Nick is a 15-year-old farm boy. His life revolves around home-schooling, farm chores, raising litters of kelpies for cash, swimming in the dam with his younger sister and training for camp drafting competitions. Life is good, but loneliness is sometimes a factor as he has struggled to connect to anyone his own age. With a bit of encouragement he joins the local swim club with his sister and this marks the start of friendship and success.
This is a ‘minimal words, maximum impact’ story for teens. It involves the competitiveness of Camp drafting (a distinctly ‘country’ sport involving horse-riding and steers), and the fierce rivalry of swimming competitions. There is real excitement in both events that will appeal to even reluctant readers. The social drama of the reserved, isolated teen struggling to connect with peers is also handled sensitively. The target audience for this book is teens (but those who perhaps don’t want to read) and this book will keep them reading. It is enjoyable and worth getting into the hands of those who want limited vocabulary, easy-to-read sentences and a comfortable, non-demanding length book.
Highly recommended for reluctant readers aged 12-15.
Dreamteam Laura and Philip Bunting's Ebb & Flo series is a wonderful new addition to the emerging/beginning reader sphere. Similar to the School of Monsters series, Ebb & Flo uses a mixture of short decodable words, high frequency words and tricky words that use non-phonetic spelling (such as sword). Useful for reading to or with emerging readers as well as for newly independent readers to tackle alone or alongside a listener/reading scaffolder, this series is full of potential for many stages of the reading journey.
Released all in 2025, there are now 8 short books in the series. There are no chapters, but the book is small format like a reading practice or chapter book. That's where the similarities end though. Children familiar with favourites like Mopoke or Koala's Don't Eat Icecream will immediately recognise these books as products of the Bunting book team and they won't be disappointed. Laura and Philip have imbued the text and illustrations with their trademark humour and wit. Series such as these are becoming more widely available and they are a wonderful way to inspire our new readers and give them a sense of pleasure AND success for their reading efforts.
Ebb and Flo are monster-like creatures with relatable personalities and friendship dilemmas. In this instalment, there's a new fad going around and while Flo isn't interested she still feels left out.
Clara Capybara by Aleesah Darlison. Illus. by Ruth-Mary Smith
Wombat Books, 2025. ISBN: 9781761111952. (Age:3+)
Clara simply could not say no. Her vocabulary involved many words that mean yes, but none that meant no. All sorts of requests saw her saying yes: tying shoelaces, scratching someone’s back, helping someone who is lost. She helps someone comb their ear hair, does the homework for someone else, cleans up the mess. She blows up the balloons, and feels warm inside. Helping others is what she loves.
Through the book, we see a host of words that mean yes, words that Clara uses. Words like yes, I’d love to, all right, it is my pleasure, okey dokey, sure, of course, I’ll do it right away, I’d be happy to, and so on. Each response is a positive response, all meaning yes.
But Mama notices that Clara is looking very tired. She suggests that Clara should do something for herself, and while she is doing that, to say no to all the requests that she gets. She practices saying no, and finds a time when her friends ask her to join them on hike. She hums and has eventually saying no because she is having a mud bath. The others say ok, another time perhaps. She is amazed, she says no and her friends are very accepting of this.
Ah Tashi! What a beautiful 30th anniversary hardback edition of our beloved Australian best-seller has been published by Allen and Unwin. The Tashi series was written by a team consisting of Anna Fienberg, her "marvellous partner" Kim Gamble and her mother Barbara Fienberg. This thirtieth anniversary edition contains a dedication in memory of Kim (1952-2016) and Barbara (1930-2022) and a letter to the reader from Anna Fienberg explaining how Tashi was created through the collaboration of the three creators and how he inhabits a world of imagination.
Tashi really needs no introduction to Australian children. School and local libraries house well- thumbed Tashi books; each small enough to be read in one sitting before bed-time or during a classroom break. Stories of Tashi's daring adventures, usually beginning with something like..." Well, it was like this.." Tashi is a small elf? goblin?...a delightful and bold little character.
Tashi enters the life of Jack who is a little boy with a big imagination who lives with his loving parents. He may be an imaginary friend. Jack's parents enter actively and good humouredly into the adventures and the imaginative world of Tashi. This book being the first book of Tashi's adventures gives the reader Tashi's backstory: his escape from a war lord in a far away place and his flight to Jack's country (Australia) on the back of a swan. Tashi, in this book, tells Jack how he tricked (with great bravery) the last dragon of all with a very clever ruse. There are two bonus short stories included with the original plus the out-of-print Tashi and the wicked magician.
