Middle Primary
Title: Obsessive about OctopusesAuthor + Illustrator: Owen Davey Publisher: Flying Eye Books (published 2020) Age Range: early childhood, middle primary, upper primary, adults who love octopuses. Themes: Octopus ecology, diet, behaviour, movement,…
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Title: ‘Bear in Space’Author: Deborah AbelaIllustrator: Marjorie Crosby-Fairall Publisher: Walker Books AustraliaAge Range: early childhood, lower primary. Themes: friendship, difference, schools, kindergartens, imaginative play, space. I will always shout loudly and lovingly…
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Title: ‘Small Town’Author: Phillip GywnneIllustrator: Tony Flowers Publisher: Penguin BooksAge Range: lower primary, middle primary, upper primary. Themes: rural life, country towns, community, home, refugees, grandparents, school, activism, initiative, inclusivity, visual literacy.…
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Title: ‘The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle’Author: Pamela Rushby Publisher: Walker BooksAge Range: 9+, middle primary, upper primary, lower secondary, middle grade. Themes: Victorian England, Egypt, Egyptology, ancient civilisations, historical fiction, mystery,…
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Title: ‘Eco Rangers: Microbat Mayhem‘Author: Candice Lemon-ScottPublisher: New Frontier PublishingAge Range: lower primary, middle primaryThemes: environment, animals, animal conservation and care, nature, friendship, mystery. ‘Right now, the only thing we need to worry about is making these…
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Bubbay will be known to many families already, indeed I discovered it is a favourite in the house of my lovely neighbour Sam! She spied this re-release on my kitchen bench recently…
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Toby (9 years old) is a keen reader and budding young reviewer and I love feeding him books. I made ChickPea race through this second book in the Atticus Van Tasticus series…
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My neighbour Sam was the only person who could possibly review a book about ants for me (see her bio at end of post). ‘The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants’ is currently one…
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Title: ‘Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street’Author: Felicita SalaPublisher: Scribble Age Range: early childhood/lower primary/middle primary/upper primary/ middle grade/ young adultThemes: cooking, food, international cookery and food, multicultural, neighbourhood This is one of my ‘must-have’ books of 2019…
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The gorgeous large format of this latest offering from Matt Chun just adds to the list of reasons why this book is utterly giftable and utterly coffee table worthy. Dr Sam Lloyd…
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Oh how I love this book and I’m so grateful to Sam for reviewing it for me as her Scientific knowledge is invaluable with CSIRO publications. My parents have always had amazing…
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It was hope that made grass grow and waves rise and babies stand. And when the grass got trampled, the waves crashed down and babies toppled over, it was hope that made…
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ChickPea has been an avid lover of books about birds for some time now and has enjoyed a few outings with a dear friend of ours who takes the most amazing photographs…
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Title: ‘Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire’ Author: Nat Amoore Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Age Range: middle primary, upper primary Themes: humour, school, friends, family, adventure, entrepreneurship. Finding a million dollars in your…
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Dr Sam Lloyd has been reviewing Science themed books for Children’s Books Daily for some years now – you can see all her reviews by clicking on the ‘guest blogger’ category or…
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Title: ‘Maxi the Lifeguard: The Stormy Protest’ Author: Trent Maxwell and David Lawrence Illustrator: Peter Baldwin Publisher: Affirm Press Themes: surf lifesaving; lifeguards; rescue; family; friendship; goal setting; community engagement; teamwork; caring for the environment; protest.…
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A sophisticated, funny and emotional illustrated middle-grade debut about immigrating to Australia, being upstaged by an annoying little brother, baking cakes and overcoming loss. Title: ‘Pie in the Sky’Author: Remy LaiPublisher: Walker…
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Title: ‘The All New Must Have Orange 430’ Author/Illustrator: Michael Speechley Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Awards: Honour Book in the Picture Book of the Year at the 2019 CBCA Awards Age Range:…
READ MOREEncouraging young people to read widely and enjoy a balanced literary diet is something that can add immeasurably to their reading and writing journey. For many of us, poetry and verse novels…
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It’s a question yelled into cyberspace regularly, and to be honest even as a teacher librarian I’ve struggled with this question. Where does a reader go when they feel like they’ve read…
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