This post was added by Rebecca Newman. Rebecca is a children's writer and poet, and the editor of the Australian children's literary blog, Alphabet Soup.
For more about Rebecca visit: rebeccanewman.net.au.
The Secret of the Stone by Kathryn Lefroy, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760994648
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
The Secret of the Stone is an exciting book about adventure and loyalty, packed with surprises. When Olive and her friends discover a mysterious stone, they realise it has the power to grant wishes. They know that they should use it for good purposes. However, they can’t resist having a little fun with it first!
Since the stone is so powerful and magical, other people with malicious intentions want to possess it. Olive and her friends must protect the stone no matter what.
I really liked Olive who was always kind and sympathetic to her friends. She was a good friend who tried her best at everything.
This book is great for people who liked the books Keeper of The Lost Cities or The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage. Kathryn Lefroy used lots of exciting vocabulary and great imagery.
The book is amazing as it teaches you about loyalty and friendship. The book is suitable for ages eight to ten. I recommend the book to anyone who loves adventure and excitement.
Dianne Wolfer is the award-winning author of 26 books, including the acclaimed ‘Light’ series, adapted for stage, street theatre, and choirs! She lives on the southwest coast with her husband, Pete, and dog, Harry. Today we’re thrilled to be talking to Dianne about her latest book, a biography of Robin Miller, Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady.
From the publisher:
Imagine flying solo, crisscrossing the north-west of Australia in your own plane, and single-handedly delivering life-saving vaccines to remote communities. Robin Miller did this, and at a time when most people didn’t think women should be pilots at all. Her arrival seemed like magic to the outback children who received her polio vaccine on sugar cubes. Before long, she became known as the Sugarbird Lady. And this was just the start of Robin’s extraordinary real-life adventures!
You’ve included quotes from Robin’s own diary at the start of each chapter. When you need to conduct research about someone from history like Robin Miller, how difficult/easy is it to find the information you need?
Researching someone as respected and loved as Robin Miller was challenging and an honour. To begin with I reread Flying Nurse, written by Robin and published in 1971, as well as The Sugarbird Lady, published after Robin’s death, and based on her diaries. I watched online presentations, including talks by Patsy Millett, Robin’s sister, and read books written by family members (Patsy, her father Horrie Miller, and mother Mary Durack). Both the State Library of Western Australia and the National Library in Canberra hold boxes of Robin’s papers and memorabilia. Sifting through items that Robin treasured helped give me a stronger sense of who Robin was, and how best I could write her story. I loved holding things like the brooch from her air race across the United States! After researching widely, I came back to Robin’s books. That’s where I heard her voice. Quotes from Robin’s books and diaries became the bedrock of my early drafts. Over many story drafts and edits, the quotes were pared back until just a few remain.
Other than diaries, how do you know when the information you find in your research is reliable?
It’s important to cross-reference and check all information. History is recorded by humans who can easily make mistakes and who write from their own perspective. I often asked myself, is this a trustworthy source?
Robin Miller packed in so much during her life and a book is a certain length – how do you decide what to leave out of the book?
Deciding what to leave out was the hardest part! My process is to overwrite then try to edit bravely, cutting out words and unnecessary scenes. So many amazing flights and adventures were left out while shaping the book, to keep the pace moving along. I hope readers will be inspired by Robin’s courage and determination, and that Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady will provide a taster to find out more about this amazing aviator.
When she was a young woman, society (and even family members) tried to put limits on what Robin could do in life and she persisted anyway. In your own life, have you ever faced limitations on what you wanted to do?
Readers might find it hard to believe that until the late 1960s, women who worked in the Australian public service had to give up their job when they married. My mother was one of them. Once the law changed, when I was seven, Mum returned to work. When I finished high school, four years after Robin’s death, it was still unusual for women to venture beyond teaching, nursing or office work. I was lucky that Mum encouraged my sister and I to embrace our adventurous spirits. She hid her worries when I travelled across south-east Asia alone and worked in a remote village in the Himalayas for a year. Over the years there have been improvements, but many industries are still challenging workplaces for women …
What’s next for you?
The start of 2025 has been busy, and wonderful. Three books are coming out with three different publishers: Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady (Fremantle Press), The Colt from Old Regret, illustrated by Erica Wagner (NLA Publishing), and Cattle Muster, illustrated by Frané Lessac (Walker Books). I’ve been working on each book for years and suddenly they’re all here!
