We know Term Three is always jam-packed. In case your calendar has fallen off the wall in protest: this is a reminder to get your entries in for our Young Book Reviewers’ Competition by this Friday, 9 August 2024!
There are prizes in two age categories and also for the school with the highest number of entries. (Entries can be made as individuals via a parent, or multiple students can be entered via a teacher.)
For all the details, check out our Terms & Conditions page.
Good luck!
Shirley Marr is an award-winning author and first generation Chinese-Australian living in sunny Perth. Shirley describes herself as having a Western Mind and an Eastern Heart and writes in the middle where both collide. She bases her stories on her own personal experiences of migration and growing up in Australia. Today we’re chatting to Shirley about her novel Countdown to Yesterday.
From the publisher:
James wishes he could go back in time. Back to when his mum and dad were together, when he had one home, when his family laughed and climbed hills and went to the movies. After meeting the enigmatic Yan, a girl who looks at the world differently, James discovers time travel might not be impossible after all. But if James can live forever in one of his six favourite memories, which one will he choose?
Can you tell us how you choose a title for your books?
Sometimes the title is the very first thing that I come with, but with Countdown to Yesterday, the quest to find the perfect title was a very long and drawn-out process that ended up involving my literary agent, my Australian, UK and US editors! I guess trying to find something clever, that also summed up all the big ideas in the book, was quite tricky. My working title was Tin Foil Tin Machine and other suggestions (among many more) included The Yesterday Machine, My Life in Six Memories, See You Yesterday, If We Go Back, Ground Control to Major Tom and My Favourite Yesterdays. I am interested in what the readers think of these alternatives!
If someone turned up with a time machine and offered to send you back in time … would you decide to go?
I don’t think I would try and go back to change anything, even the very worst of my memories, in case it changes the life I am living today. Right now, I am a full-time author who gets to write every single day and I feel I’m living my best life. Even though it took a long and hard time for me to get to this position. If I had a chance though, to be part of the audience at the very last Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars concert, I would definitely say yes! I would just watch very enthusiastically and be very careful not to do anything to affect history.
What’s your favourite cake in the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book? (Have you ever had it for your birthday cake?)
That is the hardest question because I love them all. I’d have to say that like James in my book, I think the rocket cake is the best. I have never had it for my birthday, but I am hoping someone will bake it for my birthday next year.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I am hoping that I can go back to Christmas Island either this year or the next. I grew up there as a child before arriving to Perth on the mainland and I would love to write an authentic and unique middle grade about the jungles, the basalt cliffs and the unique birdlife. I think the way that the red crabs migrate down to the beaches each year is a beautiful analogy for human migration.
Could you suggest a word prompt for young writers wanting to start a new story?
How about the word TIME?
Countdown to Yesterday is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS
Read the first chapter of Countdown to Yesterday
Read a review of the book by Gabriel, age 13
Download a Countdown to Yesterday Word Search
Download the Teachers’ Notes for this book
Visit Shirley Marr’s website for more about her and her books
Deborah Abela is an award-winning author and trained as a teacher before becoming writer/producer of a national children’s TV show. She has since written 30 internationally published and awarded books, including the Max Remy series, her climate change trilogy – Grimsdon, New City and Final Storm – and The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee. The Book of Wondrous Possibilities is about the power of books to save us when we feel lost. Today we’re thrilled to host Deborah to talk about her latest book: The Kindness Project.
Her teacher, Ms Skye, thinks kids can change the world with a Kindness Project. Nicolette wants to but how can she when Layla treats her like she’s invisible and DJ picks on everything she says? Leaf thinks Nicolette can be a superhero. So maybe if they work together they just might do it …
You’ve written 25 novels – what led you to write this one as a verse novel?
I’ve LOVED verse novels for so long. They’re like a regular novel, but instead of chapters there are verses. This means they have to get to the point very quickly, so they’re often real page-turners. I also LOVED playing with the look of the words on the page, so if something is
I wanted the word to look big. Same if a character felt scared or lonely. That was fun.
