Book Reviews
See our latest book reviews and search for all previous reviews. We’ll be adding more over the coming months, so check back to see if your favourite book has been reviewed by us.
Max + Xam
Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar
When Max and Xam fall out, they start a competition to see who is the most popular, using all their ingenuity to ‘make’ friends and prove a point.
I’m NOT a mouse!
Evgenia Golubeva
Olivia’s nickname, Mouse, gets her into some sticky situations. But will her mum ever stop using it? This fresh and funny look at pet names holds a deeper message about identity.
A Story about Afiya
James Berry, illus. Anna Cunha
In this beautiful book, award-winning Jamaican poet James Berry creates a magical, dreamy world for a little girl who enjoys the freedom of spending her days outside.
Maia and What Matters
Tina Mortier, illus. Kaatje Vermeire, trans. David Colmer
This is an extraordinarily powerful book dealing with the difficult subject of illness and bereavement.
Lost
Ele Fountain
Lola and her brother Amit wait for their father to return home after a days work. But days pass, and he fails to arrive...
Belonging Street
Mandy Coe
Much of the book is a quest, a search for a sense of belonging, whether the searcher is a child, a tree-that-walks, the colour grey, or a butterfly...
The Wanderer
Peter Van den Ende
A paper boat makes its way around a fantastical ocean world, discovering wonder after wonder until it reaches the shore.
Mrs Noah’s Garden
Jackie Morris, illus. James Mayhew
As Mr Noah turns their vessel into a house, Mrs Noah sets about growing a fabulous garden… and a new addition to the family
Ella May does it her way!
Mick Jackson, illus. Andrea Stegmaier
Children are often encouraged to try new things but feisty Ella May takes that idea to a whole new level.
Calm Beasts
Herberts Dorbe, illus. Gita Treice, trans. Žanete Vēv ere Pasqualini and Kate Wakeling
Herberts Dorbe paints a curious world where wolves fall silent and lions lie down to be stroked.
Poems the Wind Blew In
Carmelo C. Iribarren, illus. Riya Chowdhury, trans. Lawrence Schimel
Be careful when you open this book: as soon as you do, the wind will whisk you up and take you on an adventure across the city. These poems reveal the magic in small, everyday things.
The Chronicles of Will Ryde and Awa Maryam Al-Jameel: A Tudor Turk (Book One)
Rehan Khan
Will and Arwa, unlikely allies, find themselves on a desperate quest to rescue the Staff of Moses on behalf of Murad III, ruler of the Ottoman Empire.