Category: Book reviews by kids

Posted in Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Skye Blackburn-Lang

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The cover of Skye Blackburn-Lang: Eating bugs for the planet by Dianne Wolfer. This is a biography for children. The cover illustration shows Skye (who has pale skin and straight red hair) holding two live crickets.

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Skye Blackburn-Lang: Eating bugs for the planet by Dianne Wolfer, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893694

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Have you ever eaten a bug cookie? Well, Skye Blackburn-Lang has.

As the oldest child, Skye was curious about animals that when she was younger she even tried to eat a snail! She lived in Port Macquarie and Sydney where she took home insects to investigate and observe. Skye went to a museum on insects where she found jars of insects and spiders stacked to the ceiling. That’s when she knew that she wanted to be an entomologist. She was so interested in insects and spiders that she had a pet tarantula called Fluffy and she even kept its exoskeleton mounted in a frame!

This book is interesting because it is about Skye’s childhood and how she mixes food science and bugs to make sustainable food. Unlike the other books in this series this book is colourful, has photographs of insects and spiders and has two insect recipes at the end. I thought it was lovely.

I rate this book 10/10. I recommend this for children above 7 years old and those who like bugs.

Take a look inside the book on the publisher’s website!

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of 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 Olivia

Book review: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

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Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

REVIEWED BY OLIVIA, 9, WINNIPEG, MANNITOBA, CANADA

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Penguin, ISBN 9780141329994

Olivia reviewed her own copy of this book.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is an interesting, intriguing, and exciting book about two demigods (kids with one godly parent and one mortal parent) and a satyr (half human, half goat) Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, who embark on a journey to get back Zeus’s lightning bolt. Zeus, the god of the sky, has had his master lightning bolt stolen. Zeus blames his brother, Poseidon, god of the sea, Percy’s dad. Can Zeus get his lightning bolt back? Is Poseidon responsible for Zeus’s missing bolt?

My favorite part of this story is when Percy meets Annabeth, where Annabeth tells Percy that he drools when he sleeps. This is my favorite part because it’s hilarious and hysterical.

My favourite character is Annabeth, because she is prepared for anything, and she is very smart. I’d rate this a 20 out of 20 because it is comedic, exciting, and makes you want to read it. I’d recommend it to ages ten and up.

Take a look inside this book on the publisher’s website!

This is Olivia’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Gabriel, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Lizard’s Tale

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Image shows the cover of a children's novel: Lizard's Tale by Weng Wai Chan. The cover illustration shows a building in Singapore prior to World War II.

REVIEWED BY GABRIEL, 12, NSW

Lizard’s Tale by Weng Wai Chan, Text Publishing, ISBN 9781925603910

Gabriel received a copy of this book to review.

Lizard’s Tale is written by Weng Wai Chan and is set before WWII in Singapore, featuring a young boy named Lizard and his best friend, Lili. Lizard’s guardian, Uncle Archie, disappears without explanation. As an orphan, Lizard barely scrapes by as he has to buy food and rent a tiny apartment, so he does odd jobs for random people and theft for Boss Man Beng.

Lizard had almost choked on his noodles. One hundred dollars! Nearly one year’s worth of rent and food.

Lizard had just got himself the dream job. All he had to do was to steal a teak box from the Raffles Hotel which belonged to a British army visitor and deliver it to the train station at 10pm. Otherwise, he would expect the worst. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

Lizard soon dives into a world where conspiracies and secret codes thrive, buzzing around concerning the next war. How will Lizard deal with all these problems, especially since his best friend isn’t who he thought she was? Can Lizard reveal the plot in time and save his friends and other people he loves? Will he be able to succeed in foiling his enemy’s plan by himself?

I recommend this book for preteens or young kids who love history and exciting adventures. I would rate this book 9/10 as there are great themes and it’s also a family friendly book. You can find this book online on Amazon as a kindle copy or a paperback, or even in your local bookstore. Have fun reading!

