Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is the seventh book in The travelling bookshop series by award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad. The narrative is the first person voice of Mim Cohen our central character who is a girl of primary years age. Mim and her family live in a magical caravan that is actually a travelling bookshop that chooses for itself where it will go next depending on where there is a need. So far, other books in the series have taken Mim, her dad and brother, a horse called Flossy and other assorted animals to a Dutch village, a Greek island, Paris, the Cotswalds, Venice and Salzburg. Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer takes the reader to Norway. Children following the gentle and fun adventures of Mim and her family will have quite the geography lesson.
Nannestad weaves in cultural and social aspects of the countries visited. Thus in Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer, the reader is not only immersed in the topography of mountains and fjords but also in Viking history, in the mythology of trolls and in the social make-up of a Norwegian village - the handicrafts, the people and the farm life. Mention of the recession of the forests is acknowledged through the encroachment of wolves and moose on the villagers as their habitats are diminished.
Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is a story about family and matching books to people. The message, in a lighthearted way, is that books (the right books) can change lives. Its is Mim's father's business in life to place the right book in the right hands at the right time in order for lives to be changed. Even though they can't see it at the time, each selection works out and lives are changed. The travelling bookshop, when it has solved the problem of the village, moves on to the next adventure in another real-life location somewhere in the world where it is needed. The central problem in Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is that Norbert, the fruit farmer, cannot solve the problem of the missing apples. If Mim and her father can't help he will lose his farm. In the meantime, Mim has her own problems with her mother not being with them and having to be a mother to her little brother who is scared of everything especially trolls after reading The three Billy Goats Gruff (a traditional Norwegian fairy tale). Problems are met head on and solved in creative ways even if it means the family cannot uses bridges (for fear of trolls) and must travel in a paddleboat shaped like a duck.
Whimsical, warm and imaginative, Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer is another gentle family adventure by a beloved author. The delightful illustrations for the entire series are by Sydney based Cheryl Orsini. Little sketches are scattered throughout the pages and further add to the fanciful and playful nature of Nannestad's story line.
With such a sprinkling of magic, kindness and good, along with plenty of good-natured bluster and quirky problems to be solved, Mim and the frazzled fruit farmer, like the other books in The travelling bookshop series, is a delightful addition to primary school libraries and to primary aged children's booklists for reading for pleasure.
Themes Norway, Importance of books, Family, Friendship.
Wendy Jeffrey
Milly Meelyu by Holly Bradley & Darryl Fogarty. Illus. by Corinne Fogarty
Written in dual language - English and Badimia - this charming picture book will engage young readers with its bold and vivid illustrations and simple accessible text. The Meelyu are small lizards that live in the hollows of logs. When their habitat is destroyed by a grader for land clearing purposes they search all over for a new home where they can feel safe.
They consider a few options - one was too small for the larger lizard, another had cat tracks surrounding it, a third had not enough sun and the final one seemed too far away to get there safely. However, the Meelyu bravely began travelling across the distance but were pounced on by a feral cat. Luckily, some human children scared the cat away and the Meelyu safely made it to their new home.
Milly Meelyu gently explores themes of habitat loss, resilience, and the importance of caring for the natural world and how humans must take responsibility for looking after the flora and fauna. It also introduces readers to the notion of animal totems as symbols of identity and connection in First Nations culture and the importance these traditions play in their lives. Teacher's notes and an activity are available from the publisher.
Themes Dual Language – English and Badimia, Totem Animals, Habitats, Conservation, Lizards, Feral Cats, Land Clearing.
Kathryn Beilby
Codebreaker by Jay Martel
St Martin's Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781250355546. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
An Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2026), Codebreaker had me on the edge of my seat as Mia chases across Washington D.C., decoding the messages that her father, a cryptography specialist, had left her for her birthday. After witnessing the death of her mother and her father fleeing from CIA agents, she is left feeling betrayed and alone. When she receives a voicemail from her father three weeks later telling her not to trust anyone, she finds herself plunged into a quest to decode his messages and find out what is really happening. Accompanied by Logan, a young hacker, she travels from one iconic historical place to another, trying to evade the CIA agents who had accosted her father and using all her brilliant skills at cracking the codes that may save her country from disaster.