Included in this anniversary addition are sketches from Kim Gamble's sketchbooks that have never been published before. Sadly, he was too ill to finish illustrating Tashi and the wicked magician but seven rough unfinished pencil drawings are included in this anniversary addition. As Anna Fienberg states, Kim Gamble brings "...luminous magic" to the stories. The whimsical, soft pencil sketches are a perfect match to these whimsical stories.The map on the inside front cover of Tashi's village and surrounds reveals a wonderful, fantastic world sketched from the imagination. Tashi's world, unlike Jack's Australian world is one of castles (Bluebeard's, giant's and the warlord's) the haunted house, the Baron's house, the seaport, cemetery, the temple, fields and mountains, the royal tomb and the emperor's palace - all sites for his various adventures.
There is a lovely play of language in Tashi - an obvious delight in the play of words. This makes reading aloud particularly wonderful. There are layers of meaning and nuance too that can be enjoyed differently by different age groups. This delight in words is evidenced in the names of the cast of characters: Tiki Pu, Long Awaited, General Zeng, Lotus Blossom, Chintu the giant,Wise-as-an-Owl, Much-to Learn, Luk Ahead, Aunty Fullpot and et al.
The gentle, fanciful and playful tone of Tashi is reminiscent of Finnish author Tove Jansson's The Moomins series.
Tashi is an Australian children's classic and deserves a place on every child's bookshelf. Tashi's adventures are a wonderful series of stories crying out to be read at bedtime in episodic form. Every child need to read about little characters being brave and resourceful, acting with integrity and often on behalf of others when faced with danger. The experience allows children to wonder for themselves how they would react given similar difficult situations.
The series is suitable for newly independent readers and also for younger children as read alouds.
Countdown to Christmas by Evie Garland and Rachel Gyan
Albert Street Books, 2025. ISBN: 9781761181993. (Age:3+)
A colourful board book in the shape of a Christmas Tree will have instant appeal to young readers. The book takes the reader on a countdown from ten to one, as each page shows the tree in an every increasing amount of decoration. On the left hand side of each double page is a view from the window, with some decorations appearing later in the countdown. Children will love picking out the bevy of animals shown as the pages are turned. They will love the increasing number of decorations appearing on the tree and the presents building up at its base.
Under the window on the left hand side are rhyming lines showing the additions to expect when looking at the tree.
Apart from learning the numbers, from ten bobbles down to one star, children will have experience in prediction, observation and reading along with the adult. They will be able to look at the customs of Christmas in Australia, pointing out the range of decorations added to the tree.
And all wrapped in a a strongly produced board book, ready for a large amount of use by little fingers and hands.
Centuries, indeed, millennia, before it became one of Australia's most iconic tourist attractions where people gather to share and tell stories, sing and hear music and stories and enjoy dance, drama and other cultural experiences, it was a place for the Gadi people to do exactly the same sorts of things. Known as Tubowgule - tube-uh-gahlee - which means "where the knowledge waters meet" because the fresh waters of the creeks mixed with the salty waters of the oceans making it a place of rich resources, the Gadi people would congregate to enrich and replenish their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
While millions of Australians and international visitors may only know it for Utzon's creation built from playing with sailboats and orange peels, watching swans and collecting seashells, the Sydney Opera House has a history that disappears into the far distance of time, and which is brought to life in this striking book, the first in a series that explores the indigenous history of some of Australia's iconic landmarks.
Even though British colonisation brought about many changes to the use of the land, all of which are mapped out in double page spreads and a final-page timeline, the presence of the First Nations people continued, explained in sidebars that show how purpose and perspectives changed until they turned full circle, when in 2007 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and Ben Blakeney, an Aboriginal actor and descendent of Banalung, officially welcomed people to the House.
Described by the National Indigenous Times as "a rich and inclusive exploration of the land beneath one of Australia's most famous landmarks" it offers younger readers an insight not just into the story of the Opera House itself, but helps them understand that, like so many other locations they are familiar with, places have stories to tell that can bring them alive and make them relevant and meaningful. From the front cover and endpapers which provide a poignant sneak peak of what is to follow, there is history immersed in every word and illustration and teachers' notes encourage the exploration of these, particularly for those in the middle to upper primary grades. Even though the building itself might not be something non-Sydney readers are as familiar with, nevertheless there are significant points that are part of the nation's more recent history which can be investigated and perhaps even compared to the history of their own region, while some might like to investigate a local landmark that could be the subject of another in the series.
