the following, taken from the Western Australian curriculum.
The range of literary texts for Pre-primary to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
This book is all about a Torres Straight Islander boy and his life as a Pearl-shell diver. I think the inclusion of so much history has interfered with the writing, however, it is an informative book which I enjoyed. There is plenty of suspense but the pacing needs work as does the characterization. Also, many problems are not resolved. Does his mother survive? He was working for money but did the cyclone rob him of this? What happened to his dad? Does he find out what happened to his cousins? Whatever happened to the sea captain who was chasing him?
Still I would recommend this book, especially to teachers to read so as to cover the curriculum, probably for Years 5, 6 and 7.
Also, I recommend the book for children in upper primary and lower secondary school who want to learn about Australian history. It is well researched.
Karen Foxlee has written a wonderful fantasy book for primary children. Unfortunately I have been sick, my wife has been sick, the dog was sick, my fish have died, I have been searching the internet for pictures of fish and cutting them out, and stringing them in my aquarium, so I have only read half the book. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the part I have read. This book is recommended for upper primary and lower secondary children.
For some reason I have never been grabbed by the books of Wendy Orr, but this has changed with DragonFly Song. What a superb book for upper primary or secondary readers. My wife and daughter will scold me for saying it is a girl’s book. I don’t know how many words are in the book because many of the pages are formatted as verse. It is a lengthy fantasy book. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to lower secondary school girls.
The Icarus Show by Sally Christie is well written and clever. POV is handled so deftly. The start was interesting, the middle was clever and the ending was quite good. Most of it was believable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think a young adult audience would too. Sally Christie is a skilled writer and I’d be keen to read more of her work.
I am not really sure what to make of this book. The illustrations are an unusual, gentle and pleasing style. The writing isn’t noteworthy. The story ending is unbelievable yet also predictable. It is a short book for girls. I wouldn’t recommend it as a read aloud for a class, but a Year 5 to 8 girl might appreciate it.
This is a story of elephants in Nepal. I do not think it is particularly well written…BUT… the subject matter is so amazing, so you can’t put the book down. I read it in a couple of days because it was just so interesting. ‘What elephants know’ could be read to a class of Year 5 children or to older children. Young teens could read it and they would love it too. Over 60,000 words.
Recommended read.
(Reviewed by Western Australian children’s author)
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George is written for the young and competent reader. The book is quite long (maybe around 50,000 words) and the young protagonist outwits the evil invader by pulling all sorts of tricks. e.g. Hiding all the chamber pots. It is a light read and young readers will love it.
(Copy copyright: By a Western Australian children’s author who loves books.)
Argh! I did not think Kate DiCamillo could write ANOTHER excellent book but she has. I am in the middle of Flora and Ulysses, and loving it. This book is highly recommended.
Once again, she has written a book that has a good plot and it is also enjoyable to read. The cadence of her writing is comforting. I don’t know how she does it.
This book can be read by children in Year 4, 5 and 6. And it is also an excellent read-aloud book for children in this age group.
Teachers can use this book as an entry point into superheroes and poetry.
(Reviewed by a Western Australian author of children’s books.)
I think Year 4 children would love this book. It is also probably good as a read-aloud book for Year 4 children.
As a class activity, children could design their own alien. Decide what it eats, where it sleeps, etc. They could also design a wanted poster and write a letter. They could also write a list of foods.
In fact, the children could even write their own book. They could include a section on farts and poops which would be particularly entertaining for them.
The children could also be taught about the need to draw simple characters so they can be replicated many times. In Olga and the smelly thing from nowhere there are so many illustrations.
(Copy copyright: By Western Australian Children’s author who enjoyed this book.)
This is a Year 4 level book. It has all the excitement and magic of Harry Potter except at a Year4 Level. A teacher could read this to a class, or a Year 4 – 6 child read it for enjoyment. It is quite a long book at 340 pages, but there are only about 200 words per page = 64000 words.
It is quite large print.
Three animals – a bird, a frog and a cat – set off to save a kingdom. Two of them have magic and one(The cat/narrator) doesn’t. The dimwitted frog made me laugh out loud a few times.
Lots of goodies vs baddies situations. Plenty of magical animals – an evil seven-headed dragon, levitating cats, spying eyeball fish. An orphan cat.
This book is about friendship, making mistakes and being forgiven. It is also about betrayal and that animals are better at saving kingdoms than people. If you have a kingdom that needs saving get a frog, cat and bird.
Copy copyright: Western Australian Author reviewed this.
These books by Dana Simpson are collections of short stories/reflections on life/ jokes as seen through the eyes of an extremely, utterly beautiful, gorgeous unicorn and her rather plain human side-kick. They insult each other and many of the jokes revolve around the vanity of the unicorn, but they are also best friends.
