The Fix-it Princess written by South Australian children’s author Janeen Brian, is a fun and engaging fantasy novel for younger readers. Take an assertive and creative young princess, a Castle-by-the-Woods, a singing dragon with a slightly embarrassing secret plus an old farting horse named Wildfire, and you have all the ingredients for a great read.
Princess Shona is the beloved daughter of Mum-Queen and Dad-King who have gone missing after taking off in one of Princess Shona’s inventions, the Wing-Thing. She is becoming increasingly worried about their absence and she and Wildfire survive initially on oats and eggs laid by the hens. As each day passes Princess Shona continues to try to problem-solve her situation and fix all the things that are not quite right but she realises she must start searching for her parents. She eventually finds help unexpectedly close to home and her quest begins.
This delightful book is full of energy with a bubbly, bouncing main character who will keep the reader wondering what on earth she will do next. The story is full of rich descriptive language as well as whimsical drawings which allow the reader a perfect glimpse into world of Princess Shona. This book would be a wonderful shared read-aloud in a classroom or at home.
Themes Fantasy, Princesses, Dragons, Family, Quests, Problem solving, Resilience, Perseverance.
This is a collection of 9 short love stories, all told in third person with characters all aged 18 years or older (in one story the characters are in their late 40’s). All the stories are about finding/maintaining/growing a connection with someone romantically, sometimes in the most unlikely place, ie while camping outside of a movie theatre. One story has LGBTQIA+ characters and a few have some fantasy elements. The characters are strong, the dialogue is interesting and often witty, and overall the tone is light and sweet, however a few stories are tinged with sadness and heartbreak. There are references to drinking and sex but no graphic descriptions. It’s easy to read but I believe the themes and ages of the characters make it inappropriate/uninteresting for those under 14. The author has used some characters from their previous books so if you were a fan of their other works you would probably enjoy learning more about their backstories/future adventures.
Themes Love, Relationships, Identity, Coming of Age, LGBTQI+, Fantasy.
Jade Goudie-Hall
Family of liars by E. Lockhart
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761067310. (Age:Young Adult) Recommended.
It is hard to convey how much of a hit E. Lockhart’s young adult psychological mystery, We Were Liars, was when it was published in 2014. The novel received widespread critical acclaim and spent thirteen weeks in the New York Times Bestseller List top ten for young adult novels. Critics and readers alike praised the book for its meticulous plotting, atmospheric tone and complex characters. Considering the ending, it may have seemed like it would be impossible for Lockhart to craft another story featuring the Sinclair family. She has succeeded however with Family of Liars, a prequel that predates the events of We Were Liars by almost three decades.
We meet the Sinclair girls again as teenagers in 1987. It is summer and the whole family has, as usual, decamped to their private island near Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The novel is told through the eyes of Carrie, the oldest Sinclair daughter, and tells the story of a family frozen with unspoken grief after the death of the youngest, Rosemary, the summer before. Carrie and her sisters, their parents, uncle and cousins, go through the motions like it is any normal vacation. But trouble is brewing. Three teenage boys unexpectedly arrive on the island and disturb the already fragile and fraught situation.
What follows is another ethereal and dreamlike narrative where the reader is not quite sure who is lying, what they are lying about and why. While not as spectacular as We Were Liars, Family of Liars is a worthy prequel. It is moving story of grief and the complexities of families, no matter how privileged they may seem. Be warned however that the novels must be read in publication order as Family of Liars contains multiple spoilers.
EK Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781922539441. (Age:3+) Recommended.
When Ruby gets a new pair of roller skates for her birthday she is overjoyed. She has never owned a pair before, and they are red, her favourite colour. She sleeps with them that night ready for the new day tomorrow.
Dad offers to help her learn how to use them, but she insists that learning how to use them would be easy peasy. Before she gets out of bed she slips them onto her feet, but finds herself sailing across the bedroom floor into the wall. Dad offers again, and again she calls out, no, its easy peasy and heads out to the garden. But here it happens again and she ends up in a flower bed. Dad calls out again, and no she calls back, its easy peasy and tries again. But this time she falls onto her bottom and throws the skates into the cupboard. Dad again offers to help, but this time she tells him it is too hard. The next day she retrieves her skates from the cupboard and asks her dad to help her learn how to use them. A lesson has been learn.
But more lessons follow as dad teaches her how to use her skates, holding her hand as they set together until one day she is able to let go his hand and skate by herself.