Did you need to learn any new skills before you started writing a novel in verse?
The big skill was learning how to tell a big story with not so many words. That meant I had to concentrate really hard on finding the exact word for everything that happened.
How did you feel about group projects when you were at school?
That depended on who was in my group. If I was with my friends, it was fun, but sometimes I had to be in a group with people I didn’t know, and that was hard, but if we were excited about the project, it worked out really well! So when Ms Skye puts Nicolette into a group with kids who don’t like her, I totally understand why she’s nervous.
Do you have a writing tip for kids who would like to try their hand at writing a verse novel?
Think about a something that has happened to you that made you feel happy or nervous or excited. eg auditioning for a play, getting your first pet, the soccer grand final. Tell that story, including how you felt, but only writing a few words per line. Include only the really important parts of that story. When you’re happy, look at the verse and see which words you can make look like their meaning. Here’s an example from pages 16 and 17. in The Kindness Project.
What’s next for Deborah Abela?
I am working on two junior fiction ideas and a middle grade novel, but I have a new picture book coming out in February 2025 called No More Room in the Bed. It’s about a dark and stormy night and a bed that becomes full of frightened creatures who all want to squeeze in beside Dad. Until it all becomes too much!
The Kindness Project is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or your local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Read some more writing tips from Deborah Abela
Download the Teachers’ Notes for The Kindness Project
Visit Deborah Abela’s website for more about her and her books
Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist, science communicator and author.
Vanessa’s research is extensive, she has even used drones to collect whale snot, and computer algorithms and AI for the detection of illegal wildlife trafficking! Vanessa is the author of three books, with more on the way. Today we’re excited to be talking to her about her latest children’s book: Oceans at Night, illustrated by Cindy Lane.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Oceans at Night.
From the publisher:
As night-time nears, a world of creatures comes alive in our oceans. Settle in and explore the wonderful world under the waves, and see what animals do from sunset to sunrise. From penguins to sharks, giant squid and plankton, discover the fascinating after-dark lives of ocean creatures. Oceans at Night showcases the beauty and wonder of life below the sea, so dive deep and discover what happens while you sleep!
What dangers does a marine biologist face while conducting research?
Working with animals, like whales, can be dangerous because they are so big! We also have to make sure that we don’t touch anything that could be harmful as many sea creatures can bite and sting. When we conduct science, we always make sure that the animals are safe and so are humans. This means lots of planning and asking questions before we even go into the sea. Thankfully, we can use new technologies like drones to gather scientific information from whales without having to be close to them or needing to touch them.
Do you have a favourite sea creature from those included in Oceans at Night?
Yes! I LOVE sunfish. These are the biggest bony fish in the sea! They look like aliens and flap their flips on the top and bottom of their big bodies. We sometimes see them off Sydney, Australia. I also swam with them in the Galapagos islands. I wanted to make sure this book showed some of the incredible creatures I love and have seen. I have yet to see cuvier’s beaked whales or dumbo octopus. Perhaps I can go on a quest to meet the creatures of Oceans At Night one day.
Some of the sea creatures in the book live in very deep ocean. How do you study these creatures – can you get down there yourself somehow?
That’s true! The dumbo octopus and angler fish are a great example of this. I think I would need to go down very deep in a submarine. Or, perhaps we could send a remotely operated underwater vehicle to try and spot one. Getting to the ocean depths is dangerous and expensive so I am not sure if I will ever get to see these creatures. Perhaps through ongoing scientific research, we might get to see one of these creatures in the near future.
What do wish more people knew about our oceans?
How important it is for all of us. Many of us might not know that the ocean is so important for our everyday lives here on land. The ocean helps provide the air we breathe, and regulates our climate. Whales, for example, are very important for eating in one area and pooing in another – moving nutrients (good things for our ocean) around. Whales are kind of like a cow on land, they eat and then their poo helps the grass grow.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I LOVE writing books and I’ve been thinking about something very special for a long time now. I love being able to educate and explore different worlds inside and out of the school classroom. Watch this space.