Codebreaker is an exciting interactive adventure story with the author (Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka) giving an initial Note to the Reader, instructing them how to read the book: either as a straightforward thriller or pausing at a symbol to try their hand at cryptography. I had fun trying to figure out some of the encoded messages, and the thrill of the chase led me quickly to read how Mia cracks the codes. Chases across the city, kidnapping, entering into a library by stealth, protest marches, gun shots and violence mean there is excitement galore, making it very difficult to put Codebreaker down.
This is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy political thrillers by Jennifer Lynn Barnes like The fixer duology (The ruling class and Lessons in power), and The inheritance games series or books by Karen M. McManus and Holly Jackson.
Themes Political thriller, Cryptography, Power, Corruption.
Pat Pledger
What rhymes with murder by Penny Tangey
Simon & Schuster, 2026. ISBN: 9781761634031. (Age:Adult) Highly recommended.
This is a really enjoyable murder mystery story with lots of humour added, mainly due to the random thoughts that beset new mother Frida as she tries to manage her anxiety about caring for her six month old baby Finn. She has set a goal for herself to go out every day, but it is a huge challenge when even descending the stairs from her apartment, with her baby, seems fraught with danger. But she does succeed in getting out, and that is how she finds herself at Baby Rhyme Time at the local library. All good so far; but then the worst thing happens, they all hear a scream and a thud, and a dead body is discovered on the concrete floor below the mezzanine. It looks like not an accident but a murder.
Frida and her new friend Josh, one of a co-parenting threesome caring for baby Siti, determine to investigate. But they soon find they are not the only amateur sleuths on the job, there is a whole group of fellow concerned community members who are trying to piece the clues together.
While it all seems destined to be a barrel of laughs, Tangey cleverly manages to explore issues of parental expectations and pressures, infertile couples and IVF, child loss and grief, and the debate between pro-choice and pro-life supporters. Most interesting is her portrayal of Dr Christine, a woman who has never able to have the baby she wanted, but who is dedicated to supporting women ‘control their fertility and their bodies’. She works in an abortion clinic that is under attack from a strident religious group.
What rhymes with murder is Tangey’s first adult novel, but if you look at her YA books, there is a often an underlying theme of medicine and health that runs throughout: for example, Cresswell Eastman: The man who saved a million brains (2022), As fast as I can (2020), Stay well soon (2013). Once again Tangley has come up with an entertaining approach to exploring serious issues in an highly enjoyable way. I think the final pages suggest that this novel might not be the only foray into fun adult murder mystery. Let’s hope for a sequel.
Helen Eddy
What can I get for Mother's Day? by Renae Hayward. Illus. by Susan Joy Lu
Finding a gift on Mother’s Day often becomes a dilemma for family members. There are so many choices and each child always wants to choose the very best. In this delightful new rhyming picture book, a young child struggles to make the ‘right’ choice for his mum.
Let me think…What would she like? Some roller skates, A shiny bike, Perfume from a fancy shop, A multi-coloured sequin top?
Throughout each brightly illustrated page, more and more choices overwhelm the child. Until finally he settles on something that he is sure his mother will appreciate.
This is a book that will be enjoyed by young readers as the bold images are full of humour and detail, and the choices become more outrageous as the story progresses.
An expert course on how to dance, A holiday to Paris, France? A cuckoo clock, A baby croc? Guitar and drums? (She loves to rock!)
