Diary of a Taekwondo Master

Diary of a Taekwondo Master

By Shamini Flint , illustrator Sally Heinrich

Allen and Unwin

Oh, dear! Poor Marcus. His Dad wants him to try new sports and excel at them, but Marcus just isn’t the sporty type.  But he’ll try. By golly gosh he will try – even when he doesn’t feel like it – and he knows he won’t do super well. So far he’s tried to be a soccer star and a cricket god, but has failed. And in his latest effort, Marcus is reluctantly willing to take up Taekwondo. He’s not willing to be like Jackie Chan or Kung Fu Panda, and his dad is worried about him not wanting to fight. What happen is he actually gets hurt???? In the meantime he’ll keep a hilarious illustrated diary of his failures for us to read and enjoy. Writer Shamini Flint and illustrator Sally Heinrich have teamed up again to bring us another fun tale, in the vein of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but for children a little younger.

My Happy Life

My Happy Life

 By Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson, 

Gecko Press

What a fun and sweet book about a little girl called Dani and her happy life. Even though some sad things have happened to her along the way, this is a whimsical book about how Dani is able to look for and find happiness along the way. She starts school a little nervously, but is able to make a best friend called Ella. She loves having sleep overs with Ella and their Night Club, which includes midnight feasts, but sad times come upon her when Ella has to move away. How will she find happiness again? Read and find out.

This is a great book for emerging readers with lovely illustrations and bite sized chapters.

Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

By Jacqueline Harvey

Random House

Clementine Rose is a five year old blonde haired girl who is busting to start school. But her first day doesn’t goes as planned with a different teacher than she expected; a snotty boy sharing her desk; and lunch that tastes awful. A bit of bullying is something Clemmie has never encountered before. The usually bouncy little girl, unhappily heads home after a hard day, and never wants to go to school again. Her mum and honourary uncle take her to the doctor who convinces her to give school another try, because of the big announcement by the school principal, of the Queen coming to visit to judge the pet show. All hilarity ensues as Clemmie’s great Aunt Violet’s cat is a late entrant, who ends up in a very sticky situation.

A wonderful and easy read. Harvey at her usual best. The story flows easily and would be read aloud in a classroom setting

Stories for .....

Stories for ... 5, 6, 7, 8 years old

Random House are about to release (Dec 1st) some great classics with a twist. Remember those books when we were young: Stories for 7yos or Bedtime tales for 8yos? They are about to come into a book shop near you. These updated versions are from various Australian writers. (Ursula Dubosarsky; Andy Griffiths; Paul Jennings; Jackie Harvey; Robin Klein; Morris Gleitzman and more)

Stories for 5yo's: Large Print. Short stories which would hold attention; a little illustration every now and then; 10 stories to last more than a few readings.

Stories for 6yos: Very Australian and funny (I've only skimmed this one so grain of salt and all that); very contemporary - one story called "No Hat No Play"; and aimed well at the age group. Funny stories they will like to either read to themselves, or be read to by an adult.

Stories for 7 and 8 yos: Good; smaller print for kids to read to themselves. Lots of fun with kid humour; a good stocking filler. 

Random House recommend to book shops to sell them for around $15.00. Also remember they can be read by kids either said of the 'ages' that they are suppose to be written for. Enjoy these fun family friendly stories.

Went to a lovely literary dinner last night

Had a lovely chat with Libby Gleeson, and my dear friend, mentor and author, Toni Brisland.
Here's a photo from the night, with my other friend Lisa also.

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café by Anna Fienberg and Stephen Michael King Publishers: Allen and Unwin, 2012

This is a whimsical little book which follows the drawn out adventure of best friends Figaro the dog and Rumba the cat. Figaro is desperate to go on the brand new super fast train which rapidly takes travellers all the way to the beach, though Rumba is concerned about the criminals and villains who frequent the journey. 

Before they even get to board the train, each chapter has a mini-problem that arises, for instance, they must clean the house, help out their friend Nat who is lost in the river, find dancing Nancy, and fix Mrs Foozy’s motorbike. 

With all these hurdles out of the way, the train trip is exciting, and Figaro and Rumba end up at their new friend’s café, but what does the crocodile really want from them? And what is the mystery of the humming house?

Enjoy the tale told by the creator of the Tashi series and the awesome illustrations by King.

Things that a Map Won’t Show You – Stories from Australia and Beyond.

Things that a Map Won’t Show You – Stories from Australia and Beyond. Edited by Susan Lamarca and Pam Macintyre Publisher: Penguin Books

This is a fun book, which is a collection of short stories, comics and poetry penned by some great writers from Australia (and beyond). With short blurbs about each author and their lives, we then read their offering which is often witty or insightful and seldom boring. It includes anecdotes of a boy who tries to fly, a cricket game in a refugee centre, a government guide to kissing, the perils of hunting goannas, an arranged marriage, an awkward blind date, a girl who stands on her head, an imprisoned king and a cursed Maori stone. 

Fun and fascinating. Great for readers who want short little bursts reading. 

Featured authors include: James Roy * Tanveer Ahmed * Michael Pryor * Ursula Dubosarsky * Sonya Hartnett * Doug MacLeod * Oliver Phommavanh * Brenton McKenna * Tara June Winch * Sudha Murty * Oodgeroo

A very, very enjoyable read. And great for kids who like 'bite sized' stories to paw through for bedtime reading.