Oceans at Night is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Download the Teachers’ Notes for Oceans at Night [scroll down to the For Teachers tab]
Visit the author’s website for more about her and her books
REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 10, WA
Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760993856
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
I think that Kelpie Chaos is a great book for all ages of readers because there is that thrill and excitement that many readers thrive with in their reading. It’s very clear and descriptive in a way that helps you create a picture in your mind but also lets you imagine what it looks like and what’s going to happen next.
This book has a story that a lot of people would be able to relate to – an excited puppy racing about and the sick feeling that you might not find your beloved friend. I also like how the titles sort of point out one sentence or part of that chapter and that most of them are really funny.
I encourage everybody to read this book and you see what I mean about it being amazing! Read and enjoy!
Read chapter one at the publisher’s website.
Read our interview with the author: Deb Fitzpatrick.
Anwen is a regular book reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of her reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
Nat Amoore has been a trapeze artist and circus performer, a podcaster, and now she’s an award-winning children’s author. Since Nat’s first book – Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire – was published in 2019, she’s published five more books and there are plenty more on the way! Today we’re pleased to be chatting about her latest venture: the Shower Land series, illustrated by James Hart.
From the publisher:
Felix hates Mondays. Dad’s yelling at him to get up. His little brother, Olly, is being super annoying. So when Felix shuts the bathroom door, he wishes he could get away. He turns on the shower and . . . REEEEKKKKKK!
A hilarious junior fiction series where getting in the shower might send you to another world.
When you were a kid were you up and out the door at the crack of dawn, or hard to get going after the alarm went off?
Oh, definitely up and out! I still am. I was never really much of a sleep-in kind of person. There was too much cool stuff out there waiting to be done. Even when getting up early meant going to school. Okay, so the actual school part wasn’t my favourite but I was always dying to see my friends. I also grew up on a farm so getting up early was kind of standard practice. My parents would kick us out of the house after breakfast and we would run around in the paddocks having cow poo fights and building treehouses. Then we were allowed back for lunch and sent out again until the sun went down. And to this day, I still get up early to write. I write best from about 5:30am until 12pm and then in the afternoon I’m kind of useless. So that’s when I do all my admin stuff … or go for a walk on the beach and pat everyone else’s puppies.
If you could be transported via shower to another place, would you try it? (Even if you might end up somewhere without any clothes on?)
ABSOLUTELY!!! Like Felix, I think I would figure out the clothes part quick enough. Teleporting to other worlds is my ultimate dream, even with all the risks involved. I mean it’s essentially why I’m an author right? So, I can just go to other worlds in my head for a living. Life is an adventure and I’ll take every cool experience I can along the way. Even with the risk of not knowing what or where, I couldn’t resist. Otherwise, I would always live in regret thinking, ‘What if I had said yes?’ Where would I have gone? What have I missed out on? I mean, once I had teleported to the prehistoric times and gotten my head bitten off by a T-rex, I might have second thoughts. But by then it’s too late anyway so YES! Let’s do it!
Even though Olly can be an annoying little brother, his jokes are pretty funny. Do you have a go-to joke for parties/Christmas lunch/ice-breakers at an event?
Ha! I love Olly. I’ve always wanted a younger sibling (I only have an older brother) and I love giving my characters funny younger siblings. I have a few go-to jokes. It’s good to have them up your sleeve I think and kids are ALWAYS asking me to tell a joke, or ‘what’s my best joke’? They change all the time but I like jokes that really rely on delivery and so my current favourite is …
What do we want? Low-flying airplane noises! When do we want them? NEEEEYYYOOOOOOOOWWWW!
But I also love …
What did the drummer call his twin daughters?
Anna 1, Anna 2
BA HA HA HA HA!
Do you have a tip for young writers who’d like to write a funny book?