I loved The wolf tree by Laura McCluskey and was keen to read another by this clever author. Once again, I became immersed in a gripping mystery featuring DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart who are sent to investigate the murder of a young woman found on a lonely road in the Scottish mountains. Local legends suggest that the road has a dangerous history and the young woman has a name carved on her arm which opens questions about a missing girl from the past. Were there links to the hunting lodge nearby where wealthy clients were taken out to shoot deer? Did the feud between the owners of the lodge and the men in the old crumbling mansion have any connection to the missing girl or the young woman found on the road?
The suspense is breathtaking as George and Ritchie investigate, uncovering secrets in the community and the local area. The brooding atmosphere of the rugged landscape, the terror of gun shots from hunters following deer in the forest and the brooding menace of the old mansion kept me glued to the page, wondering if George and Richie would survive. Another dimension is added with the exploration of the impact that trauma has on individuals. Richie has been ignoring George since the events in The wolf tree, and it has taken George many months to realise the impact that her actions had on him. In The cursed road it is George who must remain calm and keep the investigation on an even keel and Ritchie who examines his commitment to policing as distressing events unfold.
Fans of the detective genre will welcome the return of George and Ritchie and eagerly wait for the next book from Laura McCluskey.
A trio of bears, mum, dad and junior, get their porridge ready for breakfast, but the honey pots are all empty. They leave their house and head for the bee hive in the tree. Here they gobble up all the honey from the hive, provoking the anger of the bees. Meanwhile Goldilocks has entered their house.
She pushes aside two bowls of porridge because they are too hot, then gobbles up the third, smaller bowl of porridge. Leaving upturned bowls and trails of porridge across the table, sdhe goes into the cosy den, and finding one chair too soft and the other offering a protruding spring, she selects the step stool as her seat to sit back and enjoy a book. Things become very messed up in the den as well. Then she sleepily goes upstairs to the bedroom, where she rejects the first bed as too heavily covered in blankets, the second is too high but the third with its array of teddy bears suited her well, and she falls asleep.
The bears meanwhile are headed quickly for home followed by a crowd of angry bees. They notice footsteps leading inside, and find someone has been in their house, eaten their porridge and made a mess both in the kitchen and the den. They eventually find her in the bedroom, where they berate her for stealing into their house and stealing their porridge, leaving a mess. Partway through the telling off a loud humming can be heard. The bees which have equally had their house invaded and the honey stolen are looking for the thieves.
A fun story for children, those who know the Goldilocks story will be as equally enchanted as those who do not, but all will understand the moral of the tale, ’do unto others …’
Lovely rhyming verse will provoke readers to predict the rhyming words, and the use of many puns and word play on the word bear will bring smiles to their faces.
The illustrations are wonderful, showing the bears in all their moods, and Goldilocks and her knowing smile, and three way tale will entertain the readers. Detail on each page is fascinating and will provoke lots of discussions about honey and hives and bears as well as stepping on other people’s toes.
Themes Bears, Honey, Incursion, Humour.
Fran Knight
Genie Snail by Bethany Loveridge. Illus. by Chris Kennett
Little Book Press, 2026. ISBN: 9781923141445. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Many young children dream of finding a genie to make their wishes come true. In Genie Snail the young main character feels he has struck it lucky when he finds a dirty snail shell which he rubs clean and lo and behold with a PIFF! POOF! PUFF! out pops a very colourful Genie Snail.
But all is not what it seems. There are rules for this particular genie:
Rub a genie’s shell and they’re in your debt. But wishes must rhyme with the genie you get.
Of course, the recipient of the wishes does not read the fine print and concocts some quite incredible wishes. However, Genie Snail offers lots of suggestions such as deep-fried fish tail, scrambled eggs a la quail, a lifetime’s supply of leafy kale, a mouldy toenail, a wedding veil, a rattail. All of these suggestions only frustrate the boy, who insists that nothing cool rhymes with snail. Until… the genie casually mentions a whale - and suddenly a very clever wish begins to entail!
