Posted in poetry

Young Writers in Action: Colourful Tulips

A field of tulips and cherry blossom. Photo from Pexels.com

COLOURFUL TULIPS
by Gabriel, 7, NSW

Colourful tulips shooting from the ground all around the place
Birds are chirping and singing here and there
Beautiful butterflies fly everywhere you look
You can smell lovely roses
Buzzing bees work hard collecting pollen for honey
Soft new green leaves slowly grow out from the cherry blossom branches.


Gabriel is a regular contributer to Alphabet Soup. You can read some of his earlier work here. If YOU would like to send us a story, drawing, poem, or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy writing!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: The Sisters Grimm series

The Sisters Grimm (cover of book 1) by Michael Buckley, ill Peter FergusonREVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, WA

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, illustrated by Peter Ferguson, Abrams Books.

Matilda borrowed this series from her school library.

Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are normal girls that live a normal life, until suddenly their parents disappear. After being in the foster care system for two years the girls are finally placed with their grandma, where they discover that fairytales are real …

I absolutely loved everything about this series and I couldn’t put it down. The plot is quirky but it is written in a wonderful way. These books are definitely my favourites so far this year. I was kept in suspense all through the books, and I really felt as though I was there.

I recommend this book for kids aged 10+, and for readers who love adventure stories and fairytales.

5 stars!


Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. You can read Matilda’s other reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in poetry

Young Writers in Action: Love

a campfire

LOVE
by Sonia, 9, California USA

Love is the fire inside you that never runs out of wood,
You can never put the fire out, although some wish they could.

Love is the river inside you that never dries up,
It will never stop flowing, even if you put it in a cup.

Love is the flower that never wilts,
Even if someone destroys the ground on which it is built.

Love is the tree that will never fall down,
Even if someone saws it to build a town.

Love is the thing that speaks to the depths of our soul and helps us to know,
Where the sad times are, when we need it the most.


This is Sonia’s first poem for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: Dungzilla

Dungzilla book cover by James FoleyREVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, WA

Dungzilla by James Foley, Fremantle Press,
ISBN 9781925164831

Matilda received a review copy from the publisher.

Sally has a new invention — a resizenator, which can make things smaller … or bigger. It seems like a great idea at first, but when her friend Charli’s dung beetle gets in the way, things get a bit more complicated.

Dungzilla is a quick-to-read, funny graphic novel, with a hilarious plot. Sally is a quirky girl with lots of passion for inventing, but somehow things always seem to go wrong. The illustrations really grab the reader (and I particularly like the diagram pages).

This is the second graphic novel James Foley has written about Sally Tinker (the first one was Brobot). I would recommend this book for lovers of graphic novels, budding inventors, and fans of toilet humour. It is great for ages 6+.

Read an earlier interview with the author-illustrator, James Foley.


Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. You can read Matilda’s other reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. 

Happy reading!

Posted in info

Top reads for March 2018

With the school holidays looming (and an Easter break in there as well), you might be looking for a good book or two (or three!) to keep by your bed. And here’s the good news — it’s the last day of the month and that means members of our Top Reads Team* have a new list of recommended reads for you.

Pro tip: Try not to stack your bedside reading pile so high that it might topple over and squash you while you sleep. It’s difficult to read anything when you’re trapped under an enormous pile of books …

You’ll find a recommended list from our Top Reads Team on the last day of every month (February to November). If you’d like even more recommendations, browse all through all our Top Reads ever!

*All our Top Readers are kids aged 13 and under. No grownups allowed!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: The Lost Twin (Scarlet & Ivy Book 1)

Scarlet & Ivy The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, WA

Scarlet & Ivy: The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly, HarperCollins, ISBN 9780007589180

Matilda borrowed this book from her local library. 

Ivy was always the quiet twin, the mirror image, so when Scarlet disappears, Ivy really misses her. When Miss Fox (the principal of Scarlet’s school) turns up at Ivy’s front door, things start to get suspicious …

Why should Ivy have to pretend to be Scarlet?

I really loved this book, as there were so many twists in the plot. One moment you thought they were nearly at the end of the mystery, and the next moment something happens to change your mind. I would definitely recommend this book for readers who love mystery, and readers who love the St Clare’s and Malory Towers books [by Enid Blyton].

Readers aged 9 to 14 would enjoy this series. 4.5 stars!


Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. You can read Matilda’s other reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in info

A new kid-friendly podcast

There was considerable excitement at the Alphabet Soup office on Wednesday, when we tuned in to a new podcast called One More Page. It’s a fortnightly podcast and features interviews, book reviews of children’s books, the occasional fart joke … and the latest episode (episode 3) also features some of our 2017 Top Reads team members.

Woohoo — famous!

One more page episode 3

Nat Amoore from One More Page talked to Anishka (age 8, QLD), Xavier (age 9, NT), Albie (age 6, NSW), and Matilda (age 11¾, WA) about books, books, and more books.

You can hear their interviews at around the 26:35 mark of the podcast, but we think you’ll want to listen to the whole of episode 3 because the theme is

WE LOVE LIBRARIES

— and you just can’t beat that theme.


PS One More Page is offering a book pack prize for Episode 3. Check out the details here.

Posted in info

TOP READS for February 2018

It’s the last day of February — and that means it’s time for our first TOP READS post for 2018!

On the last day of every month — from February to November — our team of young readers recommends their favourite reads from the month. You can read about this year’s Top Reads team members in an earlier post.

Grab your library card or dig up that forgotten Christmas book voucher at the back of your sock drawer … and check out these stories!

 

You’ll find a recommended list from our Top Reads Team on the last day of every month (February to November). If you’d like even more recommendations, browse all through all our Top Reads ever!

*All our Top Readers are kids aged 13 and under. No grownups allowed!

Posted in info

Introducing the 2018 TOP READS team!

We’re thrilled to introduce you to the 2018 Top Reads team.

What is the Top Reads team? Members of this team are keen readers who stop by each month to recommend a favourite read for the month, and they’re all kids like you!

INTRODUCING:

Matthew, 10, VIC (July to November 2018)
Before I broke my arm, my main interest was cycling around my bush property.  Now, my main interest is drawing 3D words and phrases on A4 paper.  I like to stick them on the walls around my bedroom to motivate me.  Two of my favourite creations are ‘I can …’ and ‘I will …’

I love to read action books like Zac Power and the Treehouse series.  At the moment, I’m reading The Marvellous Land of Oz by Frank Baum.  Its keeping me interested because the characters make other characters.

Vivaan, 9, VIC (February to June 2018)
Vivaan enjoys non-fiction and fiction books with lots of action, as they are intriguing. When he’s not reading, Vivaan plays cricket with his dad and badminton. He likes discovering interesting new words using the Rocket Speller app on his iPad.

Matilda, 9, NT
Matilda likes to spend her time reading, writing, drawing and swimming.  When she’s not doing her other hobbies she likes to have adventures and spend time with family and friends.

Xavier, 9, NT
When he’s not reading, Xavier enjoys riding his bike, swimming and playing soccer and touch rugby. He is also obsessed with video games! When he grows up Xavier wants to be a scientist.

Lewis, 9, WA
Lewis loves reading, particularly entertaining/funny books and adventure stories. When he isn’t reading he loves soccer, swimming, music, star wars, Lego and playing with his younger brother.

Tirion, 9, VIC
Tirion’s hobbies are gymnastics, singing and dancing. Her mum started reading chapter books to her when she was 2 years old.  Tirion remembers Enid Blyton books like the Famous Five series and The Magic Faraway Tree. Spy and adventure novels are her current favourites. Tirion loves reading because it helps her wonder.

Céití, 8, WA
Céití loves spending time with her chocolate labrador Flynn. She enjoys all sorts of reading and writing, playing her violin, cooking and playing water polo. Her favourite series at the moment is Harry Potter.

Anishka, 8, QLD
Anishka loves writing poems. She started composing her own poems when she was 4 years old. She loves to play with her friends. She is also involved in raising funds for Heart Research and Foundation through ‘Jump Rope for Heart’.

Albie May, 6, NSW
Albie May loves funny books — like Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas (which is about a vegetarian piranha) as well as books with made up words in them.

Look out for the first book recommendations for 2018 on the last day of February!

Posted in info

Young Writers in Action: The World

A photo of trees, viewed by someone standing beneath the tree canopy and looking up. Photo courtesy of pexels.com

THE WORLD
by Siddh, 7, QLD

Who made the sun shine so bright?
Who made dust extra light?
Who made the trees so tall and green and who made the mighty raging sea?
Who made the world spin so fast and who made the desert so long and vast?
Well God’s the one who made it all
so thank God every morning when you hear the angels call.

Siddh has had poetry published with us before. You can read more of his work here.  

If YOU would like to send us a story, drawing, poem, or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy writing!