Review: Forever

Forever

Judy Blume

Macmillan (2015 reprint)

The 2015 reprint of Judy Blume's Forever.

My son pulled Forever off a shelf in a bookstore. It was next to Enid Blyton in the young readers’ section.

He thought I’d like it because it had a cherry on the front, and I like cherries. He’s a young, innocent child. Thoughtful – but innocent.

Review: Gusto & Gecko Travel to Kenya

Kenya is the first in the series.

Words: Longy Han

Pictures: Elinor Hägg

This picture book is the first in the Curious Travels of Gusto & Gecko series, and self-published by author Longy Han. One of the main drivers of this series – in which the title characters will visit different areas – was to introduce children to various cultures.

Review: One True Thing

Teenage life in the media spotlight

Nicole Hayes looks at the media and politics
through the eyes of the Premier's daughter
in One True Thing.

There’s YA realism and there’s YA realism. One True Thing is definitely the latter: a great story with a relatable protagonist who draws the reader into current, relevant and topical issues. Following Nicole Hayes's 2013 debut novel The Whole of My World, which examined grief and the attitude of sports clubs and stars towards women; One True Thing – released earlier this month – tackles the media, its treatment of women in politics, and the effect of negative coverage on families.

REVIEW: Happy Pants: Why is Mummy so sad?

 

Happy Pants proves PND affects the entire family.

Words: Heather Gallagher

Pictures: Liz McGrath

Wombat Books, 2014

Perinatal, or post-natal, depression (PND) affects one in seven new mothers and one in 10 new fathers in Australia, according to the end notes of this book. Happy Pants, written from the perspective of a child, shows how the illness impacts an entire family; that support and understanding is needed; and that there is no quick-fix. But this is not a clinical examination of the illness - it's written from the perspective of a child, who knows Mum isn't her usual self but doesn't know why.

REVIEW: STOP the Bully

Author Karen Tyrrell with her junior novel, STOP the Bully.

STOP the Bully
Karen Tyrrell

I, like many people, was bullied as a child. Like the protagonist Brian in Karen Tyrrell’s STOP the Bully, I was the shy, unconfident, head-down new kid, and an easy target to those ‘testing’ me out. The advice I was given to ‘ignore them – they’ll go away if they don’t get a reaction’ was not only incorrect, but in fact spurred the bullies on to step up their attacks in order to get a response – they do it until they get a reaction when you don’t stand up for yourself.

 

Reindeer read review

Roger the Reindeer by Ken Lake
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Roger the Reindeer, in Ken and Angie Lake’s series The Diaries of Robin’s Toys, centres around illiteracy. Roger leaves home not knowing how to read or write, and this gets him into all sorts of trouble. He eventually learns to read and write, then is offered a job with Santa.