The loud, bold and colourful illustrations - full of expressive faces and playful humour - are a visual treat that will delight and entertain readers. This is an enjoyable book to read aloud, offering a clever learning moment with words ending in 'ail' and 'ale', and a fun classroom opportunity at the end for even more rhyming discussion and another genie story.
A gripping political thriller, Lessons in power follows The ruling class, the first in The Fixer series. Tess Kendrick is again helping students make problems disappear; this time she is determined to see her classmate Emilia win her campaign for student council, even though her friend Henry is also running. Power is important for the students at Hardwicke School, all part of Washington’s political elite, and Tess faces some high stakes while running the campaign. Then she becomes embroiled in a game with even higher stakes, when there is an assassination attempt on the President. A series of dangerous events follow, with Tess trying to keep her classmates safe while unravelling events of national importance.
Lessons in Power is a suspenseful thriller that has many surprising twists and turns. Shocking betrayals, murder and unanticipated feats of courage had me gasping for breath with Barnes upping the thrills as the story progresses. Tess, and her friends Vivvie, Asher, Henry and Emilia find themselves in a believable. terrifying situation at school, and the reader doesn’t know if Tess will survive. Who can she trust? What is really going on?
Although first published in 2016 as The Long Game, Lessons in power is scary in how relevant the political machinations and power plays it features seems to be today. A must read for anyone interested in political thrillers or an exhilarating story.
Themes Thriller, Murder, Politics, Washington D.C..
Alissa Paine (Lady Alissa) and her friend Tari narrowly avoid capture when washing the Hunter’s mark from the door of their latest victim. Marge, the outlawed Wielder along with her magical spector (power) was their friend destroyed by the Hunters – the monarchy’s sanctioned death squad in Vereen, the capital of Daradon. There’s even a Copycat squad searching for Wielders to make matters worse.
The nice thing about narrator protagonists is that we know immediately that Alissa is secretly a Wielder herself (on her mother’s side) and only her father Lord Heron Paine and a couple of close friends - namely Garret (himself a Hunter) – know the truth. So begins the age old tale of the establishment (Wholeborns) against the threat of the ‘others’ (Wielders) originally from across the strait in Ansora – the Western Continent.
The persecution of ‘talented’ people, is the central theme of this thriller set in a medieval fantasy world of status, castles and dungeons. Think again! In Alissa’s first season at court, the escalation of Wielder executions makes court particularly thorny for Alissa - kidnapped, rescued, betrothed, betrayed, imprisoned, finally exiled - whilst fighting the level of corruption necessary to normalise sustained systemic discrimination.
Each puzzle piece is foreshadowed brilliantly and resolved with admirable skill. Alissa’s survival is a strip tease to unfrock the scars of both personal and population manipulation. She is devastated to learn her own father was complicit and it seems nearly every character in the book has a backstory of personal vendettas and motivations - even mousy Perla is thankfully not who she seems.
Who fails and who triumphs? A sociogram of the characters to complement the author’s map of the physical landscape would have been useful! Every historic secret pieces together a perfect resolution to this plot. Highly recommended for readers of high Fantasy and Thrillers. 406p.
Themes High Fantasy, Corruption, Intrigue, Suspense, Discrimination, Belonging.
Deborah Robins
Kep barna: Water creatures by Jayden Boundry & Tyrown Waigana
Kep Barna: Water creatures is a board book with first words describing sea creatures in both English and the Noongar language of the southwestern Australian first peoples. The book introduces seventeen sea creatures. Each new page depicts a new sea creature with an illustration in the centre of the page with the name of the creature underneath in both Noongah and English. Each creature is accurately represented with clear, dark outlines and soft, natural colourings for little people by Tyrown Waigana, a Wardanadi Noongar from South-west cape country and an Ait Koedhal (Torres Strait Islander) multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer.
