Category: Book reviews by kids

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: Alice-Miranda in the Alps

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 10, WA

Alice Miranda in the Alps

Alice-Miranda in the Alps by Jacqueline Harvey, Random House Australia, ISBN 9780857982742

Matilda reviews her own copy of this book.

Alice-Miranda is a very bright girl with a big imagination. She solves a lot of mysteries and is liked by nearly everyone. This is Book 12 in the series, and Alice-Miranda goes on holidays to Switzerland with her friends Jacinta, Sloane, Millie, Lucas and Sep. They only planned to stay at Fanger’s Hotel but when they find that they have to stay an extra week in Switzerland, they decide to visit Alice-Miranda’s uncle’s hotel — the Grand Hotel Von Zwicky, and help him out. Alice-Miranda is suspicious to find Frau Doerflinger now appears to be staying at the hotel when the hotel was supposed to be full.

This was one of my favourite Alice-Miranda books because I have just been through the Alps.

People who already love Alice-Miranda books will enjoy this book, and so will people who like mysteries. I think ages 6 to 12 will like reading Alice-Miranda in the Alps.

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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  Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH. 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 Matilda

Book review: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 10, WA

Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O’Brian, Penguin UK (Puffin Modern Classics), 9780141333335

Matilda found this book on the bookshelves at a holiday house.

When we were on holidays this book was on a bookshelf, so I read it. When I picked it up I thought that Mrs Frisby was a person, but she is actually a mouse and she lives at a farm with her children. The rats of NIMH are a group of rats with a secret, and they also live at the farm. Soon Mrs Frisby knows that it’s time to move their house again because the humans are coming with ploughs — but she has a big problem. One of her children is very sick and can’t get out of bed. The mice mostly stay out of the rats’ way. Will Mrs Frisby be brave enough to ask the rats to help before the ploughs arrive?

You can’t put this book down because it’s so exciting and you’ll need to find out what happens next. I recommend Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH for children aged 7 to 12.

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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  An Artist Once Said. 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 Matilda

Book review: An artist once said

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 9, WA

An artist once said

An Artist Once Said: An inspiration book by Hannah Rollings, Michael O’Mara Books Ltd, 9781449472290

Matilda reviews her own copy of this book.

Have you ever got frustrated because you don’t know what to draw? This book will cure you.

A picture and a quote from all different artists leads you to drawing something you might never have thought of before. I love the idea of this book and it did lead me to drawing lots more pictures, right inside the book.

There are different types of pictures and this book will inspire you in different ways, from reading quotes by artists like Picasso and Kahlo, to looking at yourself in the mirror.

I recommend this book for people who would like to draw more often — kids and adults too.

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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  At My Door. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Mister Cassowary

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 11, WA

Mister Cassowary

Mister Cassowary by Samantha Wheeler, UQP, ISBN 9780702253881

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

Mister Cassowary is a fantastic children’s novel about a boy named Flynn and his dad visiting the farm where Flynn’s grandfather had a terrible accident and died. They’re trying to fix up the farm so it can be sold in two weeks. Flynn doesn’t know much about cassowaries (lots live around the farm) or why his dad is so scared of them.

With the help of local girl Abby, Flynn tries to discover the mystery around his grandfather’s death, about his grandfather’s own cassowary — Big Blue — and why two baby cassowaries don’t seem to have a dad.

Although I didn’t find the opening scenes intriguing, if you continue further in then you will find yourself staying up at night to find out more about the mystery of Grandad Barney.

Throughout the book you learn more and more about cassowaries and how they are a beautiful and endangered species. At the end of the book it tells you more facts about cassowaries so you can deepen your understanding of those birds.

This book is definitely worth reading for children aged 7+ — it does deal with some tough topics (like death, and facing your fears, and family relationships) in in easy-to-read novel.

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Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Australian Kids Through the Years. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Australian Kids Through the Years

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 11, WA

Australian Kids Through the Years

Australian Kids Through the Years by Tania McCartney, ill. Andrew Joyner, NLA Publishing, ISBN 9780642278593

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

Australian Kids Through the Years is an easy-to-read, informative, and beautifully illustrated picture book about Australia’s history. It is taken from the point of view of kids from different time periods.

The book has a different era every four pages — the first two include a brief description, and the next two are a setting from the era.

This book feels light in mood. The illustrations are much like colourful cartoons, with clear yet complex pictures. You might recognise the illustrator from Too Many Elephants in This House (a picture book written by Ursula Dubosarsky). My favourite pages in the book are the 1990s — everything seems modern but it’s still different from how things are now.

At the end of the book there is a summary of each time period, including photographs and paintings from each time.

I like that you can extract lots of information really easily. This is a great book for kids aged 7+ because of the easy language and because it’s fun to read.