I’m also excited to have just launched a newsletter. There’s a link to subscribe on my website. Two other exciting things that are happening: the regional tour of Theatre 180’s The Lighthouse Girl Saga, as well as the Chauvel Light Horse ride, where riders travel 750 km across regional Victoria/NSW to honour Sir Harry Chauvel. They’re presenting schools along the way with copies of The Last Light Horse, my book about the only horse to return from WWI.
Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady is out now! Look for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Sandy Bigna is a reader, a book reviewer and a writer. Today we’re excited to be chatting to her about her debut book – a verse novel called Little Bones.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Little Bones.
From the publisher:
Since the accident, eleven-year-old Bones spends her time drawing animal skeletons and scavenging for dead things to add to her collection. One night, Bones wishes on a full moon and unintentionally resurrects the skeleton of a baby bird. Bird wants to return to his natural (dead) state, so Bones agrees to reverse the curse – not that she knows how. As she and Bird work out the secrets of the magic, Bones remembers what it’s like to have a friend. How can she let Bird go when she doesn’t want to say goodbye?
Sections of Little Bones begin with bones (or skeleton) related definitions. Do you collect bones yourself ? Or did you need to learn more about bones and skeletons as part of writing the book?
While I hadn’t started collecting bones myself before starting to write Little Bones, I’ve always had a fascination with them, and for people who do collect them. As bones are on the inside of us we don’t generally get to see them, which makes them seem mysterious and interesting. I remember once finding some tiny lizard bones in the driveway of the house where I grew up – and to me it was fascinating to have a glimpse of something that is usually hidden. I even took photos! It was this initial fascination that inspired the theme of bones and bone collecting. I needed to do some research to increase my knowledge about bones and skeletons – using both online sources and library books. I learnt many fun facts about bones. Did you know that birds sometimes eat animal bones to get calcium for making eggshells?
How did you come to write this story as a verse novel?
I’ve always loved reading verse novels. I love that they can tell a complete story, and convey such powerful emotions, in so few words. I love all the white space around the words, which helps you as the reader take a breather, and reflect on what is written – and on what is not written. I love the creative placement of words on the page and fun use of text font. I love reading verse novels so much that I always knew I wanted to try to write one of my own, and I’m so glad I did! It just felt like the right way to tell this story, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had writing a manuscript. I had the creative freedom to play with the joy of language.
Is the finished book very different from your first draft of the story? How did editing your work change the story?
Editing is such a valuable part of the journey to publication, and I enjoyed the editing process much more than I thought I would! The finished book changed quite a lot from the original draft that I submitted to the publisher. The first part of the story, and the ending, stayed mostly the same, but the middle part of the story received a much needed overhaul. The hardest part was cutting around 15,000 words from the manuscript! Thankfully my wonderful editor Felicity helped me with this part. We also decided to cut a couple of characters from the story (originally, there were going to be three animal skeleton characters, not just Bird). Once these characters were cut, we realised they were not essential to the plot. With each round of edits the plot was tightened, the magic elements made more consistent, the relationship between Bones and Bird strengthened, and the tension drawn out, to make a more satisfying conclusion. Each round of edits ultimately made the story so much stronger.
Do you have a tip for young writers who would like to try writing a verse novel?
The most important tip is to have fun and try new things! The best part about writing a verse novel is that you have the freedom to play with ideas and language and placement of words on the page. I would also suggest reading a lot – verse novels, as well as all types of fiction and non fiction, to generate ideas, and see how other authors have succeeded in your chosen genre. It’s not essential to read and write poetry to write a verse novel – but I found doing both quite helpful in inspiring me to experiment with free verse and lyrical language. You might even want to try reading song lyrics and listening to music – as in many ways, writing a verse novel is a bit like writing a song! Verse novels often have the same rhythm and energy as music.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m excited about the next chapter of my writing journey. I have a two-book deal with UQP and would ideally like to continue to write for a middle grade audience, as this is where my passion lies, but I am always open to writing for different age groups or experimenting with other genres. I look forward to the next part of this writing journey and sharing more stories of hope, friendship and adventure with you all!