Author Jayden Boundry is Wadjak Balardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji and a qualified Noongar language LOTE teacher. This is the third book by Jayden Boundry and Tyrown Waigana and the second board book in the new Barna series. Published by Fremantle Press, the easy to hold 15x15cm, 9 page board book is printed by Leo paper products Ltd, Guangdong, China to the highest sustainability and product safety standards.
It is important and respectful to learn to pronounce the Noongar words correctly. An audio recording of Jayden Boundry's voice providing a pronunciation guide is available online and can be easily accessed through the QR code in the back of the book. This reader would have preferred if the pronunciations in the audio were introduced in the same order that the creatures were presented in the book, to assist the reader. The QR code leads to downloadable activity sheets, videos and other teaching activities relating to Kep Barna: Water Creatures and other books that introduce Noongah words for animals and other first words.
It is valuable for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children alike to connect at a young age with Indigenous language. Kep Barna: Water Creatures and its accompanying important online resources is recommended for babies, toddlers and preschoolers/for teachers and parents. Teacher's resources are available.
Themes Sea creatures, Dual language Noongar /English first words.
Stormbeast is another thrilling instalment in the action-packed Boy vs Beast series. This junior novel has high energy and is perfectly suited to readers emerging into independent reading. With its engaging mix of short chapters, large easy-to-read font, intermittent black and white illustrations, and the exciting addition of a few graphic style panels in later chapters, this book provides strong visual support while maintaining momentum and suspense.
The story follows Kai, a courageous young hero tasked with battling dangerous beasts to keep Earth safe. Assisted by his loyal and highly capable dogbot, BC, they must once again defend the borders from invasion. However, this time the challenge is far greater. The beasts are evolving, combining powers and abilities to become more destructive and unpredictable than ever before.
When Kai faces the terrifying Stormegadon, he quickly realises this is no ordinary opponent. With thunder crashing and lightning strikes, Kai finds himself in one of his most difficult battles yet. Relying on quick thinking, strategy and problem-solving skills to determine what tools he needs to survive the encounter, can he conquer the beast?
The tension builds energetically as readers follow Kai’s race against time to try to defend the borders before this beast can break through. The gaming style element of earning points adds extra excitement, encouraging readers to consider whether Kai’s bravery and decisions will be enough to secure victory, or whether the beast will prove too powerful to defeat.
One of the novel’s strengths lies in its engagement and easy to read style. The layout, illustrations and action plot make it highly appealing and exciting. Themes of perseverance, courage, resilience and adaptive thinking are woven throughout the adventure without slowing the pace.
Stormbeast is an energetic, high-interest read that blends sci-fi action with visual storytelling. Young readers will be left eagerly wondering what new beasts, powers and challenges await in the next instalment to keep Earth safe.
Themes Sci-Fi, Action, Robots, Beasts, Problem Solving.
I love me is a happy, bouncy book to share with small children and babies. It teaches the all important belief in yourself and the ability to love yourself for the unique person that you are. In simple rhyming , repeating phrases, the text teaches the child to love their different body parts, the things that their body can do and the feelings that they have. The book commences with "I love me!" and ends with, "I love, love, love me!" A hypothetical is presented... "If I was tall as a tree with worms for hair and clouds for arms and grass for feet, ..." Arguably, with this being an imaginative situation, perhaps it should read "If I were..." This reader understands authorial choice but also respectfully questions grammar usage - while understanding that the choice was probably deliberate.
Author Sally Morgan, known and acclaimed for her autobiography My place has collaborated with artist Ambelin Kwaymullina to produce this striking little board book for little people. At 15x15cm this board book is perfect for little hands. It is made with strong board of good quality.
Two children (a boy and a girl) bounce through the pages accompanied by a delightful little dog. I love me encourages children to love themselves for who they are through a simple, buoyant first person narrative accompanied by vibrantly colourful and happy illustrations. The rhyming pattern is fun and lends itself to interaction... "Tap, tap, tap, I love the way my hands clap...Thump, thump, thump I love the way my legs jump."