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

Posted in Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Ajay Rane

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Image shows the cover of a children's book: Ajay Rane, Global Crusader for Women's health by Deb Fitzpatrick. The cover illustration shows a hand drawn illustration of Prof Ajay Rane standing in blue hospital scrubs with hands on his hips and a stethoscope around his neck. Ajay has brown skin, short dark hair and wears glasses. Around him are doodle style drawings of the symbol for woman, a pelvis from a skeleton, and a glowing light bulb.

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Ajay Rane: Global crusader for women’s health by Deb Fitzpatrick, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893595

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

‘Who is Ajay Rane and why should Australians know him?’ I hear you ask curiously. He is Dr Rane and he is an advocate for women’s health. He saves women’s lives by helping women who suffer from fistula after giving birth.

It all started with Ajay’s paternal grandmother. She told Murli, Ajay’s father, to remember the work he learnt at school. Murli tried his hardest and eventually became a doctor. Then he started a hospital in his home town. This is when Ajay comes into the story. Ajay followed his dad’s footsteps and became a doctor.  

One of Ajay’s patients made me cry. She was a nurse until she had a baby and she could not go to work because she had fistula after giving birth. Then her husband kicked her out of the family. What will happen to her now?

I love this extraordinary book because it takes us back to Ajay’s ancestry. I have learnt so much about Ajay Rane and his family, like when Ajay was younger he celebrated the Diwali Festival with his family. Another section that was funny was when Ajay’s brother went to the toilet in his grandmother’s place in India only to find a pig in the toilet pit.  

I rate this excellent book 10/10.

Take a look inside the book at the publisher’s website!

Read our 2022 interview with the author, Deb Fitzpatrick.

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of 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 Reuben

Book review: Secret Agent Mole, Book 1

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Secret Agent Mole Book 1: Goldfish-Finger by James Foley. The book cover shows a mole wearing square glasses and a white dinner suit, and a hippo in a vest and trousers looking serious, and a tiny green bug. The title is in a font that looks like an official stamp on a Spy/Secret Agent file.

REVIEWED BY REUBEN, 9, WA

Secret Agent Mole, Book 1: Goldfish-Finger by James Foley, Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781761200151

Reuben received a review copy of this book.

Before I read any book I always read the blurb, and in this book parts of the blurb are just black lines, like it was an agent’s file. When I got this book I thought it would be about a mole, in a tuxedo, with a grappling hook but the hook was a plunger. And I knew it was a graphic novel.

It was what I expected because the mole had a plunger in a grappling gun – and it’s very funny. 

My fave character is Max because he is always telling dad jokes, and he’s the funniest character.

I am definitely looking forward to reading Book 2 in this series because I want to see if they manage to beat Dr Nude, the naked mole rat.

This is a great read for anyone who likes comics or animals or moles or insects/bugs and funny books.

I rate this book 5/5 plungers!

Read our March 2023 interview with the author-illustrator.

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 kids

Book review: Astonishingly Good Stories

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REVIEWED BY HANNAH, 10, QLD

Astonishingly Good Stories by RA Spratt, Penguin Australia, ISBN 9780143779261

Hannah reviewed her own copy of this title.

Image shows the cover of a book of short stories for children: Astonishingly Good Stories by RA Spratt. The cover illustration is filled with tiny illustrations of characters from inside the book: a child with an axe, a monster with a giant lollipop, a mer-pig.

Astonishingly Good Stories is a very funny, heart-warming collection of short stories including characters from RA Spratt’s other book series. The stories include Fractured Fairytales and stories of Nanny Piggins’ stunningly beautiful relatives (aunts and grandmothers). For Friday Barnes fans there is a short Friday Barnes story based on Christmas.

I like a lot of the stories but I actually liked the Friday Barnes one best. I am surprised by this because I thought Friday Barnes was too old for me and I didn’t understand the plot of other Friday Barnes stories, but I did understand the plot of this story and it was really good.

The prequel to Astonishingly Good Stories –Shockingly Good Stories – was equally good and I suggest you read both of them. I would not change this book at all.

I’d recommend this book to people who like books that make you laugh and ‘myths and legends as you’ve never read them before’. Ideal for ages 8 and up.

Take a look inside this book on the publisher’s website.