Another in a growing collection of narrative non fiction works which offer insight and understanding of First Nations Peoples that can only take us forward on the journey together.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of tropical forests, the scent of spices, ‘kingfishers of a violet & orange hue’ , ‘blue, pink, lemon robes in the marketplace’, the melody of the gamelan, the bougainvillea and butterflies. This is Indonesia, land of clove and the black gold nutmeg, prize of the spice trade. But also the land of massacres, palm oil plantations and oceans of plastic; beauty and horror together. Jennifer Mackenzie’s poem The Wallace Line encompasses it all, the lush exoticness, and the despoiled history.
This slim volume with its gorgeous decorative cover is named for the Wallace Line, an imaginary divider that marks the difference between species found in Australia and South East Asia. West of the Wallace Line, according to the guide, are found the tiger, the rhinoceros, the wild bull, the peacock and jungle fowl. Australasian fauna are found to the east.
Most powerful is Mackenzie’s poem ‘When Du Fu visited he was unfazed’, the Chinese poet recognising the screaming children of Syria on the television screen and remembering the valleys full of abandoned corpses of the An Lushan Rebellion many years ago. The violence of history repeats itself, even as the sunset glows spectacularly orange. The eyes of the two poets, past and present, hold tears.
Each reader will find something that resonates for them. There is so much to explore in Jennifer Mackenzie’s deceptively slim book; it is something to pick up, read a little and reflect on, a treasure of history, mythology and art, to savour and enjoy.
Themes Indonesia, Spice trade, Wallace Line, Environment, Tropics, Poetry.
Helen Eddy
Kev and Trev: Snot scary jungle stories by Kylie Howarth
Cockatoo Kev and marine iguana Trev are megafamous after publishing their first book and now are taking their popcorn powered houseboat to the jungle, the setting for their next creation, hoping to find some pugorillas to please their puglisher. When Mr Happy, their grumpy squid editor disappears leaving a note that he has gone on holiday, Cappy the capybara quickly becomes their editor and guide. There are certainly adventures to be had in the jungle and a big hairy spider is the inspiration for their first story but Cappy’s editing is a little imprecise and the title becomes the Pig Fairy Spider, followed by the Poison Fart Frog. The stories are in clear but clever rhyming couplets with simple illustrations introduced to the reader by the main characters. Meanwhile the search for the pugorillas continues with numerous encounters including being bitten by a jaguar and eaten by an anaconda.
The Snot scary jungle stories are fast paced with lots of fun puns and word play while imparting some jungle facts about the inhabitants, like the not crocodile or alligator but cayman they harness to ferry them to their boat. With a colourful, sparkly cover the inside grayscale graphics work well on quality paper and the big cast of expressive animal characters that like to party and tell bum and fart jokes are easy to like, especially the cute pugorillas.
Themes Graphic novel, adventure, cartoon humour.
Sue Speck
Powerful like a dragon by Christopher Cheng & Jacqueline Tam
Christmas Day 1941 at the height of World War II. Japan has bombed Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, bringing the USA into the war, and the governor of the British colony of Hong Kong has just surrendered to the imperialist Japanese army as they continue their seemingly inexorable march south towards Australia. Shu Lok was too young to know there was even a war on until it literally arrived on the doorstep of his village home and he hid behind his Baba as the soldier shouted and poked and spat. And before he knew it, he was put into a large basket with his cousin to be carried with another cousin in another basket for hundreds of miles into China, fleeing the invaders along with many of the villagers, mostly relatives.
However, Shu Lok's parents decided not to leave, and the last words he heard were his father telling him to be "powerful like a dragon".
Thus, hoisted on the end of a pole on his uncle's shoulders, Shu Lok's new life began - a life of being bounced around for endless hours, the occasional opportunity to climb out of the basket to stretch his cramped body and feast on cold bean curd cake, after having had only a few soybeans tied in a bag around his neck to nibble on during the day. As they moved into the mountains and his uncle removed his own shirt to keep Shu Lok a little warmer at night, he learned what the snow-covered mounds at the side of the road meant, and still they travelled on...
But whenever things got tough he remembered his father's words "be powerful like a dragon" and from somewhere deep inside came the strength to take one more step...
