Category: Book reviews by kids

Posted in Book reviews by Gabriel, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Gisela Kaplan, bird and primate scientist

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY GABRIEL, 10, NSW

Gisela Kaplan Bird and primate scientist, story told by Emily Gale (book cover)

Gisela Kaplan, Bird and Primate Scientist by Emily Gale, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893465

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

How did Gisela Kaplan, a young German survivor of WWII become a world-leading expert in the behaviour of animals?

This book is a biography of Gisela Kaplan written by Emily Gale. Gisela Kaplan had a hard life in Germany after the Second World War. Then after she immigrated to Australia, the book shows how other people helped her along in her career as she played a role in primate and bird science. In addition, there are notes to help explain words you don’t understand.

When she arrives in Australia what jobs could she take? How did she learn a second language, and how does she support her daughter? Read Aussie STEM Stars Gisela Kaplan to find out more and all the answers to these questions!

I like this book and for me, it is five-star rated because it shows an emotional story of immigration. It also shows how much practice has to go into work till you can fulfil your dream, as you can see how she consistently worked away from home, in the work field.   

This book would be for ages ten and up to read by themselves although most children from the age of six to ten can read with someone to help the children understand. Go grab a copy of this amazing book either online or hard copy.

Read a sample chapter from this book

Read our interview with the author

Gabriel is a regular book reviewer at Alphabet Soup. You can read more of his reviews here.

Posted in Book reviews by Gabriel, Book reviews by kids

Book review – Munjed Al Muderis: from Refugee to Surgical Inventor

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY GABRIEL, 10, NSW

Munjed Al Muderis: from refugee to surgical inventor, story told by Dianne Wolfer

Munjed Al Muderis: From refugee to surgical inventor by Dianne Wolfer, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893373

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Obsessed with S.T.E.M. and mechanics, Munjed Al Muderis had a longing to be an osseointegration specialist since he watched the movie Terminator. Soon his dream was coming to reality. He was about to go to America to study. But when he was about to go to Iraq, Iraq stopped the border crossing between America and Iraq. Nevertheless, he found himself training as an orthopedic surgeon in Iraq. Later on, he was forced to flee his homeland of Iraq in 1999 after he refused to cut off the ears of army deserters as a young trainee doctor in Baghdad Hospital. If the government finds him they will kill him for not cutting off their ears.

What will he do? How would he escape the government? Where would he go? Could and would he return home? How will he fulfil his dream to be an osseointegration specialist?

This true and stunning book about Munjed Al Muderis for me is five-star rated because it is an amazing book about how a refugee tries to advance his way up to be an osseointegration specialist. This book will also show you how refugees were treated back then and what would happen to them.

This book would be for ages eight-plus to read. Go grab a copy of this outstanding book either online ebook, kindle or hard copy.

Read a sample chapter of this book

Read our interview with Dianne Wolfer, the author of this book

Read another book review by Gabriel for The Theory of Hummingbirds. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Kobe

Book review: Little Jiang

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Reviewed by Kobe, 9, WA

Little Jiang by Shirley Marr and illustrated by Katy Jiang (book cover)

Little Jiang by Shirley Marr, illustrated by Katy Jiang, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781925816471

The publisher provided a review copy of this book. 

This great novel is a wonderful joy to read. It is about a girl named Mei Ling Pang. Somehow, wherever she goes misfortune is dragged along. An example is when Little Jiang jumps out of his grave right into Mei’s life. Her neighbours have also turned into Chi-sucking jiangshi, which is even worse. This makes this story unbelievably interesting and the opposite of boring. This book is a playground for young readers who will be keen on wondering what will happen next.

This book has happy, exciting and disgusting events – for instance, eating very weird things. The characters in this book are thoroughly described and are beautifully drawn as well. The events are extremely clear and make you feel like you are actually in the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who I know. In conclusion, this book is a perfect book for young readers who love adventure, climax and emotion.

Read a sample chapter from Little Jiang.

Kobe is a regular book reviewer at Alphabet Soup. You can read all her reviews here. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Treehouse Joke Book 2

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY REUBEN, 7, WA

Book cover: The Treehouse Joke Book 2 by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

The Treehouse Joke Book 2 by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton, Pan Macmillan Australia, ISBN 9781760980511

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

This book is hilarious. My favourite thing about the book was being able to tell jokes to people around me.  I love telling these jokes to my friend next door because he always laughs.

The pictures in the book are hilarious – they match the art style so well. Some of the pictures are both funny and weird – like an elephant on a scooter being chased by a mouse!

Take a sneak peek inside the book!

Reuben is a regular book reviewer for Alphabet Soup. Check out his earlier reviews here. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Elizabeth

Book review: Beneath the Trees

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 8, NSW

Beneath the Trees by Cristy Burne and illustrated by Amanda BurnettBeneath the Trees by Cristy Burne, illustrated by Amanda Burnett, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760990411

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

The book Beneath the Trees is by Cristy Burne and it is very entertaining. 

Cam and Sophie want to see a platypus. They go with their cousins Jack and Liv to try and find a platypus in the rain forest. Jack tells Cam and Sophie that if they wear the bright yellow ponchos the platypus won’t come to them, but then one tiny platypus does appear! 

The platypus is in trouble because something is stuck around its neck. Then Jack tries to save the platypus but then he gets into trouble because he falls into the river, and Sophie falls in, too. Cam tries to help Sophie, but they all get stuck in the river and need to be saved. Liv tries to save them by going to find the parents. 