An unabashed teaching tool, this story tells children to try and try again and then ask for help, help they know will be eagerly given. Teacher's notes are available.
The relationship between father and daughter is wonderful to read about as he offers help without being overwhelming, allowing her to come to the conclusion of needing help by herself. The illustrations follow the storyline perfectly, showing a considerate father giving his daughter time to try something by herself and then sees her able to ask for help.
EK Books can be found here. They publish ‘Books with heart on issues that matter’.
Themes Roller skating, Fathers and daughters, Life skills, Tenacity, Sayings.
Festergrimm is the fourth and penultimate story in the Eerie-on-Sea mysteries. It is certainly worth reading the first three books in order to understand the references to previous adventures of Herbert Lemon and his partner in solving crime, Violet Parma. Herbie is still employed as a Lost-and-Founder at The Grand Nautilus Hotel and his own history is still a mystery.
Herbie and Violet are sent to meet a VIP guest arriving by train and are horrified to realise it is none other than the arch villain Sebastian Eels. However, somehow Eels has hoodwinked most of the adult townsfolk into believing that he has honorable motives for reopening an old waxwork gallery. The gallery was originally set up by a genius inventor and toy maker called Ludovic Festergrimm. Legend has it that when his beloved daughter, Pandora, disappeared he invented a huge robot to find her. When the robot went out of control it was destroyed by the army causing odd occurrences in Eerie-on-Sea ever since, such as a damaged waxwork finger. Now Herbie and Violet seek the truth about the robot and in turn come into perilous conflict with Eels.
Thomas Taylor has created another original and somewhat chaotic ripping yarn. Herbie has gradually become more self-assured and wiser throughout the series. Taylor creates an array of comical characters, like Colonel Crabwise and quirky creations like the Mermonkey, which selects books for people. Even the train is called Bethuselah! However, the story also has its darker elements and is therefore more suitable for middle years readers. The Netherways tunnel system beneath the town is seriously scary and Sebastian Eels is truly intent on killing our heroes. Similarities with the story of Frankenstein are alluded to and how the people misunderstood the monster. Herbie believes he has a connection with Pandora and mentions this several times. This is possibly flagging what will happen in the final story. Maybe we will finally discover the truth about Herbie’s past.
Themes Inventions, Fantasy, Mystery.
Jo Marshall
Without a trace by Danielle Steel
Macmillan, 2023. ISBN: 9781529022360. (Age:Adult)
Working in Paris, Charlie Vincent is turned off life, off work and is uncomfortable with his wife, Isabella’s demands and her delight in socialising. He is driving to their chateau, which he had bought to give his wife a chance to socialise in the countryside. When heading to the chateau, and considering what is going on in his life, thinking too much, in his tiredness from working hard, he drives off the road and crashes down, 30 feet below the land, into the sea. Luckily, his window was down, and he managed to clamber out of that window, to move through the water and to climb up the craggy banks to safety. Surprised by the fall, he is even more amazed that he is not scared. Then reality hits and he realises that he must clamber out of the ocean and find a way to use the safe rocks to get back to land. Someone had reported the car crash.
As he walks across the land, he notices a number of cabins, and walks towards one that has lights on inside. A clearly kind woman, Aude, helps him to clean up, to wipe his arms and the blood that he notices as a surprise, and then she wraps him in a blanket and suggests that she could give him some food. He is surprised, as is the woman, that they both like each other and become almost immediate friends, as she organises food and drink for them both, and they chat. The reality hits them both, that they are very attracted to one another, as she helps him to a bed, and he tells her that he had expected to die, and was very scared when the car plunged into the sea, and is so taken aback by the fact that he is alive and is with a kind person to care for him. He thanks her and realises that he desires to make love to her, and they are entranced by one another almost immediately, and very unexpectedly.
They stay together in her cabin until the moment when Aude’s husband comes to see her, threatening her, having recently been released from gaol. He hits her hard and chains her to the wall, hits and kicks her. Fortunately the police SWAT team are waiting to attack him, having been warned of his imminent arrival. Charlie meets up with his children and then returns to Aude, who has already realised that he is a good, honest and kind person: she believes that “courage was the right answer. And love, the reward.”
Even though she knows that things are not great between them, Isabella is puzzled when Charles does not arrive at the chateau. She is unaware of his accident, as he has not informed her of what happened. However, Charles and Aude begin almost immediately to realise that their relationship means something, with a deep connection and understanding that represent their kindness, fascination with each other and a deep sexual attraction.
