Category: Book reviews by Anwen

Posted in Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Leo and Ralph

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
The cover of a children's novel: Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas

Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas, UQP, ISBN 9780702266218

REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 10, WA

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Leo and Ralph is a wonderful book to read if you’re looking for a story about best buds doing whatever they can to be with each other. This book contains lots of plot twists so get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions and feeling like you’re part of the story fighting to stay with your best friend.

Leo is a little boy who is very interested in astronomy and has an alien friend named Ralph. I connected with Leo because I think it’s important to have someone who helps you when you’re feeling down. In this story, Leo and Ralph get separated and the writing really makes you feel their anguish.

I found the writing style easy to read and understand and it really helped me to create a detailed picture in my mind.

I think that this book is overall really good and suitable for all ages, but especially good for children who are just starting to read chapter books because the writing style is simple but there are some big words that provide a good challenge. I recommend this story if you are looking for a drama-filled, relatable read about the struggles of long-distance relationship.

Take a peek inside Leo and Ralph at the publisher’s website.

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!

Posted in Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Kelpie Chaos

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
The cover of a children's book: Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick

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!

Posted in Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
Image shows the cover of a children's nonfiction book: Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst. The cover is predominantly red and shows drawings in a cartoon-like style of some of the women artists at work.

REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 8, WA

Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst, Bloomsbury, ISBN 9781526615343

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories is a non-fiction book. It is written by Kate Pankhurst and is about seven artists and one art collector. The artists in the book are Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Frida Kahlo, Amrita Sher-Gill, Kathe Kollwitz, Dame Laura Knight, Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Faith Ringgold. The art collector is Peggy Guggenheim. She created one of the most important art collections in the world.

I learnt about the lives of these women. I knew a bit about Frida Kahlo already but I learnt more from this book. I found Kathe Kollwitz the most interesting of them all. At a time of war she showed parents and children grieving in her art works. The book made me feel sorrow and happiness. It made me feel inspired too.

The illustrations are detailed and show what the lives of the women were like. Although they have no colour they are spectacular.

I recommend this book for people who like doing art. It is good for people who are seven and over.

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!

Posted in Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: What Snail Knows

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
Image shows the cover of a children's verse novel: What Snail Knows by Kathryn Apel and illustrations by Mandy Foot. The cover illustration shows a small girl in a blue pinafore dress over a yellow tshirt. She's sitting on a swing, holding up a tiny snail in her left hand. She has messy hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. There's a flowerbed underneath the swing.

REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 8, WA

What Snail Knows by Kathryn Apel, illustrated by Mandy Foot, UQP, ISBN 9780702265464

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it for 7 and older. It is a chapter book and has the loveliest illustrations. The artworks are beautiful and detailed. It is a verse novel which means it is a novel but it is like a poem. The words are sometimes in shapes. 

Lucy is the main character. She is kind, calm and lonely. Lucy only has her dad and moves to different places a lot. Lucy asks questions about her family, but her dad doesn’t like to talk about it. Her mum, grandparents and other family are a mystery to her.

Snail is Lucy`s pet and only friend. He means a lot to Lucy. Snail lives in a box in Lucy`s caravan. Lucy only has Snail and her dad until she meets Tahnee. She finally finds a place she likes. But the question is will she stay?

Read our interview with the author of What Snail Knows

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!

Posted in Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Great White Shark

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
Great White Shark by Claire Saxby and Cindy Lane

REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 8, WA

Great White Shark by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Cindy Lane, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781760651848

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

This book has a nice story that follows a shark’s day and shows facts about Great Whites. I learnt more about this species of shark from this book. Did you know that female Great Whites grow about as long as a giraffe is tall and may weigh more than a large car?

Great White Shark has amazingly good illustrations. They are so detailed and beautiful. It looks realistic because Cindy Lane used seawater, watercolours, pencil, found natural pigments, digital drawing and digital collage to make different textures. She’s done wonderful blending and she has used lots of colours in her art. It shows underwater scenes with other sea creatures and beautiful coral.

Overall, Great White Shark is a spectacular book and is suitable for all ages over four.

Check out Alphabet Soup’s interview with the illustrator, Cindy Lane.

This is Anwen’s second book review for Alphabet Soup. You can read her review of No! Never! here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!