Alphabet Soup

Book review: Nim at Sea

Posted on January 2, 2015January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr, pictures by Kerry Millard, Allen & Unwin, ISBN 9781741148619

Nim at sea

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda borrowed a copy of this book from her local library.

I’ve watched the movie Nim’s Island and I saw this book in the library, so I borrowed it. Now I’ve read Nim at Sea, I will have to read Nim’s Island.

In this book, Nim tells Alex in a really angry way that it would be better if she was off the island. So Alex goes. Jack still thinks Alex is on the island and Nim is going to get into really big trouble. Then Selkie (a sea lion friend) gets captured by the Troppo Tourists — can Nim get Selkie back? Can they all be together as a group again?

I really like the bits when Fred (the marine iguana) sneezes and everyone says “Yuck, Fred!” and I like feeling inside the story and wanting to encourage Nim.

Kids that like books with lots of adventure should read Nim at Sea. (So should kids who love Nim’s Island.) This book is great for kids aged 8+.

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Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The Red Wheelbarrow. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

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Write 31 poems in 31 days!

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Alphabet Soup

Month of Poetry is run by children’s writer Kathryn Apel and is open to anyone — children and adults — anywhere in the world. Aim to write one poem per day during January and at the end of the month you’ll have a drawer full of new poems.

If you register at the Month of Poetry site (it’s free to register), Kathryn will send you a password. The poem pages are not open to the public, so only participants with the password will be able to see poems, post their own poems, and add comments. Once a week there will be a specific poetry challenge (e.g. a theme or an image) posted to the site. If you have registered, you can use the password to post your poem for that day onto the locked pages, and you can read other participant’s poems … and comment on them if you like.

Of course, you don’t need to sign up to the website to write a poem a day … you can just quietly (or loudly) write a poem every day in January anyway. But if you’d like a bit of encouragement, then the Month of Poetry site is a great way to get your writing kickstarted for 2015.

To find out more about the Month of Poetry, (or to sign up) head over to the Month of Poetry website!

But BEWARE: THE LAST DAY YOU CAN REGISTER is Tuesday 30th December 2014. That’s TODAY! (Children who want to take part will need an adult to register them. Happy writing!)

Book reviews by kids

Book review: New City

Posted on December 22, 2014December 18, 2014 by Alphabet Soup

New City by Deborah Abela, ISBN 9781742758558,
Random House Australia

New city

REVIEWED BY VERONICA, 11, NSW

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

New City is the sequel to Grimsdon, but you don’t need to read the first book to appreciate New City.

The book is set after the events of Grimsdon, when Isabella, adult friend Jeremiah, and her other friends, who survived together in the first book, are taken from the flooded Grimsdon to the beautiful New City. They are treated like heroes and live in luxury. But is it such a wonderful place, or do darker secrets lie beneath?

The kids have faced sea monsters and evil lords, but now they have new threats to face.

New City shows how the people can make change happen, and how just one person can make a change in the world. I like how Deborah has used real events from our times for her own story, and she has made her characters likeable and believable. They have developed over the course of the story and you can see their friendship with each other.

Deborah’s writing is is simple and sweet. But I do believe that some of Deborah’s ideas are unrealistic.

As this is set in the future, all sorts of new inventions have been invented, like invisible wings called Ornithopters. They have cameras everywhere, and hi-tech technology is a solid part of the people’s lives. Yet, they still use eagles as messenger birds, when technology would’ve normally replaced them.

Deborah has brought out a unique story that will be enjoyable for children of ages 9 and up. If you enjoy adventures in worlds that are both like and unlike our own, then this book is worth a try. In my opinion, this is an improvement on Grimsdon. Deborah has explored new ideas and has presented them well. I rate New City 4 stars out of 5.

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Do you think you’d enjoy this book? You can read a sample of New City on the publisher’s website.

Veronica is a member of our Top Reads Team, and this is her first book review on Alphabet Soup’s blog. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by Celine, Book reviews by kids

Book review: My Life as an Alphabet

Posted on December 19, 2014January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg, Allen and Unwin, ISBN 9781743310977

My Life as an Alphabet

REVIEWED BY CELINE, 12, WA

Celine reviewed her own copy of this book.