The tension that arises in the narrative is brilliantly evoked to match that of both the woman and the man who meet unexpectedly, the woman believing that it is possible that her husband could be a killer.
This is a modern story about how people may react when things do not go the way they expect, and in this case, the threat of violence, and indeed of murder, is clearly terrifying for the two who have just met. Creating such a complex narrative of the failure of some relationships and the terror that potential violence arouses, Danielle Steel has written a powerful novel that evokes an awareness of the tension and fear that can unexpectedly arise in people’s lives.
Popular author and illustrator Neal Layton has added another humorous factual book to his collection. The book begins with the notion that people are all different but have one thing in common - they are all alive. The information then mentions things that are no longer alive or not alive at all. This then leads into the fact that living things all develop from a single cell which contains many important things. DNA tells the cells what to do and then growth happens. An uncomplicated concept of reproduction is introduced and the growth of the baby is simply documented in both words and pictures.
This is a refreshing and colourful book full of easily accessible facts and big, bold illustrations. The book will appeal to early years students and their adults who are tasked with providing a simple explanation of how life begins. It will be especially useful as an introduction to the concept of living things.
Themes Science, Cells, Differences, Reproduction, Living and Non-Living, Humour, Facts.
In a world where the gods, both Noble and Vile, have been banished, few who have the power to wield Noble or Vile wrights exist. Even rarer still are those who can yield the power of both - Lorena Adler is one of those, and she has successfully hidden herself from those who would use her power for their own gain. Until now. The Heir to the throne comes to the small village of Felhollow and recognises Lorena for what she is - he is there to arrest the father of Lorena's best friend, but when she makes a deal to save Julian's father, her entire world changes. The Heir departs the village with Lorena and a new hope - he has been fighting for years to repair the Door that holds back the banished Vile - and is nowhere near succeeding. Lorena joins him in learning about the Door and the price it takes to keep it closed - and it might be a higher cost than any of them imagined.
This dark fantasy/horroresque novel approaches Gothic Fiction, is heavily detailed in the first half, building a world where rules are needed to keep banished gods at bay, and control of those who have the ability to use their power. Almost political in some ways, the author describes in-depth the history and darkness of the world Lorena lives in. Numerous characters are featured in the novel, with some being relatable and others there for dark comic relief. A relatively primitive world has been described, but richly detailed in the story. The story has a slow, agonising pace at the beginning, where all the describing and world building occurs, even though the first scenes are action packed. The pace becomes more even later in the book, and readers who enjoy more detailed, complicated books will enjoy this one.
Elements of Cadence: Book 2. HarperCollins, 2023. ISBN: 9780008514716. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended.
The second in the duology commencing with A river enchanted, brings this gripping fantasy to a satisfying conclusion. Cadence has balanced between the Breccans and the Tamerlaines, East and West, with Bane the spirit of the North Wind, trying to dominate both sides. Adaira has been claimed by her birth mother in the West and finds it difficult to adjust to the brutal lifestyle, while Jack longs for her in the East, while composing music to lure the spirits to him. Torin and Sidra are faced with a dangerous disease that has spread from orchards to humans and both must play a vital role in finding a cure and uniting the clans.
I picked this up immediately after reading A river enchanted, longing to discover the fate of Jack and Adaira, separated by distance and politics. Ross answers this question in a memorable way in A fire endless, with some unexpected dangers and sacrifices made along the way. Torin too, grows in character and understanding, as he must find his way in the unique spirit world, which is described vividly and is fascinating. Sidra takes on unexpected burdens while struggling to find a cure for the deadly sickness that is attacking trees and humans. The feelings between Jack and Adaira, and Torin and Sidra, will be enjoyed by readers who like strong relationships in their fantasy, and while Ross classes this duology as adult the romance scenes are fairly low key.
There is plenty of action, danger and unique world building for lovers of high fantasy. Readers are also left with a feeling of optimism as both warring clans and dying earth are healed through sacrifice. Readers who enjoyed the music in the story may like to move onto the Warrior Bards series by Juliet Marillier, beginning with Harp of kings and those who enjoyed the magical aspects may like Spells for forgetting by Adrienne Young.
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Music, Sacrifice.
Pat Pledger
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
Penguin, 2023. ISBN: 9780241556047. (Age:14+) Recommended for Romance readers.