I give this book five stars out of five because this is a realistic and amazing story. I like the section when the leeches crawl up the legs of the cousins and they had to try to get them off to survive! I recommend this book for ages 8 and up. 

Read our interview with the author.

Read the first chapter of Beneath the Trees on the publisher’s website. 

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read another of her reviews here. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Tree

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY AIDEN, 7, WA

The Tree by Graeme BaseThe Tree by Graeme Base, Penguin Books Australia, ISBN 9781760897048

The publisher provided a review copy of this book. 

It is a story about a cow, a duck and mooberry tree.
Cow and duck were friends but they became greedy and lost everything. They learnt that through sharing, they receive a lot more.
We love the message from this story.
This is Aiden’s second review for Alphabet Soup. You can read his earlier review of A Crocodile in the Family here. 
Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Kobe

Book review: Tricky Nick

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY KOBE, 9, WA

Tricky Nick by Nicholas J JohnsonTricky Nick by Nicholas J Johnson, Pan Macmillan Australia, ISBN 9781760787363

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

If you love magic tricks, then I have got a brilliant true and definitely-not-made-up story for you. Pulled right out of the hat is Tricky Nick! This is a real story about a boy named Nick. In fact, he’s the best magician in the world! Magic changed his life and if you live with magic long enough, it’ll probably change yours.

This truly amazing story is all about magic and Nick. It is a truly amazing book and incredible and unbelievable – you would swear that is is so made up, although it is not. In this mystical story, Nick meets a magic mystery girl called Trixie. You’ll even get to learn a trick Nick learnt when he was ten, and a whole bunch more!

This book is such a great book, it is even a magic trick itself – you just read the second last page and you did a fabulous magic trick! If you want a book where you learn a billion tricks, this is certainly the right book for you. I am pretty sure you are walking to the shops as fast as you can!

Read the first three chapters of Tricky Nick on the publisher’s website

Kobe is a regular book reviewer at Alphabet Soup. You can read all her reviews here. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Saskia

Book review: The Fire Star

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY SASKIA, 11, WA

The Fire Star by AL Tait

The Fire Star: A Maven and Reeve mystery by AL Tait, Penguin, ISBN 9781760897079

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

The Fire Star was an interesting book, though it was hard to get into at the start. Maven is a servant to Lady Cassandra and Reeve is a squire for Sir Garrick. The plot is about how a precious stone, which is the foundation of Sir Garrick and Lady Cassandra’s marriage, gets stolen. This causes a lot of accusations and uncovered secrets. The book is filled with lots of plot twists and great descriptive language. The only downside is that the plot is rather complicated and so are the characters. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to ages 11+. I give it seven out of ten.

Read the first chapter on the publisher’s website

Read our interview with Allison Tait about writing The Fire Star

This is Saskia’s second review for Alphabet Soup. Read her review of My Place (Younger readers edition) by Sally Morgan.

Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Matilda recommends THE HEARTSONG OF WONDER QUINN by Kate GordonREVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, NT

The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn by Kate Gordon, UQP, ISBN 9780702262821

The publisher provided a review copy of this book. 

The main characters in The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn are Mabel Clattersham, a bright young girl who has been held back by invisible strings, and Wonder Quinn a bookworm with a lot to share. Wonder has always been lonely with only a crow for company, until she meets Mabel. They become best of friends, but Mabel seems to have a secret, as she writes a strange list of things to do which she wishes to complete. Strangely, nobody else but Mabel and her crow Hollowbeak notice Wonder. Mabel soon reveals something unexpected. Can Wonder leave her somewhat dark past behind her?

I enjoyed reading about when Mabel comes back to school with a meat pie at the ready to throw at their arch enemy Georgiana. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I loved the plot twist, and would recommend it to others.

I rate this book four out of five stars.

Read our interview with the author.

Matilda is a member of our 2020 Top Reads team. This is Matilda’s first book review 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 Kobe

Book review. Georgia Ward-Fear: reptile biologist and explorer

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Georgia Ward-Fear Reptile Biologist and Explorer by Claire SaxbyREVIEWED BY KOBE, 9, WA

Georgia Ward-Fear: reptile biologist and explorer, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893342

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Do you want to visit rainforests and discover new species of animals, hold anacondas and pat great monitor lizards? You can find out a way to be that kind of person just by reading this fabulous Aussie Stem Stars book.

This book is written by Claire Saxby, an author from Melbourne. She moved to Newcastle when she was a toddler and the to Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. Claire is an amazing author for the Aussie Stem Stars series. Claire is such a good author that she makes the reader think they are a part of the story.

Georgia Ward-Fear is an outstanding reptile biologist and explorer. Since she was a toddler she loved animals and the world around her. Soon she became a reptile expert and daring explorer. And before you know it, she was an expert reptile biologist and adventurous explorer. Georgia didn’t become so excellent as quick as light although; with years and years of passion and practice, she got there in the end and she accomplished her goal. The lesson is that even though you might be good at something it takes passion and practice to be truly good at it.

I feel that this book will be most helpful to children willing to be an explorer or animal biologist. Also, I like how the Aussie STEM Stars books give a little quote from the science genius or animal expertise, this book’s quote is:

Follow your curiosity, express your unique self and always stop to observe the wonders of Nature; we are just one among millions.

I think this quote is completely correct and that you will appreciate that this book was made and published.

Read an interview with the author of Georgia Ward-Fear: reptile biologist and explorer.

Kobe is a regular book reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read all her reviews here. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!