Historical Fiction
Title: ‘Miss Penny Dreadful and the Midnight Kittens’Author: Allison RushbyIllustrator: Bronte Rose MarandoPublisher: Walker Books AustraliaAge Range: lower primary (read aloud), middle primaryThemes: mystery, boarding school, historical fiction, paranormal. An enquiring mind…
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Title: ‘Elsewhere Girls’Author: Emily Gale & Nova WeetmanPublisher: Text Publishing Age Range: from 10+, upper primary, lower secondary. Themes: friendship, family, courage, pressure, sport, elite sport, academics, timeslip, history, feminism, women, women…
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Title: The Fire StarAuthor + Illustrator: A.L. Tait Publisher: Penguin Age Range: 10+, upper primary, middle grade. Themes: medieval history, mystery, knights, maids, friendship, belonging, education of girls and women, secret societies.…
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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: ‘White Bird’ Author: R. J. Palacio Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Age Range: middle grade*, YA Themes: bravery, kindness, courage, World War II, survival, family, found family, friends. Inspired by her blockbuster phenomenon…
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Life gets busy for our young people with homework and after school activities and around the tween years and reading for pleasure often declines, even in children who have previously loved reading.…
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Many, many Australians know and love Emily Rodda for her ‘Rowan of Rin’ and ‘Deltora Quest’ series, and like many schools, each year we usually study ‘Rowan of Rin’ in our primary…
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The Children’s Book Council of Australia 2019 Book of the Year Shortlist was announced this week and of course it has ruffled some feathers and made some book creators weep with joy…
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This week on ‘Five on Friday’ I’m talking about a ‘group’ of books (I’m stretching the friendship on five this week) which are perfect for middle – upper primary and into lower…
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If you’ve been reading along, you’ll know that Part One of this series is here and Part Two is here. This is my final instalment of fav books that have been read…
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Part One of this series is here. So why a ‘Girl Zone Book Club’ I hear you ask? Well the easy answer to that question is that I work at a girls…
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For many years now at school I’ve been running ‘Girl Zone Book Club’– a reading group for Year Six students and a significant woman in their life – mother, aunt, grandma, older…
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I’ve just finished reading ‘The Family with Two Front Doors’ by Anna Ciddor, a story which absolutely captivated me and took me back to my pre-teen years when I went through a stage…
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I have long loved the work of Claire Saxby and her latest work is no exception – in fact it possibly my new favourite illustrated fiction book (this is what I term…
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Publisher: Penguin Australia Every so often, there comes a story so brilliant and lively and moving that it cannot be left in the past. So begins each of the re-released Australian children’s classics:…
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Australian Children’s Classics Publisher: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Australia Every so often, there comes a story so brilliant and lively and moving that it cannot be left in the past. So begins…
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