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.)

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.)