Boomerang Books Info Bank - Children's Book Reviews

Leaf by Stephen Michael King

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:45:01 UT

This book will attract browsers to pick it up and dip inside, with its lettuce-green cover and plumpish small landscape shape. It is almost wordless, telling a story in a sequence of zestful pictures with just a few of the action words beloved of cartoonists: boing, snip, whoosh

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Jinxed by Jill McDougall

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:45:01 UT

Jinx is in trouble and not because of the jokes she tells. She needs money fast. A rogue totem tennis ball has broken the next-door neighbour’s python tank.

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In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:45:01 UT

What a confronting, brutally frank, poignant novel, written by Kate McCaffrey, author of the successful novel, Destroying Avalon. In Ecstasy illustrates how easily, teens can turn to the insidious world of drug addiction, date rape and alcoholism, and why, for many, drugs are the solution, not the problem.

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Lamplighter (Monster Blood Tattoo, Book Two) by D M Cornish

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:45:01 UT

Joy of joys, a sequel that lives up to the first novel! Cornish’s second novel of the series about his oddly named hero Rossamünd Bookchild continues with ever more harrowing adventures.

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How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:30:07 UT

The opening scenes are of city skyscrapers and a lone bird flying towards a glass tower in the clouds. For adult readers these images will evoke 9/11 New York. Then, in cartoon-style vignettes we see grey crowds of city folk walking past the wounded bird which has hit the building and plummeted to the footpath.

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Going for Broke by Meg McKinlay

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:30:02 UT

Nathan Foley is tired of getting ‘encouragement’ awards. He’s going to try anything to get some recognition. He’s ‘going for broke’ even if it kills him. This entry into Walker Books ‘Lightning Strikes’ series for less confident readers finds Nathan trying everything to be recognised as someone exceptional.

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Taking the Chequered Flag by Michael Panckridge and Pam Harvey

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:30:01 UT

Taking the Chequered Flag by Michael Panckridge and Pam Harvey is the fourth book the pair have written together. Panckridge has also writte numerous other novels, including the popular ‘Legends’ series

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Mahtab’s Story by Libby Gleeson

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:45:01 UT

Libby Gleeson’s latest novel sees her on familiar ground, writing a gripping story about an issue that is too often ignored by writers for young people. Although she is a strong and confident writer, Gleeson never allows her voice to overshadow that of her protagonist, the 12-year-old girl from Afghanistan, whose spirit wins her a place in the heart of the reader.

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The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness by Colin Thompson

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:30:02 UT

Award-winning author and illustrator Colin Thompson is well known for his sometimes dark, yet poignant stories about life and the world around us. His characters are often all too real as they grasp with the big issues of the real world in search of a brief glimpse of happiness

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The Australia Book by Eve Pownall

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:15:02 UT

As many teachers, readers and booksellers will be aware, there are very few complete books of Australian history for primary school-aged children available, which is what makes Eve Pownell’s The Australia Book unique even by today’s standards.

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Milad: The Voyage to Ophir by Nazam Anhar

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:00:05 UT

Nazam Anhar’s first novel is a historical adventure set in the ancient Near East. Milad is a young Phoenician farm boy who longs for adventure. He is sent to sea by his family to earn an income during a drought.

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Sucked In by John Parker

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:15:02 UT

Sucked In is a rather ordinary example of the short fiction intended for boys of 10 to12 years. All the standard elements of fiction aimed at this audience are here—humour based around bodily functions, slapstick comedy, the tried and true horror plot device and finally, the surprise ending.

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The Sacrifice by Bruce Mutard

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:15:01 UT

The Sacrifice is set against the backdrop of pre-War II Melbourne. It follows the life of Robert Wells, a principled man, who is trying very hard to maintain the lifestyle he is used to.

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The Number One Aussie Counting Book by Heath McKenzie

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:02 UT

Counting books, like alphabet books, have always served as showcases for the talents of illustrators. McKenzie has produced The Aussie A to Z and achieved outstanding sales with The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas.

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A Rose for the Anzac Boys by Jackie French

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:15:01 UT

Jackie French believes that good, historical writing really needs to come from source documents: things written at the time that give the feeling of the world as it was then, not just the facts.

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