Middle Grade
Over the year that was 2022, we have featured MANY a book on the Your Kids Next Read podcast. So the obvious end of year activity was getting the Teen-Elf (aka Pudstar)…
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Over the year that was 2022, we have featured MANY a book on the Your Kids Next Read podcast. So the obvious end of year activity was getting the Teen-Elf (aka Pudstar)…
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Guest post. Standing in front of the mirror, head tilted. She squints, focuses, dwells. She hones in on all the ‘flaws’ – and the tween girl looking back at her agrees with…
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Guest post. I don’t know about you, but I really haven’t the faintest idea of what happens in the six hours my kids are at school – five days a week. I…
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Story has the power to educate and to heal and below you will find some of my absolute favourite texts by First Nations authors and illustrators in approximate age group order. Use…
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Guest post. When I envision the future, my sons all grown up and my face more lined than I’d like, I hope they have become men who are kind, gentle, respectful of…
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For some years now, the girls and I have taken part in WWF’s Earth Hour. Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney and has become a global movement to protect our planet.…
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School playgrounds across the nation will soon turn orange, as little ones celebrate what it means to be inclusive with Harmony Week. In 2023 Harmony Week runs from March 20 – 26…
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I interviewed Kirli Saunders in 2018 when her first book, ‘The Incredible Freedom Machines‘ was released (see here for that interview) and I have followed her work with interest ever since. Her…
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Kate Gordon’s writing in ‘Aster’s Good, Right Things’ is at times so authentic that it makes you wince with the pain and anguish of it all but ultimately wraps you up in…
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Bedtime reading is something I feel incredibly passionate about, in fact I have pretty much a whole chapter in my book devoted to it and I still read to my 10 and…
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When the world feels like the grown ups aren’t in charge (on a global scale!) and everything feels a bit scary – sometimes comfort foods and comfort reads are what is called…
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The LGBTQI+ community across the world celebrate Pride month (June each year) in all manner of different ways. I celebrate most occasions with books (and cake), so I’m celebrating with 50+ books…
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Books which inspire young people to dream big and aim high with sport are always going to capture attention, and so it is with ‘Victress’ – a truly beautiful collection of stories…
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One of PudStar’s (12 years old) favourite books of the last few years has been ‘The Mulberry Tree’ by Allison Rushby. She’s read it a few times now and went on to…
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Gosh I love this age group for reading. I was talking to some teacher librarian friends the other day and we were discussing our fav reading age for children’s literature. Mine is…
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It would be easy to assume that with several teacher librarians and a few academics in the family, my journey with reading within my extended family has been *seamless* and full of…
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Two years is such a very short time in #grieftown. When my brother died unexpectedly in 2012 I spoke about feeling like I was in a place, far from everyone else and…
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