This is a story that is just like its title. It's "powerful like a dragon" and not just because it is the retelling of my friend Christopher Cheng's family story told to him decades later by his uncle, the real Shu Lok. It is a story for all ages as Jacqueline Tam's haunting illustrations offer so much more to think about beyond Cheng's masterful words, their almost-monochromatic palette echoing the bleakness and uncertainty of the future, but brightening with images of the dragon when Shu Lok recalls his father's words. No matter the challenge - having to swallow his hunger even through the tantalising smell of the hawker's sweet corn roasting; having to pay precious money to warlords for the right to cross their land; having to bandage his uncle's blistered bare feet because his sandals had long disintegrated - he thought of the power of the dragons to overcome and like the others, kept on and on and on...
As well as being a story of courage, resilience and hope because of the belief in a better future, it is all the more poignant because it is true. And it makes the reader think of how many of our students have had to endure the same sort of hardships as they have been displaced from their homes to flee tyranny, the journeys they've had, the challenges they've overcome and the courage and resilience they have displayed. How have they had to be "powerful like a dragon"? Or perhaps their journey has been one of illness, family breakup or other life-changing circumstance... And while the journey may have been tough, was it worth it? How did it impact the you that you are now?
One might also wonder why Shu Lok's baba meant when he said be "powerful like a dragon'. Why not some other creature like a lion or elephant? Did he mean physically powerful or perhaps mentally powerful - for Shu Lok to face his fears and demons and fight them with his mind rather than his fists? Is it possible to be courageous and brave without being combative, belligerent or aggressive? Does the dragon have a different role or symbolic presences in Eastern cultures compared to Western culture?
In the extensive author's notes, Cheng offers a lot of background information about his uncle's journey, giving it not only authority and authenticity but also opening up the possibility that other families might have similar stories to tell but which have been hidden for decades for one reason or another. I know both my father and father-in-law never talked about their wartime experiences because while both had extraordinary times as prisoners of war of the Germans and Japanese, respectively, their stories pretty much went with them to their graves. Therefore, perhaps this book could be the impetus for older students to probe their family histories before it is too late.
This review and the possibilities that this story opens up only scratch the surface. The more times I read it the more it reveals - as I said, it is "powerful like a dragon'.
While One Childwill always be my favourite title by Chris for a whole lot of reasons, this one is a close second.
Themes Refugees, World War, 1939-1945, Hong Kong - History, Resilience.
Barbara Braxton
Hello cocky: A stickybeak at the cockatoo by Hilary Bell & Antonia Pesenti
Seeing a brilliant life size picture of a cockatoo on the cover of Hello Cocky I knew that I was in for a treat.
Who rules the skies from back garden to bush, Launching from trees with a screech and a whoosh? Bossy and smart, loves to put on a show, Who could it be now? Why, Cocky — hello!
With the publicity about cockatoos doing different dances, young and old readers will be interested to see what fabulous facts Hilary Bell and Antonia Pesenti have to offer about this intriguing species of bird. The reader is taken into the snug little nest inside a gum tree, ready to have a stickybeak at the cockatoo, who is ready to have a stickybeak back! With rhyming text, the reader learns that they are inquisitive, there are different kinds and all are clever and love having fun. Readers will be amazed at the idea of them divebombing traffic and opening bins to find food and rip up paper and will have fun imitating their squealing and squawking and reading that Fred the sulphur crested cockatoo in the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary has lived to be 100 years old. There is some new vocabulary for young children to learn as well with words like stickybeak, intrigued, waddle and preen bringing vivid mental pictures
The illustrations are gorgeous, pictures of the cockatoos set against bright blues, reds, greens and yellows. I particularly loved the final pages showing a flock of cockies against a sunset and a pair flying to their nest in a hollow tree. Each of the cockatoos has a personality of their own, often having what looks like a cheeky grin or a curious glint in the eye.
Hello Cocky: A stickybeak at the cockatoo is a highly recommended nonfiction rhyming story, joining othe rtales about this well-known bird. Readers might like to look at Who's the gang on our street? by Suzanne Gervay, Cockatoo wars by Helen Milroy and Cato's can canby Juliet Sampson.
Themes Cockatoos, Story in rhyme.
Pat Pledger
Tenderly, I am devoured by Lyndall Clipstone
Penguin, 2025. ISBN: 9781761345975. (Age:16+)
This Gothic romantasy is centred on 18 year old Lark, betrothed to a chthonic god, in order to save her family from penury. The god Therion has the power to restore the depleted salt mines on which Lark’s family are dependent to pay a debt, but his price is for Lark to spend six months each year as his wife. It is a price she is prepared to pay, but when the ceremony is disrupted, she finds herself repeatedly ensnared in swirling seas between this world and another.