This is Hannah’s first review for Alphabet Soup! To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Veena Sahajwalla

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REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion by Julianne Negri, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893250

The publisher provided a review copy of this title.

Veena is an inspiring person to the next generation because she changed the world by inventing green steel. When Veena was little she just liked to ride on her dad’s scooter around Mumbai all the time. But she did not think that she would become the recycling champion in the future. 

From reading this book, I  learnt that Veena is a very diligent, persistent and resilient person. When she was in school she did extra work because she loved doing homework. She was the only girl in the class in her  university studies and she tried her best.

I rate this book 10/10 because this has even inspired me to be an engineer.

Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.

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

Posted in Book reviews by Gabriel, Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Jammer

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Image shows the cover of a children's book with a girl wearing shirt and shorts, helmet, long socks, knee pads and roller skates. She's crouching and looks serious.

REVIEWED BY GABRIEL, 12, NSW

The Jammer by Nova Weetman, University of Queensland Press, ISBN 9780702265426

The publisher provided a review copy of this title.

Being someone who others would consider nomadic is the norm for Fred, the main character. But in her life, there were always two constants – family and roller derby – until there weren’t anymore. This foundation crumbles to rubble in the first chapter.

After arriving in Melbourne, where her mum grew up, Fred soon discovers that everyone she meets knew a different side to her mum. 

How does Fred get used to this unwanted new life? Does she go back to roller derby or are the memories too much? How does Fred sew up the gaping hole of loss that she feels?

I recommend this book for readers who like roller derby and also those aged eight to thirteen, especially if they have lost loved ones unexpectedly. I like this book due to the way Nova Weetman puts this fantastic idea into words.

The Jammer is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.

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

Posted in Book reviews by Joshua, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Emma Johnston, Marine Biologist and TV Presenter

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REVIEWED BY JOSHUA, 13, NSW

Emma Johnston: Marine Biologist and TV Presenter by Dee White, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893762

Joshua received a review copy of this book.

Professor Emma Johnston, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sydney, has a genuinely encouraging life story.

“Emma was a sponge …“

She loved the beach, science and asking her parents questions about the wonderful world around her. She always enjoyed looking at the fascinating marine life under the water’s surface. Her curiosity and the questions her parents answered only gave her the thirst for more knowledge. Moving to Japan, she found the curriculum way more advanced, so she enjoyed the challenge and found class engaging. After returning to Australia, she was shocked by the discrimination against the girls at her high school and she moved to Uni High, a different school, accepted in with a music scholarship. She knew she loved science, communicating with others and playing music on her flute. 

What did she do with her curious mind and knowledge of science as she grew up in this big world?

Find out in Dee White’s extraordinary biography of Emma’s inspiring story. Reading her life story motivated me to look more into science again and rediscover my passion for science I lost a couple years ago. It helped me to relate to Emma as we both love science and I can feel her struggles, opinions and feelings throughout the book.

I loved this book and would rate this book a strong 4 out of 5 for ten to thirteen year olds.

Read our interview with the author, Dee White.

Joshua is a regular contributor to Alphabet Soup. Check out more of Joshua‘s reviews here.  If YOU would like to send us a book review, please refer to our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Team Trouble!

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REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Team Trouble! by Eddie Woo & Dave Hartley, illustrated by Mitch Vane, Pan Macmillan Australia, ISBN 9781760983000

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Have you ever had a mystery to solve with your friends?  Well, then you should read this book. Team Trouble! is written by Eddie Woo and Dave Hartley and illustrated by Mitch Vane. This book is about Eddie and his sidekicks (DT and Rusty) who all love skateboarding.

In this book, the mystery is about Mr Appleby. Mr Appleby helped Eddie’s Mum and Dad when they arrived in Australia from Malaysia in the 1990s, but now Mr Appleby is old. Mr Appleby’s aged care home is closing down. What do Eddie and his friends do? What will happen next?

I like this book because it has mental and physical challenges for Eddie and his friends. I rate this book 10/10. This book is suitable for age kids 8 and over. 

Read the first chapter of this book on the publisher’s website.

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