Historical Fiction

Review of ‘Miss Penny Dreadful and the Midnight Kittens’

By Megan Daley | Sep 15, 2022
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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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Review of ‘The Ghost Locket’

By Megan Daley | Apr 14, 2022
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Title: ‘The Ghost Locket’Author: Allison RushbyCover and internal design: Rovina Cai  Publisher: Walker Books Age Range: middle primary, upper primary, middle grade Themes: mystery, ghosts, haunted house, London The latest novel by…

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Review of ‘Elsewhere Girls’

By Megan Daley | Aug 4, 2021
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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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Review of ‘The Fire Star’

By Megan Daley | Oct 15, 2020
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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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Review of ‘Small Town’

By Megan Daley | Aug 9, 2020
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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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Review of ‘The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle’

By Megan Daley | Jul 16, 2020
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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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Review of ‘White Bird’

By Megan Daley | Oct 9, 2019
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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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Best Book Gifts for Middle Grade Readers

By Megan Daley | Jun 25, 2019
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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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Emily Rodda at her Finest: ‘His Name Was Walter’ & ‘The Shop at Hoopers Bend’

By Megan Daley | May 23, 2019
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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

By Megan Daley | Mar 28, 2019
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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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Five on Friday: Five Fav Reads of the Week

By Megan Daley | Feb 20, 2019
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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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Book Club Books Part 3

By Megan Daley | Oct 23, 2017
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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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Book Club Books Part 2

By Megan Daley | Oct 23, 2017
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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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Book Club Books Part 1

By Megan Daley | Oct 23, 2017
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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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Book People: Anna Ciddor

By Megan Daley | Mar 14, 2016
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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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Book People: Claire Saxby

By Megan Daley | May 30, 2015
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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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Australian Children’s Classics

By Megan Daley | Oct 7, 2014
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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

By Megan Daley | Sep 9, 2013
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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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