The Davenports have wealth and privilege that is woven with a history of disadvantage and hope. This is a romance story that weaves the stories of the Davenport siblings, their friends and the incredible struggle to succeed for Afro-Americans at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Davenport family are an anomaly of their time – a successful black American family in Chicago, who display all the trappings of wealth earned from their position as successful carriage builders, despite their history of slavery only years before. They balance lives that include shopping, banquets and balls, with the disdain and distrust of white residents who look down on anyone with dark skin. The children in the family are at the point of making their own way in the world, but their parents are desperate to make sure that they escape the struggle that was a part of their own slave history. The consequence is that they live lives akin to an English Jane Austen novel, and the romantic notion for their future is impacted by different generational viewpoints. Can they choose their own path for the future, or must they have their lives and their loves directed by their parents? In this difficult environment there are also activists who are keen to make sure that the disgrace of past prejudice and slavery is wiped out and that black voices are heard and esteemed in America.
Essentially this is a romance story of the young main characters and their struggles to find their own paths in life. But it is also a story that speaks of success in the Afro-American world at the turn of the twentieth century – a story that is rarely heard, because it is rarely told. But because of the setting within a family of wealth, this story also feels like a companion text to Bridgerton or The Gilded Age. Occasionally the story feels a little too good to be believed, the romance is ‘sticky’ in its sweetness, but it also does not proceed smoothly for any of the characters and so rises above a saccharine or overly sentimental feel. Despite that, this is still a book for the lovers of romance, or for those who are fascinated to read from a perspective that is not white, patriarchal and condescending. For the author and those of her Afro-American heritage it also relates a narrative that they have seldom seen in literature, marked by success and drive, hopes and determination.
Having met the concept of Death-Cast in Silvera’s previous book They Both Die at the End (2017), I approached this new book, a prequel, with a sense of familiarity, but also wondering where the reader was going to be taken this time. The 2017 novel was extraordinary in that it was so different in its approach to subjects which could be very disturbing. It keeps the reader guessing throughout; set over the course of one day we meet two boys who have been contacted by Death-Cast only to be told that they will both die before the end of the day. The two boys in that story are strangers but this terrifying news brings them together as friends. Apparently, through TikTok, Silvera attracted a huge following of young readers. Upon the book’s release, Patrick Ness (author of The Knife of Letting Go) is quoted as saying, ‘There isn’t a teenager alive who won’t find their heart described perfectly on these pages’. The opportunity for introducing the reader to Death-Cast presented itself; hence the prequel. The company is launched in the first chapter of the book, with the president of the United States introducing the creator of Death-Cast. We follow Orion who, with a severe heart condition, decides that he wants to sign up, but not be the first to be called. Valentine isn’t sure that he believes the company’s claims. Both boys meet at a party and there follows a heart wrenching story as the two anticipate the call but also want to spend their last day together. The story telling pattern set up by Silvera with each character given an alternating chapter is the same as the previous book. These two boys go through different experiences but the feelings are similar, and, like the first book, the plot is riveting; though a lengthy novel, the reader’s interest never wavers. There is no need to have read the 2017 book but that did provide me with some valuable context and insight as I read this prequel. Needless to say there are references to disturbing topics such as grief and abuse but the novel is sensitively written and never loses sight of hopefulness.
Fans of Alice Oseman’s wildly successful Heartstopper series will welcome a chance to spend time with the characters they have grown to love, in this yearbook which looks back on the years since Heartstopper was first conceived, celebrating friendship, diversity and championing LGBTQ+ issues with a smile. This is not just a pastiche of Oseman’s previous material but an exploration of the artist’s journey from early concepts and sketches to the latest iteration, a Netflix series featuring real actors. Starting with scrapbook style profile pages of some of the main characters we are soon taken back to 2013 when the first drawings of Nick and Charlie were evolving in cheap sketchbooks. By 2014 Oseman was exploring digital drawings on a Wacom tablet and free drawing software called Gimp. More sophisticated software followed and participation in online art challenges including one in 2016 where she had to draw her characters in alternate universes and ‘emjoi challenges where my Tumblr followers would send me emjoi suggestions and I’d have to draw my characters with those expressions' p. 23. That was the year the Heartstopper comic was launched online and by 2017 she was preparing for a physical edition of the book and redrawing most of the pages. Success followed rapidly but the overwhelming impression is that it comes through constant drawing and hard work developing the characters and responding to followers; 2020 ‘was the year I started to feel very proud of my art style and how far I had come as an artist' p. 45. Readers just looking for more Heartstopper stories will find mini comics, a quiz and lots of extra, previously unpublished material. The author is fully involved with sharing the creation process, giving the book a journal feel, every corner filled with colourful images or comment and there are even step by step instructions on how to draw the main characters. 'Experimenting with art is the best way to develop as an artist' p. 55 and Osman shares plenty of material and inspiration here. Lovers of Heartstopper will embrace this well presented edition and it might win more fans, but there is plenty also for aspiring artists and comic makers.