It is all in comic form, much like Garfield.
There were quite a few laugh aloud moments.
I am trying to find a good book to read to Year 4s. Year 4 kids would read this one themselves.
(Copy copyright: Reviewed by a Western Australian Author who reads a lot and who also writes a lot – books mainly.)
This is a funny book because Ivy is so stupid and tends to say whatever she is thinking. She is brutally honest. Such a long book for this age group tends to go all blah blah and dull in the middle, but not Anyone but Ivy Pocket. The author cleverly introduces so many characters and with each there is mystery and intrigue. I found myself guessing that this or that character was evil. I found myself guessing all sorts of things about the necklace and diamond. Anyway, I am halfway through the book and enjoying it.
I just had to keep reading. I was disappointed with the end of the book, but overall it was a wonderful exciting read. I am looking for a good book to read to a class of Year 4 children. This book is super for individual readers, but not to read to a class.
I recommend this book for children in Years 5 to 9. It is more of a girl’s book with nearly all of the characters female. A keen boy reader will also enjoy it.
(Copy copyright: Reviewed by a Western Australian author who coincidentally writes books.)
What a funny book!
I did laugh out loud heaps.
But I am not sure who the book is written for/marketed to.
It was recommended to me as a book to read to 9 year olds, but I wouldn’t consider it. They’d miss most of the humour. I just opened a page at random and found “…a metaphor, Dr. Dundledorf. An analogy. A symbolic tale.”
I just opened another page at random. “And I cannot digress. And I cannot defend the agency from its debilitating demise.”
Perhaps it could be read to 12 year old children. Or maybe 11 year old children in an advanced private school whose dads potter on the stock exchange. “From the Young Entrepreneur’s Fun.”
(Copy copyrighttted by a Western Australian Children’s Author who coincidentally writes children’s books.)
I am almost finished reading Mallee Boys.
It was awarded the “Winner Adelaide Festival Unpublished Manuscript Award”.
I almost stopped reading after about 30 pages because I had lost track of all the characters. Instead I made an effort to go back and reread some sections. I am glad I did because I have enjoyed this ‘coming of age’ book about two brothers also coming to terms with their mother’s death.
It is a teen book but also within the scope of being in the Young Adult category. Even though there are footy games, dirt bikes, and fights, there is also plenty of reflection on these events, which made me think it was written by a female. (Wow! Have I just put my foot in my mouth.)
I reread this book yesterday. It is a YA book about the developing relationship of two young adults who support each other in a world of sickness and pain.
Highly recommended. It grabs you in and you have no choice but to read it in one sitting.
I believe someone is making a TV series of it over in the USA.
Good stuff.
Well, I have finished reading quite a few books recently, so need a few more. My son has a copy of The Running Man, so that is next up. The quality of the writing in the first few pages has me very interested. This YA book comes highly recommended so I will keep you posted.
(On an aside – I love having this year off, giving me the opportunity to read.)
I just stumbled upon a wonderful site which lists so many series, categorised by recommended age to read.
If you type into google ‘cereal readers’ this wonderful site will pop up straight away.
This site is excellent and I recommend it highly.
More Than This by Patrick Ness (English novelist) is a fast paced read for Young Adults. It deals with difficult issues. Definitely NOT a children’s book. Patrick Ness always writes exciting stories.
Highly recommended for Young Adults.
(Copy copyright: This is not a Western Australian book but it is a very good book for young adults)
I have just read ‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ by Patrick Ness.
It is not for primary school – it is definitely for YOUNG ADULTS.
Wow! What an amazing writer.
It is a few weeks now since I’ve read a book I can recommend for young men, but I can with this book. Patrick Ness is such a clever writer.
Highly recommended for young men.
Themes include Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour, Love, Change, family relationships and friendship. 
I am reading Martine Murray’s book, how to make a bird.
It is not a Western Australian Children’s book but it is a CBCA short-listed book, published in 2003. The book is so well written. At different points, I was confused about the age of the protagonist, but the clever writing keeps me going. I am not rushing this book.
Murray is an accomplished writer.
I will hold off recommending the book until I have finished reading it.
Well, I have finished and I recommend it. Quality – because of the complexity of thought, I’d say it is for older readers – Year 10 upwards.
I just reread Sally Morgan’s book ‘Sister Heart’.
I recommend it highly for Children in Years 4 to 7. For older readers too?
It is a simple story of a child of The Stolen Generation. It will encourage plenty of reflection and discussion.
Written in verse so not a long read, which is good for reluctant readers.
Good stuff.