Little Bones is out now! Look for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
Bigfoot vs Yeti is about a Yeti and a Bigfoot and how there was a great big mist and rift between their two colonies. The two colonies always hated each other because they didn’t know anything about each other and were trying to protect themselves from what they didn’t understand, and because they couldn’t see them. One night a bigfoot and a yeti were on the edge of the rift on watch duty and they both had the exact same thought at the exact same time, that they wanted to be face to face and put an end to the rift. Back at home, their colonies were in a fight because they thought the other colony were responsible for each other’s lost bigfoot and yeti. While they were fighting, the bigfoot and the yeti were talking to each other and getting to know each other …
Bigfoot vs Yeti is a picture book, but it’s not like other picture books I’ve read. It’s black and white at the beginning and towards the end a little more colour starts to show. I enjoyed this book because it’s different and at the end you get to see the interesting ending (which I won’t give away). I really liked all the illustrations and they pulled the whole book together.
I think kids of all ages would enjoy it.
I think more than bigfoot and yeti, this book also means to not be afraid to show who you are, and that not everything you don’t know or understand is harmful.
Dorothy raised the key to the lock, but the door creaked open before she could insert it.
When ten-year-old Dorothy opened the door to her new home, she also opened the door to a new adventure at 11 Ruby Road. Dorothy insisted to everyone that the door opened by itself which made her feel curious, but no one in the family seemed to pay attention. She had a vivid imagination and was always noticing minor details.
This book is about Dorothy and her family moving from a farm to the city, Brisbane, also known as the new Sydney. Starting school, Dorothy already knew it was not going to be easy. Will she enjoy her new life there?
I am impressed that Dorothy is determined and tenacious. She is an inspiring person to me because she is always eager to share what is right and to include others. I rate this book 10 out of 10 because it grabs my attention and is thought provoking. This book shows how much a little 10-year-old can do.
James Foley makes picture books, novels and graphic novels for kids. He creates with pen and ink, pencil, charcoal, and watercolour and also uses digital tools for his work. Today we’re excited to be chatting with James about his latest picture book: Bigfoot vs Yeti.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Bigfoot vs Yeti.
From the publisher:
The Bigfoots say it started when a Yeti threw a snowball across the rift. The Yetis say it started when a Bigfoot threw some fruit across the rift. Who could say for sure? One night, a young Bigfoot and a young Yeti decide to find the end of the rift so they can finish the feud – once and for all. Things are about to get hairy …
You used a digital linocut technique for the illustrations – can you tell us a bit about how you created them?
At first I tried real linocut, which is a printmaking technique – you basically take a piece of lino (flat rubbery plastic) and you carve little bits out of it to make the picture. Then you add ink to it, and then you press it on paper. You’re basically making a giant stamp! But I quickly realised it would take a lot more time than I had, and I would need a lot of supplies (and practice) to do it properly. I also wouldn’t have the luxury of an undo key if things went wrong; I would just have to start a picture again.
So rather than doing proper linocut, I used the same techniques digitally: I opened Procreate on my Ipad, downloaded some ‘linocut’ brushes that some much cleverer people had designed, and I created my images that way: digitally ‘carving’ out the images bit by bit.
It was still a challenge, because linocut is the opposite way of thinking to normal drawing. If I want to draw a black line on white paper, then I just get a black pen and draw the line. But if I want to make a black line using linocut, then I need to start with black and add the white around the space where I want the black line to be. I’m carving out all the spaces around where I want the lines to go. It takes a bit of getting used to!
Bigfoot vs Yeti has a touch of Romeo and Juliet (spoiler: with a happier ending). How did you come to choose bigfoots and yetis for the characters in this feud-busting love story?
I didn’t set out to make a story about the ancient feud between Bigfoots and Yetis; that was a surprise! It all started with a character idea. Without giving away too much about the book, there’s a character at the very end that was the first thing I came up with. Then I worked backwards – where would this character come from? And how could I make their backstory full of drama and conflict? That’s where the story came from.
The rift is a metaphor as well as a physical presence in the story. Were the rift illustrations inspired by a place you’ve visited?
The rift wasn’t inspired by an actual place, but I found photos of forests and snowy mountains and lakes, sometimes all together – particularly around the Pacific Northwest of North America. I’d love to visit in person one day.
The story is fun to read aloud, how do you go about drafting a tale like this?