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Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Ugly. 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 Matilda

Book review: At My Door

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 9, WA

At My Door by Deb Fitzpatrick

At My Door by Deb Fitzpatrick, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781925162707

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

This book is set at Poppy’s house. When the doorbell rings and a car speeds away, her family discovers that a baby has been left on the doorstep. What will they do? Where are the baby’s parents?

I really liked the creativity and the language in this book. I liked how it was about a situation that doesn’t happen every day. My favourite character was Mei because she was funny and cute. I was surprised when she turned up because I didn’t expect what was left on the doorstep to be her.

This story is realistic and you feel like it could happen to you. What would you do if a baby turned up on your doorstep?

I would recommend it for kids aged 7+ and people who wonder about these sorts of things.

You can read a sample chapter of At My Door on the publisher’s website. And you can listen to the author read from the book, too.

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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 Cleo Stories: A Friend and, A Pet. 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 Matilda

Book review – The Cleo Stories: A Friend, and A Pet

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 9 WA

The Cleo Stories: A Friend, and A Pet

The Cleo Stories: A Friend, and A Pet by Libby Gleeson, ill. Freya Blackwood, ISBN 9781743315286, Allen & Unwin

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

Cleo is a little girl who loves wearing animal ears and has a big imagination. I have read the first Cleo book in this series and I really liked it. This book also has two stories in it.

A Friend.
Cleo is bored and has nothing to do.

A Pet
Cleo really wants a pet but her parents keep saying ‘no’.

I like how Cleo always uses her imagination to find a solution. There are lots of illustrations that are very simple. They are colourful and they are on every page. I liked this Cleo book even more than the first one and I think they are getting better and better. I would recommend The Cleo Stories: A Friend, and A Pet for children who are 5+, and for people who have a big imagination.

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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  Bella and the Wandering House. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Ugly by Robert Hoge

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 11, WA

Ugly (cover)

Ugly by Robert Hoge, Hachette Australia, ISBN 9780733634338

Joseph borrowed a copy of this book from his local library.

Ugly is Robert Hoge’s autobiography (this is the edition for children). It starts with Robert being born at the hospital and there’s a debate about whether or not his parents will even take him home because he has a tumour on his face and there’s something wrong with his legs. Eventually his brothers and sisters vote to keep him, and he does come home.

In the book you learn about his early childhood, primary school and high school years. There’s a lot about how he made friends and overcame teasing, lots of operations and walking with artificial legs. There’s a list of nicknames he was called in high school (some are good and some are bad).

This was a very interesting book and I liked the attitude that we’re all different in some way and there’s always a way to overcome differences. I would have liked the book to be longer, and I would have liked to read something about Robert after high school and into adulthood.

Mature readers aged 9 and above would enjoy this book and learning about Robert’s challenges in childhood.

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Read an extract from Ugly on the publisher’s site.

Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Adam Spencer’s Big Book of Numbers. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Snail and Turtle are Friends

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY CHARLOTTE, 9, VIC

Snail and Turtle are friends (cover)

Snail and Turtle are Friends by Stephen Michael King, Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781743620236

Charlotte read a copy of this book in her school library.

Snail and Turtle are Friends opens with the greeting:

Good morning Snail, Good morning Turtle.

Set outside in both the garden and open space, this story shows us that friends can be different, but still have fun.

The cover illustration is colourful. It caught my interest and made me wonder. This book is for ages 3+ because it is short, easy to read and very colourful.

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Charlotte attends Oxley Christian College and this is her first book review for Alphabet Soup. If you’d like to read more book reviews by Oxley Christian College students, click on ‘Oxley Christian College’ in the grey categories box in the right column of this blog. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Hello from Nowhere

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY BEN, 9, VIC

Hello from Nowhere (cover)

Hello from Nowhere by Raewyn Caisley, illustrated by Karen Blair, Penguin Books Australia, ISBN 9780670075003

Ben read a copy of this book in his school library.

The story is set in Nowhere in the Australian outback. Nowhere is no longer a real place. Eve thought that living in the middle of Nowhere was better than living anywhere else in the world. However, she misses one thing, her Nan. But Eve has an idea. Will it work or will she be stuck with Dad, Brian the seagull, Livestock the lazy cat and Bluey the blue tongue lizard forever?

It’s an amazing story. The watercolour and pencil drawings really match the desert theme. This book shows us that we don’t always want to be alone. This book made me feel tense wondering how Eve’s idea would be put together.

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Ben attends Oxley Christian College and this is his first book review for Alphabet Soup. If you’d like to read more book reviews by Oxley Christian College students, click on ‘Oxley Christian College’ in the grey categories box in the right column of this blog. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!