Candice Phee has led an extraordinary life, and her family has gone through much sadness: the loss of her younger sister’s life, her mother’s breast cancer, and her father’s fight with his brother. Candice herself has no friends, and many of her classmates think of her as someone who has ‘special needs’, even though she is perfectly normal. She desperately wants her family and herself to become normal, and happy as they used to be. When Douglas Benson, the new kid in class becomes friends with Candice, things start to change. Candice decides that she will make everyone happy, and so, with the help of Uncle Brian and the advice of Earth-Pig-Fish, Candice strives to make her world a better place. Will her plan work?

This book is recommended to girls who love stories about relationships with a twist of science fiction. It was a marvellous story, and although some of it was hard to believe, I would give this book a rating of 10/10.

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Celine is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The Broken Sun. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: The Red Wheelbarrow

Posted on December 18, 2014January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

The Red Wheelbarrow by Briony Stewart, UQP, ISBN 9780702249259

The Red Wheelbarrow

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda reviewed her own copy of this book.

There are no words in this picture book — the pictures tell the story. There’s a big sister and a little sister and they have a red wheelbarrow to sit in and eat lollies. One has a blanket and one has pigtails. They love each other but there is some fighting because the little sister wants another lolly but the big sister won’t give her another one. There are some chickens watching nearby.

I’d love to have a wheelbarrow I could play in — I could put a pillow in it and drag it into my room and sleep in it. It would be so relaxing to have a bed on wheels.

There’s a photo at the end of the book which shows you that the book is really about when Briony and her sister used to sit in a wheelbarrow when they were kids.

I think little sisters and big sisters will like this book. (It teaches them not to be selfish to the little sister, or not to have a tantrum if the big sister is being selfish.)

The Red Wheelbarrow would be good for 3 to 7 year olds.

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Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Orpheus and Eurydice. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

poetry, Soup Blog Poetry Festival

Time for a poem: The Electric Fence

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Alphabet Soup

The Electric Fence

by Veronica Hester

Imagine the tragedy that
Had befallen me
The boomerang flung through the air
No, it didn’t hit me
I walked through the long grass
No, a snake didn’t bite me
The sunset was blooming
The boys were on their gleaming motorbikes
No, they didn’t run me over
But the noise should’ve killed me.

I took it all in
Smiling, breathing
And leaned on the fence
Right in front of me
I, of course, had forgotten
That I was on a farm
And when fences are silver
You don’t lean on them.

And that’s why I don’t lean on fences.
Ever.

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This poem was the winner of our 2014 poetry competition. For more writing competitions for kids, check out our Comps for Kids page.

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The winner of Alphabet Soup’s 2014 poetry comp

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Alphabet Soup

Thank you to all the young poets who entered our 2014 Poetry Competition. We were blown away by the quality of your poems and our judge (Rebecca Newman) had a very hard time choosing one winner. Rebecca did have a fabulous time reading all your poems!

The winners:

1st place — $30 book voucher

‘The Electric Fence’ by Veronica Hester, 11, NSW

Judge’s comments: This free-verse poem crafted a clear scene for the audience. Effective use of repetition builds anticipation and the voice of the storyteller is engaging. What is not said (but left to our imagination) adds an amusing layer to the poem.

2nd place

‘Sounds of the Night’ by Jamie D’Mello, 7, WA

Highly Commended

‘The Dark Clown’ by Meg Edelman, 12, WA

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Certificates (and first prize) will be posted out to these poets at the end of the week. Don’t go away! We’ll post Veronica’s winning poem here on the blog later today …

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Book review: Orpheus and Eurydice

Posted on November 28, 2014January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

Orpheus and Eurydice, retold by Hugh Lupton & Daniel Morden, ill. Carole Hénaff, Barefoot Books, ISBN 9781846867842

orpheus and eurydice

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda reviews her own copy of this book.

This is a Greek myth and it tells the story of how Orpheus and Eurydice got married but then Eurydice died. Orpheus really loved Eurydice so he goes to the Land of Forgetfulness (the Land of the Dead) to ask for Eurydice back. He thinks he can get her back if he plays his lyre for the god Hades and the goddess Persephone. Will life go back to normal for Orpheus and Eurydice?

I already knew this myth from school and this book explains the story really well.

I like the illustrations because they are like paintings from a mural and I like the extra decorations added — like swirls in Eurydice’s hair.

The story does have creepy parts, so BEWARE! In other bits the words are so soothing and they get into your heart and make your heart burn with sadness for Orpheus and Eurydice.

People from ages 8+ will like this book and also people who like Greek myths, folktales and adventures.

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Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The Lost Girl. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Author: Alphabet Soup