Themes LGBTQ+, Friendship, Comics,Art design.
Sue Speck
Never ever getting back together by Sophie Gonzales
Like The Bachelor reality TV show, this novel centres around the premise of Jordy a handsome single man thrown into the public eye when his sister marries a prince, and a TV show proposing to bring together his previous girlfriends in a quest to reignite the romance they once had, and find the girl who truly captures his heart. Two of the contestants have reason to hate each other. Maya believes that Jordy cheated on her with Skye. And Skye has been told that Maya is an insanely jealous ex who can’t accept that Jordy broke up with her. Yet the two young women are thrown together in a share room – obviously a strategy to ignite drama for the program.
Maya’s motive in joining the program is revenge. She wants to win Jordy back and then expose him for the vain deceitful liar that he is. For Skye it’s a chance to find out if maybe Jordy was something special. They are two interesting characters: Maya is spontaneous, often finding herself in embarrassing situations, whilst Skye is much more reserved, the careful planner. Their relationship follows the common hate-to-love trope, which sees them become gradually more interested in each other, and united in their contempt for Jordy.
It is a lighthearted rom-com with a twist, and the setting of the reality TV show makes for lots of fun. The machinations of the producers to get content that will draw in audiences is exposed, along with the power of the camera-holder to tell the story their way. Everything is geared towards creating the best drama, regardless of any consideration of truth. And Jordy is a person who fits just fine into that kind of manipulated make-believe situation.
If you have read any of Sophie Gonzales’ novels, you will know that the real romance here will be an LGBQTI+ one. The path to romance for Maya and Skye is not without some stumbling blocks, and their inner reservations, their insecurities and their budding attraction are described in a very authentic and empathetic way. This is a warm and uplifting story about people overcoming the experiences that have held them back in the past and moving forward to create their own futures.
Taylor’s dilemma is that she hasn’t told anyone she is gay, she’s only just working it out. But her qualifying entry in a competition for a diverse writer’s internship with the ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedy show, means that she needs to come out before the winning submission is announced. Thus begins the countdown and the tension, as Taylor’s anxiety builds. At the same time, she is tentatively exploring her attraction to ‘out and proud’ classmate Charlotte Grey.
There’s many a laugh because Taylor comes from a family of comedians, though her mother gave up her career when baby Taylor came along. Taylor’s quick wit and clever comments make the book a fun read. At the same time, there is a very realistic portrayal of the uncertainties and excitement of a newly budding romance.
All of this takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, a town of waxworks and witchcraft museums, with many an oddball character, making for a very funny LGBQTI+ rom-com. While this often makes for laughs, the teenage love story will still tug at many a heart-string. It is a very realistic portrayal of first love that will draw in YA readers, regardless of their gender identification, as the values of love, trust and self-acceptance come through strongly.
Themes LGBQTI+, Humour, Romance, Identity, Acceptance of diversity.
Helen Eddy
Queer up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental health by Alexis Caught
Alexis Caught, award-winning podcaster, sets out in this book to help queer and questioning students explore their LGBTQIA+ identity and understanding of what it all means. In amongst personal experience from the author are first-hand stories from public LGBTQIA+ figures (primarily UK based), which gives readers an inclusive account of what it means to grow up queer. Chapters include questioning, coming out, friends and family, love and relationships, sex, shame, pride, and more. Topics also include being transgender and/or non-binary, and there are dedicated sections for those who are allies or want to be - with advice and tips on how to best support the LGBTQIA+ community. This is an honest and very open book, with helpful notes for those going through significant life changes - could be beneficial to anyone who needs advice, tips or support. A very encouraging book that would be good for any one questioning or for those who need a bit of help with their newly recognised queerness. Thoughtfully compiled, this book has the right mix of sensitivity and honesty - the mental health aspects are inclusive, supportive and useful for all readers, from any walk of life. While different in context, readers who enjoyed Lady Gaga's book Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community would also enjoy this book, and it is a must read for those wanting to understand more about supporting young people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