Ooohhh, this is hard because I don’t really sit down and think ‘I’m going to write a funny book’. BUT what I am sure will help, is to think about what makes YOU laugh or what you think is funny and, even more importantly, what you DON’T find funny, especially when it is trying to be. I don’t like mean humour. Even when Olly makes fun of Felix, he’s not actually picking on any real characteristic of Felix’s. What is much stronger in the story and their relationship is the love, the banter and the bond that they have that allows for them to tease and play knowing that the brotherly love lies beneath. This then allows for them to joke and not get hurt. I would never have Olly insulting a random kid at school. Humour is less about the jokes and more about the interactions and relationships and the joy of laughter that falls in the gaps.
For a prompt, the next time you find something hilarious – I’m talking snort-laugh kind of funny – use that as a prompt for a story. It might be a joke your friend tells you, or when your baby sister comes out with her nappy on her head (clean or dirty, your pick!) Use this funny thing as a prompt for a story.
Can you tell us a little about what you’re working on next?
So, I’m working on two things at the moment. Firstly, the very final pages of Shower Land 3: Walk The Plank just before it goes to print. I love this stage of a book where you are just reading it for the last time and making any final little tweaks before you release it into the world. It’s nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time. And I’m also working on a brand new middle grade book. It’s a bit of a change for me – a spooky, slightly fantasy style story but don’t worry, still funny! It’s a big project and I’m moving much more slowly on it than my other book because there are so many threads and important world building bits. I can’t wait to share it with you all!
Books 1 and 2 in the Shower Land series are out now! Ask for them at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Watch a book trailer for Book 1 [YouTube]
Listen to Nat Amoore read from Book 1: Break the Curse (click on ‘play sample’ just under the book cover)
Take a sneak peek inside Book 2: Feel the Freeze
Visit Nat Amoore’s website for more about her and her books
Sally Murphy is an author, poet, speaker and educator based in the South West of Western Australia. Sally has published more than 40 books, and we’re thrilled to be chatting to Sally about her verse novel: Queen Narelle, with illustrations by Simon O’Carrigan.
From the publisher:
Narelle is the queen of her household, ruler of the family and, most importantly, Maddie’s wisest and best friend. So when things are not going right for Maddie, and school feels like a lonely and sad place, it is Queen Narelle who regally watches, waits and listens to her favourite human in her time of need.
You have a dog (hi George!) … how did you come to write a book about a regal cat?
When I wrote the book I had not owned a cat for a very long time, but when I was a kid my only pets were cats, and I adore them. Narelle came to me as a cat-character and insisted I write her story. George is very much not amused. And, since the book came out, I once again have a cat – a gorgeous tortoiseshell kitten who I have had to name Narelle. The good news is that George and Narelle get along very well – except when they are busily play fighting.
Queen Narelle is your fifth verse novel and you’re also a multi-published poet. Do you find there’s a difference when writing a standalone poem compared to a poem that’s part of a verse novel?
Yes. Verse novels are poetry, but while they use many of the same techniques as standalone poems, they must also work as narratives. So it is important to include narrative elements such as plot, characterisation and dialogue in ways that aren’t always needed in standalone poems. So, when writing a verse novel I am trying to keep the narrative moving with each poem, while also drawing on the poet’s toolbox – things like line length, white space, imagery, repetition and more.
When you sat down to write Queen Narelle did you know it would be a verse novel (rather than a prose novel)?
Yes, this was always going to be a verse novel. I had written others before I wrote this one, and had decided that this cat needed a story. I started by writing from the cat’s perspective and, as I wrote, a story started to emerge. Later I realised that Narelle’s human, Maddie, would also need to tell her story, and so alternated their voices.
Do you have a tip for young writers who would like to write from the point of view of an animal?
I think its important to write about animals that you are able to closely observe or have had close contact with. Not every cat will be the same, and nor will each dog, or rat, or elephant. It’s only by observation that you can see the habits and mannerisms of an animal, and use those to develop a personality which will in turn lead to the way the animal speaks or thinks. Using first person helps to take you inside those thoughts of the animal so that you are not describing, but showing.