The story alternates between two time frames, the present and the past, and it is only gradually revealed how it is that she has been expelled from a prestigious school, all her future aspirations in shreds. Clipstone’s writing is at its best as she describes the heartbreaking betrayal of early friendships, firstly with her childhood playmate Alistair, and then later the callous treatment by her closest school friend Damson. Feelings of hurt and loss makes it easier for Lark to consider self-sacrifice to the god.
Clipstone’s writing is emotive, and the reader is swept along in the early chapters piecing together the events of the past. Readers of fantasy will revel in this world of gods, potions, sea caves and altars, with threads of romance entwining Lark with both male and female loves. However, the pace falters as the novel progresses and the action becomes confused, with new characters introduced to extend the plot in unexpected ways. For this reader, some of the power of the initial writing is lost. Perhaps others will find their interest sustained by the twisting strands of romance, friendship so readily leaping to passionate relationships.
Although quite separate from Clipstone’s popular World at the Lake’s Edge duology, this latest book shares many themes, particularly the sustaining love between siblings, the vulnerable heroine, damaged hero, fighting against evil, and of course the haunted settings, so fans of the genre will probably find much to enjoy in this book also.
Themes Fantasy, Romance, Gods, Sacrifice, Dark magic, Polyamory.
Set in England, A Time to Wait is a World War Two story about Basil, a young boy alone in the world and an abandoned border collie puppy that he found. Basil raises Wimbledon under difficult and cruel circumstances and their bond is unbreakable.
Sadly, Basil has been taken in by a nasty cousin after his parents go missing in Europe. She treats him cruelly and when children are encouraged to evacuate London, she immediately sets about to do this and have Wimbledon put down at the same time. Fortunately, a kind and wise vet saves Wimbledon and is instrumental in setting him on his arduous journey to find Basil.
Meanwhile heartbroken Basil is placed on a train and begins a long journey to the town of Rye. On the journey he befriends Maisie and their connection is another layer central to this story. Basil finds himself billeted with a kind older gentleman who served in World War One and who helps Basil search for Wimbledon over many weeks. Basil and Maisie form a close bond and both will not give up the dream of finding Wimbledon alive.
Throughout this story, there are adventures for both Basil and Wimbledon that see them move further away from finding each other but also help to share glimpses of what life was like in 1940’s England. The language used is descriptive and the steady pace and changing subplots of the narrative will keep readers engaged. The ending is particularly satisfying and resolves many of the storylines.
Themes World War Two, Dogs, Family, Evacuees, Adventure, Danger, Friendship.
Kathryn Beilby
Weaving Country by Chris Joy & Aunty Kim Wandin. Illus. by Ashleigh Pugh
When Walert (Possum) sees her Gugung (grandmother) gathering djirra (reeds) by the river, the susurrus through the rushes invites her to follow her home, little knowing that she is going to learn one of those precious lessons that generations share between each other as they pass the knowledge of their culture to each other.
In Walert's case, she not only learns about the physical construction of a woven binak (basket), but also how the sun, land, water and wind all play their part in the growing and the preparation of the djirra so they are ready to weave, strengthening her understanding of her connection to Country that is so integral of First Nations culture and life. And when a boroin (blue wren) builds its tiny nest in the drying djirra, and lays three little eggs, Walert also learns patience. This is not the time to disturb the circle of life that has endured for so long.
This is a story set on Wurundjeri Country in the Yarra Valley, Victoria and based on the work of author Aunty Kim Wandin who is a master weaver and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, whose traditional basket making has been handed down to her by direct lineage, so Walert's lessons have authenticity and authority. The teachers' notes which accompany it specifically focus on encouraging "students to slow down, listen deeply, and build respectful relationships with place, themselves, and each other, honouring the wisdom of intergenerational learning and the living stories carried by land and water" offering opportunities to engage with the land, its harvest, its inhabitants and each other that they might not otherwise consider.
But as well as connecting both Walert and the students to their natural environment, the story itself has a strong focus on the passing of knowledge, skills and understandings between Gugung and Walert making it an ideal springboard for helping young readers develop their understanding of the outcomes embedded in the early years of the Australian HASS curriculum. What stories and skills have their grandparents shared with them, such as favourite books, or music, or crafts or how to mend a bike or....??? Is there something that their family always does at a particular commemoration or celebration because that's the way it has always been done? For older students, what stories, traditions and skills will they pass on to their own children?