The building of self esteem in children is vital. I love me is a lovely book to share for fun shared reading times together and for imparting an important message. It is a book that will make everybody smile and probably will inspire a lot of happy activity.
Themes Loving yourself, Accepting your own uniqueness.
Wendy Jeffrey
My country by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan
The gorgeous book My country, listed as a CBCA Picture Books Notable Book and a CBCA Early Childhood Notable Book in 2012, has been republished in a new, small (19.5x19.5cm) hardback format that is just perfect for small hands. Author of many books, including The two-hearted numbat, Ezekiel Kwaymullin and illustrator Sally Morgan (of the acclaimed My place) are both from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Their collaboration with My Country has resulted in this beautiful book.
The text flows beautifully with a phrase/page:..."sing the earth's song"..."fly with the red desert wind"..."ride the whispering wind". These are action sequences and on each double page spread there is an illustration of a child doing just whatever the phrase suggests. The phrase sits in the middle of the left page of each double page spread (usually white font on a purple background). The illustrations flow whimsically too. They are detailed and seem to be a hybrid combination of Indigeous artwork in the detail and vibrant colours but including western styles of simple, happy children and clouds and suns et al with smiley faces. The little bird that accompanies the child on the journey has a Leunig look about him! The artwork is created with ink, coloured pencils and digital colouring. The book design by Fremantle based author and artist Tracey Gibbs and Perth based graphic designer and illustrator Rebecca Mills is deserving of attention because their work significantly augments the already considerable appeal of the work of the text and illustrations.
Dreamy and whimsical, My country, is an outstanding Australian contribution to the genre of world wide whimsical, mythical, spiritual, illustrated old, old tales of creation that spring from all cultures where life and creation is firmly rooted in the earth. Children love immersion in places they call home and places far, far away. Immersion in magical tales that are illustrated with beautiful pictures of the natural world bring a comforting sense of the eternal presence and continuum of past, present and future implicit in the text and illustrations. My country is one of those books that has an effect on the reader that imparts a love for country and a sense of belonging. Books from other cultures like The lights that dance in the night (2022) by Yuval Zommer which is about the Aurora Borealis are recommended to read in tandem in order for children to marvel even more about the awesome variety in our world. While My Country deals with the red desert dust, the hiding sun, the whispering wind, the moonlight, the lightning clouds and the moonlight tide, The lights that dance in the night has snow, reindeer and the northern lights. Books like these exude wonder and joy and an understanding that we, like all creatures, can bask in the mystery and the beauty. My country is a celebration of our Australian country and a cosy story to read together. As Good reading say, it is..." a book that should be in every home" because it is.." a beautiful celebration of our country".
A missing daughter. Suspected of plotting a terror attack in the US. A father arrested. Police storm Heathrow Airport to bring him in for questioning about his daughter. A terrifying connection. In Florida, a mother discovers a link between her son and the missing girl, fearing they have been radicalised. Hunted. On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together to find their children before the FBI does and more lives are lost. Amazon
This is Mukherjee’s first stand-alone novel, after the Wyndham and Banerjee series and it is a tense thriller that is difficult to put down. It is told through the eyes of Sajid, the father of Aliyah, the girl who has been seen with the young woman accused of bombing LA shopping mall, Greg, a young ex-solider who has been radicalised and whose mother Carrie is desperate to find him, and FBI Special Agent Shreya Mistry whose expertise is shunned by her boss. The reader follows Sajid and Carrie from London to Canada, across the border into the US and then on a hair-raising chase across the country to save their children before the FBI finds them. As the investigation unfolds, the reader is taken into a world of terrorism, political manipulation, racism, lies and brainwashing; a scenario that feels very credible, and the imminent presidential election makes the suspense even more unbearable. There are some unexpected twists in the story and the desperation of the parents is heart-rending.
Hunted is highly recommended, well deserving of the accolades that it has been given.