What’s next for Sally Murphy?
I have another verse novel, The Riding Gallery (with illustrations by Martina Heiduczek) on its way. It’s quite different from Queen Narelle, because it is based on some real events that happened in St Kilda during World War I. A man named Anton Weniger, who was born in Germany, opened a new merry-go-round on the St Kilda foreshore but, unfortunately, because he was German, some people did not want him there. I took this real event and added some fictional characters, two children who befriend him. I have also had some fun playing with poetic form – including some poems written using words from newspaper articles from 1915, and other poems that are designed to be read by two people at the same time (Poems for Two Voices), so that we get both characters’ viewpoint at the same time. The Riding Gallery will be released in July this year.
Queen Narelle was released in 2023. Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Hear Sally read some of her poetry (scroll down to find the videos)
Visit Sally Murphy’s website for more about her and her books.
For grown-ups: Come to the launch of Sally’s next verse novel (July 18th 2024). Hear about the book, get teaching ideas, and network with fellow educators and children’s book enthusiasts.
Download the Teachers’ Notes for Queen Narelle.
REVIEWED BY SKYE, 11, CALIFORNIA, USA
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 9780312535636
Skye reviewed her own copy of this book.
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate is a heartfelt story about finding a true home away from home. An 11-year-old refugee named Kek migrates from Africa to America to live with his only living family members, his aunt and cousin. As curious as he is, English is not his native tongue and he finds that life in America happens to be a great deal different.
What makes this book so special is the poetry of the language and the way Kek observes the world in this new environment. One of my favourite quotes is the first line of the book: ‘When the flying boat returns to earth at last, I open my eyes and gaze out the round window. What is all the white? I whisper. Where is all the world?’ This was the moment I realized Kek had never been on an airplane before. He says ‘flying boat’ to describe an airplane, using the only English words he knows.
Adventuring through this new world, Kek meets friends who bring him strength, including a girl in foster care who might actually understand what he’s been through. Kek in return brings his own meaning of life to America. He finds a weary old cow in need of love; the owner does not have the money to give the cow the life it deserves. In Kek’s culture cows are the meaning of life, also known as ‘God with a wet nose.’ Kek knows there is beauty in this cow and makes it his mission to love the cow like his native people would have treated them.
This book makes you feel happy and teaches the life lesson of being grateful. Kek’s innocent mistakes continue to make me smile. The story symbolises hearts being mended not only for Kek but also the people around him. My rating would definitely be a 10 out of 10.
This is Skye’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
*NEW CLOSING DATE* Entries close 9 August 2024.
Our Young Book Reviewers’ Competition is back! The comp is open to Australian residents aged 12 or younger. Entries must be submitted by a parent, guardian or teacher (with parents’ permission). Instructions for entry can be found on our website in Terms & Conditions.
To enter: Review a children’s book from any genre. There is no word limit for reviews.
ENTRY: FREE
PRIZES:
All longlisted and winning reviews will be published at Alphabet Soup’s website: http://www.alphabetsoup.net.au.
Winner of the Junior category (students in Kindy, Preprimary, Year 1 and Year 2) will receive a $30 book voucher.
Winner of the Primary category (Year 3 and above) will receive a $50 book voucher.
The school that enters the highest number of reviews by students will also receive a prize.
Entries close 9 August 2024 and winners will be announced 30 August 2024.
Happy reading!
Fionna Cosgrove is a Western Australian writer with a taste for the wonderfully macabre. Her writing has been published in The School Magazine and anthologies, and she’s also the author of the Twisted Trails series for young readers. Today we’re chatting to Fionna about how she writes her Twisted Tales!
About the Twisted Trails series:
Will you end up a zombie’s breakfast? Or maybe coming face to face with a kelp-haired sea witch is more your style? Whatever your taste, you’ll find it in this wild and spooky interactive series … How will your story end? Well, that’s entirely up to you.
What brought you to write The Midnight Manor (Book 1 of your series)?