From 2027 in New South Wales, the Human Society and its Environment K−6 Syllabus (2024) requires students in Stage 1 (years 1 and 2) to understand that “People use stories, images, objects and sites to understand the ancient past” with a specific focus on the ancient cultures of China, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and those in Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) to focus on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica which include the Maya, Aztecs and Incas so although their grandparents are not that old, this could be a bridge that helps them understand that much of what they know and do today is built on what those who have gone before have known and done beginning within their own family and their own experience.
While there seems to be an upsurge in the writing and publishing of books that explore First Nations' connections to Country, helping non-Indigenous children understand and appreciate the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country that are part of their daily lives, this one, through its story and indeed, its literal and metaphorical focus on weaving, is a stand out.
Lay Maloney's first book Weaving Us Together is a story of identity, belonging and strength told from the perspective of Jean O'Ryan, a non-binary Aboriginal adolescent in a coastal Queensland town (2011–2013). Jean experiences adolescence, reconnects with culture and discovers oneself alongside Seraphina Landry and her tight-knit friends, 'The Crew.' Jean and her friends experience difficulties and mend the traumas of the past and weave a tapestry of hope, grief, joy and love.
Maloney is a genderfluid Gumbaynggirr and Gunggandji author who infuses her writing with the authenticity of personal experience in tackling issues of gender identity, family, healing, and ethnic origins. The writing is acutely perceptive and describing of adolescent experience while making the story securely located in the rich landscape and communities that inform Jean's experience. The book has been praised by reviewers for its emotional strength and cultural resonance. Grace Lucas-Pennington identifies it as "poetic, hilarious and heartbreaking in turn," and celebrates the importance it represents for young readers seeking depiction and identification. Weaving Us Together is an emotive and compelling read for fans of present-day Australian writing, especially tales of exploration of Aboriginal life and queer culture. It provides a true account of discovering where one belongs in the world while raising a glass to endurance, camaraderie, and self-acceptance.
Jaibir S. (student)
Themes Identity, belonging, personal growth, adolescence, aboriginal and LGBTQ+ identity.
They bloom at night by Trang Thanh Tran
Bloomsbury, 2025. ISBN: 9781526674838. (Age:YA)
They bloom at night conveys the feeling of trauma informed writing. The writing is raw and simultaneously revealing and concealing. There is a disturbing sense of something being very wrong beneath the surface. The surface doesn't look too good either. The story could be read on a literal level or on a metaphoric, symbolic level. This reader sees They bloom at night as a text that points to somewhere else - a dark place. There are hints about the cause of the personal hurt and ultimately there is disclosure and a kind of healing. Mirroring the human pain, the environment is equally hurting with the submerging town scenario serving as a metaphor for the human impact on the environment. The townspeople of Mercy are being displaced just as the central Vietnamese family were displaced from their home country.
The lead character Noon is of Vietnamese origin and still coping with the problem of diaspora. Noon has trouble living in her own skin it seems and the internal struggle and references to wanting to shed like a snake and become something new and fresh mirrors the algal bloom spead and has its roots in a trauma. Noon states, "Here's the truth: my life went apocalyptic ...when I lost my virginity...I am all the wrong shapes, skin flaking away to shell under prying fingers." Noon and her mother are coping with the loss of the family father and brother and living a precarious existence in the waterways of a broken down town called Mercy somewhere on the Mississippi floodplain close to the Gulf of Mexico. In all respects this is a town that has submerged as the result of unspecified environmental changes. Water level has risen; houses have been flooded. As Noon further states, "The bloom has claimed much of our town of Mercy, red algae spilling over the Mississippi and adjacent flood like entrails." This sentence reflects the tone and descriptiveness of the novel. The bloom, with its tendrils spreading throughout the water and reaching into bodies and under skin looks something like entrails. The land, the waters, humans and marine creatures have become infested with algal growth in a horrific, visceral way. As the red algal bloom infests everything, wildlife is mutated, the riverways and ocean become choked and there seems to be a further unknown menace from underwater. Townspeople go missing and are found in a zombie-like state - half dissolved in the algal infested water and dangerous.
Through the first person narration of Noon the reader gradually learns of her past and her courageous plan to secure a safer future away from Mercy with her mother. Along the way she makes true friends for the first time and literally and symbolically rids herself of her old skin to take on a new one. The process is painful and abhorrent. She has to escape predators, understand the problem and survive. The monsters are both within and outside.
American writer Trang Thanh Tran, author of New York Times bestselling horror story She is a haunting has delivered in They bloom at night, a psychological, environmental, dystopian, speculative horror story.
Themes Algal bloom, eco-dystopia, the monster within and outside, predators, trauma, friendship, Vietnamese diaspora, identity.
