Family

Books and ALL of the Things for Back to School

By Megan Daley | Jan 15, 2022
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Congratulations! You’ve made it through Christmas and New Year celebrations and now we’re heading right on into ‘Back to School Season’. Do your family decorate and cover the school books? I’m still…

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Review and Guest Post: ‘Big Love’

By Megan Daley | Oct 30, 2021
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Title: ‘Big Love’Author: Megan JacobsonIllustrator: Beck FeinerPublisher: Walker Studio an Imprint of Walker Books AustraliaAge Range: babies, early childhood, lower primary.Themes: family, love, diversity. ‘Big Love’ is a soothing lullaby packaged and…

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Review of ‘Enough Love?

By Megan Daley | Jul 22, 2021
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Title: ‘Enough Love?’ Author: Maggie HutchingsIllustrator: Evie Barrow Publisher: Affirm Press Age Range: lower primary, middle primary. Themes: family, family changes, family love, blended families, relationships, identity, step parenting, same sex relationships,…

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Review of ‘The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling’

By Megan Daley | Jun 1, 2021
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Title: ‘The Surprising Power Of A Good Dumpling’Author: Wai ChimPublisher: Allen & Unwin (2019)Awards: Shortlisted Best Young Adult Literature, Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2020 AU; Shortlisted Readings Young Adult Book Prize 2020…

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Review of ‘Looking for Alibrandi’

By Megan Daley | Jan 21, 2021
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Title: Looking for AlibrandiAuthor: Melina MarchettaPublisher: Penguin Australia (published 1992)Age Range: Young adult, AdultsThemes: Feeling Like an Outsider, Pressure, Immigration, Family Ties, Community and Tradition, Cultural Differences and Racism, Self-discovery Sophie Fu…

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Review of Untwisted: the story of my life

By Megan Daley | Oct 22, 2020
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Title: Untwisted: the story of my lifeAuthor + Illustrator: Paul Jennings Publisher: Allen and Unwin Age Range: YA – Adult Themes: Themes: autobiography, memoir, non fiction, writing, children’s writer, teaching, speech pathology,…

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Review of ‘When Rain Turns to Snow’

By Megan Daley | Jul 9, 2020
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Title: ‘When Rain Turns to Snow’Author: Jane GodwinPublisher: Lothian, an imprint of Hachette AustraliaAge Range: 12+, middle grade, upper primary, lower secondary.Themes: family, adoption, divorce, step parents, parents, siblings, family secrets, coming…

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Review of ‘The Year The Maps Changed’

By Megan Daley | May 28, 2020
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Title: ‘The Year The Maps Changed’ Author: Danielle BinksPublisher: Hachette Age Range: middle grade, upper primaryThemes: Australia, modern history, ‘Operation Safe Haven’, Kosovar refugees, asylum, immigration, empathy, kindness, grief, loss, maps, geopgraphy,…

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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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Review of ‘As Happy as Here’

By Megan Daley | Aug 19, 2019
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In my humble opinion, Jane Godwin is one of the heroes of the kidlit world in Australia. A former publisher (responsible for the wonderful ‘Our Australian Girls’ series no less), Jane has…

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Review + Teachers’ Notes: ‘Lenny’s Book of Everything’

By Megan Daley | Aug 12, 2019
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‘Sometimes rain made me want to cry, like there was something deep inside of me – the sadness flower that opened up when rainy days came, and blossomed inside of me until…

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Poetry Anthologies & Verse Novels for Readers Aged 2-12

By Megan Daley | Aug 7, 2019
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Encouraging 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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Jazzy Reviews: ‘The Last Time We Say Goodbye’

By Megan Daley | Jul 31, 2019
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Jazzy is one of the most sophisticated young readers I know and she always stretches herself to read outside of her comfort zone. Her latest book has been, in her own words,…

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Review of ‘Dream Riders: Frankie’

By Megan Daley | May 29, 2019
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‘Dream Riders’ is a new middle grade series about the lives of the ‘dream riders’ as they enter the  world of the ‘Pocket of Dreams’. Located in Mullumbimby, this idyllic property is…

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Review of ‘A Quiet Girl’

By Megan Daley | Apr 25, 2019
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For the quiet ones and for the noisy ones (to teach us how to listen)…‘A Quiet Girl’ by Peter Carnavas will gently (and quietly) settle in your soul. Title: ‘A Quiet Girl’…

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Review + Teachers’ Notes: ‘Grandma’s Treasured Shoes’

By Megan Daley | Apr 22, 2019
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At talks to parents and educators, I always say that books allow young people to walk in the shoes of others. Never was this saying more relevant than with the latest book…

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Holiday Reads for Grown Ups!

By Megan Daley | Apr 11, 2019
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Twice a year I try to post a list of the adult books I am reading and enjoying. To be perfectly honest I do not read a huge number of adult books,…

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Jazzy Reviews: ‘Dry’

By Megan Daley | Mar 31, 2019
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There are some young adult (YA) novels that seem to take the world by storm, and ‘Dry’ is one of them  and it is currently being adapted for film. Neil Shusterman is…

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Best Book Gifts for Babies

By Megan Daley | Nov 15, 2018
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Babies will start to show interest in books earlier than you may think. They will reach for and explore board books and bath books as soon as they can reach for a…

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Review of ‘The Bogan Mondrian’

By Megan Daley | Sep 30, 2018
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Title: ‘The Bogan Mondrian’ Author: Steven Herrick Publisher: UQP. Teachers’ Notes are here. Themes: grief, fathers, domestic violence, gambling, family, friendship, hope, trust, prejudice. Click on title links or cover images to purchase. I…

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