This picture book took a while to marinate – just like Stellarphant did. Both stories are very important to me and I wanted them to be the best they could be. So I wrote many, many versions. Early versions of this didn’t work, so I left it for a long while, brainstormed lots of possibilities, and let the best ideas rise to the top. Then when it came to writing the story, I often read it aloud as I went. I always want to make sure that when the book is bought and taken home, that it’s going to be pleasing for the person who’s reading it as well as the child who’s listening.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m working on four books this year – a capybara sequel, a funny picture book about onomatopoeia, a junior fiction novel written by Nathan Luff, and [drum roll] a non-fiction follow-up to Stellarphant. I can’t wait to share these with everyone! The capybara sequel should be out later this year and the others will be 2026-ish.
Also out this year are the colour editions of Dungzilla (April) and Chickensaurus (June). Exciting times!
Bigfoot vs Yeti is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage by Charlie Archbold, Text Publishing, ISBN 9781922790996
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
The Sugarcane Kids face a crisis: animals are mysteriously disappearing all over town, including Gloria, a beloved pet. Although the kids have their suspicions, the adults refuse to listen. It’s time for the kids to take matters into their own hands and embark on an adventure to solve the mystery.
The Sugarcane Kids and The Empty Cage is not just a story about solving a mystery; it’s a narrative that encourages young readers to take action, work together, and approach challenges with a growth mindset. This heartwarming tale will leave readers with smiles and a sense of hope that echoes long after they turn the final page. It’s a must-read for any young adventurer at heart!
The book is perfect for kids between 7 and 10 years old. I hope you get a chance to read this great story.
The Vanishing by Mark Greenwood, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760993962
REVIEWED BY MARLEY, 9, PALMYRA PRIMARY SCHOOL, WA
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
The Vanishing is a non fiction mystery book about Frederick Valentich going missing in his aircraft. He was a very kind person and his life was going very well for him and he was persistent and dedicated to becoming a pilot. One evening Frederick was meant to fly over Bass Strait but he and his plane vanished after he said he saw a UFO. He described it over the radio in his eerie last transmission as being ‘not an aircraft’.
People have lots of different theories about him going missing. One of them is being abducted by aliens, but his partner, Rhonda, says that he told her he would never board a UFO without her. Another theory is that he crashed into the water, but none of his aircraft pieces were found. There was also a photographer who took a picture that night of the sunset, where Frederick was flying, and it looks like a UFO hovering over his aircraft.
I really enjoyed this book as there was so much information and investigation, and the story itself was really interesting. The cover is also really inviting – if I had seen this cover at the library I would have chosen it. This is the first investigative book I have read and it was a great experience getting to learn about the case and that it actually happened.
I think this book should be for nine or ten years and up because some of the words are really big and hard to read. I think anyone interested in mysteries and cold cases and the paranormal would enjoy this book very much.
Penny Draws a Class Trip by Sara Shepard, Text Publishing, ISBN 9781922790712
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
Sara Shepard has written a great story about Penny Lowry, a girl who loves drawing and writing. Penny is 11 years old and in 5th Grade. She was delighted to find out that her class is going to meet and work with a best-selling author, Billy J Plumberry.
Penny is thrilled that she will be spending the weekend in the big city. Penny is also nervous about the different things in the city like falling pianos or aggressive pigeons.
The thing that worries Penny most is being Violet’s buddy. This means she will have to spend the whole trip with Violet. Violet Vance is her ex-best friend.
The story is very funny and heartwarming. I loved how Sara wrote the story through Penny’s eyes and how the doodles connect with the words.
I would recommend this book for 7–12-year-olds. I think this would also be a good class novel. I hope you read the book.
The Journey by James Norbury, Penguin Books Ltd., ISBN 9780241585382
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.
James Norbury has written a fantastic story about Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. These best friends are always there for each other and help each other every day by being themselves.
Tiny Dragon and Big Panda live in a temple that had seen better days but they did not care. They had a fun and adventurous time in the temple until one day, Tiny Dragon said that he felt incomplete.
Big Panda said that it was time to go on a journey to clear some weeds by the riverbank so flowers could grow once again. Together these friends embark on a magical journey teaching them important lessons. Nothing can stop true friendship.
The book was wonderful and heartwarming. I rate it five out of five stars for it taught me many lessons. I loved reading the book and thinking about the questions that the friends asked. It was a great tale.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to choose their journey. James Norbury made this book for all ages and all the stories apply to anyone and everyone.
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