Welcome to the blog of the Tasmanian branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia!

Friday 16 February 2024

Have you read…? Books to get hooked on!

This week, Launceston bookseller, Andy, shares some recent favourite reads to excite both younger and older readers.


Children’s summer holiday reading is done and hopefully they have enjoyed all of the Christmas books and are looking to try something new.  So here are some suggestions for every age and stage;


All the World Says Goodnight by Jess Racklyeft. Affirm Press 2024

Join Australian author and illustrator Jess Racklyeft and share her beautiful goodnight story with your little one as all the different animals go to sleep.


Fast, Slow. Let’s Go! by Sally Sutton & Brian Lovelock. Walker Books 2024

This is the way we skate along, skate along, skate along,
This is the way we skate along
on a sunny, funny morning.
Borrowing from the childhood perennial and favourite song 'This is the way ...', a happy group of children scoot, bike, bus, swing, sail, run and ride their way across town to join a birthday surprise.


The Beehive by Megan Daley & Max Hamilton. Walker Books 2024

An amazing look into the native stingless bee, the dual text results in a charming story alongside an abundance of fascinating facts.


It's finally hive day! Willow has been waiting all year for groundskeeper Tom to split the school's native stingless beehive in two so she can take home her very own hive. Everything needs to be just right to help so that the bees forage and thrive in their new home.


Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise by Elys Dolan. Walker Books 2022

Rex is king of the dinosaurs: carnivores want to be him and herbivores want to be eaten by him... That is, until a pesky Ice Age comes along and he winds up frozen solid in a glacier. When he wakes up, 65 million years later, human beings rule the roost – and if they get their hands on Rex, he'll wind up in a zoo. (Or, worse: a MUSEUM.)

Lucky for him, Rex isn't the only undercover creature in town. He's whisked out of danger by the one and only Bigfoot, who has been surviving among the humans undetected for years. Bigfoot and his friends show Rex how to get by in the humans' world, and soon there's only one thing left for him to do: GET A JOB.

But that's easier said than done ...


The Big Book of Little Lunch by Danny Katz & Mitch Vane. Walker Books 2024

Collecting all the original Little Lunch titles together - The Slide, The Bubblers, The Monkey Bars, The School Gate, The Off-Limits Fence and The Old Climbing Tree.  Discover these old favourites bound together with additional Bonus Stuff for hours of fun and laughter. 


Fifty Things to do with a Stick by Richard Skrein. Harper Collins 2023

Fifty Things to Do with a Stick will introduce you to the joy of making something out of almost nothing.  A must-read for anyone with an adventurous spirit, a yen to whittle and chop, and a desire to get out into nature and play with sticks! These 50 achievable ideas for making and playing with sticks – all with beautiful step-by-step illustrations.


The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson. Walker Books 2023

This is no everyday catalogue of creatures. It is an antidote to boredom, an encouragement to observe our environment, with care and curiosity, wherever we are.

An observologist is someone who makes scientific expeditions, albeit very small ones, every day. They notice interesting details in the world around them. They are expert at finding tiny creatures, plants and fungi. They know that water snails glide upside down on the undersurface of the water; not all flies have wings; earthworms have bristles; butterflies taste with their feet.

The Observologist puts over 100 small creatures and features of the natural world under the microscope, piquing our curiosity with only the most interesting facts. Subjects range from slugs, ants and seeds, fungi and flies through to bees and bird poop.


Legends of Norse Mythology by Tom Birkett. Quarto 2023

Legends of Norse Mythology is a fully illustrated encyclopaedia of Norse gods, giants, monsters and heroes featuring beautiful and otherworldly illustrations from Isabella Mazzanti and enchanting text from Old English scholar and Norse mythology expert Dr Thomas Birkett.


Countdown to Yesterday by Shirley Marr. Penguin 2024

When you mix-up time-travel with the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book you get a retro-cool book about love, loss and family where being stuck in the past may not be such a bad thing…


Spy Academy #1 – The Peak by Jack Heath. Scholastic Australia 2024

After thwarting a robbery, Nolan Hawker is invited to the world’s most dangerous school. At The Peak, he learns to crack codes, fly planes and deceive enemies so he can someday infiltrate the deadly anarchist group known as Swarm. But someone at the Peak secretly works for Swarm, and they have a plan—the kind no one walks away from. Can Nolan find the traitor before it’s too late?


Look my in the Eye by Jane Godwin. Hachette Australia 2024

running late

drop it off without me

I type drop what off? I don't know what Mish is talking about.

While I'm typing, another message appears. don't tell bella

But I am Bella.

The pandemic lockdowns have lifted and the three teens are eager to explore their newfound independence. But with the world opening up, there has been a rise in surveillance, from apps that track their movements to voice recorders and hidden cameras. It feels like everyone is watching them. But when does 'watching' become 'watching over'?

Do we have a right to know everything about those we love?


The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Australia 2013/2023

Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously until the FBI come knocking…

What Cassie doesn't realise is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved murders - especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. 

And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive . . .


Not sure what to read next or need something similar to what you’re currently reading come visit us at the bookshop, we love helping to find your next read.

 

Andy works at Petrach’s Bookshop in Launceston, Tasmania is a great source to help you locate the just the right book.

W: https://www.petrarchs.com.au/

FB: https://facebook.com/301377573362009

I: https://www.instagram.com/petrarchs/ 


1 comment:

  1. Jess Racklyeft is the 2024 CBCA Book Week merchandise Illustrator. (All the world says goodnight). Felicity Sly….this account wouldn’t let me comment as me!

    ReplyDelete