It actually came about while I was waiting to hear back from publishers about another manuscript. I had sent out one manuscript and was wondering what to write next. It was around October, and I thought why not quickly write a book for my niece and nephew for Christmas? So I started writing The Midnight Manor. It was only meant to be a short choose-your-path book, aimed at kids 6–8. With that in mind, the word count was quite low, so I wrote the book within a few weeks. It was once I went back and started fleshing it out that the book kept expanding, and expanding and expanding, and I realised pretty quickly I had a middle grade book in my hands … and not just one, but a whole series. Once I had written the draft I figured if I’m going to get it printed for my niece and nephew, why not self publish it and put it out into the world? So with shaking hands, I started the process!
The idea for a series developed pretty easily after that. Why not write more if the first one was so much fun? Plus, there are MANY more creepy settings I’d love to explore!
How do you go about plotting a choose-your-path style book when there are so many different storylines/endings to keep track of?
I found this tricky. I initially just started writing and at any point that felt like a decision needed to be made, I made a fork and went on my merry way. It was only after a few forks and a few dead ends and plot holes, that I realised I needed to be a bit more organised. I pulled out a giant piece of paper and started drawing a big old story map. I start with one box at the top then drew two lines out of that for each decision with more and more boxes and lines indicating the paths. It sounds a bit complicated but it’s actually pretty easy. I’ve even made some free printouts you can download from my website that talk you through it.
One thing that can get confusing is time lines. Trying to remember where all your characters would be if different choices were made or not made can get a little confusing, but plotting it out helps! As far as the endings, I like to have a good mix of ‘reasonably happy’ endings and ‘not so happy at all’ endings, with one or two ‘absolutely perfect’ endings. I also try and figure out the ‘absolutely perfect’ endings first so that I have a bit of direction while I’m writing, otherwise I have a tendency to get myself a little lost …
You also write the regular kind of novels that only have one ending! Does one type of book take longer to write than the other?
The choose-your-path books are actually much quicker to write for me. They are full of crazy twists and turns and wild characters, but I don’t spend too much time on backstories or character growth. It’s fast-paced action with a lot of humour thrown in. And horror … a lot of horror.
I have a book coming out in October called Sadie and The Secret of The Swamp which has just one story line! I know, crazy. And that took me over a year and a half to write and edit. In comparison, The Midnight Manor only took three months from first draft to sending it off to my editor.
Do you have a tip for kids who’d like to try writing their own choose-your-path book?
Choose a great setting! With an interactive book you get dumped right into the action straight away so there’s less time for a detailed backstory. I find the best way to add some intrigue is to have a brilliant setting that acts as its own character. A spooky mansion that appears out of the mist at midnight … or a submerged grotto filled with bioluminescent coral in a deserted town, or my latest one – a creepy summer camp set in the middle of the forest.
And use a story map to keep track of your paths!
I’d also like to say plot everything out to save you running into plot holes and dead ends everywhere, but sometimes I think the most fun part of writing is discovering the story as you go. So just have fun. The first draft is meant to be messy and weird. The second draft is for making sense of it!
What’s next for Fionna Cosgrove?
I have two books coming out this year! I have book 3 of my Twisted Trails series: Camp Crypt. This is my creepiest one yet, with even my 45-year-old sister telling me she had to sleep with the lights on after reading it. (Spoiler, she’s not a fan of clowns). And I have another spooky mystery – Sadie and The Secret of the Swamp – coming out at the end of October. Other than that, I’ve booked in a few author talks across the year, so that should keep me and my nerves busy for a while. And in general, I just want to keep writing and live a creative life, however that looks at any particular moment.
Ask for the Twisted Trails series at your favourite bookshop or library, or order online.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Download printable instructions to write your own Twisted Trails at the author’s website [newsletter sign-up required]
Read a review of The Midnight Manor (Book 1) by Ayaan, age 12
Visit Fionna Cosgrove’s website for more about her and her books
alphabetsoup.net.au 